Hanuman Jayanti falls on the full moon of Chaitra. Maruti, as Maharashtra calls him, was born at sunrise, so the kirtan in his temples starts well before dawn and stops at the moment the Sun appears, when the birth is announced and prasad is shared. Every village in Maharashtra has a Maruti at its gate, smeared with sindoor and oil.
The story
Samarth Ramdas made Maruti the emblem of strength in the service of right. He founded eleven Maruti temples in the Satara and Kolhapur country, the Akra Maruti, and beside each an akhada for exercise. His Maruti Stotra, eleven verses in a thundering metre, is still the hymn of every gymnasium.
The story of the birthday is the child's leap at the rising Sun, which he took for a ripe fruit.
भीमरूपी महारुद्रा वज्रहनुमान मारुती । वनारी अंजनीसूता रामदूता प्रभंजना ॥
Terrible in form, great Rudra, Hanuman of the thunderbolt, Maruti; enemy of the forest, son of Anjani, messenger of Rama, breaker of all before you
The opening of the Maruti Stotra of Samarth Ramdas
How it is kept
- Kirtan at dawnEnding at sunrise with the announcement of the birth.
- Sindoor and oilThe image is given a fresh coat, with a garland of rui (calotropis) leaves.
- Maruti StotraRecited eleven times.
- WrestlingBouts are held in village akhadas in his honour.
Why this date
Hanuman Jayanti in Maharashtra is Chaitra Purnima, on the day the full-moon tithi is present at sunrise.
Hanuman Jayanti in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday | |
| 2027 | Tuesday | |
| 2028 | Sunday | |
| 2029 | Saturday | |
| 2030 | Thursday | |
| 2031 | Monday |
More Marathi festivals
15 AprilRam Navamiश्रीराम नवमी
7 AprilGudi Padwaगुढीपाडवा
8 MayAkshaya Tritiyaअक्षय्य तृतीया
14 JulyAshadhi Ekadashiआषाढी एकादशी
23 MarchHoli and Dhulivandanहोळी · धूलिवंदन
18 JulyGuru Purnimaगुरुपौर्णिमा
Where to see Hanuman Jayanti
In Maharashtra
- ChaphalMaharashtraWhere Samarth Ramdas built his Rama temple, with two of the eleven Marutis facing it.
- AnjaneriMaharashtraA hill fort near Trimbak named for Anjani and held to be Hanuman's birthplace.
- Shani ShingnapurMaharashtraThe village of Shani, whom Maruti is said to keep in check.
Across India
- HampiKarnatakaAnjanadri hill, in the Kishkindha of the Ramayana.
- Hanuman Garhi, AyodhyaUttar PradeshThe guardian temple of Rama's city.
- SalasarRajasthanThe largest fair of the year at Salasar Balaji.