Anjeneri Hills
Anjaneri Hills is one of the exquisite attractions of Nasik city, which is also an important fort in the Trimbakeshwar region. Situated at 4264 feet above sea level, Anjaneri is a spiritual place that lies between Nasik and Trimbakeshwar. Anjaneri is the birthplace of Hanuman, and is named after Hanuman’s mother ‘Anjani’. Anjaneri has major significance for devout and hikers alike. Hanuman spent his childhood and grew up on the same mountain. One hundred and eight Jain caves are found here belonging to 12th century.
Anjaneri is, according to Hindu texts, the birthplace of Hanuman. The Panchmukhi Hanuman held sacred as the 11th Rudra of Shiva. As Anjaneri is situated very close to the Jyotirlinga of Shiva, having powerful significance of the Trinity, represented by the three faces embodying Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu & Lord Mahesh(Shiva) at Trimbakeshwar ;it is unquestioningly the birthplace of God Hanuman. Secondly, only as the 11th Rudra is God Hanuman the embodiment of Shiva, and this image is Panchmukhi. This form of Hanuman as “Sri Panchamukha Anjaneya Swami” (Anjaneya = “son of Anjani”) is more famous in the South and some other parts of the world. Some of the famous places where this form is seen are: Kumbakonam and Thiruvallur, both in Tamil Nadu.
Unlike Dattatreya who was born with three heads, or Ravana with ten heads, Hanuman was indeed born with one head. So where does this concept of a 5-headed Hanuman come from? It happened during the war between Rama and Ravana’s armies in Lanka. As it so happens, two powerful rakshasa brothers Mahiravana and Ahiravana are fighting on the side of Ravana. In some scriptures they are said to be Ravana’s sons and are summoned by their father to help him after many of Ravana’s warriors and generals are killed. Mahiravana is the ruler of the Patalpuri (Patala i.e. Hell). Now Mahiravana, being a powerful practitioner of dark arts and magic (known to be a great devotee of Goddess Kali) locates Rama and Laxmana by his magic. Mahiravana disguises himself as King Dasharartha, and gets past Hanuman’s fortress who is guarding them. He captures Rama and Laxmana while they are sleeping, drags them down and holds them captive in his palace in Patala. Mahiravana leaves a trail behind, which goes deep into the bowels of the earth. Searching for them, Hanuman reaches Patala whose gates are guarded by a creature called Makardhwaja. Hanuman subdues him and ties him up before entering Patalpuri to rescue Rama and Lakshmana.
Anjaneri is a scenic village with mythological importance and spectacular history. From Anjaneri village, it takes about one and half hour to reach the plateau of Anjaneri. This path leads to a magnificent trekking adventure through diverse sceneries of Anjaneri Lake, caves, waterfalls, Healing Lake etc. Anjaneri Mountain, around 20 km from Nasik, near Trimbakeshwar, is the birthplace of Hindu God Hanuman. A temple dedicated to Anjani, mother of Hanuman is located here. The temple attracts more than 100, 000 devotees during Hanuman Jayanti. The place also attracts large crowd on Tuesdays and Saturdays.The temple is located in the Sahyadri Mountain Ranges and is around 20 km from Nashik. The temple is near Trimbakeshwar. It takes only 10 minutes to reach the temple of Anjani Mata from the plateau. This temple is quite big. You can see two different ways at a certain distance from Anjani Mata temple; one way to the left hand side that takes you to Seeta cave in 10 minutes. There are two rooms in this cave where almost 10 to 12 people can stay comfortably. There are many beautiful carvings inside Seeta cave. The other way takes you to Citadel, where you can see one more temple of Lord Hanuman and Anjani Mata. It takes 20 minutes to reach this temple.Anjani Temple is built in stone and is situated 4,200 ft above sea level.The right way ahead of the Anjani Mata temple leads directly to the citadel of Anjaneri fort in 20 mins. Here one more big temple of Anjani Mata can be seen. The overall area of Anjaneri is vast. The place is surrounded by mountain ranges, forests and green landscapes . “Anjaneri” is derived from the fact that God Hanuman is son of Anjani mata, the wife of Pavan. Anjaneri fort is one of the important forts in Trimbakeshwar range.It is located in the beautiful and hilly terrain of Anjaneri Hills-part of the Sahyadri Range in the state of Maharashtra.The 400 meters drive through the Anjaneri village is bound to remind visitors of the state of most Indian village roads. It is quite patchy with many ups and downs, indicative of the nature of human existence, with its joys and sorrows juxtaposed at most times in our lives. The Hanuman Jayanti fair at Anjaneri Village is famous for jatra (procession) and wrestling. A 10 minutes walk from the temple to the left side takes one to the Sita Cave, another place associated with Ramayan.