LUCKNOW BADA MANGAL

Bada Mangal of Lucknow

The month of Jyestha has started, and with it the series of four tuesdays in the month known as Bada Mangal of Lucknow.

                           

Of course only the first tuesday has the honour of being known as Bada Mangal. The last tuesday of the month of Jyestha is known as Budhwa Mangal (it could be 4th or sometimes the 5th). The rest of the tuesdays in between do not have any special name.

The month of Jyestha falls during the period of early May to mid June

                           

The occasion is the special Darshan of Lord Hanuman and asking of wishes in the Hanuman Temple at Aliganj, and the accompanying mela.

The darshan and occasion are specific to the two temples (old and new) at Aliganj, but with time all Hanuman Temples in Lucknow have started organising similar festivities and mela. May be it is better business sense to do so.

History

In the year 1718 Awadh Queen Alia Begum was getting a palace made in Aliganj, Lucknow. During the digging work at the site labourers found two statues of Lord Hanuman.

Alia Begum got the statues placed somewhere in the corner of the construction area.

That night she heard in her dream, "Install the statues in a temple and a son will be born to you".

                        

Purana (Old) Hanuman Mandir

Within few days Alia Begum got the statue installed in the temple known today as ‘Purana Hanuman Mandir’, Aliganj.

In time Alia Begum was blessed with a son whom she named ‘Mangat Rai Firoz Shah’.

               

Sanctum of Old Hanuman Mandir

Lord Hanuman at the Old Hanuman Mandir

But what is ‘Naya Hanuman Mandir’ in Aliganj?

The temple is neither new nor recent.

Naya Hanuman Mandir is over 250 old. It is called ‘Naya’ as it was constructed three decades after the ‘Purana’ or the old temple.

Alia Begum's army commander Jathmal made the Naya Hanuman Mandir in 1752.

The story goes like this: Jathmal was taking the statues to some other place for installation. While they all were moving in a procession, the elephant carrying the statue sat at one place and refused to move further.

Jathmal decided to install the statues at the place where the elephant sat down and this became the ‘Naya Hanuman Temple’.

After making the temple Jathmal performed ‘puja’. It happened to be the first Tuesday of Jyestha. 
                  

New Hanuman Mandir

Since then the first Tuesday of Jyestha is known as ‘Bada Mangal’ and is celebrated in the Naya Hanuman Mandir. People from far off places this day come to pray and ask for their wishes to Lord Hanuman.

This historical story is brought down over these 250 years by generations of pujaris and shopkeepers. Bada Mangal, devoted to Lord Hanuman is unique to Lucknow and is celebrated for the last almost 300 years.

The celebrations are held on the four or five continuous Tuesdays all known as Bada Mangal, from the first to the last in the month of Jyestha.

                                 

        

                                        Sanctum of New Hanuman Mandir

About eight hundred thousand devotees visit the temple on each Bada Mangal. 

The doors of the Sanctum Sanctorum are closed since morning and behind the closed doors, ‘snan’, ‘vastra dharan’ and ‘shringaar’ ceremonies of Lord Hanuman are done.

Doors are thrown open to the devotees few hours before midnight and are open till the wee hours of Wednesday.

Though the Bada Mangal is unique to the two Old and Naya Hanuman Mandirs, over the years started being celebrated in all Hanuman temples in and around the city.

In fact this year a temple in Indira Nagar, Lucknow got in the news as a huge ladoos, weighing 301 kgs was offered to Lord Hanuman. This is claimed to be biggest ladoo being offered on Bada Mangal.

During these Bada Mangals on the roadside corporate houses, shopkeepers and residents erect canopies to offer free unlimited chilled sherbet, water and food to all passer-bys, blaring chants dedicated to Lord Hanuman.

                         

Evening is the time for children to rejoice in fairs that are put up around the temples for the devotees.

Muslims in large numbers put up stalls to offer water and food to the devotees in the scorching summer heat of Lucknow.

This unique Lucknow festival is the biggest example of secularism and cross-religious beliefs of people of Lucknow.

Innumerable examples of Hindus constructing mosques and Muslims constructing temples can be found in Lucknow.

To date it is the only city in India that has no history of any communal violence.

Let us maintain this glorious record.