Bhadra Maruti Temple, Khuldabad

Bhadra Maruti Temple, Khultabad is a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Hanuman, located at Khuldabad, near Aurangabad, Maharashtra. The temple is located four kilometers from the Ellora caves.At this temple, the idol of Hanuman is portrayed in a reclining or sleeping posture. It is one of only three places where Hanuman is represented in a sleeping posture. The second noted place is a temple on the banks of Yamuna at Allahabad and Uttar Pradesh and the third is at Jam Sawali, Madhya Pradesh.The Bhadra Maruti Temple is considered one of the tourist attractions near Aurangabad and people gather in lakhs during auspicious occasions like Hanuman Jayanti and Ram Navami. People from Aurangabad and nearby places walk to the temple to offer puja on Saturdays in the Marathi calendar month of "Shravan"According to folklore, in ancient times the Khuldabad was known as Bhadravati and the ruler was a noble king named Bhadrasena, who was an ardent devotee of Rama and used to sing songs in His praise. One day Hanumanji descended in the place, listening to the devotional songs sung in praise of Rama. He was mesmerized and without his knowledge took a reclining posture – called 'Bhava-samadhi' (Bhava samadhi is a yogic posture). King Bhadrasen, when he had finished his song, was astonished to find Hanuman in Samadhi before him. He requested Hanuman to reside there forever and bless his and Lord Rama's devotees.