Sankat Mochan, Varanasi

Sankat Mochan Temple, one of the holy temples in India, is dedicated to Lord Hanuman. Firmly established in the southern part of Varanasi, on the way to the Durga Mandir and New Vishwanath temple BHU, this temple addresses the religious and cultural sentiments of all the devotees.

Sankatmochan is another name for Hanuman Ji that means destroyer of all troubles (Sankat means problem and Mochan means relief giver), and devotees believe that Lord Hanuman always takes away all the sufferings of the devotees while proving his name.

Two days of the week (Tuesday and Saturday) is considered the best day to offer pooja to Lord Hanuman. Hundreds of devotees gather in the temple every Tuesday and Saturday to proffer their prayers to Lord Hanuman and chant Hanuman Chalisa and Sundarkand. According to Vedic Astrology, Worshipping Lord Hanuman is considered the most effective way of appeasing the Shani Ji (planet Saturn).

The devotees offer Besan Ladoos (sweet made of pure ghee and gram floor) and Sindoor to Lord Hanuman and pray. They also decorate the idol of the Lord with a garland of flowers and tulsi (basil) leaves. To make lord hanuman please, his statue is well placed just in front of Lord Rama( to whom lord hanuman is always devoted). This temple is also called the Monkey temple because of the presence of many monkeys on the premises.

The Hanuman Jayanti (birth anniversary of Lord Hanuman) is celebrated every year by organizing a beautiful Shobha Yatra (a parade) from the Durga temple (Durga Kund) to the Sankat Mochan Temple.