The breaker of afflictions
At the village of Salangpur in Botad district stands the Kashtabhanjan Dev Hanuman temple — among the most powerful and most visited Hanuman shrines in all of India. ‘Kashtabhanjan’ means ‘the breaker of afflictions’, and the deity is revered for relieving suffering, illness and trouble; the idol, depicted trampling a demoness underfoot, is famed for its potency.
The campus keeps growing with the devotion: recent decades have added carved mandirs in Rajasthani sandstone, museum and exhibition halls on the Swaminarayan tradition, extensive lodging blocks and the enormous new Hanuman figure that now marks the village on the skyline for miles. Whatever a visitor makes of the scale, the temple’s older habits hold — the queue moves, the kitchen feeds everyone who comes, and no one is asked what they can pay.
Established in the 19th century within the Swaminarayan (Vadtal) tradition, the temple has grown into a vast complex with grand carved mandirs, sprawling dharamshalas and a continuous free kitchen feeding thousands. Saturdays, Hanuman Jayanti and Kali Chaudas see immense crowds of devotees who come to seek the deity’s protection.
A colossal new Hanuman statue nearby has further raised the temple’s profile. Powerful, thronged and welcoming, Salangpur is one of Gujarat’s great living centres of devotion.
The shrine’s origin story is precise and much retold: Gopalanand Swami, a senior disciple of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, installed the image in the 1840s and — the tradition holds — touched it with his yogic staff, at which the murti stirred and the deity’s power entered it. Devotees come above all for relief: the temple is famous across Gujarat as the place where mental illness, possession and chronic misfortune are brought for healing, and the Saturday crowds carry an intensity that first-time visitors find striking.
Practically, Salangpur is built for volume: free dharamshala accommodation, a continuous prasad kitchen, orderly queue halls, and parking that fills by mid-morning on Saturdays and through Kali Chaudas and Hanuman Jayanti. The village lies about two hours from Ahmedabad and an hour from Bhavnagar; weekday mornings give a calm darshan, and the district’s Gadhada and Paliyad shrines complete a natural pilgrimage day.
The Kashtabhanjan Dev murti, Salangpur.
The Hanuman who breaks afflictions
The grand entrance at Salangpur.
The shrine is founded in the Swaminarayan/Vadtal tradition.
The potent idol earns fame as 'breaker of afflictions'.
A vast complex of mandirs and dharamshalas rises.
One of India's most visited Hanuman temples.
Reasons to make the time
Mighty Hanuman
The name promises relief from affliction, illness and trouble.
Powerful idol
The murti shows Hanuman trampling the demoness Shani underfoot.
Vast complex
Carved mandirs and dharamshalas spread across the campus.
Free kitchen
The free kitchen feeds thousands every single day.
Huge crowds
Saturdays belong to Hanuman — and to enormous queues.
Giant statue
A colossal new Hanuman statue now towers over the site.
What to look for inside
THE GATEGrand entrance
The carved gateway into the temple campus.
THE TEMPLELit at night
The complex lit through the evening hours.
How to spend an hour or two
Take darshan
Of Kashtabhanjan Dev.
Seek relief
For trouble and illness.
See the complex
Mandirs and halls.
Share the langar
The free kitchen.
See the statue
The giant Hanuman nearby.
Avoid the crush
Saturdays are busiest.
The illuminated Salangpur temple.
A vast carved complex
The Kashtabhanjan Dev temple is a vast pilgrimage complex: a grand carved sandstone mandir housing the potent Hanuman idol, ringed by sabhamandaps, sprawling dharamshalas and a continuous free kitchen, with a colossal new Hanuman statue raised nearby.
Built and expanded within the Swaminarayan (Vadtal) tradition, it is engineered to receive and feed enormous crowds — its scale and energy as much a part of the experience as the deity’s renowned power.
Carved sandstone mandir
Potent Kashtabhanjan idol
Vast dharamshalas & langar
Colossal Hanuman statue
When to go
Cool and pleasant — the best season for pilgrimage.
Green; festivals fill the temple calendar.
Hot — visit for early-morning darshan.
⏰ Avoid the Saturday crush if you can; come for an early aarti, and share in the free langar respectfully.
Timings & entry
- Open daily for darshan with aartis
- Saturdays are extremely busy
- Free langar for pilgrims
- Allow 1–2 hours
- No entry fee for darshan
- Free pilgrim kitchen (langar)
- Cloakrooms & dharamshalas on site
- Remove footwear; dress modestly
Getting there
By Air
Bhavnagar and Ahmedabad airports.
By Rail
Botad and Barwala railheads.
By Road
At Salangpur, ~25 km from Botad.
At the temple
POWER & FAITH
A mighty Hanuman shrine
What to shoot
The temple and gateway.
Detail
The giant Hanuman statue.
Be discreet
Respect worship; idol photos may be barred.
Best light
Temple lit at dusk.
Know before you go
More to see close by
VILLAGEKhopala
A traditional Saurashtra village
6Village Dayro
Catch a folk story-and-song night in the hamlets
RURALVillage Life
Ponds, banyans and the rhythm of the seasons
SHRINEAkshar Deri
A holy Swaminarayan memorial at Gadhada
BAPS Salangpur Mandir
A grand BAPS Swaminarayan mandir at Salangpur — a serene marble-and-stone complex of carved shrines, gardens…
PLAINSSaurashtra Fields
Wide farmland and timeless village country
Where to eat near Salangpur Kashtabhanjan
THALIKathiawadi Thali
Rotla, kadhi, shaak and ghee-rich fare.
GANTHIYAGanthiya & fafda
Saurashtra's fried snacks.
PRASADTemple bhojan
Free seva meals at the temples.
Veg & seva
Pure-veg fare; free annadan at the shrines.
Salangpur Kashtabhanjan FAQ
What is Kashtabhanjan Dev?
A famed Hanuman deity at Salangpur, the 'breaker of afflictions', revered for relieving trouble.
Why is Salangpur so popular?
It is one of India's most powerful and visited Hanuman shrines.
Which tradition runs it?
The Swaminarayan (Vadtal) tradition.
When is it busiest?
On Saturdays, Hanuman Jayanti and Kali Chaudas.
Is there free food?
Yes — a continuous free kitchen (langar) feeds thousands.
Is there an entry fee?
No, darshan is free.
What's the giant statue?
A colossal new Hanuman statue raised near the temple.
Where is it?
At Salangpur, about 25 km from Botad town.
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Published 26 June 2026 · Updated 24 August 2026