Karmandir 
जय श्री बालाजी
About
Salasar Balaji is Hanuman ji as worshipped in the town of Salasar, near Sujangarh in the Churu district of Rajasthan. The special mark of this murti is that Balaji has a beard and a moustache, which is not usual in other murtis of Hanuman ji. Devotees call the place Salasar Dham and come from far and wide all through the year. Big fairs are held here on Chaitra Purnima and Ashwin Purnima. As a sign of their prayer (manauti), devotees tie coconuts in the temple premises.
The story
On Shravan Shukla Navami of Vikram Samvat 1811 (around 1754 CE), a farmer was ploughing his field in the village of Asota. Suddenly his plough struck a stone and stopped. When he dug the spot, he found a murti covered in mud: it was Balaji, that is, Hanuman ji. Just then his wife arrived with his meal, which included churma made of bajra. Together they cleaned the murti and offered that churma as the first bhog. Since then, bajra churma has been offered to Salasar Balaji.
That same night the Thakur of Asota was told in a dream to send the murti to Salasar. In Salasar, a devotee of Hanuman ji named Mohandas ji Maharaj also saw Balaji in a dream that night. The murti was placed on a bullock cart and brought to Salasar, and it is said that Balaji was seated at the very spot where the bullocks stopped on their own.
By tradition, Balaji had appeared to Mohandas ji with a beard and moustache, so the murti here was adorned in that form. Mohandas ji handed the seva and puja to his disciple and nephew, Udayram ji. Temple tradition says an akhand jyoti (an ever-burning lamp) has been kept alight here ever since.
How they are shown
The round face of the Salasar Balaji murti is covered in sindoor and shows a beard and moustache. Tradition says Balaji appeared to Mohandas ji in this very form. The sindoor recalls Hanuman ji's devotion to Shri Ram, and the gold and silver decoration shows the love of devotees. The sanctum, its doors and the vessels used in seva are decorated with silver work.
How to worship
Tuesday and Saturday
Bajra churma, boondi laddus, coconut and a flag (dhwaja); many devotees offer a savamani feast
Light a ghee diya before a picture of Hanuman ji at home and apply a sindoor tilak. Offer boondi laddus or churma. Recite the 'Atulita-bala-dhamam' shloka, then the Hanuman Chalisa, and finish with aarti. This puja is done especially on Tuesdays and Saturdays. At Salasar, devotees tie a coconut as a sign of their prayer; at home you can offer a coconut and simply tell Balaji what is in your heart as a prayer.
Their festivals
- Hanuman Jayanti mela Chaitra Purnima
- Sharad Purnima mela Ashwin Purnima
- Balaji Prakatya Divas (appearance day) Shravan Shukla Navami
