Mahavir Mandir In Patna

                                                       Mahavir Mandir

Mahavir Mandir in Patna in Bihar is one of the most popular Hanuman temples in India. The Bihar Mahavir Mandir Trust is now offering online live darshan. To watch the live darshan all you need is a window media player installed. Thousands of devotees visit the temple daily and it is believed that the darshan of Mahavir Hanuman helps in fulfilling all the wishes.

The temple has two deities of Lord Hanuman one for the protection of all his true devotees and another for the removal of all devil natured people. This temple is the second most visited religious shrine in North India and also the second highest budgeted Temple in North India after the well-known Maa Vaishno Devi Temple. The earning of this temple has gone to an average of 1 lakh per day.
It is a ‘manokamana’ mandir where devotees’ every wish is fulfilled and this is the reason for the ever-increasing number of devotees in the temple.



The History of Mahavir Mandir Patna:-

The Famous Mahavir Mandir at Patna has unknown origins in History, though some believe that it was originally established by Swami Balanand, an ascetic of Ramanandi sect in around 1730 A.D.
The Temple was in the possession of the Gosain Sanyasis till 1948 A.D
 In 1948 A.D. it was declared a public temple by Patna High Court. A new, magnificent temple was reconstructed between 1983 and 1985 at the old site at the initiative of Kishore Kunal with devotees’ contribution and now it is one of the most magnificent temples in the country.
The entire reconstruction of the temple was carried out on war footing without asking for any subscription. Donations came voluntarily because people had faith in the persons associated with the ‘Kaya-Kalpa’ of the temple. Thousands of devotees participated in the kãr-sewa conducted during the reconstruction of the temple.

Description of the shrine:-

‘Pawan-Putra’ (son of wind) lord Hanuman is enshrined in this holiest temple of northern India which also popular with his another name called ‘Sankat Mochan’.

Architecture of Mahavir Mandir :-

The entrance of the temple is situated further north. At the entrance there is the facility for shoe keeping and inside the premises, towards right is the facility of fresh water for cleaning purposes and ablutions.
The temple, in fact, is not an insolated temple but a temple complex, having all the necessary facilities for the visitors and worshippers. Upon entering the premises, towards left, the row of stairs, on a raised platform, lead to the main area called Garbhagriha, which is the sanctum sanctorum of the Lord Hanuman. Around this there is the passage which houses Lord Shiva. The passage has a ritual significance for the lay worshippers, apart from the stairs which lead to the first floor, giving another round of holy delight.

The first floor itself constitutes four sanctum sanctora of the Deities. It has got the temple of Lord Rama, to begin with. The portrayal of Lord Krishna, delivering sermon to Arjun, stands beside the Rama temple. Next to it, Goddess Durga is situated at the place. Next to this also the humanframe standing figure of Lord Shiva, meditating Mother Parvati and Nandi- the Holy ox are placed in the wooden palisade. In this wooden palisade the Shiva Lingam, is installed, the site for the performance of Rudrabhisheka.
The floating Ram-setu Shila is also placed on this floor only. It has been kept in a glass container and is revered by the people. The volume of this stone is 13,000 mm, while the weight is approx. 15kgs.
Now, we move on to the second floor. The second floor is mainly used for ritual purposes. Sanskar mandap is located at this floor only. Chanting of mantras, japa, recitals of Holy Scriptures, Satyanarayan katha and various other rituals are practiced and performed here. The floor also has the pictographic representation of the scenes from the Ramayana.
On the first floor, while crossing Dhyanmandap, to the left we are blessed by Lord Ganesha and Lord Buddha and further on, Lord satyanarayan, Lord Rama accompanied by Mother Sita and Goddess Sarasvati seem to cast a benevolent look on the devotees. In front of this façade of deities, below the Peepal tree, is the temple of Shani-maharaj; the temple, designed in the style of cave architecture, looks beautiful.
Coming back to the main campus; the campus houses the office, a shop selling ritual articles and a book shop, selling the books of religious genre. The campus also has one Astrological/Palmistry centre and a Gem Stone centre catering to the needs of devotees and providing guidance.

Prasadam Of Mahavir Mandir:-

Another specialty of the temple is the prasadam, offered to the presiding deities thereon. The prasadam offered is “Naivedyam” which is prepared by the experts from Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh and is a delicacy.
The temple has now turned into a ‘teerth’ because of Hanumanji’s blessings and excellent management of the temple trust.
Mahavir temple offers Laddoo to Hanuman Ji. Naivedyam is a sanskrit term which means offering eatables to the Gods. This Naivedyam is prepared by many different ingredients like besan of the gram, raisins,cashew, saffron,sugar, green cardamoms, etc. These ingredients are mixed and cooked in ghee and then moulded into round shape. The saffron mixed in Naivedyam, are directly obtained from Kashmir.

