Today, 12th April, 2025 is Hanuman Janmotsava, the birthday of Hanumanji. It is celebrated on Chaitra Poornima (full moon day in the Chaitra month).
Hanuman Janmotsava shall be celebrated yet again on 19th October, 2025. This is because Hanuman Janmotsava is also celebrated on Kartik Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of Krishna Paksh in the Kartik month). Some believe that Hanuman ji was given a new life after being hit by the Vajra of Indra on this day. Some texts say that Mother Sita blessed Hanumanji with immortality on this day.
We celebrate the day as Hanuman Janmotsava and not Hanuman Jayanti. Because Jayanti is celebrated of a noble person who was born and has now left the body; whereas Janmotsava is celebrated of one who is born and is alive at the moment.
When Bhagwan Rama took jala-samadhi, he instructed Hanumanji to stay on the Earth till people sang the name of Rama. Since the name of Rama is sung even today, Lord Hanuman lives on; because he does not have the permission of Bhagwan Ram to leave the Earth. Hence we celebrate Hanuman Janmotsava. Many a devout soul claims to have had glimpses of Hanumanji in the higher Himalayas.
Lord Rama’s favourite and most staunch devotee was Hanumanji. He was blessed with Ananya bhakti. Hanumanji was born to the couple Anjana and Kesari. The Ramayana tells us that King Dashratha did not have progeny, so he performed the Putrakameshti Yagna. A celestial being emerged from the Yagna fire and offered him an urn full of kheer, for the king to give to his queen, saying that the queen would become pregnant thereafter. King Dasharatha, having three wives, divided the kheer into three equal portions and gave them to his queens; Kaushalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra.
The story goes that Sumitra left her bowl of kheer on the windowsill and went to bathe. While she was bathing, an eagle picked up the kheer from her windowsill and flew off. The eagle dropped the kheer, while flying over a mountain. (The mountain is now called Anjanadri or Hanuman Halli, near Hampi in Karnataka.) Anjana was meditating, when the bowl of kheer, dropped down into her lap. Anjana thought that the Lord had sent prasadam for her and she consumed it with devotion. She gave birth to a son who was named Anjaneya. He was also called Kesari Nandan (being born in the house of Kesari.) Since the prashad had come along with a gust of wind, the child was also called Vayu Putra (son of wind).
Meanwhile, when it became known that Sumitra’s share of kheer was ‘taken away’, Kaushalya and Kaikeyi gave a portion each, of their own share of kheer to Sumitra. Rama was born to Kaushalya and Bharat was born to Kaikeyi. Sumitra bore twins who were named Lakshmana and Shatrughana. It is beleived that the portion of kheer that was given to Sumitra by Kaushalya, led to the birth of Lakshmana and Kaikeyi’s portion led to the birth of Shatrughana.
There are many stories that tell about the naughtiness of the child Anjaneya. He often made mischief in the Guru’s ashram where he was sent to study. All the Rishis in the ashram were at their wits end about how to channel the energy of Hanuman and discipline him. One day, when Anjaneya was really hungry, He saw the sun in the sky and thought it was an apple. He started to fly towards the sun, wanting to eat the bright, shining apple in the sky. Indra was devastated, thinking that if Anjaneya ate the Sun, there would be no light left for the world. In order to stop him, Indra attacked him with his Vajra (thunderbolt) and gave him a mighty blow on the face. Due to this blow on the face by Indra, Anjaneya’s chin got twisted to one side and his face got disfigured. This is when he came to be known as Hanuman (one with a disfigured face). When Hanumanji fell down to the ground, deeply unconscious with the impact of the Vajra, Anjana, Kesari and Vayu and begged for their son to be revived. Shiva brought Hanumanji back to consciousness. Hanuman ji is believed to be an Ansh-Avatar (miniscule part) of Shiva himself.
Hanumanji played many a role in assisting Bhagwan Rama in his sojourn on Earth. When Sitaji was abducted by Ravana; Rama and Lakshmana looked far and wide for her. The army of Sugriva, also joined in the search. Hanumanji leapt across the ocean and went to Lanka in search of Sitaji. He came back after finding her and reassuring her that Rama would come soon, to rescue her. Noteworthy is the fact that when Rama sent Hanumanji to Lanka, He did not give him detailed guidance and instructions, about how to conduct himself there.
Hanumanji entered Lanka, assuming the size of an insect. He checked the palace looking for Sitaji and through a congenial dialogue with Vibheeshana, found out that Sitaji was in Ashok Vatika.
When he saw Sitaji, sitting under a tree in the Ashok Vatika lost deep in thought, he realised that if he appeared before her, she would get intimidated and may not even believe his story because he was a monkey, not a human. Such was his presence of mind that he sat atop the tree and started singing, Ram Katha. When Sitaji heard the singing, she looked up, and Hanumanji dropped the ring of Lord Ram in front of her. That convinced her to believe that he was the messenger of Rama.
Hanumanji induced a confrontation with Ravana, just so that he could give Ravana a taste of the might of Rama’s messenger and invoke fear in the mind of Ravana’s army. He set Lanka on fire, scared the day-lights out of everyone there and returned in style, unscathed!
When Lakshman was unconscious after being hit by the Shakti fired by Inderjeet, during the battle between Rama and Ravana he needed medical aid. Ravana’s Vaidya Raj Sushen did not want to treat Lakshman saying that he was the brother of the enemy of their king. Hanumanji counselled him, saying that a Vaidya’s first duty is to treat the patient who comes in his hour of need. At this time, Lakshman needs treatment. It does not matter who the enemy is. It only matters that you are a doctor; you should keep the well-being of your patient in the forefront. Vaidya Raj Sushen agreed to treat Lakshman, but he said that he needed some medicinal herbs that grew only on the Himalayas, and there was no way to make them available now.
He also said that if the sun rose and the treatment was not done, Lakshmana would not survive. Hanumanji took it upon himself to fly to the Himalayas and bring the requisite medicinal herbs. When he reached there, he couldn’t recognise the right herb, so he just picked up the entire Dronagiri mountain for the Vaidya to harvest the Sanjeevani booti from. Such was his might and commitment towards his Lord Rama. Truly a role model, whose live is worth emulating!