Bada Mangal, dedicated to Lord Hanuman, is observed on Tuesdays in the month of Jyeshta (May – June) as per the traditional Hindu calendar followed in North India. Bada Mangal is mainly observed in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and nearby regions. The origin of the festival is traced to the Naya Hanuman Mandir at Aliganj in Lucknow.
Bada Mangal is the name for more specifically used to describe the first Tuesday in the month of Jayeshta or Jeth. A big fair is organized in the region during the period. The fair and the festival is believed to be more than 400 years old.
There are numerous theories regarding the origin of the Bada Mangal fair.
It is said that Lord Hanuman blesses all those who offer him prayers and prasad during Bada Mangal. Members of the family especially eldest son and daughter should pay a visit to the deity. If that’s not possible, at least the head of the family should bow his head before Hanuman.
Legends :
1.Bada Mangal’s an occasion, the celebration of which begets its origin to Lucknow’s culture of oneness. History has it that Janab-e-Aalia, second wife of nawab Shuja-ud-Daulah got the old Aliganj Hanuman temple constructed. She is said to have dreamt of Lord Hanuman who ordered her to get a temple constructed.
Based on her dream she ordered quarrying of the area she saw in her dream. The idol was found after which it was transported on the back of an elephant to the city. The elephant, however, did not step forward after a point (the place where the temple is situated). Therefore it was decided that the temple be constructed at this place. Since then, Bada Mangal is celebrated with festive gaiety in the city to mark the belief of the Muslim begum over the deity.
Naming her son, later known as Nawab Saadat Ali Khan, as Mirza Mangloo after the deity, Begum Aalia started the tradition of a fair which continues to be held every year. As time passed by, the festival became a symbol of Hindu-Muslim congeniality. No wonder Muslims too contribute whole-heartedly in arrangements for the Bada Mangal.
2.The child of the Nawab Mohammad Ali Shah of the region fell ill and doctors were unable to cure the child. The wife of the Nawab Begum Rabia, took the child to different places in the hope of find a solution to the child’s illness. One day during her search she met the priest of the Naya Hanuman Mandir at Aliganj. The priest asked her to leave the child before the Hanuman idol in the temple and come back later.
With the blessings of Lord Hanuman, the child recovered. The mother could not believe her eyes. The wife of the Nawab wanted to make an offering at the temple. The priest suggested that instead of making an offering it would be better if she could arrange a fair here as it would lead to the economic prosperity of the region.
Since then the tradition of observing Bada Mangal is followed and it attracts thousands of people.
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