Maharashtra and Karnataka seers dispute Hanuman's birthplace, one seer gets violent, throws mike at another

The Anjaneri Hills of Nashik have always been known as the birthplace of Lord Hanuman.

Now some saints have upset a whole lot of people disputing this conventional wisdom and insisting that he was born in Kishkinda in Karnataka instead.

At war with each other over the birthplace of Lord Hanuman now are not Hindus or Muslims but sants and mahants from the two states who are bitterly contesting the ownership of the birthplace. A Dharm Sabha, a meeting to discuss this, was organised on Tuesday at Trimbakeshwar, one of the 12 jyotirling places in India.

But far from resolving the dispute over Lord Hanuman, these men of religion began fighting among themselves over a trivial issue-- the seating arrangement for the discussion.

Even before the discussion began the religious preachers and seers present there began screaming at each other as some were angry that the seating arrangement was not proper.

The dispute took an ugly turn when Mahant Sudhirdas Pujari from Nashik reportedly called Swami Govindananda Saraswati, the head of Kishkindha Mutt, as pro-Congress and picked up a mike of a news channel to throw at him.

Swami Govindanand Saraswati, who claimed that the birthplace of Lord Hanuman is not Anjaneri, arrived in Trimbakeshwar without any ceremonial procession after people of Anjaneri objected and police warned him against violating the prohibitory orders.

Swami Govindanand Saraswati has declared that if he is not provided with evidence within five days, he will declare Kishkindha as Lord Hanuman’s birthplace. Sharp reactions were expressed over this statement. The villagers of Anjaneri opposed the claim, but Aniketshastri of Shri Maharshi Panchayat Siddhapeetham in Nashik visited him in the city to pacify the seer.

Swami Govindanand was to hold a rath procession and arrive in Nashik on Monday morning. But since villagers of Anjaneri opposed the rath yatra, he was out of sorts at his unceremonial entry to Nashik but halted at Aniketshastri's Maharshi Panchayat Siddhapeetham behind the passport office at Nashik Road.

Experts in Vedas, Puranas and religious texts were present at the Dharm Sabha.