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Salasar Balaji Temple

Salasar, Sujangarh tehsil, Churu district, Rajasthan

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Salasar Balaji Temple
Photo: Manish Gaur, Pexels License

About

Salasar Balaji is a famous temple of Hanuman ji in the middle of Salasar town in Churu district, on the Jaipur–Bikaner highway. The murti here is unusual: Hanuman ji has a beard and a moustache. Devotees call the place Salasar Dham and see it as a self-manifested siddh peeth. The biggest fairs fall on Chaitra Purnima (Hanuman Jayanti) and Ashwin Purnima (Sharad Purnima). Devotees tie coconuts with red moli thread as a sign of their prayer, and offer churma and laddus, often as a savamani. The temple is of white marble, and its doors are of silver.

The story

The temple's story begins with Mohandas ji, a great devotee of Hanuman ji, who lived in Salasar with his sister Kanhi Bai and her son Udairam. Tradition says Hanuman ji came to give him darshan in the form of a saint with a beard and moustache.

On Shravan Shukla Navami of Vikram Samvat 1811 (around 1754–55 CE), a farmer of Asota village in Nagaur was ploughing his field when his plough struck a stone. He dug and found a murti of Balaji. His wife had brought bajra churma for his meal, and it was first offered to Balaji; churma is still the favourite bhog here. That night the Thakur of Asota dreamt that the murti should be sent to Salasar, and Mohandas ji in Salasar had the same dream. The murti was sent on a bullock cart, and it was decided that the temple would stand where the bulls stopped. Mohandas ji gave the murti the bearded face in which he had first seen his Lord.

The temple was built in Samvat 1815. Craftsmen named Noor Mohammad and Dau worked on it, and this is remembered as a sign of harmony. Mohandas ji handed the seva to Udairam ji, whose descendants still serve here, and an akhand jyoti has been kept burning in the temple ever since.

Visiting

October to March is pleasant; summer days in this desert area are very hot. Wear modest clothes. Close to the temple are Mohandas ji's dhuna (sacred fire) and samadhi. Many pilgrims visit Salasar together with Khatu Shyam Ji and Jeen Mata in the Shekhawati region. Sujangarh is about 24 km away.

Festivals

  • Hanuman Jayanti mela (Chaitra Purnima)
  • Sharad Purnima mela (Ashwin Purnima)
  • Balaji Prakatya Divas, the day of appearance (Shravan Shukla Navami)

Devta dhams

Sources