The Mysterious Mehandipur Balaji Temple

Mehandipur Balaji Temple is a Hindu Temple located in the Dausa District in the State of Rajasthan. The Temple is located on the Jaipur-Agra Highway at a distance of 103 kilometers from Jaipur. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Hanuman, who is also known as Balaji. 

Mehandipur Balaji is an Extraordinary Pilgrimage Site as it is believed that the Shrine is bestowed with Miraculous Powers that can Heal A Person possessed by Evil Spirits.

Mehandipur Balaji is One of The Most Visited Temples in Rajasthan which sees thousands of Devotees all around the year especially on Tuesdays and Saturdays which are said to be the days of Lord Balaji. The Devotees also visit the Temple to get exorcised from Ghosts or Evil Spirits. They have immense faith in the Supernatural Powers of the Deity of the Temple and this belief has been proved correct in most cases.

The Legend of Mehandipur Balaji Temple

The Temple though named after Lord Hanuman also enshrines 2 other Deities - Shri Pretraj Sarkar and Shri Bhairav Dev. All these Deities are believed to be associated with Spirits and Ghosts. 

According to legend, the Temple has a Divine Power that can cure Physical Pain and can cure the people under the influence of Black Spells or Spirits. It is believed that the idol that is worshipped here has manifested on its own. 

A visit to this Temple will make you believe in Black Magic, Spirits and Ghosts. The Devotees visiting the Temple have to follow Strict Rules and Rituals to seek blessings. Thousands of people under the influence of some Evil Black Magic or Spirit gather at the Temple to offer regular Prayers and seek relief from their condition. 

Mehandipur Balaji Temple is filled with Rituals that are quite different and strange from all the other Temples. Unlike any other Temple, the place does not echo with the sound of bells but the screams of possessed people. This is also one of those Temples which does not offer Prasad. The Devotees have to buy some Black Balls from outside the Temple which are then thrown in the fire in front of the Deities.

The Locals here also advise Tourists not to consume anything or take any food item or water from here. Talking or touching anybody is prohibited inside the Temple as the person might be possessed and you might get affected. 

Also, it is believed that once you leave the Temple, you should never look back because an Evil Spirit might capture you. It is said that you should leave the Village just after visiting the Temple. This place is not for the Weak-Hearted as the sights and sounds here might haunt you for a long time.

The Rituals of the Mehandipur Balaji Temple

There are certain Rituals to be performed at this Temple that must be carried out by each visitor in the proper sequence. These Rituals are divided into 3 parts-

Darkhwast : This is the very 1st step where you have to buy Darkhwast Laddoos available in the Shops outside the Temple. You will get 2 Plates with 4-5 Laddoos in each Plate, the 1st Plate is to inform God about your presence in the Temple and the 2nd Plate to request guidance and support in solving your problems.

The process of Darkhwast starts right after the Morning Prayer and lasts until the Evening Prayer. The Devotees have to offer the Plates to the Priests standing in front of the Idols, these Priests pick up the Laddoos and add them to the fire in front of the Idol. The same Ritual is to be repeated in front of the Idols of Pretraj Sarkar and Kotwal Bhairav Ji. After all the offerings, the leftover Laddoos in the Plates are rotated Anticlockwise over the Person’s Head 7 times and thrown away without looking back.

Arzi : Arzi is an offering for Pretraj Sarkar and Kotwal Bhairav Ji. This offering consists of 1.25 kilograms of Laddoos, 2.25 kilograms of Urad Dal and 4.25 kilograms of Boiled Rice. The Arzi is available in all the Shops located just outside the Temple and is to be offered to both the Deities in separate containers.

Savamani : After doing the Rituals and seeking Blessings, if you ask for any wish from Balaji, you must promise that once the wish is completed, you will offer Savamani to the God. Savamani is a special offering that is specifically done on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The History of the Temple

 This Temple with a strange aura and rituals has a fascinating history associated with it.

According to popular belief, the images of Lord Hanuman or Balaji and Pret Raj were self-manifesting and appeared amidst the Aravali Hills. The area around the Temple was once a Dense Forest with numerous Wild Animals. These images appeared at exactly the same place where the Temple is currently situated.

