{{Short description|Long festival celebrated in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India}}{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2026}}
{{Infobox recurring event | name = Bada Mangal | image = Brijesh Pathak, Minister of Law & Justice and Additional Energy Resources in Uttar Pradesh, inaugurating the bada mangal festivities at UPNEDA office in Vibhuti Khand (May 2017).jpg | caption = Bada Mangal in 2017 | genre = Religious festival | date = Tuesdays during Jyeshtha | frequency = Annual | location = Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | country = India }}
'''Bada Mangal''', or '''Bada Mangalwar''', is a festival dedicated to Lord Hanuman celebrated in northern India, particularly Uttar Pradesh.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pyne |first=Soumi |date=7 May 2026 |title=Bada Mangal 2026: Spiritual significance, beliefs and why devotees observe it |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/astrology/festival/bada-mangal-2026-spiritual-significance-beliefs-and-why-devotees-observe-it-101778102855253.html |access-date=2026-05-07 |work=Hindustan Times}}</ref> It is observed every Tuesday in the Hindu month of Jyeshtha, which usually runs from May to June each year.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Hasnain |first=Nadeem |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Other_Lucknow/fjO6DQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1 |title=The Other Lucknow: An Ethnographic Portrait of a City of Undying Memories and Nostalgia |date=2016 |publisher=Vani Prakashan |isbn=9789352294206 |chapter=Local Fairs and Festivals |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2025-05-13 |title=Bada Mangalwar 2025: Know dates, rituals and religious importance |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/information/story/bada-mangalwar-2025-dates-rituals-lord-hanuman-worship-uttar-pradesh-2724115-2025-05-13 |access-date=2026-05-12 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref> With origins in Lucknow, Bada Mangal is seen as symbolic of the city's syncretic Hindu-Muslim culture, or Ganga-Jamuni ''tehzeeb''''.''<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=May 5, 2026 |title=Amid rare calendar twist, first of eight Bada Mangal today |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/amid-rare-calendar-twist-first-of-eight-bada-mangal-today/articleshow/130825720.cms |access-date=2026-05-12 |work=The Times of India}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite news |date=4 June 2024 |title=The story of the Nawabs of Lucknow and the celebration of Hanumanji's Bada Mangal |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/the-story-of-the-nawabs-of-lucknow-and-the-celebration-of-hanumanjis-bada-mangal/articleshow/110679348.cms |access-date=2026-05-14 |work=Times of India}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> According to local tradition, dates back centuries to the era of Nawabi rule of Awadh.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Choubey |first=Neha |date=13 May 2025 |title=When Lucknow Eats Together: Bada Mangal Turns the City into One Big Kitchen |url=https://www.nativeplanet.com/travel-guide/when-lucknow-eats-together-bada-mangal-turns-the-city-into-one-big-kitchen-016357.html |access-date=2026-05-12 |work=Native Planet}}</ref> In Lucknow, devotees gather at the city's Hanuman temples, while people of all religions participate in bhandaras or communal feasts.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":9" />
The festival is also sometimes called '''Budhwa Mangal''', referring to an elderly form of Hanuman Ji.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sharma |first=Mahima |date=5 May 2026 |title=Bada Mangal 2026 Date: 8 Budhwa Mangal in Jyeshtha month |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/religion/rituals-puja/bada-mangal-2026-date-8-budhwa-mangal-in-jyeshtha-month-know-significance-and-rituals/articleshow/130768996.cms |access-date=2026-05-17 |work=The Times of India}}</ref> Although Bada Mangal usually lasts for four or five weeks, in 2026 it is being observed over eight Tuesdays due to a rare occurrence in the Hindu lunar calendar.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 May 2026 |title=Bada Mangal 2026: Dates, Significance and How to Perform the Puja |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/astrology/others/bada-mangal-2026-dates-puja-vidhi-significance/articleshow/130789126.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2026-05-15 |work=The Economic Times}}</ref>
