Been to the Balaji Exorcism Temple?

watl1

Has anyone been to the Hindu exorcism temple in Balaji? I believe it's between Agra and Jaipur.

shashank.aggarwal

Are you talking about Mehndipur Balaji...I have been there numerous times..

what does exorcism mean ??

__________________
Travelogue - Around India
Random Reviews

capt_mahajan

Exorcism is kicking the devil (or demon) out of somebody.

You know, what some folks do in India with brooms and incense and other mumbo jumbo

shashank.aggarwal

Oh..Then OP is talking about Mehndipur Balaji itself..

I have been there several times since childhood...maybe 10 or more..

what exactly do you want to know ??

machadinha

Hm yes. As noted, exorcism is driving the devil out of someone or something.

I'd been about to change this thread's title, but googling for +balaji +exorcism will give you plenty results, so there seems to be some link there. The nature of which I haven't looked up on, sorry.

From a quick glance it seems to be a Tantric place, which might explain something (by way of either meaning or mistranslation).

* ps OK reading up a bit, it looks like a place where people come to be ridded of their demons. Makes sense, doesn't it.

It's near Bharatpur apparently, between Agra and Jaipur indeed, and as Shashank rightfully asked, what is your question exactly?

__________________
Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

Nick-H

Public Service Announcement

There are no bad spirits.

There is no evil eye.

Demons do not come and live in people.

There is no devil

There is no need for exorcism (and that includes Christian baptism).

End of Announcement

OK. The world can breathe a sigh of relief and forget about all that silly, baseless fear that some people use to control and exploit other people with now....

(Not that the OP said anything about wanting to be exorcised --- just thought I'd throw this in here)

__________________
.


Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

watl1

Sorry I didn't actually state why I was asking!

All I know of it as is the Hindu Balaji Temple 3km from the Agra-Jaipur road. I think there may be two Balaji temples from what I have found on Google - also one in Kerala or somewhere nearby.

We are going to be in the Agra area and wondered if it was worth a visit? I read somewhere that one needs a strong stomach to stand some of the sights/sounds and thought it might be an interesting, although somewhat morbid, day out! I don't think visitors are allowed in the temple during an exorcism but I believe it's televised outside!

shashank.aggarwal

Well, I don't think it would be advisable for you to go there...specially if you are a westerner..infact its very true that you need a strong stomach to digest what happens there...

Most of my friends are afraid of going to that place, mostly due to superstitions involved and heavy environment..

However there is nothing great about the architecture as it is, nothing to see there only religious importance..

Its the Temple of Lord Hanuman, in the same complex there is Pret Baba and Bhairon Baba as well.

New-South-Welshman

Whoa whoa whoa! I need to go to this place, because everyone is saying not to go there. What exactly goes on over here? Am I going to be in a real life Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom?

__________________
Mr. Burns "Non-violence never solved anything!"

shashank.aggarwal

Its not about not going there..but its advisable to be accompanied by a person who has already been there..

Even the Hindus don't want to go there unaccompanied for the first time.

This advice is not much about superstition, but there are certain procedures that needs to be followed to ensure that you do not offend people around there...what might be superstition for one can be belief and religion for other !!

watl1

I'm certainly intrigued! I read that exorcisms tend to take place on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

What sort of procedures?

shashank.aggarwal

Saturdays and Tuesdays are days of Lord Hanuman...its not only that temple..but in every temple these are beleived to be very auspicious days..

many Hindus do not consume alcohol, non-veg, onion, garlic on this day. We do not shave, do not cut our nails OR hair specially on Tuesdays.

The procedures are silent ones, that devotees themselves understand, there are things that are strange to a new eye, however you are not supposed to question them, stare at them. There is a way in which prasad goes around the temple, you have to follow that. In aartis (Morning and evening) it gets very crowded in and outside the premises. all transportation on the road stops, trucks and buses have to patiently wait till its over, in the Aarti there would be people who try to push and go ahead. normal tendency is to stop them, however in that temple you are not supposed to do that.

Lord Hanuman is god of Kalyug as per Hindu religion, and in Mehndipur he is in angry form. There is another temple Salasar Balaji, for that you have to follow the same Agra Jaipur road around 150-200 KM beyond Jaipur. In that temple lord is present in happy/peaceful form. That temple is worth a visit, it is well maintained and the main main is entirely covered in Silver and air conditioned. That is a very peaceful place with lot of spirituality in the air. But do not even plan to go to any of Hanuman temples on Tuesday OR Saturday. The chances are hat you will end up waiting for hours at a stretch.

Hyderabadi

Chottanikkara Temple in Kerala, near Cochin is also associated with exorcism ....curing schizophrenia put another way I guess:

http://www.chottanikkarabhagavathy.or g/home.html

ArconteNoir

Hi ya India Traveller. I'm planning a journey to Rajasthan and i got interested in MEHNDIPUR BALAJI Temple. What is the best place to get there from? Jaipur or Agra?
Best way to get there? Train, buses, flying carpet?

Greetings from Italy

vindex

I went to the Balaji exorcism temple a little over a decade ago. I doubt much has changed. It was a very bizarre and interesting experience, well worth the trip.

The way you get there is as follows:

Take the bus from Agra to Jaipur (or vice-versa). Tell the driver you want to get off at the stop for Balaji. He'll stop there and tell you to get off -- it's about halfway. There's very little at the stop itself, just a small intersection in the road. It's a bit of a hike south of the main road, I would recommend taking one of the camel carts on offer. The temple complex itself doesn't really look much like a "temple", more like a group of small, squarish mud adobe buildings on either side of the road. I seem to remember that the main exorcism temple had lots of handprints decorating the outer wall.

Anyway, you'll know it when you get there, it's very intense inside. Lots of people swaying and jabbering to themselves, banging themselves against the floor, the walls, etc. The floor is covered in flowers and very damp. Lots of incense smoke. In the back I saw a priest mumbling incantations over two people who were buried headfirst into what looked like a well full of dirt, with their legs and feet sticking out. How they were breathing I have no idea. "Apocalypse Now" is exactly right. This is not for the faint of heart.

It would be great if you could find someone who spoke English to explain what's going on. But running tours doesn't seem to be a priority there! And it's quite possible that nobody really knows what's going on. You'll probably be the only foreigner there, that's for sure. But you won't feel unwelcome at all, just out of place.

To return, you need to grab a camel cart back to the main road and flag down a bus. It could take a while, but they seem to come pretty regularly. I waited maybe 20 minutes.