Salasar Balaji, Rajasthan - Where a Ram Kirtan Has Been Going on For 20 Years

After a 300 kilometre road trip from Delhi, I reached Salasar town in Rajasthan a little after 7 AM on a Sunday. After checking in to the modest Hotel Anjaney, I freshened up and left for Salasar Balaji temple. Curious as it was my first visit to the place, I left earlier than my group, alone. After walking for about 300 metres, I was standing at the entrance to the temple. I looked around. There was an animated cavalcade of shops selling sweets, snacks, toys, religious souvenirs, coconuts and red flags. The music stores were playing devotional music adapted from Bollywood themes at a high volume. A devotional version of ‘Why this Kolaveri Di’ with lyrics on Lord Hanuman was resonating in the background.

As my group followed, we entered the temple. Someone mentioned how surprising it was that the temple wasn’t crowded despite it being a weekend. The prasad counter was at a corner of the temple courtyard where each of us purchased a box of famous boondi laddoos.

Story of Salasar Balaji

As we were standing in the queue to the sanctorum, I overheard a father explaining the relevance and history of this temple to his 12-year-old. Here’s what he had to say...

“On a Saturday sometime in 1811, a farmer in a Rajasthan village called Asota hit a solid stone while ploughing his fields. On hearing the strange sound it produced, he dug up the place to find the sand covered Idol which we are about to see. The farmer and his wife cleaned and worshipped the idol. Soon, the Thakur of this village had a vision wherein Lord Balaji (Hanuman) told him to move the idol to Churu in Salasar, at this site. In what seems a validation of divinity, Lord Balaji appeared in a dream of Mohandasji Maharaj of Salasar. A message from Mohandasji to Thakur ultimately led to establishment of the idol in what is today called Salasar Dham.”

As I saw the idol, I was transfixed by the piercing eyes of Lord Hanuman. The brows, moustache and beard were peripheral features of that captivating façade. Attribute it to divine manifestation or unimaginable craftsmanship, that pair of eyes was more alive than a living man’s. The Salasar Balaji idol is merely a head without a body. The shrine was in a small room through an entrance of solid gold. All walls and pillars inside the temple are covered in silver with pictures of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman engraved on them. No doubt a reflection of exorbitant donations by rich devotees!

Also in the temple complex was a tree. Coconuts were tied with sacred red threads to its trunk and if you’d believe, countless locks of hair in its roots. I later learned that in a ceremony named jadula (or mundan), a child’s hair is shaved for the first time at this spot.

Another historically important point in the temple complex is the eternal fire lit by Mohandasji before entering samadhi (burying oneself alive). This fire is considered sacred and consuming a pinch of its ash is believed to cure all diseases. Another incredible feature of the temple is a nonstop Ram Kirtan (praising chanting of Lord Rama) going on relentlessly for the past 20 years.

The end of this experience left me admiring two aspects of Salasar Balaji, the indefatigable dedication of devotees and the piercing eyes of Lord Hanuman.

About Salasar

Salasar Balaji is located in the Churu district of Rajasthan, around 170 kms from Jaipur and 300 kms from Delhi. It is well connected to these and other nearby cities by road and regular buses. It is one of the most popular Indian temples dedicated to Lord Hanuman. There’s another Balaji temple in Rajasthan called Mehandipur Balaji which is famous for, hold your breath, involuntary exorcisms. I hope to visit and write about it soon.