Significance Of Mahavir Mandir:-

•– The holy floating Ram Setu Shila is also placed on the ground.This Ram Setu Shila is kept in a glass container. It weighs around 15kgs whereas its volume is around 13,000mm.
Significance of the Mahavir Mandir Patna
•The entrance of the temple is towards the north. There are many facilities like shoe keeping, clean water for washing feet and hand.
•Mahavir Temple does not only have temple but a whole temple complex. Towards the left side of the entrance, there are stairs on a raised platform which leads to Garbhagriha. This Garbhagriha is the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Hanuman.
•There is again a passage which houses Lord Shiva. This passage has a ritual significance for the devotees who come here to offer prayer and seek blessings.
•The first floor of the temple consists of four sanctum sanctora of Deities. The first one is of Lord Rama. The second one is of Lord Krishna delivering the sermon to Arjun. Goddess Durga is situated next to Lord Krishna. And last but not the least, Lord Shiva meditating with his wife Goddess Parvati and Nandi, the holy ox.
•The holy floating Ram Setu Shila is also placed on the ground.This Ram Setu Shila is kept in a glass container. It weighs around 15kgs whereas its volume is around 13,000mm.
•The second floor is used for the ritual purpose. This floor includes Sanskar Mandap. Rituals like the chanting of Mantaras, Japa, Satyanarayan Kathas, recitals of Holy scriptures etc are performed on this floor. You can also find pictographs on the floor which depicts scenes from Ramayana.
•While moving on the first floor you’ll be blessed with Lord Ganesha, Lord Buddha, Lord Satyanarayan, Lord Rama followed by Sita Maiyya and Goddess Saraswati.
•Outside the temple is a Peepal Tree which has a temple of Lord Shiva which is architectured in the design of cave. This cave looks very beautiful.
•coming out from the temple, we can find offices, shops for buying pooja samagri, book shops selling religious books etc. One can also find Palmistry/Astrological centre and Gem Stone Centre to fulfill the needs of their devotees.
•The another speciality of Mahavir Temple is the prasadam which they offer to the Gods and Goddesses. They are prepared by the experts of the Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh. These prasads are delicious. This Prasadam is known as Naivedyam.
•Mahavir temple offers Laddoos to Hanumanji. Naivedyam is a sanskrit term which means offering eatables to the Gods and Goddesses. This Naivedyam is prepared by various ingredients like besan of the gram, cashew, raisins, sugar, saffron, green cardamoms etc. These ingredients are mixed and cooked in ghee and then moulded into round shape. The saffron mixed in Naivedya, are directly obtained from Kashmir.
•In Mahavir, Temple devotees do not have to pay dakshina to the priest as they are payed by the Temple Trust. This is the only temple where on paying a certain amount, the devotees get all the ingredients and they do not to pay dakshina to the priests.

Near by Temples:-

Patan Devi Temple:-

 This temple is the oldest and the most sacred temple of Patna. This temple is dedicated to Maa Patneshwari. It is one of the 51 Siddha Shakti Pithas in India. It is believed that the Name of the city Patna is named from Bari Patan Devi Temple.

Birla Temple:-

 This is a great place to visit. This temple is a great tourist attraction to visit. Birla Temple is located in many big cities including Delhi, Jaipur, Bhopal etc.
There are many famous temples like Shri Mahavir Mandir, Durga Temple, Patliputra Karuna Stupa. These are the well-known places where devotees and other tourist visit while touring this city. There are many other Hanuman Temple but Mahavir Temple is the most important and sacred as well as auspicious temple.

Near by Places:-
Kumrahar:-

Kumrahar is an exhibition hall which lets us know the rich history of Patna. It is located 5kms away from Patna. It lets us know the cultural excellence of the ancient Patliputra city. This place contains the architectural remains of Mauryan Palace. It was during the excavation done between 1912 to 1915, people came to know about the Mauryan pillared hall.
Golghar:-

 It was built in 1786 by Captain John Garstin to store grains when famine hit the city. This architecture is built in Stupa style. Golghar is 125 meters wide and 3.6 meters thick. This architecture has steps which will take you upstairs. It is the tallest building in Patna. the scene outside Golghar is very beautiful as river Ganga can be seen gushing beneath.

