Ganadhal

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Ganadhal is a village in the Raichur district of Karnataka, India. It is near Gillesugur in Raichur taluk and is famous for the Sri Panchamukhi Hanuman Temple, where the saint Raghavendra Swami is said to have done 12 years of penance. The village can be reached from Raichur and from Mantralayam.

Legends at the temple come from the Ramayana. Ravana, the demon king, sent his ally Mahiravana who was skilled in illusion. He tricked Hanuman by taking the form of Vibhishana and entered a fortress made from Hanuman’s tail, where Rama, Lakshmana, and the Vanaras were protected. Mahiravana made Rama and Lakshmana unconscious and tried to capture them. Hanuman learned that Mahiravana’s soul lay as five bees under a rock near the city gate. To defeat him, Hanuman transformed into Panchamukhi Hanuman, with five faces (east, west, north, south, and upwards). He swallowed the five bees at once, Mahiravana died, and Rama and Lakshmana were freed. Rama blessed Chandrasena, and Hanuman’s victory helped restore order in the story.

In the 17th century, Sri Raghavendra Swami had a vision of Panchamukhi Hanuman, Lakshmi-Venkateshwara, and Kurma at Ganadhal. The area was once a dense forest. A devout Madhva Brahmin named Anantachar received a dream in which Hanuman told him to worship a self-manifested idol hidden in the forest. Guided by a mysterious brahmin, Anantachar found the murti and began regular worship. His descendants continue as the head priests of the Panchamukhi Hanuman temple.

As of the 2001 census, Ganadhal had a population of 4,266 people (2,149 males and 2,117 females) in 758 households.