Jump to content

Bada Mangal

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bada Mangal
Bada Mangal in 2017
GenreReligious festival
DateTuesdays during Jyeshtha
FrequencyAnnual
LocationsLucknow, Uttar Pradesh
CountryIndia

Bada Mangal, or Bada Mangalwar, is a festival dedicated to Hanuman celebrated in northern India, particularly Uttar Pradesh.[1] It is observed every Tuesday in the Hindu month of Jyeshtha, which usually runs from May to June each year.[2][3] With origins in Lucknow, Bada Mangal is seen as symbolic of the city's syncretic Hindu-Muslim culture, or Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb.[4][5][2] According to local tradition, dates back centuries to the era of Nawabi rule of Awadh.[6] In Lucknow, devotees gather at the city's Hanuman temples, while people of all religions participate in bhandaras or communal feasts.[2][7]

The festival is also sometimes called Budhwa Mangal, referring to an elderly form of Hanuman Ji.[8] Although Bada Mangal usually lasts for four or five weeks, in 2026 it is being observed over eight Tuesdays due to a rare occurrence in the Hindu lunar calendar.[9]

Festivities

[edit]

In Lucknow, Bada Mangal is the most prominent local festival of the year, celebrated by all Hanuman temples across the city.[2] Among the most popular during Bada Mangal are Hindu temples in the Aliganj area of Lucknow – Purana Hanuman Mandir, which has an Islamic crescent moon (chand tara) at the top of the temple dome, and Naya Hanuman Mandir – which are regarded as central to the festival's origin story.[2][10][11][12] Others include the Hanuman temples at Hanuman Setu, located opposite University of Lucknow, and Chhachhi Kuan.[2][11] Long queues of devotees can be seen around the clock every Tuesday during Jyeshtha, receiving darshan and offering prasad.[2] During Bada Mangal, a popular prayer is the 40-verse Hanuman Chalisa written by Tulsidas, who once stayed in old Lucknow on his way to Mathura in the 16th century.[13][14]

Bhandara during Bada Mangal

Festivities in Lucknow have expanded over the last 30 to 40 years.[2] Free meals or bhandaras are distributed to large crowds of devotees each week from an estimated 3,000 food stalls.[15][2][6] Traditionally, sharbat and puri sabzi have been the main refreshments, with Muslim residents of the city joining Hindus in serving devotees.[2][16][15] Today the other bhandaras on offer during Bada Mangal include boondi, halva, meetha paani, ice cream, kulfi, noodles, laddoo, and many other foods.[17][18][2][15] People from other faiths including Sikhs and Christians also participate in organising the communal feasts.[7]

Origins

[edit]

In Hinduism, Tuesday (Mangalavara) is the day of the week that is considered the most auspicious for devotees of Lord Hanuman.[19] The qualities of Hanuman – physical strength, courage, and selfless devotion – are closely associated with Mangala (Mars), which in astrology is associated with Tuesday.[19] According to historians, there are many legends about the origins of Bada Mangal and its celebration.[14] Some of these stories date back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when Lucknow emerged as the capital of Awadh, ruled by the Shia Muslim nawabs.[14]

Janab-e-Alia and Mirza Mangli

[edit]

Janab-e-Alia, the Hindu wife of the third Nawab of Awadh, Shuja-ud-Daula, is often credited with founding a Hanuman temple in Aliganj and inspiring Bada Mangal.[5][12] Historians say the temple was actually built by her son Saadat Ali Khan, who became the sixth Nawab of Awadh.[14][20]

According to popular folklore, in the mid-18th century, Chattar Kunwar (later known as Janab-e-Alia) was blessed with a baby boy after praying at the old Hanuman temple in Aliganj.[12] In gratitude, she named her son Mirza Mangli (nickname Manglu), derived from the word for Tuesday.[14] In a dream, a divine entity told her to build a new Hanuman temple, thus starting the tradition of Bada Mangal.[12] (Her son later took the name Saadat Ali Khan.)[14]

A variation of the story is that a divine entity led Janab-e-Alia to a site near Rahimnagar, where a statue of Hanuman was discovered buried in the earth.[14] As the statue was being transported, the elephant carrying it suddenly stopped, sat down, and refused to move.[14] Interpreting this as a sign, she decided that a new temple to Hanuman should be built in that exact location in Aliganj.[14]

