Anjanâ

Anjana (अञ्जना), also known as Anjani and Anjali, is the mother of Hanuman, one of the protagonists of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. She is said to have been a resident of Kishkindha in the text. According to a version of the legend, Anjana was an apsara named Punjikastala, who was born on earth as a vanara princess due to the curse of a sage. Anjana was married to Kesari, a vanara chief, and the son of Brihaspati. Anjana was the mother of Hanuman. Being Anjana's son, Hanuman is also called Anjaneya or Anjanayar in the Tamil tradition. There are several legends about the birth of Hanuman. Eknath's Bhavartha Ramayana (16th century CE) states that when Anjana was worshipping Vayu, King Dasharatha of Ayodhya was performing the ritual of Putrakameshti yagna in order to bear children. As a result, he received some sacred pudding (payasam) to be shared by his three wives, leading to the births of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. By divine ordinance, a kite snatched a fragment of that pudding and dropped it while flying over the forest where Anjana was engaged in her worship. Vayu, the Hindu deity of the wind, delivered the falling pudding to the outstretched hands of Anjana, who ate it. Hanuman was born to her as a result. Anjana and Kesari performed an intense prayer to Vayu to beget him as their child. Pleased with their devotion, Vayu granted the boon they sought. Shaivites often consider Hanuman to be the eleventh incarnation of Shiva. In Himachal Pradesh, the goddess Anjana is worshiped as a family deity. There is a temple dedicated to her at 'Masrer' near Dharamshala. It is believed that Sri Anjana once came and remained there for some time. One of the locals upon learning, revealed her real identity to the other villagers, going against her wishes. She soon left, but not before turning that villager into stone which remains outside her temple even to this day. Her vahana (vehicle) is a scorpion, hence believers worship Anjana after being bitten by a scorpion.