Sankatmochan

In the early 1500s, a young poet named Tulsidas was walking through the forests near the Assi River when he had a vision — Lord Hanuman appeared before him, not as a monkey god from stories, but as a living, breathing presence. Tulsidas fell to his knees, and in that moment of divine encounter, he knew he had to build a temple right there. That temple became Sankat Mochan — the "Reliever from Troubles" — and it's been saving people from their sorrows for over 500 years. But Sankat Mochan is more than just a temple. It's a cultural institution. Every April, it hosts the Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh — one of India's most prestigious classical music and dance festivals, started 88 years ago and graced by legends like Pandit Jasraj, Birju Maharaj, Kelucharan Mahapatra, and even Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali in 2015. The festival was instrumental in bringing women performers onto the classical stage — Sanjukta Panigrahi, Swapna Sundari, Kankana Banerjee — at a time when it was rare. The temple itself is deceptively simple — no grand marble or gold, just earnest devotion. Devotees come here especially on Tuesdays and Saturdays — thousands of them — to chant the Hanuman Chalisa and offer sindoor to Hanuman. Astrologers send people with ill-placed Saturn (Shani) or Mars (Mangal) in their horoscopes, believing Hanuman can neutralize any planetary trouble. And then there's the 2006 bombing — a terrorist attack during evening aarti that killed devotees and wedding guests. The very next day, people returned. The temple didn't close. It refused to be broken.