Spectacular Celebrations of Hanuman Jayanti: 15-Foot Sand Art and 7,000 Kg Laddu Highlight Festivities
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Mumbai/Surat, April 2 (NationPress) The nation exuberantly marked Hanuman Jayanti on Thursday, showcasing a remarkable 15-foot sand sculpture of Lord Hanuman alongside a colossal 7,000 kg laddu. Numerous devotees flocked to temples across the country to pay their respects to Lord Hanuman.
At Juhu Beach, Mumbai, renowned sand artist Laxmi Gaud crafted an impressive 15-foot sculpture of Lord Hanuman.
"Every Hanuman Jayanti, I traditionally create smaller sand sculptures, but this year I decided to go big. It took me a total of 15 hours to complete it, starting yesterday at 2 p.m. and finishing at 5 a.m. today," she shared with IANS.
She elaborated, "We utilized a JCB machine to gather the sand and began sculpting starting from the face. We adorned it with rangoli colors for a vibrant finish."
Gaud also expressed her deep devotion to Lord Ram, who is revered in Hindu mythology as Lord Hanuman's master.
"Since Lord Hanuman is known as the greatest devotee of Lord Ram, I feel that by crafting his sculpture today, we also prayed for Lord Ram. Celebrations for Hanuman Jayanti resonate across the country, similar to the recent festivities of Ram Navami," she reflected.
"On this sacred day, I wish for peace to prevail across the nation and for the ongoing conflict in West Asia to cease," she added.
Meanwhile, at the Pardeshwar Mahadev Temple in Atal Ashram, Gujarat's Surat, devotees gathered for prayers.
Mahant Batukgiri Maharaj announced that a tremendous 7,000 kg laddu was prepared and offered to Lord Hanuman for the festival.
"We began preparing the laddu at 10 a.m. on March 30, completing it by midnight on April 1," he conveyed to IANS.
He emphasized, "This celebration honoring Lord Hanuman's birth has been orchestrated by Lord Hanuman himself—not by me or any other devotee. Every ingredient used in crafting this laddu has been provided by the Lord. Let's unite in celebrating this occasion with unwavering faith and devotion to Lord Hanuman."
"This laddu will be distributed as 'prasad' among devotees. We’ve also arranged meals and 'prasad' for approximately 30,000 to 40,000 people," Mahant Batukgiri Maharaj added.
Actress Riddhi Raval, who visited the temple to seek blessings, encouraged everyone to come and experience the devotion at this sacred site and taste the 7,000 kg laddu prasad.
Another devotee remarked, "Lord Hanuman is known as 'sankat mochan', the reliever of troubles. I pray for everyone to be relieved of their burdens and for peace and happiness to flourish in our country."