Pandupol Hanuman Temple

Pandupol Hanumanji Mandir is a temple to Hanuman in the Aravalli country of Alwar district, linked with the Sariska Tiger Reserve. Devotees believe the Pandavas built it while living in hiding during their exile, and so regard it as about 5,000 years old. The sanctum holds an unusual idol of Hanuman lying down, in a temple of traditional Rajasthani design.

The name comes from a story about Bhima. Proud of his strength, he ordered an old monkey blocking a forest path to move; the monkey asked Bhima to shift him instead, but however hard Bhima tried, it would not move. The monkey was Hanuman, who revealed himself and blessed the brothers. Bhima then broke a pol, or gateway, through the rock for the Pandavas to pass, giving the site its name. Crowds come on Tuesdays and Saturdays and at Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti, and the Lakhi Mela during Chaitra Navratri draws around 50,000 people, with craft stalls and folk dances such as Ghoomar, Kalbelia and Bhavai.