Lord Hanuman

Hanuman is kept for protection more than for any other reason, and the Hanuman Chalisa is explicit about that role. He is also the deity most often kept at an entrance and in a vehicle rather than only in the mandir, which changes what you should look for.

The forms

Sinduri Hanuman is the orange-red form, and the colour is the point. Sindoor, vermilion, is applied to Hanuman murtis in temples across India, built up over years into a thick coat. The tradition explains it through Hanuman applying sindoor to himself on learning that Sita wore it for Rama's wellbeing. Our sinduri pieces render that colour in the finish rather than in applied paste.

Panchmukhi Hanuman is the five-faced form, and the five are not five Hanumans. They are Hanuman himself facing east, Narasimha south, Garuda west, Varaha north and Hayagriva upward. It is a composite form with a specific story behind it, and it is considerably wider than a single-faced murti at the same height.

Abhaya Mudra is the raised palm, the gesture of fearlessness and reassurance, which is the form most bought for a home mandir.

Meditating and face forms are quieter pieces for a shelf or a desk, and the antique-finish face idol reads more as sculpture than as a devotional figure, which suits a living room better than a mandir.

Allow for the mace

The single most common sizing mistake in this collection. Hanuman is usually depicted with a raised gada, and often with a broad chest, wide shoulders or, in the Panchmukhi form, five faces. The listed height does not tell you the silhouette.

Measure the full width and depth, not just the height, and leave clearance around the mace and the tail, which is where these pieces catch and chip. Lift from the base.

Home, entrance or car

These are three different requirements and a piece made for one is often wrong for another.

For a home mandir, an Abhaya Mudra or seated form with a stable base, five to eight inches. For an entrance, a piece that reads from a distance, which usually means simpler and larger. For a car, only a compact low-profile design, checked against the dashboard and kept clear of airbags; those are in car dashboard idols.

Which material

Brass if the murti will receive abhishek or be handled daily, since it tolerates water, oil and sindoor and can be cleaned indefinitely. See brass idols. Worth knowing that oil and sindoor are common offerings to Hanuman specifically, and both stain a plated surface permanently.

Gold plated and enamelled pieces hold the sinduri colour and fine detail better than cast brass, and need nothing but a dry cloth. They are display pieces. See gold and silver plated idols. Antique finish carries a deliberate patina that cleaning paste strips rather than restores; dry dusting only.

Tuesday, Saturday and placement

Tuesday and Saturday are the days conventionally associated with Hanuman worship, and that association is widespread and long-standing.

Beyond that, most of what you will read is custom rather than text. The convention that Hanuman should face south, the practice of not placing him beside Shani, the guidance about which room, all vary by region and family. They are sincerely held and we would not tell you to disregard them. We would also not present them as scripture.

Hanuman's devotion to Rama is the centre of his story, and the two are commonly kept together; see Lord Ram idols.

As a gift

Hanuman is among the most given murtis for a new vehicle, a new job or a house move, because protection is the occasion. Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti are the seasonal peaks; see Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti. Also griha pravesh and housewarming gifts; for volume, corporate gifts or the bulk order enquiry page.

To furnish the mandir, pooja essentials; for the wider pantheon, god idols and figurines.

Before you order

• Measure the full silhouette. The raised mace and a Panchmukhi head make these wider than the height suggests.
• If oil or sindoor will be offered, buy brass. Both stain plating permanently.
• A home-mandir murti is not automatically a dashboard murti. Check the base and the height.
• Antique finishes take dry dusting only.
• Lift from the base, never by the mace or the tail.