The story of this is closely connected with Tulsidas. Tulsidas used to pray to a small Hanuman idol under the twisted roots of a peepul tree after his ablutions in the Ganga. This tree was the abode of a tormented spirit who was grateful for the water that Tulsidas used to pour over it daily. In return, he offered Tulsidas a boon. The saint asked for some darshan of Rama but, of course, the poor ghost could not arrange this. However, he told him that the only one who could help him was Hanuman himself. He told him that Maruti used to come daily to the ghat in the form of an old leper to listen to the narration of the Ramayana. He sat at the back and was always the last to leave. Tulsidas followed the leper, who led him deep into the forest. He fell at his feet and hailed him as “Vayu Putra!” The leper denied vehemently that he was nothing but an old, sick man, but Tulsidas persisted and eventually Hanuman revealed his own glorious form. Raising one hand over his shoulder he pointed southwest and said, “Go to Chitrakut,” and placing the other hand over his heart he added, “I promise that you will see Rama.” This is supposed to have taken place at the very spot where the Sankata Mochana temple now stands, and the posture of the idol there has the same gestures that are mentioned above. It is said that Tulsidas entreated Hanuman to stay in that spot for the benefit of his devotees. Maruti agreed but dived into the ground and disappeared. Tulsidas dug frantically into the sand throughout the night and finally, as dawn was breaking, he unearthed a swayambhu murti (self-formed idol) with the same posture in which Hanuman had addressed him. He established this murti and thus created the first temple to Hanuman. This miracle is supposed to have occurred on the eighth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Margashirsha (November/December) in 1550. The Bara Hanuman or the Great Hanuman is seen in the Hanuman ghat of the city.