Hanuman Jayanti 2026
हनुमान जयंती
Hanuman Jayanti falls on Thursday, 2 April 2026 in New Delhi, on Shukla Purnima.
Hanuman Jayanti celebrates the birth of Hanuman, Rama's devoted helper, with temple visits and recitations of the Hanuman Chalisa. Unusually, India doesn't agree on a single date for it.
Why this date
CalculatedThe most common date in north India and much of the country is Chaitra Purnima, the full moon of Chaitra, reckoned at sunrise. Other regions use other days altogether, listed below. Don't be surprised if two reputable sources give you different answers: they may both be right for different communities.
That’s 10 days earlier than 12 April 2025 last year.
- Purnima begins
- 1 Apr, 7:07 AM
- It ends
- 2 Apr, 7:42 AM
2026 date by city
| New Delhi | Thu, 2 Apr |
|---|---|
| Mumbai | Thu, 2 Apr |
| Kolkata | Thu, 2 Apr |
| Chennai | Thu, 2 Apr |
| Bengaluru | Thu, 2 Apr |
| Hyderabad | Thu, 2 Apr |
| Ahmedabad | Thu, 2 Apr |
| Pune | Thu, 2 Apr |
| Jaipur | Thu, 2 Apr |
| Lucknow | Thu, 2 Apr |
| Patna | Thu, 2 Apr |
| Varanasi | Thu, 2 Apr |
| London | Wed, 1 Apr |
| New York | Wed, 1 Apr |
| San Francisco | Wed, 1 Apr |
| Toronto | Wed, 1 Apr |
| Sydney | Thu, 2 Apr |
| Singapore | Thu, 2 Apr |
| Dubai | Wed, 1 Apr |
| Port Louis | Wed, 1 Apr |
Dates in bold differ from New Delhi’s. Calculated by rule; local practice can differ.
One festival, many stories
Pan-IndianSon of Anjana and the wind
In Valmiki's Ramayana, Jambavan tells Hanuman the story of his own birth to remind him of his strength: he's the son of Anjana and of Vayu, the wind god, and he once leapt at the Sun, taking it for a fruit. This gives us his parentage and his childhood. The passage isn't usually cited for a date.
Regional calendarsDifferent dates in different places
Tamil Nadu keeps Hanumath Jayanthi on the new moon of Margazhi, and parts of Karnataka on the thirteenth lunar day of Margashirsha's bright half. In the Telugu states, it comes about forty days after Chaitra Purnima. Some north Indian communities use Kartika Krishna Chaturdashi, close to Diwali, which Lochtefeld links to Hanuman's identification with Shiva.
Common questions
What people do
- Reciting the Hanuman Chalisa, sometimes many times over
- Visiting a Hanuman temple, often offering sindoor and oil
- Holding processions and community readings of the Ramayana
- Fasting until the day's worship is finished
Why are there different dates for Hanuman Jayanti?
Because regional traditions have kept different birth dates, and no early text settles the matter. Chaitra Purnima is the most widely used today, but Margazhi Amavasya in Tamil Nadu and other dates are equally established where they're observed.
Why do some people say Hanuman Janmotsav and not Jayanti?
Because many devotees hold that Hanuman is a chiranjivi, one who remains alive, and they feel that Janmotsav, “birth festival”, suits him better than Jayanti, which is sometimes used for departed figures. It's a matter of preference, and both words are used.
Ask your elders
“Ask who in your family first taught you the Hanuman Chalisa, and on which day your family marks Hanuman's birth. If it's not the date on your phone's calendar, ask why.”
Sources
- Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kanda 66
- James G. Lochtefeld, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (Rosen, 2002), entry “Hanuman Jayanti”
- Drik Panchang, Hanuman Jayanti and Tamil Hanumath Jayanthi pages