Patna Museum:-

 It is situated in the centre of the city. It has the capacity to take you to the ancient lane. It was constructed in 1917 and is the oldest museum in Patna. It has a Mughal and Rajput flavor. The construction done here is of Mughal and Rajput style. It possesses more than 45000 artefacts.

Agam Kuan:-

 Agam Kuan is also referred to as The Unfathomable Well. It reflects the effects taken by Diwan Bahadur Radha Krishna Jalan which is considered to be extraordinary. Diwan Bahadur Radha Krishna Jalan was behind the construction and the collections of Agam Kuan.

Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Garden:-

 The another place where one should definitely go is Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Garden. It was established in 1969 and has more than 110 species of wild animals. Animals which are found here are tigers, white tigers, hippopotamus, lions, monkeys etc. There is a facility to take the tour of the zoo through battery-operated cars. There is also Toy train facility which takes you to the gardens of the zoo. This zoo also has boating facilities. Boating is done in the pond created in the centre of the zoo.
There are various places where one can go while touring in Patna. There are places like Jalan Museum, Sri Krishna Science Centre, Patna Planetarium, Khuda Baksh National Library, Nalanda University, Buddha Smriti Park, Jalmandir Temple, Begu Hajjam’s Mosque etc.

Caretaking authority: Mahavir Mandir Trusts:-

Other human welfare & hospitable deeds of the trust: As ‘nursing to humanity is serving to god’ as this trust has taken charge to insure human values and keeping humanity alive. Thus, under the charge of Acharya Kishore Kunal as secretary, the following welfare institutions are sponsored and run by the similar trust:
◾Mahavir Cancer Sansthan, Patna
◾ Mahavir Vaatsalya Hospital
◾ Mahavir Arogya Hospital along with several hospitals and orphanage in the Bihar.

Festivals celebrated in the Mahavir Mandir Patna:-

Shri Ram Navami:-

This festival is celebrated to celebrate the birth of Lord Ram. After Hanumangarhi in Ayodhya, Mahavir Temple attracts a large number of devotees during this festival. As compared to ordinary days, there is an approximate difference around 3 lakhs to 5 lakhs.

Janaki Navami:-

This festival is celebrated to celebrate the birth of Sita Maiyya. This festival is celebrated on the 9th day on the bright day of Vaisakh month. There are statues of King Janak, his priest, ministers and attendents along with oxen with a plough opposite of Sitamadhi Railway Station.

Hanuman Jayanti:-

 Hanumanji’s birthday is celebrated on this day. This festival is celebrated on the 14th dark fortnight of the Kartik month. On this festival, the Dhvaja or flag of the temple is changed.
Durga Puja:-

Durga Saptasati is recited from beginning to the end during Durga Puja for nine days. Goddess Durga’s idol is established in the campus and a large number of devotees come here to offer prayer and seek blessings. On last three days, there is a large gathering of devotees in the temple.
Vivah Panchami:-

 This is the festival of Lord Ram and Sita Mata’s marriage. Because Hanuman Ji was very fond of Lord Ram and worshipped him, this is why this festival is celebrated with great pomp and show. During this festival, the most impressive idol of Lord Rama and Sita Mata is kept in the Mandir. On this festival, traditional glimpse party from Maithila is performed. This festival is celebrated for two days to celebrate the wedding ceremony of Lord Rama and Sita Mata.
There are many other festivals which are celebrated in Mahavir Mandir Patna like Shri Krishna Janmashtami, Ravidas Jayanti, Gita Jayanti, Ramanandacharya Jayanti, Tulsi Jayanti, Sanskrit Divas etc. All these festivals are celebrated with great enthusiasm by the devotees. During these festivals, the number of devotees increases to a large extent.

Mahavir Mandir Patna Timings:-

•The darshan starts from 5 am to 10:30 pm everyday.
•The temple is open for darshan even on Public holidays from 5 am to 10:30 pm.
•The best time to visit the temple is during the daytime.
•It takes around 1 hour to do darshan.

How to Reach:-

By Road:-

 You can easily reach temple from any part of the city. There is a great facility of vehicles like auto, buses and private vehicles in the city. Being the busiest place in Patna, there is often a problem to park the vehicle. There is a solution to this problem. The temple parking area can be used for the same.
By Rail:-

 This temple is placed next to Patna Railway Station. This is why one can directly reach the temple without any difficulty.

By Air:-

 Mahavir Temple is just 6km away from the airport.