The Hanuman Chalisa is a Hindu devotional hymn (stotra) in praise of Hanuman, and popularly recited by millions of Hindus everyday. It is an Awadhi language text attributed to Tulsidas, and is his best known text apart from the Ramcharitmanas. The word 'chālīsā' is derived from 'chālīs' meaning the number 'forty' in Hindi, denoting the number of verses in the Hanuman Chalisa.
In March 2006, the Indian city of Varanasi witnessed a series of bombings in which at least 28 people were reportedly killed and 101 injured. Varanasi is considered holy by Hindus and is one of the oldest living cities in the world. In June 2022, after 16 years of hearing, Ghaziabad district and sessions court convicted the mastermind and terrorist Waliullah Khan and sentenced him to death.
Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF) is a non-governmental organization devoted to cleaning the pollution of the Ganges and protecting the Ganges river in India. The environmental mission is related to the religious mission of Sankat Mochan Temple and Late Veer Bhadra Mishra was manager of both organizations. Mishra was awarded the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) the "Global 500 Roll of Honour" in 1992, The foundation has been working with Australia-based environmental group, Oz Greene, under a program called "Swatcha Ganga Abhiyan" for over 38 years. It celebrated its silver jubilee on 3–4 November 2007, with two-day event which concluded at the Tulsi Ghat, on the Ganges.
Veer Bhadra Mishra was the founding president of the Sankat Mochan Foundation.
Pandit Chhannulal Mishra is a celebrated Hindustani classical singer from Banaras, a noted exponent of the Kirana gharana (school) of the Hindustani classical music and especially the Khayal and the 'Purab Ang' – Thumri.
Pandit Motiram Pandit Maniram Sangeet Samaroh is an annual Indian classical music festival held at Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad, India. The festival is organised by noted classical singer Pt. Jasraj in memory of his father and brother, both classical musicians. Jasraj always performs on 30 November every year, his father's death anniversary and a tribute to Jasraj's guru, his mentor and elder brother, Maniram, who died in 1986, and Jasraj renamed the festival to include his brother's name.
Baba Bhaskar Nath is an Indian classical instrumentalist. He plays shehnai. Belonging from the Meerut Shehnai Gharana, he is considered a child prodigy.
Malini Awasthi is an Indian singer, more commonly referred to as Folk Queen of India. Having been trained classically, she is equally adept in various forms of Hindustani music like vintage Dadra Thumri Kajri Chaiti etc. Her colossal knowledge of music finds a reflection in her renditions of Ghazals and Sufiyaana Kalaams too. A Ganda-baandh disciple of Padma Vibhushan Vidushi Girija Devi, she is a connoisseur of 'Chaumukhi gayan' of Benares Gharana. She commands equally over multiple dialects like Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Bundeli, and Braj.
Varanasi is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. The city has a syncretic tradition of Islamic artisanship that underpins its religious tourism. Located in the middle-Ganges valley in the southeastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi lies on the left bank of the river. It is 692 kilometres (430 mi) to the southeast of India's capital New Delhi and 320 kilometres (200 mi) to the southeast of the state capital, Lucknow. It lies 121 kilometres (75 mi) downstream of Prayagraj, where the confluence with the Yamuna river is another major Hindu pilgrimage site.
Kamala Bose (Bengali) (1947–2012) was a prominent Indian classical vocalist.
Tulsi Manas Mandir is one of the most famous temples in the holy city of Varanasi. This temple has great historical and cultural importance in Hinduism since the ancient Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas was originally written at this place by Hindu poet-saint, reformer and philosopher Goswami Tulsidas in the 16th century.
Durga Mandir, also known as Durga Kund Mandir and Durga Temple, is one of the most famous temples in the holy city of Varanasi. This temple has great religious importance in Hinduism and is dedicated to Durga. Durga Mandir was constructed in 18th century by Rani Bhabani of Natore.
Sankat Mochan Mahabali Hanumaan is an Indian-Television drama series that aired weekly on Sony Entertainment Television (India) It tells the story of Hanuman from the viewpoint of Krishna and Rukmini. The series ran from May 2015 to August 2017.
Varanasi, also known as Kashi, is considered as the religious capital of Hinduism. In the Hindu faith, it is the holiest of all of its cities; the four dhams in the four cardinal directions of the country – Badrinath in the north, Puri in the east, Dwarka in the west and Rameshwaram in the south – are all represented in the city in "archetypal forms" as the presiding deities at Badrinath Ghat, Assi's Jagannath Temple area, Shankudhara Pokhra, and Mir Ghat respectively. Other Hindu holy places, such as the Kedarnath at Kedar Ghat, Mathura at Bakaruia Kund or Nakhi Ghat, Prayagraj (Allahadbad) at Dashahvamedha Ghat, Kamakhya (Assam) at Kamachha, Kurukshetra at Kurkukshetra Kund near Asi, and Lake Manasarovar at Mansarovar near Shyameshvara are a part of the city's religious and cultural heritage.
Meeta Pandit is a Hindustani Classical vocalist and a leading exponent of the Gwalior Gharana. She is the granddaughter and disciple of Krishnarao Shankar Pandit and daughter of Laxman Krishnarao Pandit. She is the sixth in the unbroken lineage and the first woman in the family to have taken up music as a profession.
Kankana Banerjee is an Indian Classical singer who trained under the tutelage of Indian classical vocalist Ustad Amir Khan in Lucknow. She has received several accolades and awards for her contribution to Hindustani classical music, including the State Government of Andhra Pradesh felicitation "Andhra Ratna Award " presented by Mother Teresa in 1987.
Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh is an annual music festival held at the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple in Varanasi, India. It features performances in Indian classical music and dance. The festival is noted for allowing free entry to audiences, and for performers not charging any fees. It is scheduled every year to coincide with the Hindu religious festival of Hanuman Jayanti that celebrates the birth of Hanuman, the presiding deity at the temple.
Lokesh Anand is an Indian shehnai player. Lokesh has been learning under Sangeet Martand Pandit Jasraj, Hence belongs to Mewati Gharana. He is empanelled with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. The key characteristics of Anand's Shehnai playing are neat fingering techniques, command over tempo along with richness and clarity in sound. Lokesh performs solo and in duet and also does fusion.
