IF you are visiting Aurangabad, there�s no way you can come back without taking a quick darshan of the famous �Sleeping Hanuman� in Khuldabad taluka outside the city. The �Sleeping Hanuman� is one of two idols only of Lord Hanuman that are in the reclining position in all of India. The other one is in Allahabad. This one in Khuldabad is installed in the Shree Bhadra Maruti Temple. Or, rather, the temple came up around the idol of the �Sleeping Hanuman� as recently as in 1967. Till then, the idol was kept in the open where it miraculously appeared in a day and age even before Emperor Aurangzeb�s time. It used to be covered by a tin shed by the locals. And it is an idol of fantastic powers.

Legend has it that nobody who visits the Shree Bhadra Maruti Temple on a Saturday with a request is disappointed by the �Sleeping Hanuman�.

The temple attracts devotees and total strangers from far and wide. It has become an institution of hope. Saturdays, the crowds that gather for darshan have to be seen to be believed. Devotees come to offer thanks for wishes fulfilled and to ask for further help from the �Sleeping Hanuman�. They enter the shrine after standing in long serpentine queues, make their offerings in cash and kind, accept a prasad from the dwarf-like priest guarding the �Sleeping Hanuman� inside the sanctum sanctorum, and depart to do a bit of shopping in the Shree Bhadra Maruti Temple complex outside. And there�s quite a bit of shopping that can be done here. From all kinds of food items that are offered to the �Sleeping Hanuman� to rich and gaudy-coloured sweets. And from a home-kit of mehendi designs to cheap plastic toys.

The temple itself is a simple shrine built of marble and cement with the �Sleeping Hanuman� in the centre covered by a silk orange sheet and garlands of flowers. The story goes that Khuldabad previously went by the name of Badravati Nagar. It was ruled by King Bhadrasen who was a kind and pious man. He was deeply religious and an ardent follower of Lord Hanuman. On the banks of the Badrakund Talab, which is a pond in the vicinity, King Bhadrasen used to sit singing bhajans in praise of Lord Hanuman. One day while the King went about his daily rituals, Lord Hanuman appeared in front of him. He was so captivated by the devotional songs sung in his praise, that he simply sat and listened. The music was so captivating that he fell asleep on the ground. Later, Lord Hanuman expressed his pleasure at the astute devotion of King Bhadrasen and granted him a wish.

The good King told Lord Hanuman that he hoped that the Lord would stay there forever and fulfill the desires of all his devotees. So be it, declared Lord Hanuman and disappeared. Much later, an idol of Lord Hanuman in a sleeping posture was found where he had stood. That�s why it came to be known as Bhadra Maruti or �Sleeping Hanuman�. A small temple was constructed at the spot. And people started to come and worship the Bhadra Maruti there. In time, Badravati Nagar came to be called Ramapur, and during the rule of Emperor Aurangzeb, the name was changed to Khuldabad. Since then, that is what it has been referred to. Aurangzeb�s tomb, incidentally, is also located in Khuldabad.

Close to the Shree Bhadra Maruti Temple is the Bhadra Maruti pond or the Bhadrakund Talab. It is said that those devotees who smear the mud from the pond on themselves and then bathe in the water, are atoned of all their sins. All their bad deeds are forgiven. This legend has Hanuman devotees come from various parts of India for a dip in the holy pond. They then visit the Shree Bhadra Maruti Temple to seek the fulfilment of their wishes. Stories of how miracles have been performed here have spread and people are willing to swear to them. This has only increased the �Sleeping Hanuman�s� following and thousands come every Saturday to seek the Lord�s blessings and �kalyan� (well being).