As per another folk tale, it is believed that a renowned Mahant saw Lord Shri Balaji, Shri Pretraj Sarkar, who is the King of Evil Spirits and Shri Bhairav Dev in his dreams. When he opened his eyes, he saw Lord Hanuman in front of him who ordered the Mahant to be ready to serve his duty. After this incident, they started worshipping Lord Hanuman here and this eventually led to the construction of the Temple.

The Architecture of the Temple

The architecture of the Mehandipur Balaji Temple is inspired by the Traditional Rajput Architectural Style. There are 4 Chambers or Sections in the Temple, out of which 2 Chambers have Idols of Lord Hanuman and Lord Bhairav. The 3rd and 4th chambers are the Courts of Pret Raj, King of the Spirits. These are where possessed people are treated by the Priests. These people are chained and beaten as a part of the treatment. This Section will leave you with an uncanny experience. You will see the people possessed by Evil Spirits banging their heads, harming themselves, and shouting and crying to the top of their voices. You are going to feel a strong presence of negative energy as soon as you reach the Temple.

Tanah Lot Temple Bali Influenced By Hinduism

Tanah Lot means "Land [in the] Sea" in the Balinese Language. 

Located in Tabanan, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) North West of Denpasar, The Temple sits on A Large Offshore Rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the Ocean Tide.

Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of the 16th-century Dang Hyang Nirartha. During his travels along the South Coast he saw the Rock-Island's beautiful setting and decided to rest there. 

Some fishermen saw him and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the Little Island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build A Shrine on the Rock, for he felt it to be A Holy Place to worship the Balinese Sea Gods. 

The Main Deity of the Temple is Varun Dev or Bhatara Segara, who is The Sea God or Sea Power and these days, Nirartha is also worshipped here.

The Tanah Lot Temple was built and has been a part of Balinese Mythology for centuries. The Temple is one of Seven Sea Temples around the Balinese Coast. 

Each of The Sea Temples was established within eyesight of the next to form a chain along the South-Western Coast. In addition to Balinese Mythology, The Temple was significantly influenced by Hinduism.

At the base of The Rocky Island, Venomous Sea Snakes are believed to guard The Temple from Evil Spirits and Intruders. The Temple is purportedly protected by a Giant Snake, which was created from Nirartha's Selendang (a type of sash) when he established The Island.

काशी में एक अनोखा बैंक जहां राम नाम का मिलता है कर्ज

काशी में एक अनोखा बैंक जहां राम नाम का मिलता है कर्ज 

पूरी होती है मनोकामना

अवढर दानी भगवान शंकर की नगरी काशी के बारे में मान्यता है कि यहां समूचा ब्राह्मांड बसता है। त्रैलोक्य से न्यारी काशी के कण-कण में भोलेनाथ विद्यमान हैं। यहीं बाबा विश्वनाथ के पूज्य मर्यादा पुरुषोत्तम श्री राम के बाल स्वरूप का विग्रह भी विद्यमान है। मां पार्वती स्वरूपा आदि शक्ति के नवदुर्गा और नवगौरियों के विग्रह भी विद्यमान हैं। यहां आदि देव बाबा विश्वनाथ हैं तो उनकी जटा से निकलीं मां गंगा भी हैं। वह भी उत्तर वाहिनी गंगा। काशी ही है जहां गंगा उत्तर वाहिनी हैं। अर्द्ध चंद्राकार काशी के घाट यहीं मिलते हैं। 

यहां श्रीकृष्ण जन्माष्टमी भी मनाई जाती है। उसके लिए गोपाल मंदिर भी है। फिर प्रभु श्री राम जो खुद शंकर के पूज्य हैं उनका जन्म और उनकी आराधना भला कैसे न हो। अरे यहां तो प्रभु श्री राम के नाम एक ऐसा मंदिर है जहां एक बैंक है भी है जहां खुलता है रामनाम का खाता। जमा होता है राम नाम का पुण्य। रामनवमी को यहां उमड़ते हैं लाखों राम भक्त। 

