The bhoomi puja of a Hanuman temple was performed on the Anjanadri hill near Andhra Pradesh's Tirumala on Wednesday, February 16, despite opposition from the Kishkinda trust and other Hindu organisations from Karnataka. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has claimed that Anjanadri, one of the seven Tirumala hills, was the birthplace of Hanuman, while several Hindu organisations and scholars have refuted this claim and insisted that the birthplace of Hanuman is considered to be Hampi near Ballari in Karnataka.
A day before the bhoomi puja, the Andhra Pradesh High Court on February 15 had also directed the TTD not to take up any kind of construction works, including building of the temple on Anjanadri hill, while hearing a petition challenging the proposed construction. However, the court gave permission to carry out the bhoomi puja and other beautification works.
TTD Executive Officer KS Jawahar Reddy said the focus on Anjanadri as Hanuman’s birthplace came only after the bhoomi puja of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir, after which devotees sent emails, letters etc. on the matter to TTD. Many Hindu leaders including Swaroopananda Saraswati Swami of Sharada Peetham of Visakhapatnam, Ram Janmabhoomi Trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri Maharaj, Pontiff of Tulasi mutt in Chitrakoot Rambhadracharya, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad International Joint General Secretary Koteswar Sharma, were present at the event.
It was in April last year that TTD announced it would release an 'evidence- based' book that Anjanadri is the birthplace of Hanuman. The announcement led to opposition in religious and archaeological circles, particularly in Karnataka, as Hampi was previously considered to be Hanuman’s birthplace.
At the time, archaeology and history scholars dismissed the TTD's claim. Retired superintending archaeologist of the Archaeological Survey of India TM Keshava, cited the extensive depiction of sculptures of Hanuman by the Vijayanagara artisans, a Rama and Sita temple in Hampi, and rock shelters with proto-historic paintings in the region to further the claim that Hampi was Hanuman’s birthplace.
The Karnataka unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) suggested that TTD take some more time and hold discussions with scholars and religious heads before arriving at a conclusion, and suggested that since Rama is the important deity for Hindus, every state wishes to relate their history with him.
On April 21, 2021, the TTD further intensified its claim by citing the findings of a four-month long study. TTD claimed that the study “established that the faithful aide of Lord Ram was born at the Japali Theertham or natural water spring in the Anjanadri hills.” Ther findings were said to be derived from the information present in “Puranic anthologies, literary and epigraphic evidence, and geographical references.”
Ten months after the findings of the study were announced, a group of priests performed bhoomi puja for the development and beautification of Anjanadri on February 16. The bhoomi puja was performed a day after the Andhra Pradesh High Court directed the TTD not to take up any kind of construction works, including building of the temple on Anjanadri hill.
The high court was dealing with a petition filed by Agraharam Raghavendra and two others challenging proposed construction works being taken up by the TTD. The petitioners argued that Anjanadri is a part of seven hills of Tirumala and building a temple there is against the Puranas. The court had directed TTD and Principal Secretary (Endowments) to file counter affidavits with all details pertaining to the proposed constructions.
The court was told that according to the Puranas, human beings are not allowed to consecrate any idols anywhere on the seven hills. The petitioners also argued that there is no scientific evidence or mention in the Puranas to support the claim of TTD that Anjanadri hill is the birthplace of Hanuman.
With IANS and PTI inputs