Bhopal (Madhya Pardesh): Bhopal has more than 10 temples dedicated to Lord Hanuman, which are over a century old. All of them are located in Old City, as Bhopal was confined to that area till new rea came up in 1950s. Free Press brings to you history of some of these temples, the legends associated with them and the reverence in which the people hold them. They include Shrinath Ji Mandir in Loha Bazar, Pagdiwale Hanuman Ji idol at Gaurishankar Mandir in Fatehgarh, Kamali Mandir in Ghora Nakkas and Khedapati Hanuman Mandir in Chhola.
Idol from Afghanistan
Shrinath Ji Mandir in Loha Bazar is said 165 years old and idol is over 500 years old. Temple’s chief priest Bhagwati Prasad Dubey said his family had been taking care of temple for past four generations. Legend has it that a bullock cart carrying a 9-foot tall idol of Hanuman was brough from Afghanistan to Bhopal. In Afghanistan,it was buried on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. When it reached Bhopal, it refused to move ahead of the place where the temple now stands. Even elephants and horses could not pull the cart forward. Then, the idol was installed at the temple after Lord accepted three conditions put forward by Balmukund Panda Baba, the present priest’s ancestor, who was looking after the small temple that existed there.
Lord in turban
As is evident by the name, the idol of Pagdiwale Hanuman ji in Gaurishankar Mandir in Fatehgarh dons a headgear. According to temple management committee chairperson Ghanshyam Sharma (69), temple is 500 years old and the idol is around 3 feet tall. The idol is swayambhu, that is, it appeared there and was not brought from anywhere. The idol is of Hanuman as a child, when he gobbled the sun, taking it to be a fruit. Sharma said that the temple is Hanuman’s oldest Khedapati temple in the city.
Begum of Bhopal
The Begum of Bhopal gave 12 acre land for temple Kamali Mandir, Ghora Nakkas temple is said to be named after a faquir, Kamali Baba, who performed some miracles in the presence of Qudsia Begum, the Begum of Bhopal (1819-1837). The Begun was so impressed that she allotted 12 acre land to Kamali Baba, on which now stands the Kamali Temple, besides an orphanage and a vegetable market. The idol at the temple is 5.5 feet tall and depicts Lord Hanuman carrying Lord Ram and Lakshman on his shoulders, said Mahant Radha Mohan Das of the temple.
Brought by a bullock cart
Khedapati Hanuman Mandir, Chhola is said to be 200 years old. According to Ashish Dubey, who is a member of the Khedapati Sewa Samiti, the Khedapati Hanuman Temples were the ones that were located on the borders of towns with the Lord being considered as a protector of the people living there. Like in the case of Shrinath ji Mandir, the idol installed in this temple, too, is believed to have been brought here by a bullock cart, with the oxen refusing to pull the cart beyond.
