Residents of Lucknow are preparing to greet the Bada Mangal month by praying to Lord Hanuman and organising bhandaras (free offerings) on the four next Tuesday. In honour of the International Year of Millets, a few bhandaras may even provide millet-based prasad this year.
“Bada Mangal is a 2-3 centuries Lucknow tradition.” The new Hanuman temple in Aliganj has been in operation since June 6, 1782.
Story behind the Bada Mangal
Begum Janab-e-Alia, wife of the third Nawab of Oudh – Shuja-ud-Daulah (1753-1775 A.D.), is said to have dreamed of a holy presence directing her to erect a temple honouring Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama’s most beloved and trusty friend.
The Nawab’s wife’s dream directed her to a certain location where an idol of Lord Hanuman was buried. As a result, the begum ordered the excavation of the site, and when the idol was discovered, she made plans to take it back to Lucknow on an elephant.
However, after a short distance, the elephant came to a halt and refused to move. The begum interpreted this as another heavenly sign and ordered the construction of a temple at this location, which is now known as Aliganj.
This is the narrative that ancient Pujaris and merchants told visitors to the Naya Hanuman Mandir on the eve of Bada Mangal on Tuesday.
Bada Mangal, a festival dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Hanuman, is unique to Lucknow because it occurs exclusively in Lucknow and has been celebrated for the past 400 years. Because it is unique to Lucknow, worshippers come from all over the state and even some other areas of the country to seek Lord Hanuman’s blessings.
Bada Mangal is observed every Tuesday from the first to the final Tuesday of the Hindu month Jyestha. Every Tuesday of the Bada Mangal, over 800,000 worshippers attend the shrine.
Though the Bada Mangal is unique to Naya Hanuman Mandir, it has been celebrated in all Hanuman Temples in and around the city over the years. In fact, a temple in the city’s Indira Nagar, Aliganj neighbourhood made headlines last year when a massive ladoos (sweet meet in the shape of a ball) weighing 301 kgs was donated to Lord Hanuman. This is said to be the largest ladoo ever served to Lord Hanuman on Bada Mangal.
On the roadway, corporate houses, shops, and homeowners create canopies to serve free endless cool sherbet, water, icecream, and food(puri sabji, kadhi chawal, chola chawal) to all passers-by, while in all Hanuman temples, deafening chanting devoted to Lord Hanuman can be heard. Evenings are a time for youngsters to enjoy in fairs set up near temples for worshippers. In the sweltering summer heat of Lucknow, Muslims set up shops to provide water and food to believers.
This celebration, which is unique to Lucknow, is the most visible manifestation of the city’s secularism and cross-religious values. In Lucknow, there are several examples of Hindus building mosques and Muslims building temples. To this day, Lucknow is a peaceful city with no history of communal violence or prejudice towards other areas.
