Mehandipur Balaji is a famous Hanumanji temple in Dausa district of Rajasthan. It is about 200 kilometers from Delhi. Mehandipur Balaji Temple is located in Sikarai village, about three kilometers off the highway, and from the outside, the view looks like other famous religious places in the country. Shops of flowers and puja materials, children’s toys, clothes and decorations, Kachori-Samosa stalls, tea stalls, devotional songs resounding, people passing by with money on their foreheads chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘Jai Hanuman Children’ . The only difference is that on the way, screams suffering from “ghost barriers” were discovered.
Yes, it is actually here that Balaji Maharaj is applied for the removal of ghosts. Here, the ghost appears and Balaji Maharaj himself delivers the verdict. People around the temple say that the ghosts inside them start to move before they reach the temple. The ghost on the human head will also try to avoid the temple muscles. Baba caught the ghost and started walking towards the temple himself. If a man is possessed by a stubborn spirit, many people will catch him and bring him back. A person possessed by a stubborn demon gains so much power that it becomes difficult to deal with. He tried to break free and run away. But once Baba crosses the threshold, the most stubborn ghosts begin to calm down.
When we reached Balaji Temple, we saw a man standing at the door filling water from bottles brought by people. It is understood that people come from all over to get the water. It is said that placing it at home can ward off evil spirits. Here, near the door, a woman with disheveled hair was shaking her head violently. Sometimes she lay on the ground screaming, sometimes she looked at the temple walls and sobbed.
People sitting next to the woman were applauding and paying tribute to Balaji Maharaj and Preetaraji Sarkar. When I inquired, I got the answer – “The ghost has come, sir.” Come to the feet of Balaji and ask for forgiveness. Such is the condition of the ghosts here. Many such people come here every day.
He is right. This is the situation of dozens of people on the road in front of the temple. This is how the head shakes. All cried. All shouting. is moaning. There are more women among them. There were only a few men.
Three main places in Mehndipur Balaji
Mehndipur Balaji Dham is dedicated to three different deities. One of them comes from Balaji Maharaj himself. Who is sitting here in an awakened state. Next was Pretraj and third was Bhairo Baba. The temple of Balaji Maharaj is built at the foot of the mountain. And Pretraj and Bhairo Baba lived in the hills. The mountainous area here is also known as “Teenage Pahad”.
We first reached the main courtyard of Balaji Maharaj. There was a long line here to get into the courtroom. The scenery inside is completely different from the outside. A little bit of darkness and calm. There is a statue of Balaji Maharaj in front. It is painted with saffron color. Silver plates were also installed here and there. People move forward with reverence to receive Baba’s blessings. There are signs prohibiting photography and video recording in many places within the temple. Even after seeing this, people ignored it.
This is the first part of the temple. The second section is closed due to construction work. For several months no one was allowed to go there. It is believed that the second part of the temple was once the main center of haunted people. By torturing people’s minds, the ghosts are driven out of there. Redemption is complete.
Mysterious Mountains of Balaji, Mehdipur
Not far from the temple, there is a mountain divided into three parts. There is a staircase-like path leading up the mountain. While climbing, a dense forest and a 151-foot tall statue of Hanumanji are visible on the left. While some shops and small temples are built on the right side. Darbar is also held in these temples. Among them Tantra experts help people get rid of evils like ghosts and vampires. We saw a lot of these courses while hiking up the mountain. Families who suffered from obstacles such as ghosts and gods came to seek redress. Most people avoid talking openly about the topic.
Pretaraj Sarkar and Bhairo Baba reside in the last temple on the third hill. Along the way, a large group of monkeys snatched water bottles, bananas and prasad bags from people’s hands.
As soon as we entered the temple, our eyes fell on two women who were shaking their heads vigorously. Next to him, a group of people were singing bhajan kirtan. Met the Mahan of the temple at the entrance. Mohanlal, the temple’s chief chief, said his family has been guarding the place for generations. The oldest temple of Teen Pahad is the Panchmukhi temple. There is a fleet of 52 Bhairons here. Prayers for those suffering from ghostly hauntings can be offered here. After worshiping Ardas, a puja is performed and the process of exorcism begins.
There is a Panchmukhi Hanuman temple on the three hills. The 12 Shivlingas of Bholenath are also enshrined in it. Apart from this, there are statues of Mother Mansa Devi, Pitambari Mata and Anjani Mata. Statues of Lord Vishnu and Mother Lakshmi are also here. There is also a statue of Baba Shri Gorakshak Nath in the temple. Next to it are 56 Kalves, 64 Yoginis and 52 Bhairavs in the form of rocks. Mahant told him that he was self-made. These are not installed yet. No one knows when or how she appeared. But today people are saved by his blessing.
Along with this, statues of Pretraj and Kotwal ji were also installed on the exterior of the temple. Pretraj believes that if someone faces the problem of demon possession, then Pretraj will save him from this trouble.
Cigarettes and alcohol can drive away ghosts
There is a small temple of Shri Mahakal Bhairo in another part of the temple. A servant here told us that the process of unbinding the ghost takes three days. It was during this process that liquor and cigarettes were offered to Shiro Baba. Mahant opened the bottle himself, handed it to Bajiro Baba, lit a cigarette and placed it next to him. It is believed that Baba was satisfied with these things.
There are many other things that can be used to break ties with ghosts, mainly including coconut, lemon, and white thread. All these things can be purchased as prasad from outside the temple. In order to break the connection with the ghost, Mahant first tied the person surrounded by high altitude with a thread. Then place a lemon on his head and cut it with a knife. After that, the line was also cut. After cutting the thread, the patient received Baba’s blessings. There are many similar rituals.
