Similarities between Hanuman & Ganesh / Ganpati ?

I have always felt a similarity between the deities of Hanuman and Ganesh but I have been unable to explain why I feel so. And lately, I have been observing this a lot more.

Since childhood, Ganpati or Ganesh has been an integral part of my life, due to both my family and the city (Mumbai) I belong to, where this deity is worshipped a lot. Hanuman-ji is someone I was not well acquainted with, till the year 2010-11 when an astrologer advised me to recite the Hanuman Chalisa on Saturdays & visit the Shani temple, as per my Vedic horoscope reading. I didn’t follow that advice strictly. In Mumbai, I have seen people visiting the Hanuman temple on Saturdays too, so I have always considered Saturday to be the day of Hanuman-ji.

The Siddhivinayak Ganesha temple in Mumbai is popular among citizens here, and one that we visit very often, ever since I was a child. I think this is where I saw the moorti of Ganpati in the colour orange for the first time. Always having seen Hanuman-ji in that colour, I think I made the association at that time that these two deities are one, i.e. related or similar.

A few years ago, when I started going to North India on pilgrimages with my parents, I realised that up North, people consider Tuesday to be the day of Hanuman-ji..

In 2024, I restarted the Chalisa readings (due to three things : watching Rasraj ji’s podcast on BeerBiceps , a personal incident which triggered me to follow that advice and also the memory of having advised to do so back in 2010). Now, I follow both Tuesday and Saturday to be his days, which just means I acknowledge those days & try not to miss the readings on these days.

I think I have some clarity on the ‘day’: Saturday is actually the day of Shani (Saturn) and Hanuman-ji is offered prayers to, to seek protection from any malefic effects of Saturn or Shani. So maybe that’s why in Mumbai, Saturday is considered to be the day of Hanuman. Shani is also visited & worshipped on this day. However, any offerings to Shani are mostly made by men as women are advised not to touch the moorti of Shani.

This year, I also started reciting the Ganpati stotra followed by a couple of incidents & suggestions. See? Again a co-incidence (or not) that both these practices had to start together.

Have you also noticed how these two deities are together or around each other in most temples?

L: Hanuman and Ganpati Moortis together at Sitladevi Temple, Mahim, Mumbai
R: Ganpati & Hanuman Moortis together at a temple inside a residential society in Mumbai

This is also true in case of the popular Siddhivinayak temple.

I had to leave for a meeting shortly after, and I happened to visit a temple after the meeting. Knowing well that Tuesday is also Hanuman-ji’s day, I bought a red flower for him too, along with one for Ganpati. My mind was just registering the fact that both their days are together too! “But does Hanuman-ji also like red? It seems like he does.. though I always thought he was more of an orange person..”

And then, I recalled Krishna Das’s interview on BeerBicep’s podcast.. He narrates an incident of Maharaj-ji asking him to wear red because it’s Hanuman’s colour, and so he (Krishna Das) would always wear red in the Kainchi ashram. He also narrated another incident of Maharaj-ji wearing a red blanket only on the 15th of June (the day of the Bhandara at Kainchi Dhaam), also because red is Hanuman’s colour..

And there it goes.. One more similarity between the two deities! The colour red.

Side note: I was also really drawn to a red top on that day (while browsing online and coming across an ad for it), so much so that it came in my dreams 😀

And now, let me share how I personally feel about these deities.

I have always felt like Ganpati is more ‘real’ and ‘close’. What I mean is, whenever I invoke him through a stotra or some mantra, I feel more grounded in reality. And he feels closer in ‘distance’. Maybe due to the family connection and the city connection.

Hanuman-ji also gets me to reality, but it’s not a grounding effect. It’s a ‘still’ effect, but not a grounding effect. I think I prefer the grounding essence more.. It soothes me. But then Hanuman-ji responds the fastest (and I have experienced so too), I think on account of him being a chiranjeevi (immortal & alive on earth).. And astrologers recommend that I pray to him, and so I do..

By the way, I also realised that the jeevant samadhi (samadhi in an alive or living state) of H H Srimad Madhavendra Teertha Swamiji at our Walkeshwar Kashi Math has a hanuman moorti erected & consecrated on top of the samadhi !! We visit the Math since childhood.. So somewhere, one Hanuman connection was always there, I just didn’t pay attention I guess? Or maybe I considered Hanuman to be a mostly North-Indian deity due to observing most North-Indians worshipping him here in Mumbai, so I forgot about our own South Indian Hanuman 😀

L: The Hanuman moorti above the Jeevant Samadhi of Shri Madhavendra Teerth Swamiji at Kashi Math – Banganga, Walkeshwar, Mumbai
R: The same Hanuman moorti with chandan (sandalwood) applied all over the moorti. This ritual is called as Gandh Lepan and takes place every Saturday, and on special occasions and festivals.

On this note, the samadhis of all our Swamijis (Seers or Gurus of the GSB Kashi Math guru-parampara) have a Hanuman moorti erected on top. Possibly because our Swamijis are life-long celibates and so is Hanuman-ji.
(And you know what, so is Ganpati.. in most cultures atleast !!!)

Note: The samadhi of H H Srimad Madhavendra Teertha Swamiji is the only jeevant samadhi i.e. samadhi taken in an alive or living state. All our other gurus have taken samadhis after leaving the body.

Anyway, 2024 though has been a year of Hanuman for me in a major, major way.
Experienced him through many different ways, and also quirky ways (discovery of Hanumankind 😀)

You know another thing Hanuman does? He *moves* through you!
All Gods move through you as we are instruments of God but Hanumanji is literally equated with Prana or the life force in the body. He is the son of the Wind God (Pavan-putra or Vayu-putra).

I was once watching Robert Svoboda’s explanation about Hanuman-ji being Prana.
(Detailed talk here: Prana, Pranayama & Hanuman)
So when you invoke Hanuman, the Prana gets channelised is my sense of it. He helps you experience life, often even making certain things easier for you, by pushing forward.. Also getting you what you want if your intention is pure 🙂

More similarities between them? Both are known for their Siddhis. Both are known to be protectors (Ganpati is also known as Vighna-harta). I would say both are strong too.

Is it that both of them are associated with Mangal (Mars) and Mars being red, plus Tuesday being Mangal-vaar (the day of Mars), both these deities are worshipped on that day? Even in that case, it opens up a question as to why both of them are associated with Mangal (Mars).. any stories about this?

Whom are you more drawn to?
And how or why do you think they are similar? 🙂

I will close this post with a video from the Chai & Chat series of Krishna Das, where a lady who was always drawn to Ganesha experiences Hanuman, and gets curious about who he is. Krishna Das does also make a statement here that they are very similar. I enjoyed this conversation.
Notice how both of them are wearing red in the video too 🙂

Hope you enjoyed this post!!