INDIA. Madhya Pradesh: Jam Sawli Hanuman Temple is now returning to normalcy after nine months of closing due to compulsory COVID-19 restrictions. The temple is now open for the devotees with Standard Operational Procedures (SOP). The Jam Sawli temple is one of the popular destinations for the devotees as this temple is said to have miraculous power to cure mentally ill people. This temple is situated in the Chindawara district of Madhya Pradesh state and is about 67 km away from Nagpur.
Antiquity of the Temple
Land Revenue Department of Madhya Pradesh records the temple as almost 100 years old. Talking to Transcontinental Times, Hiraji Patel, the manager of the Jam Sawli temple said, “The temple is older than the record says. I am 67 years old and my grandfather had told me about this temple. So, you can imagine how old this temple is!”
Legend says that Lord Hanuman had rested at this place for some time when he was taking ‘Sanjeevani Buti’ for comatose Shri Laxman during the war between Lord Ram and Ravana in Ramayana. Devotees who visit this temple are from nearby as well as distant places. People from around 11 districts come here to worship Lord Hanuman. As per popular belief, it is believed that no one can visit the Jam Sawli temple unless he is called there.
On Tuesdays and Saturdays, the number of devotees who come to worship Lord Hanuman ranges from fifty-thousand to one-hundred thousand. On the eve of Hanuman Jayanti (birthday of Lord Hanuman), nearly three hundred thousand devotees gather at this temple.
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Infrastructure of the temple
The Jam Sawli temple is built on a 22-acre land with its premises, restrooms, kitchen, dining hall, and residences for the staff. This is the largest ‘Sleeping Hanuman deity’ in India. According to some devotees, the idol has self-emerged from the ground. The Sleeping Hanuman deity is 18 feet in length and has a silver crown hanging down on his head. There is a water stream coming through a Banyan tree from an unknown source. Many devotees believe that the water has a miraculous power of treating skin diseases and mentally deranged people.
There is a cowshed near the temple where more than 300 cows are taken care of. These cows are infertile and are rescued from abattoirs where they were about to be butchered. In the Annapoorna kitchen, food is prepared for thousand of Hanuman devotees.
The ill people stay inside the temple premises until they are cured. It is a miracle that no medicines or other medical aids are given to these people. Only water from the Hanuman deity’s body is given to them. According to the staff members, around 90 percent of people have recovered from their ailments after consuming the ‘miracle water’.
For further development, the ‘Temple Trust’ is constructing a new structure that will cost them around 200 million INR. This structure will facilitate the devotees to visit the temple.
The temple management
“Many Congress and BJP politicians frequently visit here and pay their homages but no big financial aids are given till now,” Patel said. Nearly 80 men and women are on the payroll of the temple trust.
“Before 1980, there were fewer devotees but, the number has increased after 1980. The whole temple is run by the donations given by the devotees,” he added.
Around the temple, there are more than a hundred shops for providing worship materials to devotees like garlands, sindoor (vermilion), clothes for deity, and eatables. During the lockdown, these shop owners found a terrible time for their ends to meet.
“Through your newspaper, we request all the devotees across the world to donate generously for this temple and cowshed,” Patel said.
