Paper short abstract:

The paper explores the shrines devoted to Hanuman that dot the streets of Delhi. Below the huge statue of this god that stands out at the Hanuman Mandir of Karol Bagh, uncountable tiny shrines tell a divergent story of him and narrate a different relationship between him and his devotees.

Paper long abstract:

The paper will first provide an overview of some of the shrines devoted to Hanuman that adorn the streets of Delhi. It will also describe and highlight the special features of each of these depictions of the god that are in deep contrast with the huge statue of Hanuman that stands out against the sky of the Indian capital at the Hanuman Mandir of Karol Bagh. This statue depicts Hanuman as a masculine, strong, fierce, and also scaring god, who welcomes his devotees in a quite oppressive and tortuous temple where the direct contact with the deity is hampered by the superhuman distance put by the height of the statue. On the opposite, in the street shrines Hanuman shows all his humanity and tenderness. Here he is depicted as the loyal servant of Rama and Sita, the zealous leader of the monkeys' army, and the emblem of self-denial, mental strength and intelligence. However, the huge statue and the tiny shrines describe not only two different Hanuman but also two different kinds of worship, relations with the god, devotional purposes and devotees' categories. All these features will be analysed in the paper.