Hanuman Puja is considered the most special in the world by the devotees and this is known as the symbol of devotion, strength and protection. Lord Hanuman is a great god who is remembered as the most devoted follower of Lord Rama, a very brave man and one who of great service. Practicing Hanuman Puja has been considered to draw down the divine and protective blessing of Hanuman by providing the devotee with a shield against evil and to provide them with the strength of perseverance and spiritual invocation. One of the main queries that the devotees ask is the most auspicious day of Hanuman Puja. Although many people worship Lord Hanuman on a daily basis, there are special days when one shall find his worship more important and is customarily viewed as particularly auspicious in terms of conducting puja and invoking blessings.
The most auspicious day of Hanuman Puja is considered to be on Tuesday. Tuesday, which is called ‘Mangalvar’ in Hindi, is devoted to Lord Hanuman and Lord Mars (Mangal) the planet of courage, energy and body strength. The believers take the opportunity of conducting Hanuman Puja on this day as this helps them to increase their spiritual power and get saved against all evils. The relation between Tuesday and Hanuman is because of the traditional beliefs that Hanuman was based on the qualities controlled by Mars like bravery, discipline and vitality. Tuesdays are witnessed as a huge rush of devotees flock in the temples of lord Hanuman in order to offer prayers, recite Hanuman Chalisa and perform rites to seek his blessings. Most people observe fasts during this day in order to show their commitment as they attest the strength of their prayers. This is a belief that one becomes resolute and aligned with the goodness of Hanuman.
Another important day during which Hanuman is worshipped is Saturday or Shanivar. It is common to believe that, Lord Hanuman is a safeguard against the negative influences of planet Saturn (Shani) the planet of discipline, karma and troubles. The presence of Hanuman in Hindu mythology is believed to have ameliorated sufferings posed by Shani Dev on his worshipers. Thus, Hanuman Puja on Saturday is also thought to help overcome the adverse effects of Saturn, alleviate sufferings, and create strength. To invite questions, devotees regularly attend the temples of Hanuman on Saturdays to present some special prayers, burn lamps and to find a way out of any trouble in life. It is believed that the peaceful and protective power of Hanuman brings balance as well as strength to the person struggling with tests or karma.
Hanuman Puja is also believed to be auspicious anyway other than on Tuesdays and Saturdays and also on Hanuman Jayanti which happens to be the Birth Day of Lord Hanuman. The festival is observed with a lot of zeal in most regions of India and the Hindu community in other places of the world. Hanumans Jayanti is celebrated on the same date in the month of Chaitra (as per Hindu lunar calendar) which is March- April. Devotees on this day perform extensive worshipping, repetition of the Hanuman Chalisa, and also attend gatherings in the community where the virtues of Hanuman in devotion, strength and loyalty are displayed. Hanuman Puja on Hanuman Jayanti is expected to confer enormous spiritual fruits such as elimination of misfortunes, enhancement of courage and bestowel of blessings of prosperity and health.
Although these days are traditionally considered to be very auspicious ones when it necessarily gives rise to Hanuman Puja, at the same time, it should be kept in mind that the power of devotion can be felt not only in the framework of days, these days being similar. The grace of Lord Hanuman can be reached to good devotees anytime. Daily religion and pure devotion of worship is more significant rather than the day of puja as many spiritual guides believe. Hanuman Puja is all about purity of heart, devotion with which one presents his/her prayers to God and through humility. One can do the puja every day, few times a week or on certain occasions, the communication with the divine energy of Hanuman can bring changes to the life.
In addition, efficacy of the Hanuman Puja can be improved by time of the day too. Brahma Muhurta (an hour and half before sunrise) is one of the most spiritual periods of the day that is appropriate to meditate and practice worship. Praying at this period is said to be a source of peace and clear understanding and a transcendence towards getting close to spiritual state. In the same fashion, nights (particularly dusk) provide a quietness, which helps in concentrated worshipping. A number of Hanuman devotees use this period to sing Hanuman Chalisa, do aarti and devotional songs. Such peaceful atmosphere of the hours contributes to the enhancement of personal relations with the energy of Hanuman.
The rites of Hanuman Puja cannot be taken in a uniform manner as it really depends on the geographical customs, family traditions and individual preferences. Some of the common things are to offer red flowers, sindoor (vermilion) and sweets such as ladoos as well as lighting oil lamp. The red color is believed to be the favourite color of Hanuman and this represents power and life. Drilling sindoor on Hanuman idols is mere representation of the strength of devotion and elimination of negativity. Reading Hanuman Chalisa and other mantras devoted to Hanuman increases the spiritual power produced in the course of the puja. It is also possible to conduct abhishekam (ritual bathing of idol), with water, milk or honey, offering by the devotees which is believed as a purifying and motivating one on the divine appearance.
Besides individual people worshipping at home or in temples, Hanuman Puja usually entail communal worships of people which reinforces their faith and other cultural affiliations. Temples have special events, devotional music events and satsangs (spiritual discourses), also in auspicious days. These festivals enable like-minded people to exchange their experiences, strengthen their knowledge about teachings of Hanuman and motivate each other. The chanting together of hordes of people, Hanuman Chalisa in unison is also believed to create high density of vibrating energy of positivity and protection to the anima/soul and persons in general and the entire congregation of people chanting Hanuman chalisa will gain the bounties as well.
In the case of individuals with specific challenges or requirements of specific blessings, an experienced priest or spiritual leader can offer individual input on the best days and practices to perform Hanuman Puja. Worship style and time may be subject to astrological reasons, personal birth chart, and spiritual aims. It could be recommended to some to fast on Tuesdays or Saturdays and similarly others could be told to do a lot of jappa or rituals on Hanuman Jayanti. This individual pretention assists the devotees to match his or her worship with his or her spiritual journey and situation.
