Hanuman and Maharashtra

[S Krishna]

  I find that the first name hanuman ( or it's equivalent Maruti) being
very prevalent in Maharashtra and Karnataka...I believe it's prevalence
in Karnataka can be explained by the influence of the Madhva tradition
here( which declares Madhva and Hanuman to be co-incarnations) a theme
which in turn(AFAIK) was harped on in the dasakUTa but can anybody give
me the reason for it's being so popular in Maharashtra? I remember
reading that Ramdas, the guru of Shivaji
( i.e. the Chattrapati) was a worshipper of Hanuman but did Shivaji have
anything to do with his being a popular diety in Maharashtra?
( or for that matter, is Hanuman a popular deity in Maharashtra?)
 Is there any special cult/group in Maharashtra that has hanuman as one
of the chief dieties? Any hints, references, pointers would be
gratefully appreciated...

REgards,
Krishna

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