On the bank of the Assi stream in the holy city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, stands the Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple — the reliever of troubles — one of the most beloved shrines of Lord Hanuman. Tradition holds that it was founded by the great saint-poet Goswami Tulsidas, author of the Ramcharitmanas, who is said to have had a vision of Hanuman at this very spot, so that the temple is cherished as a place where the Lord's servant is especially present.
Devotees throng the temple to lay their difficulties before Hanuman, trusting him to dispel every trouble (sankat), offering laddus and reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, above all on Tuesdays and Saturdays. A place of deep faith and devotional music in the city of Shiva, Sankat Mochan is among the most cherished Hanuman temples of the land.
