Hanuman is the most popular icon of Hindu faith. Most of the localities in the Hindi belt of India has a Hanuman temple. People cutting across all caste lines people of all cults like Vaishnavs, Shavites believe in him. They keep fast on Tuesday which is considered to be Hanuman day. The renowned medical practitioner-turned Hindu mythology scholar Devdutt Patnaik has done a coffee table book on Hanuman .
This beautifully designed book was published by Vakils of Bombay in 2001. This 140-odd page is divided in 14 chapters and it introduces Hanuman through his heritage, life story focussing his association with Rama and his heroic deals in finding Sita after she was abducted by Ravana and his one-man ( pr monkey campahign carried out in Lanka).
Hanuman is no history. He is a legendry literary character carved out in Ramayan first by Valmiki but converted into a household deity by Tulsi Das in medieval period. He is as fictional as other Hindu gods like Rama and Krishna. Millions of people believe that they existed much before the Christian era began but there are no historical evidence to support that. Rama's story became so popular that it was modified and recreated in most of the Indian languages and even traveled up to South East Asia.
Sahmat of Safdar Hashmi fame even organised an exhibition on Rama after the Ram Janam Bhoomi movement leading to Babri Masjid demolition that in some stories Rama and Sita have been depicted as siblings. However, the noted Bollywood filmmaker Ramanand Sagar made millions by producing the Ramayan TV serial which stopped life across India when it was aired every Sunday for more than a year. B.R.Chopra also created a similar history by producing Mahabharat which is more colourful and eventful because of its intriguing plot.
Coming back to Hanuman, what is the secret of Hanuman's popularity. According to Patnaik, Hanuman represents all noble values of a human character, though he was an animal. His devotion and dedication in Rama's life during his banishment of 14 years in exile and his cultural war launched against the Dravidian king Ravana presumed as a Dravidian.
Hanuman is portrayed as an epitome of character, strength, intelligence, wisdom and intellect. Hanuman caught the fancy of Latin American writers who described him as a monkey god to understand Hindu mythology and philosophy.
There is another myth around Hanuman that he is a liberal god who fulfills all wishes of his devotees. There is no yardstick to measure that but the widespread acceptance and following of him continues to multiply. Hanuman is fun loving and a frolic character. He is not as sober as Ram and not as cavalier as Krishna is supposed to be. He is a trouble shooter and a celibate on top of that. He didn't marry and no woman could dare to enter his life. But there is a legend that once while having a dip in the sea after burning Lanka, Hanuman's seed fell into the body of a giant fish that had tried to eat him and a son was born. He was named Makardhwaj . Hanuman didn't own him first but when he insisted, he asked him to help in fighting and defeating Ravana's brother Ahiravan . When he did that Makardhwaj was accepted by Hanuman as his son.
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