Hundreds of devotees in Leicester celebrated Lord Hanuman’s birthday at the Shree Hanuman Temple, near to Rushey Fields.
Six days of festivities took place at the temple on Melton Road with a daily recital followed by some traditional food (Prashad).
As part of the birthday celebrations a special ‘Puja’ was performed including a wonderful display of traditional Indian sweets offered to Lord Hanuman – the god of mental and physical strength.
Hanuman, one of the most popular and revered Hindu deities, is also recognised as the Monkey-God.
Hanuman is known as a popular devotee of Lord Rama. His help enabled Rama to rescue Sita Devi and then defeat Ravana in the war. Hanuman is a symbol of success and fulfilment. According to Hindus, one needs courage, strength, intelligence, commitment and purity to be successful.
“Lord Hanuman’s birthday is a very special occasion for the community and we were thrilled so many people joined us to offer prayers and seek blessings from the deity,” said Rajesh Patel, secretary of the Shree Hanuman Temple.
“This temple, which opened in 2021, is the only one in the UK to be dedicated to the shrine of Lord Hanuman and it was great to see so many people from the local community.”
