1. Hanuman’s mother was a celestial nymph named Punjikasthala in her previous birth.

Punjikasthala was a celestial nymph who once derisively laughed at a sage because of his appearance. The sage got angry and cursed her that she would be reborn as a monkey. She was born as Anjana to King Kunjara and later married Kesari, the Vanara chief.

2. Hanuman is one of the 8 immortals and is still alive. He will walk the earth until the end of Kali Yuga.

Lord Rama knew the importance of Hanuman’s help rescuing Goddess Seeta from Ravana. Hence, he blessed him with the gift of immortality. Hanuman leniently declined the boon but Lord Rama did not take it back.

3. Lord Hanuman wrote the first version of Ramayan. It is called Hanumad Ramayan.

Hanuman wrote down the life story of Lord Rama on some clay tablets and brought those to Lord Rama.

Rama humbly said to Hanumana, “I have not done anything great to be recorded this laboriously… I have done my righteous duty…that’s all…” Then, Hanumana was upset. Discouraged by the slighting away of ‘his great deeds as simple acts of duty’ by Rama, Hanuman brought those clay tablets to the seashore, recited each verse, broke each tablet on his knee, and threw them into the sea.

4. The word Hanuman means “broken jaw” in Sanskrit.

When Hanuman was a child, he mistook the sun as a fruit and flew toward it to eat it. As this would have brought the world’s end, Lord Indra attacked him with a vajra which struck his jaw and broke it. The word Hanuman comes from the Sanskrit words ‘hanu,’ which means ‘jaw’, and ‘mana,’ which means ‘disfigured’.

5. Hanuman is among the few people who appeared in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

In the Ramayana, Hanuman helped Lord Rama to rescue Goddess Seeta from Ravana. In Mahabharata, he sat on the flag of Arjuna’s chariot to stabilize and protect it. He also broke the vanity of Bheema by showing him a glimpse of his strength.

6. Hanuman and Bhima were brothers.

Both Hanuman and Bhima are sons of Vayu, the god of wind.

7. Hanuman applies Sindoor all over his body for the longevity of Lord Rama.

Per a story, when Hanuman saw Goddess Sita applying Sindoor to her hair parting, Hanuman inquired about it curiously. She told him that she was doing so for the long life of Lord Rama. Therefore, he started applying Sindoor all over his body for Lord Rama’s well-being and longevity. Therefore, he is called Bajrang Bali.

8. Hanuman is married to Suvarchal Devi, the daughter of Surya.

Although Hanuman is a symbol of celibacy, per some stories he is married to Suvarchala Devi, the daughter of the sun god, Surya. As both of them are celibates, they don’t have any children.

9. Hanuman has a son named Makardhwaj who was born from his sweat while he was returning from Lanka after burning it.

They were unaware of their relationship and had a duel fight when Hanuman tried to enter Patala Loka to rescue Lord Rama and Lakshmana.

10. In the Mahabharat War, Hanuman sat on the flag of Arjuna’s chariot to stabilize and protect it.

Hanuman protected Arjuna from celestial weapons used by Drona, Karna, Bhishma, and other warriors and played a vital role in his success.

11. Lord Hanuman is an incarnation of Shiva.

When Lord Vishnu agreed to incarnate as Lord Rama to defeat Ravana, Lord Brahma felt that he would need help and requested Lord Shiva to incarnate as well. Hanuman is the 11th Rudra Avatar of Lord Shiva.

12. Hanuman possesses many superpowers. He can be as tiny as an ant and as big as a mountain.

Lord Hanuman possesses 8 siddhis (superpowers). He can travel as fast as the wind and be anywhere he wants.

13. Lord Hanuman is said to have invented Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation).

He did this to honor his teacher, the sun god Surya. During Surya Namaskar one has to chant 12 mantras dedicated to Surya.

14. Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated twice a year.

Once on the full moon of Chaitra and once on the day of Narak Chaturdashi.

15. Lord Rama gave the death penalty to Hanuman.

Once Hanuman greeted all sages except Vishwamitra per the order of Narada Muni. This infuriated the sage and he asked Lord Rama to punish Hanuman to death. But when the death sentence was executed, none of the arrows or even the Brahmastra could harm Hanuman.

16. Besides Arjuna and Sanjaya, Hanuman was the only person who heard Bhagavad Gita directly from Krishna.

Hanuman was sitting on the flag of Arjuna’s chariot when Lord Krishna gave Arjuna the knowledge of Gita. Also, Sanjay was also witnessing the event via the divine sight given to him by Vyasa.

17. Surya is Hanuman’s guru.

Surya initially rejected being Hanuman’s guru as he was always moving, but Hanuman offered to travel with him wherever he went.

18. Hanuman is not a monkey.

Hanuman is also popularly known as ‘Monkey God’. Actually, he is not a monkey but part man and part monkey.

19. The Anjaneri mountain in the Nashik district of Maharashtra is considered the birthplace of Hanuman.

The mountain Anjaneri is named after Hanuman’s mother Anjana. It is believed that she gave birth to him on this mountain.

20. Hanuman is believed to have control over the Navagrahas (nine planets), making him a protector against astrological challenges and planetary afflictions.

Hindus believe worshipping Lord Hanuman mitigates the adverse effects of nine planets, particularly Saturn. This is because he rescued Navagrahas from Ravana who had imprisoned them.