Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple

Goswami Tulsidas, the author of the Ramcharitmanas and the Hanuman Chalisa — the widely recited devotional hymn to Hanuman still sung across North India today — is credited by tradition with founding a shrine at this location after a personal vision of the deity, an account that should be understood as devotional legend rather than a documented historical event with contemporary corroboration. The site's association with Tulsidas ties it into the same cluster of literary-religious geography as Tulsi Manas Temple, roughly two kilometres away, both drawing on the poet-saint's presence in 16th-century Varanasi.

The temple structure visitors see today dates to the early 20th century, rebuilt through the patronage of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, whose broader legacy includes founding Banaras Hindu University in 1916 — placing Sankat Mochan's modern reconstruction within Malaviya's wider programme of religious and educational institution-building in the city. The temple survived a bombing in 2006 that killed several worshippers during evening aarti, an attack that prompted a significant increase in security infrastructure at the site, including the bag and metal-detector checks now routine at the entrance.

Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple maintains security screening at its entrance, a legacy of the 2006 bombing, and visitors should expect a bag check and metal detector pass before entering the courtyard — arriving with minimal loose items speeds this process considerably. Shoes are removed at a designated rack, and modest dress is expected of all visitors.

The temple's monkey population requires the same practical caution observed at Durga Temple: food should not be carried visibly, and sunglasses, phones, and other small items should be held securely rather than left accessible in an open bag or pocket.

Tuesdays and Saturdays are considered especially significant for Hanuman worship in Hindu tradition, and the temple draws noticeably larger crowds on these two days; visitors preferring a quieter visit should plan around them, while those wanting the fullest devotional atmosphere should visit on exactly these days.

Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple is best combined with Tulsi Manas Temple and Durga Temple, both roughly two kilometres away and connected by the same Tulsidas-era religious geography, forming a coherent half-day circuit through south Varanasi rather than three disconnected stops.

The Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh, typically staged in April, is one of Varanasi's most significant classical music events and is free to attend, though it draws substantial crowds and requires arriving well ahead of a given performance slot to secure a reasonable vantage point in the temple courtyard; checking the exact 2026 festival dates locally or through the temple trust closer to the time is worthwhile since the schedule is set annually rather than fixed to a specific date.

The temple's proximity to Banaras Hindu University, roughly two kilometres north, makes it a convenient addition to a day that also includes Bharat Kala Bhavan or the wider BHU campus, particularly for visitors based near Assi Ghat, from which the temple is a short auto-rickshaw ride rather than a significant detour.