Origin story

Claims that Hanuman was born in Tirupati cause a stir in Karnataka, which has for years held that he was born near Hampi

- PRATHIMA NANDAKUMAR AND RAHUL DEVULAPALLI

Anjanadri Betta—a hill on the left bank of the Tungabhadra River in Karnataka’s Kop-pal district—has been revered for years as the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. But, every now and again, there are other claimants to the birthplace—Anjaneri in Nashik, Maharashtra; Anjan hill in Navsari, Gujarat; Anjan village in Jharkhand; and Gokarna in Karnataka. The latest claim comes from the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) in Andhra Pradesh, the custodians of the richest Hindu temple.

On Ram Navami (April 21), the TTD produced what it called “irrefutable evidence” to prove that Japali Theertham, a holy site on Anjanadri hill in Tirumala, was Hanuman’s actual birthplace. It is believed that a sage, Japali, had done penance there, and Hanuman had appeared before him. A section of devotees believes that it was the exact spot where Hanuman was born, which is why Japali chose it.

Last December, the TTD had set up an eight-member panel of Vedic scholars, historians and Indian Space Research Organisation scientists to study “mythological, epigraphic and geographical” evidence.

Karnataka, which prides itself as the land of Hanuman, was rankled by the trust’s “arbitrary” research; some scholars have alleged that the research was driven by commercial interests.

“Our evidence is not based on some mythological versions,” said V. Muralidhara Sharma, panel member and vice-chancellor of the National Sanskrit University. “We have worked day and night to back the popular belief with proof available in religious literature and inscriptions.”