Hanuman Jayanti falls on the full moon of Chaitra. It is celebrated as the birthday of the great monkey chief Hanuman, who was a devotee of Rama. Hanuman was the eleventh incarnation of Shiva who took this form to help Rama in his war on Lanka. The loyalty and might of Hanuman are extolled in the Ramayana. He is so dear to Vaishnavas that wherever idols of Rama and Sita are installed, Hanuman images are invariably placed by their side. Hanuman is the symbol of physical strength, ungrudging service and unquestioning loyalty.