Lord Hanuman and his different upasana murtis:

Hanuman or mukhya praana or maaruti as we know him, is adya rudramurti and chief of all 49 types of vayus and marutganas. He has his extensive upasana paddhati ranging from satvik i.e. yogic practices to wild tamasik prayogas. He's extremely fierce and masculine in nature, always ready to destroy the hoards of demons and vile creatures. His upasana was practiced extensively in early centuries in his raudra forms which primarily gave ashta mahasiddhis, inner and outer enemy destruction, superior knowledge, dominion over all bhoota ganas, attraction of females and males, subjugation of grahas, winning in gamble, defeating enemy army etc.. He's mostly practiced as a paschimaamnaaya and dakshinaamnaaya devata whose mantras are now commonly used only for bhoota nigraha. He also has a secret urdhwaamnaaya form which gets revealed to one upon completing his sadhana with 12 years of rigorous practice.

He also has 11 avataaras or upasana murtis. These are mostly according to the Gaaruda and bhooteshwar tantras which are a branch of rudrayamal mahatantra. His association with lord Ram in today's benign and servant kind of form was invented much later after bhakti andolan.

Eleven upasana murtis of maaruti are:

1. Veer Hanuman

2. Prasannaatmaa aanjaneya

3. Suvarchalaapati

4. Panchamukhi Hanuman

5. Saptamukhi Hanuman

6. Ekadashmukhi Hanuman

7. Vishaapaharan Murti (vaidyaraja/ four hands holding shankh, chakra, amrut kumbh, abhaya mudra, gada is placed near feet)

8. Ashtaadashabhuja Hanuman (eighteen -armed)

9. Vimshatibhuja Hanuman (twenty-armed)

10. Tri mukha Dvaatrinshadbhuja Hanumān (tei faces and 32 arms used in graha ucchatan)

11. Vaanaresha or Markatesh (king of vaanaraas)

The adya rudramurti Hanuman has his own retinue of 28 shaktis which always follow him or lead his charge. They're being given as follows:

1) Suvarcalaa (Also known as Madhumati/ Madavihvalaa)

2) Gavaaksha

3) Sharabha

4) Nala

5) Nila

6) Gavaya

7) Gandhamaadan

8) Gaja

9) Prahasta

10) Dardara

11) Vegavanta

12) Rishabha

13) Sumukha

14) Prithu

15) Dadhimukha

16) Jyotirmukha

17) Sampaati

18) Randhragreeva

19) Kesari

20) Mareechi,

21) Kushala

22) Rambha

23) Taruna

24) Gaumukha

25) Suvesha

26) Hariloma

27) Shatabali

28) Vidyuddamshtra.

The eleven Divya sthanas where Hanuman resides or must be invoked in his peetha puja are as follows:

1) Kundin nagar

2) Shri bhadragiri

3) Pampa sarovar

4) Kusha tarpana

5) Chandrakona

6) Kaamboj

7) brahmaavartapura

8) naimishaaranya

9) sundarnagar

10) ramya giri

11) Shri Hanumatpur

Commonly only Pampa peeth is invoked in puja of lord Hanuman. But when doing big anushthan of lord Hanuman all these peethas have to be invoked in their respective directions on the bhadrapeeth.

🙏 Namo Narasimha 🙏