== Festivities == In Lucknow, Bada Mangal is the most prominent local festival of the year, celebrated by all Hanuman temples across the city.<ref name=":1" /> Among the most popular during Bada Mangal are Hindu temples in the Aliganj area of Lucknow – Purana Hanuman Mandir, which has an Islamic crescent moon (''chand tara'') at the top of the temple dome, and Naya Hanuman Mandir – which are regarded as central to the festival's origin story.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=31 May 2022 |title=Bada mangal festivities started with Begum's gift |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/bada-mangal-festivities-started-with-begums-gift/articleshow/91901275.cms |access-date=2026-05-14 |work=The Times of India}}</ref><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":22">{{Cite news |date=9 May 2023|title=Lucknow begins preparations for 'Bada Mangal' festival|url=https://www.newsgram.com/religion/2023/05/09/lucknow-begins-preparations-for-bada-mangal-festival|access-date=2026-05-11|work=News Gram}}</ref> Others include the Hanuman temples at Hanuman Setu, located opposite University of Lucknow, and Chhachhi Kuan.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |date=12 May 2026 |title=Throngs at Lko temples, long queues at Bhandaras during second Bada Mangal |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/lucknow-news/throngs-at-lko-temples-long-queues-at-bhandaras-during-second-bada-mangal-101778598179293.html |access-date=2026-05-12 |work=Hindustan Times}}</ref> Long queues of devotees can be seen around the clock every Tuesday during Jyeshtha, receiving ''darshan'' and offering ''prasad''.<ref name=":1" /> During Bada Mangal, a popular prayer is the 40-verse ''Hanuman Chalisa'' written by Tulsidas, who once stayed in old Lucknow on his way to Mathura in the 16th century.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 May 2025 |title=5 things to do in the Budhwa Mangal period for Lord Hanuman's blessings |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/soul-search/5-things-to-do-in-the-budhwa-mangal-period-for-lord-hanumans-blessings/photostory/121207949.cms |access-date=2026-05-15 |work=Times Entertainment}}</ref><ref name=":7" /> [[File:Free food being distributed on a Bada Mangal (May 2017).jpg|thumb|Bhandara during Bada Mangal]] Festivities in Lucknow have expanded over the last 30 to 40 years.<ref name=":1" /> Free meals or ''bhandaras'' are distributed to large crowds of devotees each week from an estimated 3,000 food stalls.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news |date=29 May 2024 |title=Lucknow celebrates first Bada Mangal in style |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/lucknow-news/lucknow-celebrates-first-bada-mangal-in-style-101716922084570.html |access-date=2026-05-13 |work=Hindustan Times}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Traditionally, ''sharbat'' and ''puri sabzi'' have been the main refreshments, with Muslim residents of the city joining Hindus in serving devotees.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=6 May 2026 |title=Shared service marks Bada Mangal as Muslim residents also organise bhandaras |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/shared-service-marks-bada-mangal-as-muslim-residents-also-organise-bhandaras/articleshow/130838769.cms |access-date=2026-05-13 |work=The Times of India}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> Today the other bhandaras on offer during Bada Mangal include ''boondi,'' ''halva'', ''meetha paani'', ice cream, ''kulfi'', noodles, ''laddoo'', and many other foods.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 May 2025 |title=Bada mangal bhandaara for the army in Lucknow |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/3203621756/929103BB09D4DF1PQ/3 |access-date=2026-05-14 |work=Free Press Journal |via=ProQuest}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=13 May 2025 |title='Bada Mangal' The soul of Lucknow: When no one sleeps hungry |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/3202930641/929103BB09D4DF1PQ/4 |access-date=2026-05-13 |work=Free Press Journal |via=ProQuest}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> People from other faiths including Sikhs and Christians also participate in organising the communal feasts.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |date=14 May 2017 |title=Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians to serve together at Bada Mangal Bhandara in Lucknow |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/muslims-hindus-sikhs-and-christians-to-serve-together-at-bada-mangal-bhandara-in-lucknow/articleshow/58673630.cms |access-date=2026-05-15 |work=The Times of India}}</ref>
