The Sacred Secrets of Sankat Mochan Temple: How Tulsidas Met Hanuman in Varanasi

This temple holds deep historical and spiritual meaning, as the idol of Hanuman Ji was personally installed by Goswami Tulsidas himself.

The Rigorous Devotion of Tulsidas

Goswami Tulsidas spent many years residing in the holy city of Varanasi (Kashi). His commitment to purity was extraordinarily rigorous; he vowed never to defecate, urinate, or even spit within the sacred Panchakosi boundary of Varanasi.

To adhere to this vow, Tulsidas would travel by boat several kilometres away from the Ganga before performing his daily duties (Nitya Karma). Upon returning to Kashi, he would always perform a Ganga bath first. Local belief holds that a small boat still present at Assi Ghat is the very vessel Goswami Tulsidas used to cross the river.

The Boon and the Secret

After completing his ablutions and returning to Kashi, Tulsidas routinely poured the residual water from his kamandal (water pot) onto a nearby tree. A pret (spirit or ghost) resided in this tree. Having been severely thirsty for a long time, the pret was greatly satisfied by Tulsidas’s water and, feeling gratitude, offered the great poet a boon.

Tulsidas used this opportunity to ask for the ultimate prize: a means or a way to have the sight (darshan) of Raghunath Ji (Lord Ram).

The pret, although unable to grant direct darshan itself, revealed a crucial secret. It explained that the great devotee of Ram, Hanuman Ji, regularly attended the Ram Katha that took place daily in Kashi. Hanuman disguised himself completely: he appeared as a leper (kusht rogi), wearing shabby, dirty clothes. His identifying characteristics were that he was always the first to arrive, sat hidden in the back, and was the last to leave the gathering.

The Divine Encounter

The next day, Goswami Tulsidas attended the Ram Katha. Recognizing the signs, Tulsidas identified the leper as Hanuman. At the precise location where the idol of Hanuman now stands in the Sankat Mochan Temple, Tulsidas immediately seized the leper’s feet.

The figure, maintaining his disguise, protested, saying, “Ram Ram Maharaj! I am an unclean leper; you are a Brahmin, how can you touch this dirty body?” and urged Tulsidas to release his feet. Tulsidas refused, stating, “Prabhu, I recognise you now, and you must grant my request to see Shri Ram”.

Pleased by Tulsidas’s unwavering faith and devotion (bhakti bhav), Hanuman Ji revealed his true form. Hanuman then told Tulsidas that he would receive the sight of Shri Ram not in Kashi, but in Chitrakoot.

The Wisdom of the Wind-God’s Son

Hanuman Ji is praised as Gnaninam Agraganya (foremost among the wise) and the best among the wise (buddhimanon mein shreshtha). He is also the master of all knowledge (sakal vidya ke adhiswar). The sources highlight that Hanuman gained all his immense knowledge from Lord Surya (the Sun God), who is considered the master of all learning.

The depth of Hanuman’s intellect was recognized by Lord Ram himself. When Hanuman first approached Shri Ram (disguised as a mendicant), Ram was highly impressed by the clarity, purity, and flawless grammar of his speech. Lord Ram remarked to Lakshman that Hanuman’s perfect articulation suggested that he must have mastered the four Vedas (including Rigveda and Yajurveda) and must have repeatedly studied the science of Vyakarana (Grammar).

Sankat Mochan: The Destroyer of Troubles

Following this sacred encounter, Goswami Tulsidas established the idol of Hanuman Ji at the exact spot where he first grasped Hanuman’s feet.

Since that time, the Sankat Mochan Hanuman of Kashi has been known to remove all the troubles (sankats) faced by his sincere devotees. This profound power is immortalised in the Hanuman Chalisa, penned by Tulsidas himself:

“Sankat kate mite sab peera, Jo sumire Hanumat balbeera” (Troubles are cut, all pain is erased, for those who remember the mighty Hanuman).

Visiting the Sankat Mochan temple in Varanasi is not just a pilgrimage; it is a journey to the very spot where devotion met divinity, establishing a legacy of wisdom and strength.