There we saw many women who were said to be possessed by demons. Seeing the look in his eyes, I felt panicked. One or two women wore their hair fully forward. She screamed loudly and shook her head from side to side.
“The shadow of evil spirits is locked up”
There is also a small temple of Kalimaa inside the temple. This is also the last temple among the three hills of Mehandipur Balaji. When you go to a corner of the temple, you will find a lot of locks hanging there. Mahant told people that people surrounded by ghosts would come here with locks. Placing a lock means that the evil spirits that befell the person have been expelled from his body and imprisoned in the lock.
Mahant also showed us an ancient neem tree in the temple, which no one has been able to cut down so far. Mahant said problems arise whenever someone tries to cut down the ancient tree. A whip is also placed near the same tree, said to be used to control stubborn ghosts. However, Mahant also said that the tradition of whipping or binding people with chains was outdated. That won’t happen now.
Apart from Bhairo Baba, the court was also held for “theft”!
Now, the exorcism work has started secretly in Mehandipur Balaji. Even secretly, there is such a court here, which is said to be able to exorcise ghosts. These Darbars are organized in different Dharamsala located in Mehandipur Balaji. Only those who were haunted by ghosts or whose family members suffered could go to these courts.
Some local shop owners also talked about this. He tells us that the real game of exorcism is seen in these courts. People showed up to the court and could hear the horrific screams of the victims throughout the day. Some torture was also carried out during the hearing. Earlier, such processes used to take place inside the main temple, but that was stopped many years ago.
Evening Aarti and Ghost Market
At around 6:30 in the evening, we started going down the mountain. Half an hour later we returned to the main temple of Balaji Maharaj at the foot of the mountain. At this time the scenery here has completely changed. A large streetlight at an intersection becomes a torch for an area shrouded in darkness. Light bulbs in stores everywhere also glow like fireflies. The road was crowded with people, as if a market was being held.
Some women were walking towards the main temple holding dharma disks. Synchronize the rhythm with the bhajans playing on the speakers. There was a lot of noise from children nearby. Balaji Maharaj’s Aarti came on stage. Some people stood in front of the temple to watch Balaji Maharaj’s aarti. Then something appeared on a large screen nearby.
When we arrived in front of the temple, our eyes fell on a scene. This scene encompasses all the emotions of fear, anxiety, awe, and wonder. Here, “ghosts” are playing on the heads of more than 20 people. Somewhere women shook their heads with their hair down. Someone somewhere hit his head on the ground. Their screams were terrifying.
Suddenly our eyes fell on a woman in the crowd. The woman who was screaming in pain was blocked by the shadow above. The two children and husband sitting next to her were praying loudly for her. are applauding. Cheers and cheers. Some people chanted slogans such as “Defeat Baba – Defeat Baba” and “Jeho Preetraj Government”.
Here we meet Anil Verma. Anil, his wife and children lay here for 15 days. From Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh). Anil told reporters that his wife had been seriously ill for two or three months.
What disease does he have?
Ghosts are chasing us. That’s why we’re here for prevention (treatment).
How did you discover that your wife was possessed by a demon?
‘No one told that. It goes without saying that the crisis is here. The ghost himself came to Balaji’s feet and told him who he was. Where does it come from? What does he want? Anil pointed at his wife and said: “We only came to know that a woman died in our neighborhood when she was brought here. Now she is haunting me like a ghost.
What does the doctor think about his wife’s condition?
“Doctors have nothing to do with this. This is the ghost’s hindrance. There is absolutely nothing wrong with his mental health. The testimony of the ghost at Balaji’s feet is proof of that. Now look how she is crying. She is screaming.
What symptoms occur when negative energy takes over the body?
“She herself let her hair down. She shook her neck. Lying on the ground. Screaming. She cried. The whole body collapsed. This happens every two hours. And then you get relief.
How much did it cost here?
“There is no fee required for rectification, appearing in court or filing a petition here. You just have to make arrangements for accommodation and food. I myself have paid Rs 1,000 per day as rent for 15 consecutive days. Food is separated.
Are there any rules for visiting Balajdam?
“Yes, there are some rules that need to be followed before coming here and after leaving. Things like rice, urad dal, red chilli, kalua oil must be avoided. This rule comes into effect 21 days in advance. By adopting Baba’s rules, People will get the benefits quickly.
As soon as the aarti was over, the crowd slowly dispersed on the road. People started returning to hotels and Dharamshala. Some people queue up to receive prasad from the temple. So some people headed towards the food stalls in the market. When I go to one such hotel, I see on the menu in large letters “Vegan, without garlic and onions”.
We asked, “Is everything in your restaurant free of garlic and onions?”
“Yes sir, not just in this hotel. All nearby hotels serve similar food. No garlic and onions.
Why?
“Devotees avoid garlic and onions. Some abstain from sex for 11 days, some for 21 days and some for 51 days. They have to leave before Balaji comes. Even after leaving here, people don’t eat them for many days. This is the rule.
Hotel stays can be scary
When you go to Mehndipur Balaji you will see ghostly people in the streets there and you will feel the fear. When you reach your hotel or Dharamshala after getting tired of walking around the streets of Mehandipur, the atmosphere there is not relaxing either. Most of Mehndipur Balaji is located in Dharamshala and has only a few hotels. Many of the people staying in these hotels and in Dharamshala are battling the ghost crisis. In this case, when you check into a hotel at night, sometimes strange screaming sounds come from the room. The sounds were so terrifying that a man hid himself under his sheets in fear. You’re lying in a hotel room, but the atmosphere there scares you.