== Origins == In Hinduism, Tuesday (''Mangalavara'') is the day of the week that is considered the most auspicious for devotees of Lord Hanuman.<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |date=13 December 2024 |title=Why Tuesdays Are Dedicated to Lord Hanuman |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/religion/hindu-mythology/why-tuesdays-are-dedicated-to-lord-hanuman/articleshow/116275638.cms |access-date=2026-05-14 |work=The Times of India}}</ref> The qualities of Hanuman – physical strength, courage, and selfless devotion – are closely associated with Mangala (Mars), which in astrology is associated with Tuesday.<ref name=":5" /> According to historians, there are many legends about the origins of Bada Mangal and its celebration.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Ghosh |first=Aakash |date=27 May 2024 |title=Bada Mangal: Forgotten lies Begum Alia, encroached and in ruins her Maqbara |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/lucknow-news/bada-mangal-forgotten-lies-begum-alia-encroached-and-in-ruins-her-maqbara-101716819583934.html |access-date=2026-05-15 |work=The Hindustan Times}}</ref> Some of these stories date back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when Lucknow emerged as the capital of Awadh, ruled by the Shia Muslim nawabs.<ref name=":7" />
=== Janab-e-Alia and Mirza Mangli === Janab-e-Alia, the Hindu wife of the third Nawab of Awadh, Shuja-ud-Daula, is often credited with founding a Hanuman temple in Aliganj and inspiring Bada Mangal.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":22" /> Historians say the temple was actually built by her son Saadat Ali Khan, who became the sixth Nawab of Awadh.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mohan |first=Surendra |title=Awadh Under the Nawabs: Politics, Culture and Comunal Relations 1722–1856 |date=1997 |publisher=Manohar |isbn=978-81-7304-203-4 |edition=2026 |location=New Delhi |pages=106}}</ref>
According to popular folklore, in the mid-18th century, Chattar Kunwar (later known as Janab-e-Alia) was blessed with a baby boy after praying at the old Hanuman temple in Aliganj.<ref name=":22" /> In gratitude, she named her son Mirza Mangli (nickname Manglu), derived from the word for Tuesday.<ref name=":7" /> In a dream, a divine entity told her to build a new Hanuman temple, thus starting the tradition of Bada Mangal.<ref name=":22" /> (Her son later took the name Saadat Ali Khan.)<ref name=":7" />
A variation of the story is that a divine entity led Janab-e-Alia to a site near Rahimnagar, where a statue of Hanuman was discovered buried in the earth.<ref name=":7" /> As the statue was being transported, the elephant carrying it suddenly stopped, sat down, and refused to move.<ref name=":7" /> Interpreting this as a sign, she decided that a new temple to Hanuman should be built in that exact location in Aliganj.<ref name=":7" />
=== Muhammad Ali Shah === The origins of Bada Mangal and its traditions are also associated with Muhammad Ali Shah, the ninth Nawab of Awadh and grandfather of Wajid Ali Shah.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news |last=Saxena |first=Tanisha |date=25 January 2026 |title=Our Republic of Rare Rituals: Street Secularism: Bada Mangal, Uttar Pradesh |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2026/Jan/25/our-republic-of-rare-rituals |access-date=2026-05-15 |work=The New Indian Express}}</ref> According to the story, one of Muhammad Ali Shah's sons was cured of an illness after the divine intervention of Lord Hanuman.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sircar |first=Suparna |last2=Kumar |first2=Santosh |date=4 December 2025 |title=From Nawabi Legends to Neighbourhood Commons: Bada Mangal’s Role in Crafting Inclusive Public Spaces |url=https://acsforum.org/from-nawabi-legends-to-neighbourhood-commons-bada-mangals-role-in-crafting-inclusive-public-spaces/ |journal=2026 Architecture, Culture, and Spirituality Symposium (ACSF 15)}}</ref><ref name=":8" /> Proponents of this story suggest that the festival thus emerged in 19th-century Awadh as a demonstration of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, the fusion of Hindu and Muslim beliefs, and an ethic of shared social responsibility.<ref name=":8" />
As of 2025, descendants of Muhammad Ali Shah continue to organise bhandaras during Bada Mangal to honor their ancestral tradition and support interfaith harmony.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 June 2025 |title=Veg pulao, ice cream flavour nawab progeny’s Mangal feast |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/veg-pulao-ice-cream-flavour-nawab-progenys-mangal-feast/articleshow/121606354.cms |access-date=2026-05-15 |work=Times of India}}</ref>
== See also == *Hanuman Jayanti, festival celebrating birth of Hanuman
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Hindu festivals Category:Culture of Lucknow Category:Hanuman