Mehandipur Balaji Temple - 15 Minutes drive from Umaid Palace

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. 

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.

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 three parts-

Durkhasta: This is the very first step where you have to buy Durkhasta laddoos available in the shops outside the temple. You will get two plates with 4-5 ladoos in each plate, the first plate is to inform God about your presence in the temple and second to request guidance and support in solving your problems.

The process of Durkhasta 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 ladoos 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 ladoos 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.

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 Raja 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 Mehandipur Balaji temple is inspired by the traditional Rajput architectural style. There are four chambers or sections in the temple, out of which two chambers have idols of Lord Hanuman and Lord Bhairav. The third and fourth 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.

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