Hanuman Jayanti 2022: How the festival is celebrated

Hanuman Janmotsav: The festival is being celebrated on April 16 this year.

The Hindu community is today celebrating Hanuman Jayanti-- the birth of Lord Hanuman, a devotee of Lord Rama and one of the key figures in epic text Ramayana.

According to Ramayana, Lord Hanuman was the son of Kesari, a vanara (humanoid ape or monkey), and Anjana, a celestial nymph. It is said that Anjana prayed for 12 years to the deity Rudra to have a child. Her devotion pleased Rudra and he granted her wish.

In the Hindu religion, Hanuman is regarded as a symbol of strength. He is believed to have been able to move mountains, seize clouds and wield celestial weapons.

Lord Hanuman’s birth, or Hanuman Janmotsav, is marked with spiritual discourses at temples and the distribution of prasad -- flowers, coconuts, sweets and holy water.

Devotees pray to Lord Hanuman for blessings and protection. They fast, recite the Hanuman Chalisa and read Ramayana and Mahabharata.

They get tilaks of sindoor (vermillion) applied on their foreheads. Legend has it Hanuman once saw Sita apply sindoor on her forehead and asked what its purpose was. Sita told him that her gesture would ensure her husband Lord Rama’s long life. Being an ardent devotee of Lord Rama, Hanuman proceeded to apply sindoor all over his body so Lord Rama could be immortal.

Hanuman statues show him to the right of Lord Rama, kneeling before him with folded hands. In others, he is alone, carrying  weapons such as thunderbolt (vajra) or mace (gada).