A village in Maharashtra has separated itself from any links with the monkey deity, during Hanuman Jayanti celebrations throughout the country. Villagers do not worship Hanuman, do not name their children after him, and do not purchase Maruti automobiles. They think that anyone who buys a Maruti automobile would suffer misfortune.
This is a story from Daityanandur hamlet in Maharashtra, around 70 kilometres from Ahmednagar, where the locals worship Nimba Daitya, a rakshasa, rather than Hanuman.
According to myth, after Goddess Sita fled Ayodhya, Hanuman, Lord Rama’s most devoted disciple, went searching for her in the Dandakaranya jungle. He ran into Nimba Daitya and the two fought in the forest. After they both collapsed, they took Lord Rama’s name and he appeared. Rama had given the rakshasa a blessing after being impressed by Nimba Daitya’s devotion, from that day forward, only Nimba Daitya will be revered in Dandakaranya.
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Daityanandur’s elders claim that the village is situated where the fabled and huge Dandakaranya forest once stood. As a result, Hanuman receives a frosty welcome from the locals, who prefer to pray to Nimba Daitya.
There are no Hanuman temples in Daityanandur, according to Ankush Wagh, a young man who was born and nurtured in the area. The Hanuman chalisa is not recited in the village, and there are no statues or representations of the monkey god. ‘We worship Nimba Daitya on the day of Gudi Padwa’, he added.
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