It is believed by some that Anjana, who was once a beautiful apsara in heaven, after being cursed by the king of planets Brihaspati, took birth as a monkey on Earth. She was told that her liberation from the curse and her return to heaven can only come with the blessings of lord Shiva.
Anjana, as a monkey, lived in forest. One day, the monkey king Keshari met her and was instantly smitten by her beauty. He made her a marriage proposal. But she had a condition: Keshari would let her back to heaven once Lord Shiva liberates her from the curse.
One night, after days of faithful worship, appearing in her dreams, Shiva promised her that she will give birth to a boy who will possess his powers. And once the boy is old enough, Anjana can leave her life on Earth and return to her original form.
Lo and behold, soon she was pregnant and gave birth to a baby, extraordinarily beautiful and strong. That baby was named Hanuman. And he grew up to accomplish such marvels, following lord Ram, that his glory still reverberates in the conscience of the populace through the lore of Ramayana.
For this Rath Yatra, Orissa POST explores how Lord Hanuman’s presence and power holds a significant place in the culture and history Puri Srimandir.
Srimandir has four gates, and Lord Hanuman guards them all, protecting the temple, in different forms, performing many a service for the lord of the universe.
At the Lions’ Gate in the East, Hanuman is worshipped there as ‘Phate Hanuman’.
Similarly, at the North Gate, he sits in padmasana, holding chakra in four hands, and is worshipped as ‘Astabhuja Hanuman’.
Then at the South Gate, his presence is seven feet tall and he is worshipped as ‘Bara Bhai Hanuman’.
And finally at the Western Gate, with a height of four feet, he is known as ‘Kanpata Hanuman.’
There is a fascinating myth behind the presence of Hanuman at the Western Gate, as he remains near the temple of goddess Mahalaxmi.
Lord Jagannath, busy listening to the pleas of millions of devotees daily, does not get enough time during the day to spend a moment with his beloved wife. And Mahalaxmi, bound in the customs of the household, can’t visit the Lord as he sits on the throne with his elder brother.
When things calm down as the rituals end, in middle of the night, lord Jagannath comes to meet his wife. As goddess Laxmi is daughter of the Ocean God and Srimandir is situated near the seashore, sound of the sea always creates deep vibrations in the temple.
In the silence of night, the sound of the sea is so loud that it disturbs the lord’s nightly routine. But as the Ocean God is his father in law, he can’t complain. But toleration has a limit.
It is said that one night, very much disturbed by the sound of the sea, the Lord sarcastically commented that the Ocean God lacks common sense. Mahalaxmi did not say a word but was hurt inside. The Lord realised immediately that he has made a grave mistake. He cajoled the goddess and the next day ordered the Hanuman of the western gate to ensure that the sound of the sea doesn’t pass the Meghanada Pacheri.
At the order of the Lord, Hanuman made the boundary wall soundproof and being the loyal follower he is, he put his ears on the wall to make sure that the sound of the sea has been seized.
As he has his ears all the time at the wall, he came to be known as Kanpata Hanuman.
“It is an astonishing that in night, when one stands before the temple, she can hear the sea. But inside the temple, the sound is never ever heard. I think that is the wonderful manifestation of the God’s power,” says a Puri local Bhagirathi Sahoo.
MADHUSMITA SAHU,OP