It is very rare to find reclining Hanuman in temples in India. One such rare reclining murti (bhava samadhi) of Hanuman is found in the Bhadra Maruti Temple at Khuldabad near Aurangabad. This rare temple is located around four kilometers from Ellora Caves. This yogic posture of Hanuman attracts hundreds of devotees.
Bhadra Maruti Temple History
Thousands of years ago the area was known as Bhadravati and the area was ruled by Bhadra Sna, an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. He used to sing bhajans in praise of Lord Rama.
One day Hanuman happened to hear the bhajan and appeared at the spot to listen. It is said that Hanuman is always present where the glory of Bhagavan Sri Ram is narrated by people who follow Dharma. Hanuman was deeply impressed by the singing of the king and while listening to it took a reclining posture – now known as Bhava Samadhi.
Upon finishing the bhajan of Lord Rama, the king was wonderstruck to find Hanuman in Samadhi before him. With tearful eyes, the king requested Hanuman to give darshan to his subjects and bless them with good health and prosperity.
Hanuman accepted the humble request of the king and appeared here in reclining posture.
The original temple was ransacked and destroyed by the Mughals. Hindus of the area were able to rescue the murti of Hanuman. It was kept hidden for centuries and finally people brought out the murti and built the present temple in the 1960s.
The area takes its original name from the Bhadravati River.
All the important dates in a calendar year associated with Hanuman like Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti attracts thousands of devotees to the temple.
Another important occasion in the temple is the Saturdays in Shravan month as per Marathi calendar.
People facing difficulties in life find relief after having darshan of Bhadra Maruti.
Those facing problems in life due to bad positioning of Shani in horoscope find solutions to life problems after having darshan in the temple.