Langoor Mela begins in city

With the Navratras, the famous 10-day Langoor Mela began in the city at the Bada Hanuman Mandir. Unique to Amritsar, the 10-day mela is a symbol of faith and festivities, where parents dress up their children as ‘langoors’, covered in vermillion and carrying gada (mace) and visit the temple consecutively every morning and evening. Accompanying these ‘langoors’ is a brigade of children and young men, symbolising vaanar sena (a monkey brigade) just like the one that Lord Rama led to Lanka in Ramayan.

The century-old tradition continues as Indian parents from across the world, including NRIs, visit Amritsar to attend the festival. The temple complex is host to a group of ‘langoors’, accompanied by their families, who think that dressing their kids as langoors during this festival will bless them for life. But, along with the festivities, the kids and their families have to follow a strict regime for nine days by remaining bare feet and sleeping on the floor, eating satvik food.

Legend has it that the Bada Hanuman temple was built at a place where Luv and Kush, sons of Lord Rama, had tied Lord Hanuman to the banyan tree, when he came to take them back to Ayodhya.

The temple hosts 40,000 to 50,000 devotees during these 10 days and is situated within short radius of Durgiana Temple inside walled city.

The tradition of Langoor mela began with a belief that those couples, who wish to have a boy, come to Bada Hanuman temple and pray. The ones whose wish get fulfilled then bring their children dressed as langoors to thank Lord Hanuman. Over the years, it has turned into a festival of its own as tolis or brigades of kids dressed as monkeys come to the temple, dancing to the drumbeats.