Question


Was Lord Hanuman born in Sumeru? Where is that place? Is it renamed recently?

Answer


Was Lord Hanuman born in Sumeru? Is it the birth place of Hanuman?

Yes, as per UTTARA KANDA of Valmiki Ramayan:

[The ascetic Agastya said to Lord Shri Rama:] I am not capable of describing to thee the wondrous childish feat which Hanuman did perform in his boyhood. But if thou art, O Raghava, greatly anxious to hear it, I shall relate do thou hear with a quiescent mind.

Hanuman's father Kesari reigned in the mountain Sumeru which resembles gold by the inluence of the sun. Kesari had a well known wife by the name of Anjana to whom he was greatly attached. The deity Wind begot on Anjana an excellent son. Repairing to a dense forest for collecting fruits, the excellent damsel gave birth to Hanuman.

Earlier, Riksharaja too used to live on mountain Meru and gave birth to Vali and Sigriva. Later,

Beholding his son Riksharaja with his sons(Vali and Sigriva), Brahma, the grand father of the Devas, consoled him in diverse ways. Then he ordered the celestial messenger saying "At my behest, O emissary, do thou proceed to the highly picturesque city of Kishkindha. That golden, big and charming city is worthy of Riksharaja. Do thou place there Riksharaja, the foremost of Vanaras, with his sons; and having invited the leading Vanaras and others and received them courteously do thou install him on the throne. On beholding this Vanara chief, gifted with intelligence they shall be all subject to him."

Brahma, having said this, the celestial emissary, with Riksharaja before him, proceeded to the highly picturesque city of Kishkindha. And having entered there with the velocity of the wind, he, at the com mand of the Patriarch, crowned the leading Vanara Riksharaja as king. All the Vanara, residing on earth consisting of seven insular continentsand bounded by ocean, came under his subjection.

So, Hanuman, Sugriv and Vali were born on mountain Sumeru but later migrated to Kishkindha.


Where is Sumeru?

As per Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa) 5.26,

The planetary system known as Bhū-maṇḍala resembles a lotus flower, and its seven islands resemble the whorl of that flower. The length and breadth of the island known as Jambūdvīpa, which is situated in the middle of the whorl. In Jambūdvīpa there are nine divisions of land. Amidst these divisions, or varṣas, is the varṣa named Ilāvṛta, which is situated in the middle of the whorl of the lotus. Within Ilāvṛta-varṣa is Sumeru Mountain.

More details can be found in this article and in this answer.


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