Know about Balaji temple in Rajasthan, a place to exorcise ghosts

New Delhi: For people, who don't believe in ghosts, this is the place to come where evil spirits are exorcised.Mehandipur Balaji temple is located in Dausa district of Rajasthan, 255 km away from Delhi. There are three main deities of the temple- Lord Hanuman, Pret Raj (The King of spirits), Bhairav.Thousands of devotees flock to this temple to get cured and get evil spirits exorcised.As the legend goes, the images of Lord Balaji and that of Pret Raja (the king of spirits) appeared from 'Mehandipur Dham' around one thousand years ago in a valley, amidst the hills of the Aravali Range.This area was once covered by thick and dense forests, full of wild animals. A priest had a dream in which Sri Balaji Maharaj indicated three divine deities and a magnificent temple. He had also heard a divine voice ordering him to do duty for Sri Balaji Hanuman. He was unable to see any one initially but after years of penance, Lord Sri Balaji finally appeared and showed him the place in the forest where the temple and the three divine forms were found. The ancestors of Shri Mahantji started pooja regularly and subsequently the temple was built.You can see devotees doing strange things like pouring a bucket of hot water on head and still not burning themselves. Heavy stones pelted on people. People are chained like animals for being cured.There are others who inhale the fumes out of the sweet patasas kept on smoldering cowpats.Many devotees believe in this treatment and have a blind faith in the practices. The rituals of this temple are very specific and one needs to follow in proper sequence without any mistake.A person should first offer ladoo to all three deities and the rest of the laddoos are supposed to be thrown away. The throwaway laddoos are collected in a big plastic bag by a temple staff. The devotee brings back two laddoos which he or she must eat.It is important that one should never look backwards after performing prayers and then walk out of the temple premises. The reason for not looking back is that if there are any evil spirits behind, it will not follow the devotee. The devotee must not eat anywhere in that area after performing prayers. He or she should simply leave and travel out of that town then and there.The devotees are asked to keep in mind that whenever they ask for something like a wish or some issue to be resolved, they must also promise to come back for thanksgiving once the wishes are fulfilled. Devotees are advised not to contact any sadhu or fakir for the purpose of exorcism. Ladies, insane and persons with evil spirits must be accompanied by an attendant.The exact location of the temple is 100 km from Jaipur, and 40 km from Karauli.