Mehandipur Balaji Temple
A Hanuman temple in Dausa district known across north India as a place where people seek relief from what they believe to be possession.
Practised and told of here
Best time: Weekdays outside festival days for smaller crowds; Hanuman Jayanti brings the largest.
The temple of Balaji, a form of Hanuman, stands in the Aravalli foothills. Families bring relatives whom they believe are troubled by ghosts or spirits, and the shrine is also a centre of what Indian media call exorcism.
What happens
Visitors, many of them in distress, join prayers, sing, and ask for the god's grace. Some people shake, scream or fall as the temple rituals go on; devotees and temple staff read this as a spirit leaving or as the god's presence. The temple runs a free lodging and kitchen for the poor.
The debate
Psychiatrists and rights groups describe the scenes as a mix of untreated mental illness and distress, and have raised concern about people kept without medical care, even chained or hurt. Others note that families often reach the temple after years of failed treatment and that devotion gives a place and a community. Both views are held by Indian people, and the temple continues to draw large numbers.
Visiting
Do not film or point at people who are in distress; many are ill. Do not attend as a spectator of suffering. Ask first before taking any photograph and respect the temple's rules on offerings.
A respectful visit to Mehandipur Balaji Temple
Living communities are not a show. Ask before photographing a person or a ceremony, and follow local rules.
- The main shrine See the rite for Balaji and observe the customs of the queue.
- The Pretraj Sarkar shrine Visit the shrine of the spirit king, kept alongside the main temple.
- The kitchen Watch how the temple feeds pilgrims.
- The village road See the stalls that sell offering sets.
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Mehandipur Balaji Temple" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and ceremonies change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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