Non-stop chanting of Hanuman Chalisa

Lord Hanuman, one of the protagonists of the Ramayana, is widely known for his unflinching devotion and is revered as a symbol of strength and energy. His birthday is celebrated as Hanuman Jayanti or Hanuman Janmotsava. The celebration of Hanuman Jayanti varies by time and tradition in each state of India. In most northern states, the festival is observed on the full-moon day of the Hindu month of Chaitra (Chaitra Purnima), but in Karnataka, Hanuman Jayanti is observed on Shukla Paksha Trayodashi, during the Margashirsha month or in Vaishakha.

A small group of devotees from the Prestige Tranquility housing society in Bengaluru, Karnataka, set the record for the longest marathon chanting of Hanuman Chalisa verses one after the other for the longest duration of 24 hours, starting at 12.30 pm on April 6, 2023, and ending at 12.33 pm on April 7, 2023, on the occasion of Hanuman Janmotsava. The attempt made its way to the India Book of Records and Asia Book of Records simultaneously.

The chanting started on Friday and went on till Saturday night. The team started with Kalash Yatra in which more than 200 women participated enthusiastically. After the Akhand Hanuman Chalisa, there were cultural performances on Hanuman’s life. The residents of Prestige Tranquility (near Budigere Cross off Old Madras Road) supported the non-stop chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa verses for 24 hours.

Jitesh Tibrewal, leader of the chanting group, told the India Book of Records magazine that seven of the group members were from an Information Technology background, while one was from the finance profession. All the devotees had only water and buttermilk in between. “We started planning for the event in January this year. The first challenge was that each of us would sing in a different tone. Soon, we synchronized and started practicing initially for two hours, then four and later eight.”

The record for the longest marathon chanting of Hanuman Chalisa was set by a group of people from Bengaluru. A total of 8 members of the group gathered together and chanted the verses of Hanuman Chalisa one after the other.

“The reason behind such a wonderful Hanuman Janmotsava was to create awareness for Sanatana Dharma and awareness of Hindu culture. It was sheer hard work for all the members of the group. We used to come back from the offices at 11 pm and start practicing at 11.30 pm, which would go on till late at night. Normally too, I am a devotee of Hanuman ji and I read Hanuman Chalisa on a regular basis. The other members also follow a similar routine, especially on Tuesday,” said Jitesh.

Before starting the chanting the devotees applied a tilak of sinduram to their foreheads from Hanuman’s murti. According to a legend, when Hanuman ji found Sita applying sinduram to her forehead, he enquired about this custom. She replied that doing so would ensure a long life for her husband, Rama. Hanuman then proceeded to smear his entire body with sinduram, thus ensuring Rama’s immortality.