This Hanuman ‘grants’ devotees’ visa wishes

Lord Hanuman seems to have a new lot of devotees nowadays. And, if these new devotees are to be believed, the monkey god, who helped Lord Ram rescue his wife from Ravan, is helping them acquire timely visas, writes Karan Choudhury.

Lord Hanuman seems to have a new lot of devotees nowadays. And, if these new devotees are to be believed, the monkey god, who helped Lord Ram rescue his wife from Ravan, is helping them acquire timely visas.

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In the serpentine, narrow lanes of Neb Sarai, the god resides especially to aid the visa applicants: or so the devotees believe. Supposedly modelled on the 400-year-old ‘Visa Hanuman’ temple in Ahmedabad, the Chamatakarik Shree Hanuman Ji Ka Mandir in Neb Sarai was established seven months ago.

The temple gets hordes of people coming every day for their ‘visa difficulties’.

“I heard about this temple from a friend, who is now settled in New Zealand. He said that going there and praying helps. So I have come to this temple as for me going abroad is very important,” said Harvinder Singh Sekhon, who was at the temple with a sheaf of documents in hand.

Rekha Jain, an astrologer who runs her consultation from the temple, said: “Hanumanji helps everyone in need. Here, we just tell people to pray to him and ask them to chant a specific mantra. That is all. If going abroad in their destiny they will definitely go. It is all about believing in God.”

But the ‘visa’ tag has its disadvantages. “People think it is us who help getting visa which is not true. It is just a temple where they can pray and ask for God’s help,” Jain said.