Picket Road Sri Hanuman Temple
Picket Road Sri Hanuman Temple
Sri Hanuman Temple is located at Picket Road near Crawford Market in Mumbai City.This is one of the oldest Hanuman temples in the city and is popular among the locals in Mumbai.The murti is said to be Swayambhu (self manifested). The temple also has idols of Lord Shanidev, Sita-Rama, Shiva and Datta Maharaj.
The nearly 150 + year- old private temple is managed by a family for more than 5 generations.The main temple houses a large Hanuman murti, a corridor leads to the Shani temple, which is located in the same premises in a five storeyed building.
The temple was founded in the 1860s by Mohandas Mahant. The story goes that at the time, the Hanuman idol used to be in the middle of the sea and devotees used to go by boats to offer prayers. After land was reclaimed for the island city, the temple became extremely popular and saw a steady rise in devotees over the years.
Equal importance is given in this temple to Lord Shanidev.According to Parashara Samhita, Lord Shani said to Lord Hanuman that he will not affect the devotees who worship Hanuman. Hence, Devaseva provides a great opportunity for the devotees to worship Lord Hanuman with various Sevas and get rid of their Shani Doshas.
Shani Dev’s Boon to Hanuman ji
Shani Dev tells Hanuman ji that because he helped him from merciless and egoistic Ravan’s claws, therefore he would always be called SANKATMOCHAN. Further, Shani Dev tells Hanuman ji that whoever chants Hanuman’s name will remain safe from the wrath of Shani. Shani will remain calm on Hanuman’s devotees always.
The main Hanuman idol is ‘swayambhu’, which means it is not crafted out of stone or metal but has emerged in this form and grown over the years in size owing to the constant application of oil and sindoor. Besides Saturdays and Tuesdays—the regular Hanuman days—the temple sees a huge crowd on occasions like Hanuman Jayanti, Ramnavami and Palki.
