Hanuman worshipped on Kali Chaudas night for protection from evil and fear

On the night of Kali Chaudas (Kartika Krishna Chaturdashi), the eve of Diwali, Lord Hanuman is specially worshipped, above all in Gujarat, Rajasthan and North India. In the Ayodhya tradition this day is Hanuman Jayanti itself: according to texts followed there, Hanuman was born to Anjana on Kartika Krishna Chaturdashi in Swati nakshatra, and the great Hanumangarhi temple in Ayodhya celebrates his birth on this day. The night of Chaturdashi is considered the darkest and most charged with negative forces before the new moon, and Hanuman — the remover of fear, ghosts, and evil influences (bhoot-pret), and the conqueror of Shani's afflictions — is invoked to protect the household. Devotees offer sindoor mixed with jasmine oil, a garland of betel leaves, red flowers, and a lamp of mustard oil, and recite the Hanuman Chalisa, Bajrang Baan or Sundarkand. Tantric sadhakas perform mantra siddhi on this night. Worshipping Hanuman on the eve of Diwali is believed to clear the path for Lakshmi to enter a home free of obstacles and negativity.

Some keep a fast until the evening puja.