Place · Hanuman birthplace hill · India
Anjaneyanadri Hill
/ˌʌndʒəˈnɑːdri/
Anjanadri Hill, near Hampi in Karnataka, is traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Hanuman and forms part of the sacred landscape associated with Kishkindha in the Ramayana. The hill is named after Anjana, Hanuman’s mother. A temple dedicated to Hanuman crowns the summit, which is reached by a long flight of steps and offers views of the Tungabhadra landscape.
- Periods
- Second Urbanisation
- Function
- Sacred site & pilgrimage
- Confidence
- Traditional / narrative attribution — The defining association is carried by epic tradition; it is presented as a traditional or narrative attribution.
- Location
- 15.352, 76.471 (approximate)
Worth knowing
Anjanadri Hill is traditionally identified with Anjana Devi, Hanuman’s mother, and is one of several places across India associated with his birth. Located in the Hampi region, its association with Kishkindha connects it to the Ramayana’s southern geography. The hill’s summit temple and panoramic views of the Tungabhadra landscape make it an important pilgrimage destination.
Connections (3)
- Site adjacencyKishkindhā
Anjanadri Hill and Kishkindha are closely connected through the Ramayana’s sacred geography. Anjanadri, near Hampi, is traditionally regarded as the birthplace of Hanuman, while the surrounding Hampi region is identified with Kishkindha, the kingdom of Sugriva. Together they connect Hanuman’s birth traditions with the landscape where he later encountered Rama and became his ally.
- Site adjacencyHampi / Vijayanagara
Anjanadri, held to be Hanuman's birthplace, is a hill on the northern bank of the Tungabhadra opposite the ruined city, within the Anegundi tract. The whole boulder landscape was read as Kishkindha long before Vijayanagara was founded there in 1336, and the founders' choice of site was partly a claim on that: a new dynasty settling in the kingdom of Rama's allies, with the Virupaksha temple already ancient on the spot.
- Alternative toTirupati
Tirumala is also identified in some Vaishnava traditions as Anjanadri, Hanuman's birthplace, which puts it in direct competition with the hill of that name near Hampi. Duplication of this kind is the ordinary condition of Indian sacred geography rather than an anomaly, and here it is two of the most visited hills in south India making the same claim about the same birth, four hundred kilometres apart.
On these journeys
Sources
Wikipedia, “Anjeyanadri Hill”. Archaeological Survey of India and State Archaeology monument records, and the standard regional literature.
Open Anjaneyanadri Hill in the repository →