Unknown Stories Of Lord Hanuman

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India is a land of epics and each of the epics have hundreds of unknown stories associated with them. One of the most popular characters in the Hindu mythology is that of Lord Hanuman. Known for his supreme devotion to Lord Rama, Hanuman was somebody who was known for his exemplary courage and valor.

In fact, it will be fair to say that Lord Rama was able to win the battle of Lanka and bring home Goddess Sita only due to the cooperation of Hanuman and his army of monkeys.

Thus, while most of us are familiar with the image of Lord Hanuman, the fact remains that there are so many stories of this unique monkey God that is unknown to today's generation. This article brings to light a series of such stories. So, read on to improve your knowledge about Lord Hanuman with some of the lesser known facts on him.

The Reason For His Red Idol

All of us have seen a red idol of Hanuman at some point or the other and must have wondered the reason for the same. That is because Hanuman had smeared himself in red vermillion (sindoor). One day, it so happened that Hanuman saw Sita applying sindoor on her forehead. On questioning her, he learnt that this was in honor of her love and respect for Lord Rama. In order to prove his devotion for Lord Rama, Hanuman also covered his entire body with sindoor. Upon learning this, Lord Rama was so impressed that he granted Hanuman a boon that in future those who worshipped him with sindoor would see all their personal difficulties fade away.

Hanuman Had A Son

After burning the city of Lanka, Hanuman dipped into the sea to refresh himself and cool his body. It was then that his sweat was consumed by a fish, which in turn conceived his child Makardhwaja. Thus, despite being a Brahmachari, Hanuman had a son of his own.

Ram Ordered The Death Of Hanuman

Narada once walked up to Hanuman and asked him to greet all the sages, except Vishwamitra. His explanation was the fact that since Vishwamitra was once a king, he did not deserve the respect of a sage. Being as loyal as he was, Hanuman followed the instructions that were given to him. This did not affect Vishwamitra. Narada then went on to instigate Vishwamitra against Hanuman. He was successful and Vishwamitra ultimately ordered Rama to order death by arrows for Hanuman. Rama was a respectful disciple who could not ignore his Guru's commands. He did as he was told and ordered death sentence for Hanuman. Upon realizing the gravity of the situation, Narada walked up to Vishwamitra and confessed his actions and this was how Hanuman was saved.

Hanuman Had The Audacity To Reject A Gift From Sita

One day, Goddess Sita gave Hanuman a beautiful white pearl necklace. Hanuman rejected the gift straightaway only because it did not have the image or name of Lord Rama in it. Such was his love and reverence for Rama that Hanuman had the audacity to refuse a gift from the goddess herself. Upon learning about this act of his, Lord Rama was thoroughly impressed and blessed him a lifetime of good health.

There Are 108 Names For Lord Hanuman

Don't get us wrong, we are not talking of 108 different languages here. In the Sanskrit language alone, there are 108 different names for Lord Hanuman. This goes on to prove the immense popularity he had in local folklore.

Hanuman Had His Own Version Of The Ramayana

After the great war of Lanka, Hanuman went to the Himalayas to pen the details of the same. He would etch tales of Lord Rama with his nails on the walls of the Himalayas. Around the same time, Maharishi Valmilki was penning down the Ramayana. When both were complete, the Maharishi felt that Hanuman's version was way better than that of his own and he was upset about the same. Being the generous soul that he was, Hanuman could not see the Maharishi in that state and decided to discard his own version. This was one of the innumerable sacrifices that Hanuman made in his lifetime, which made him immortal.