काशी में समूचा ब्रह्मांण बसा है यूं ही नहीं कहा गया है।। यहा शक्ति स्वरूपा मां दुर्गा के नौ विग्रह हैं जिनका शारदीय नवरात्र में दर्शन होता है तो नौ गौरियों का विग्रह भी है जिनका दर्शन वासंतिक नवरात्र में किया जाता है। नौ दिनों तक शक्ति की आराधना में लीन काशीवासी नवमी के दिन राम नवमी मनाते हैं। महा रामनवमी। ठीक उसी तरह जैसे शारदीय नवरात्र के बाद दशहरा मनाया जाता है। रामनवमी को राम जन्म का उत्सव भी पूरे हर्षोल्लास के साथ मनाया जाता है। इस दिन श्री काशी विश्वनविश्वनाथ गली में स्थित राम रमापति बैंक में लगती है राम भक्तों की कतार। इस मंदिर में जहां प्रभु राम के बाल स्वरूप प्रतिमा का दर्शन होता है वहीं बैंक में रामनाम की पर्ची जमा की जाती है।

93 साल पुराना है यह मंदिर

बताता जाता है कि तकरीबन 93 साल पहले 1926 में राम नाम का खाता खोलने की प्रक्रिया शुरू हुई थी। लेकिन यहां हर किसी के लिखे राम नाम को जमा नहीं किया जाता। इसके लिए बाकायदा खाता खुलता है। खाता खोलने के लिए ठीक बैंक खाते के समान ही बैंक का फार्म भरा जाता है। इस फार्म पर अपना नाम-पता दर्ज करारने के साथ मनोरथ भी लिखना होता है। यह सब रिकार्ड बैं की नियमावली की तरह गोपनीय होता है।

आसान नहीं खाता खुलवाना

यहां खाता खुलवाना आसान नहीं। इसके लिए बैं की अपनी नियमावली है। इसके तहत खाता धारक के आचार-विचार, मन, वचन और कर्म के साथ आहार-व्यवहार पर भी ध्यान दिया जाता है। इन सभी बंदिशों को पूरा करने का शपथ लेने वाला ही यहां खाता खोल सकता है। खाता खोलने के लिए बैंक से बाकायदा राम नाम लिखनने का कागज मिलता है। उस पर कागज पर राम नाम लिखना होता है। बैंक के कर्मचारी विकास महाराज बताते हैं कि राम नाम का कर्ज लेने वालों के लिए कुछ नियम हैं, जिसके तहत वह मदिरा, मांस, मछली, प्याज, लहसुन आदि का पूर्णतया परित्याग करना होता है।

ये है विश्वास, ये है प्रक्रिया

इस बैंक से जुड़े भक्तों का विश्वास है कि जिस राम नाम की पूंजी को वो यहां जमा करते हैं उससे उनका इह व पर लोक दोनों सुधर जाएाग। बैंक में जमा राम नाम की पूंजी का ब्याज संबंधित राम भक्त खाताधारक का परलोक बेहतर कर देगा। यह बैंक 24 घंटे खुला रहता है ताकि भक्त कभी भी आकर राम नाम का डिपाजिट कर सकें। 

श्री काशी विश्वनाथ गली स्थित इस राम रमापति बैंक में लगती है प्रभु राम के भक्तों की भीड़। मंदिर में जहां प्रभु राम के बाल रूप की प्रतिमा के दर्शन होते हैं वहीं रामनाम की पर्ची बैंक में जमा होती है। इस बैंक में भक्त अपनी आस्था का खजाना जमा करते हैं। आस्था के इस बैंक में जमा धन को न चोर चुरा सकता है न ही डकैत लूट सकता है। ऐसा माना जाता है कि इस बैंक से कर्ज लेकर पूरा भरने वाले भक्तों की मनोकामना जरूर पूर्ण होती है। भक्त यहां से सवा लाख राम नाम का कर्ज रामनवमी के मौके पर लेता है और आठ महीने दस दिन यानी 250 दिन राम नाम लिख कर इसी बैंक में जमा करना पड़ता है। इस क्रिया को लखौरी कहते हैं। 

इस तरह सवा लाख बार राम का नाम लिखना होता है जिसके लिए राम बैंक की मुहर लगे कागज, लकड़ी की कलम और लाल स्याही बैंक की तरफ से मुफ्त में दी जाती है। इस अनोखे बैं के बारे में बताया जाता है कि इस बैंक की शुरूआत में की गई थी। तब इस मबैंक में महज दो खाते दार थे। लेकिन आज यहां पूरे देश के एक लाख से ज्यादा लोग जुड़ चुके है। लोगों का विश्वास है कि यहां से जुड़ने के बाद उनके साथ सब कुछ अच्छा ही होता है। यहां अब तक 30 अरब के करीब श्रीराम नाम का कर्ज जमा हो चुका है।

Prasaad That You Can Get In Temples Across India

 Prasaad is offered in Hindu Temples as Holy and Divine Gifts from the Gods that are seen as Blessings and something that one must not refuse. These types of Prasaads are so interesting that refusing them would be silly.

1. Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha

Mahaprasaad are offerings of food to Jagannath and his siblings who are worshipped in the Temple. These offerings are made 6 times a day and are simple because the food is cooked in earthen pots over a fire. The food is 1st offered to the Deities and is then served to Worshippers who come to the Temple seeking Blessings. The Mahaprasaad is served on a Banana Leaf and can contain up to 56 food item

2. Sri Venkateshwara Temple, Tirupati

The Tirupati Laddoo is renowned as it is not available anywhere else is India as it has a Geographical Copyright and a distinct flavour. The Laddoos are available in 2 sizes. It takes up to one tonne of besan flour, 10 tonnes of sugar, 700 kg of cashew nuts, 150 kg of cardamom, 300 to 500 litres of ghee, 500 kg of sugar candy and 540 kg of raisins on a daily basis to prepare this gift from the Gods. The recipe to making it is more than 300 years old.

3. Mahadeva Temple, Thrissur, Kerala

This Shiv Temple on the campus of the National Heritage Centre in the village of Mazhuvanchery distributes educational textbooks, CDs, writing material and brochures as Prasaadam. The Temple Trust believes education and literacy is the best blessing from God. 

4. Mata Vaishno Devi, Katra, Jammu & Kashmir

Vaishno Devi receives several devotees every year and their Prasaad might be one of the reasons why. The Prasaad is enclosed in a plastic packet and contains a mixture of Moori (puffed rice), Shredded Coconut, Sugar Balls and pieces of Dried Apple. The Prasaad can always be delivered via Speed Post.

5. Azhagar Kovil, Tamil Nadu 

This Temple is situated 21 km from Madurai. Many farmers in the area bring grains such rice and pulses to the Temple as offerings which are then made into Crispy Dosas as Prasaadam.

6. Khabees Baba Temple, Uttar Pradesh

Khabees Baba was a local saint in the Sitapur District who died while worshipping Shiv. He was known to have healing powers and a fondness for Fine Liquor. There are no Priests in this Temple nor is there any Deity. Two slipper shaped structures in the Temple symbolise the feet of the Baba over which Devotees pour the Liquor. Some of the drip off is collected and offered to Devotees as Prasaad. 

7. Sree Krishna Temple, Amblapuzha, Kerala

The Prasaad at this Temple is a simple Rice Pudding (Kheer) or Palpayasam. The flavour of the Payasam is very unique and the recipe has been a secret guarded within the Temple for generations.

8. Dhandayuthapani Swami Temple, Tamil Nadu

The Temple dedicated to Murugan is located in the Palani Hills of the Southern State. The Prasaad there is considered to be the oldest form of Jam as it is made of 5 Fruits, sugar candy and jaggery. It was previously made by hand but now it is all machine made. 

9. Ganpatipule Temple, Maharashtra

This Temple dedicated to Ganesh offers Prasaad that's fit for a King. Khichdi, Pickle and Boondi which are simple and filling. The Evening Bhog is even better as it consists of Masaala Rice and Pickle. 

10. Shrinathji Temple, Rajasthan

This Temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, is devoted to the Deity Shrinaath where Prasaad is Mathdi, a type of deep fried pastry, which is then dipped into a well of sugar syrup. 'Thor', a savoury variety is available for those who don't have a sweet tooth.

11. Sammed Shikharji Temple, Jharkhand

One of The Most Holy Places for Jain Pilgrims, Devotees have to make a 21 km climb to a Mountain Peak where 24 Tirthankaras obtained Moksh through Meditation. The Doliwallahs (palaquin carriers) Committee offers a refreshing drink of Jaggery, Water, Honey and Spices that is brewed together called Kadha to help Tired Pilgrims regain their energy.