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The power of Bajrang Bali

The renovation of the Hanuman Mandir on New Delhi’s Baba Kharak Singh Marg, which is planned to be completed by September, is not the first such exercise. Historical records cited by Maulvi Zafar Hassan say the first known renovation of the mandir took place during the reign of Akbar in the late 16th Century under the supervision of Raja Man Singh, the most influential general of the Moghul army. The raja was the one who had brought the idol of the Devi during his Bengal campaign from what is now Bangladesh. This idol was temporarily installed in Agra and then taken to Amber, the old Capital of the Kachwaha Rajputs where it was set up with great fanfare. The idol is still there, with its face turned away.

The story goes that human sacrifice in the form of death convicts was offered to the Devi at Dussehra but in the early 20th Century that was replaced with buffalo sacrifice. The idol did not accept the change and turned its face away in disgust.

The second historical renovation of the Mandir, when a steeple was added to it, took place at the time when Sawai Jai Singh was building the Jantar Mantar during the reign of Mohammad Shah Rangila in the second decade of the 18th Century. Before that, the mandir was confined to a smaller complex, dating back to the days of the Mahabharata. It is said that the Pandavas came to offer worship there from Hastinapur and Bhimsen was greatly devoted to it. According to a legend, the strongest man of his time had a chance meeting with Hanuman disguised as an old monkey, with his tail covering a whole forest pathway. When Bhim asked him to remove his tail so that he could pass, the old monkey said that he was too weak to do so and Bhim should take the trouble of lifting lit up and putting it on one side. Bhim exerted all his strength but failed and it was then that the old monkey assumed the shape of Hanuman. Folding his hands Bhim asked that the son of the wind god help the Pandavas in their war with the Kaurvas. Hanuman said he could not interfere as he belonged to another age and that he should fight his own battles. So Bhim asked for a boon and Bajrang Bali assured him of his blessings and eventual success.

Sawai Jai Singh enlarged the old temple following a dream in which Hanuman is said to have told him that he needed more space so that his abode was not dwarfed by the Jantar Mantar. Make what you like of these tales, but the proposed Hanuman Mandir Vatika will definitely add the much needed Iustre to the existing temple. Meanwhile, the Hanuman statue at the Karol Bagh crossing has become a cherished landmark, more so since the Metro started passing by it. Earlier, there was an idol of Hanuman on Shankar Road in front of a small temple, but it lost its popularity after the bigger one came up. There is a big rush of devotees seeking the monkey god’s blessing on Tuesdays, but otherwise too, there is never an idle moment at the mandir with people coming for worship on all days and at every hour. Also, compared to the idol, the size of the temple is too small, it spoils the symmetry. Be that as it may, the Hanuman idol is a worthy acquisition for the Capital and one which took long years to complete. At midnight when no worshippers are around, the pujari sits alone near the sanctum sanctorum, eyes closed in meditation and only a whispered prayer passing through his lips. If gossip be true, that is the time when an unseen hand rings the temple bell, just an eerie jingle, which startles the pujari out of his trance and lends credence to the belief that Hanuman never leaves his devotees alone. The ringing of the bell at midnight was hitherto associated with the Red Stone Horse monument on the road that goes past Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra in Agra. Now the legend has moved closer to Delhi itself. But only a few know about it and fewer still believe it. Nevertheless, Metro commuters do turn around and make obeisance whenever the train streaks past this amazing structure of Bajrang Bali.

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