ardent devotee who provided him immediate relief-whether it be searching for lost Sita or bringing efficacious medicine for severely wounded Lakshman. There is hardly any place in north India where there is no temple of Hanuman. So his birthday, Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated with great gusts and devotion.

On Chaitra Shukla Purnima i.e. full moon day (falling generally In 15th March to 15th April period) Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated all over the country. This monkey-god Hanuman is worshiped everywhere in India : either alone or together with Lord Rarna. Hanuman temples dot almost three fourth of India with great density. Moreover every temple dedicated to Rama invariably has an idol of Lord Hanuman. Hanuman is believed to be the son of a monkey chieftain, Kesri and his wife Anjani. He is also called 'Shankar-suvan' (Lord Shankar's son). He has yet another sire in the form of wind-god or Vayu (Marut). How he acquired these legends is explained below :

Hanuman as Lord Ram's Brother :

This legend figures in the "Anandaramayan". It says that there was a divine danseuse (Apsara) named Suvarchala whose amorous intentions once made her object of Lord Brahma's wrath. Realizing her mistake, she fell flat at the creator's feet. The Creator had cursed her that she would become a she-vulture. When the danseuse repeatedly requested the enraged Brahma, the latter relented saying, "You shall become a she-vulture as my words cannot go wrong. But I make this amendment that you shall be redeemed from this curse when in the Treta Age you shall flee after taking part of the 'Cham' (a kind of sweet kheer) from queen Kaikeyi's hands. The moment you let go that 'Cham' from your beak, you shall regain your divine danseuse's form and shall comeback to heaven," explained the Creator.

As is well-known to the followers of the Ram-Katha (Ram's Tale), Oashrath, a renowned king of the Kaushal Oesh with his capital in Ayodhya, didn't get a son till he was quite aged. Then, on the advice of the saints and seers, he performed the "Pyutreshthiyagya" to propitiate the Lord of Fire who eventually emerged from the holy altar with a bowel of 'Cham' in his hand. On the suggestion of the king Oashrath's priest, Vashishtha, the contents in the bowl were divided into three parts : half of it was given to the eldest queen Kaushalya and the remaining part divided again into two parts, one given to Kaikeyi, the youngest queen of King Oashrath and one to Sumitra the second queen.

While Kaikeyi was about to eat the celestial dish, a she-vulture came charging at her and taking a bit of the concoction inside its beak, she flew away. But she found it too hot to swallow, so she dropped it which was duly caught and eaten by Anjani who was worshiping Lord Shankar sitting over the hill. The moment the she vulture dropped it, she 'was relieved from the curse's influence and regained her original form of the divine danseuse. Anjani, the she monkey, who ate celestial 'Charu' became pregnant and in due time delivered of a male issue who got the name of 'Hanuman' as he grew. Since Lord Ram and Hanuman were born of the effect of the same divine concoction they were deemed as brothers.

Hanuman as the Son of the Wind-god :

This legend figures in the Vaishnava section of the Skand-Purana and the sixty sixth Canto of the 'Ramayan' by Valmiki. The Chief of gods, Indra, had a very beautiful and virtuous Apsara named Punjikasthala who ignorantly made the divine seer angry and the seer cursed her that in her next life she might become a she-monkey. In her next life, she took birth in the house of a Monkey Lord Kunjar and was known as Anjani or Anjana. When she grew up, she was married to a monkey chieftain, Kesari.

When the couple didn't get any issue long after their marriage, they left Kishkindha on the advice of Matanga sage and went to Venkatachal Mount to propitiate the wind-god for getting a son. Anjana or Anjani performed rigorous penance and eventually propitiated. The wind-god appeared to assure her that his incarnation would get birth soon from her womb who "shall be illustrious, virtuous and the darling of the Supreme Lord about to grace the earth."

After a few days when Anjana was seated on the hill in her comely appearance, she was reminded of the boon she had received from the wind-god. Immediately she felt a great longing for the fulfillment of the god's promises. Then all of sudden she felt as though someone had embraced her. Not finding anybody anywhere she uttered angrily: "Who's there trying to defile my chastity by embracing me invisibly?" Then she felt the winds growing intense and out, emerged a clear voice from the sound of the raging winds:

"Be not afraid or angr O Ajani , I'm Vayu-Dev (the wind-god) and secretly embracing you to grant you the son I promised. Soon you shall receive the reward of my this embrace."

And in due time Anjana delivered of the son. Hence Hanuman is known as the son of the wind.