Muhammad Ali Shah

[edit]

The origins of Bada Mangal and its traditions are also associated with Muhammad Ali Shah, the ninth Nawab of Awadh and grandfather of Wajid Ali Shah.[21] According to the story, one of Muhammad Ali Shah's sons was cured of an illness after the divine intervention of Lord Hanuman.[22][21] Proponents of this story suggest that the festival thus emerged in 19th-century Awadh as a demonstration of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, the fusion of Hindu and Muslim beliefs, and an ethic of shared social responsibility.[21]

As of 2025, descendants of Muhammad Ali Shah continue to organise bhandaras during Bada Mangal to honor their ancestral tradition and support interfaith harmony.[23]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Pyne, Soumi (7 May 2026). "Bada Mangal 2026: Spiritual significance, beliefs and why devotees observe it". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hasnain, Nadeem (2016). "Local Fairs and Festivals". The Other Lucknow: An Ethnographic Portrait of a City of Undying Memories and Nostalgia. Vani Prakashan. ISBN 9789352294206 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "Bada Mangalwar 2025: Know dates, rituals and religious importance". India Today. 13 May 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  4. ^ "Amid rare calendar twist, first of eight Bada Mangal today". The Times of India. 5 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  5. ^ a b "The story of the Nawabs of Lucknow and the celebration of Hanumanji's Bada Mangal". Times of India. 4 June 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  6. ^ a b Choubey, Neha (13 May 2025). "When Lucknow Eats Together: Bada Mangal Turns the City into One Big Kitchen". Native Planet. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  7. ^ a b "Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians to serve together at Bada Mangal Bhandara in Lucknow". The Times of India. 14 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  8. ^ Sharma, Mahima (5 May 2026). "Bada Mangal 2026 Date: 8 Budhwa Mangal in Jyeshtha month". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  9. ^ "Bada Mangal 2026: Dates, Significance and How to Perform the Puja". The Economic Times. 4 May 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  10. ^ "Bada mangal festivities started with Begum's gift". The Times of India. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  11. ^ a b "Throngs at Lko temples, long queues at Bhandaras during second Bada Mangal". Hindustan Times. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  12. ^ a b c d "Lucknow begins preparations for 'Bada Mangal' festival". News Gram. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  13. ^ "5 things to do in the Budhwa Mangal period for Lord Hanuman's blessings". Times Entertainment. 17 May 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ghosh, Aakash (27 May 2024). "Bada Mangal: Forgotten lies Begum Alia, encroached and in ruins her Maqbara". The Hindustan Times. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  15. ^ a b c "Lucknow celebrates first Bada Mangal in style". Hindustan Times. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  16. ^ "Shared service marks Bada Mangal as Muslim residents also organise bhandaras". The Times of India. 6 May 2026. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  17. ^ "Bada mangal bhandaara for the army in Lucknow". Free Press Journal. 14 May 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2026 – via ProQuest.
  18. ^ "'Bada Mangal' The soul of Lucknow: When no one sleeps hungry". Free Press Journal. 13 May 2025. Retrieved 13 May 2026 – via ProQuest.
  19. ^ a b "Why Tuesdays Are Dedicated to Lord Hanuman". The Times of India. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  20. ^ Mohan, Surendra (1997). Awadh Under the Nawabs: Politics, Culture and Comunal Relations 1722–1856 (2026 ed.). New Delhi: Manohar. p. 106. ISBN 978-81-7304-203-4.
  21. ^ a b c Saxena, Tanisha (25 January 2026). "Our Republic of Rare Rituals: Street Secularism: Bada Mangal, Uttar Pradesh". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  22. ^ Sircar, Suparna; Kumar, Santosh (4 December 2025). "From Nawabi Legends to Neighbourhood Commons: Bada Mangal's Role in Crafting Inclusive Public Spaces". 2026 Architecture, Culture, and Spirituality Symposium (ACSF 15).
  23. ^ "Veg pulao, ice cream flavour nawab progeny's Mangal feast". Times of India. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bada_Mangal&oldid=1360338338"