Faith, fervour and bhandaras mark Bada Mangal in Lucknow

Temples decked up, millet malpuas served to devotees at different places; Lucknow Municipal Corporation to ensure environment-friendly Bada Mangal for the city

LUCKNOW Decked up Hanuman temples thronged by devotees and over 2,500 bhandaras organised across the city marked Bada Mangal on Tuesday. The festival, dedicated to Lord Ram’s devotee Hanuman, is believed to be 400 years old and mainly celebrated in Lucknow and a few other cities of UP.

Devotees at a bhandara in Lucknow on Tuesday. (HT Photo)

Bada Mangal is celebrated on Tuesdays of Jyeshta month, as per the Hindu calendar in north India. Malpuas and pooris of millets, poori-sabzi, chhola-rice, rajma-rice, ice-cream and cold drinks were served at different bhandaras.

“It is a common belief that on Bada Mangal, people do not carry lunch to the office and no one sleeps hungry in Lucknow on this day. The occasion is also considered a part of the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of Lucknow,” said Diwakar Tripathi of Hanuman Setu temple here.

“Lucknow Municipal Corporation has taken all steps to ensure cleanliness of places where the bhandaras are organised. Around 3,500 sanitation workers, along with 200 LMC vehicles to shift the waste to the landfill site, have been pressed into service. We will ensure clean and environment-friendly Bada Mangal for Lucknow,” said Pankaj Singh, additional municipal commissioner.

RB Srivastava who organised a bhandara at the Hanuman temple at Sector J Ashiana colony said, “I registered on the Mangalman web site and LMC men came after the bhandara. They cleaned the place along with our volunteers. This year, we ensured that the bhandara remains eco-friendly and decided to use only paper glass, pattals and donas to serve ‘prasad’.”

A number of bhandaras were also organized at Hazratganj, Gomti Nagar, Indira Nagar, Ashiana, Charbagh, Chowk, Chowpatiyan, Alambagh and Bhootnath among other places.

At Damodar Nagar in Alambagh, a bhandara of millet food was organised by Amit Kumar Mishra. Poori-sabzi, halwa, kheer, chola-rice, matar-rice, boondi, rasgulla and custard were served to devotees near Hanuman Setu temple.

Gates of Hanuman Setu temple remained open from Monday night to Tuesday 12pm while the new Hanuman temple at Aliganj was beautifully decorated. The renovation of the sanctum sanctorum here had recently been completed.

Riddhi Gaur, trustee of the Lete Hanuman temple, said the ‘puja’ of the deity was performed at 5am and the temple was thrown open for devotees at that time. Laddoos and boondi were distributed and a bhandara was also organised.