Churu, Rajasthan Jul 4, 2021 (Issuewire.com) - Nitin Pujari Ji, one of the priests of Salasar Balaji Dham, located in the Churu district of Rajasthan, is believed to be the 9th generation, who is following the responsibilities of worshipping Balaji. The idol placed at the Salasar Balaji Dham is the only idol of Lord Hanuman in the entire world with a beard and moustache.
Sharing the history of how the idol appeared and how the Salasar Balaji Temple was built, Nitin Pujari Ji, tells the real story.
Mohan Dasji Maharaj, who lived in Salasar, was a devotee of Lord Balaji. Pleased with his devotion, once Balaji appeared in his dream and told him that he will appear in the form of an idol in Asota village. On the other hand, Jat Ginthala, who lived in Asota village, was ploughing his field when he felt something hitting the plough and heard a resonant sound. Stopping the plough there, he started digging the ground and to his surprise, two idols came out. After whipping away the dust from the idols found, he and his wife realised, they were the idols of Lord Hanuman.
The farmer and his wife bowed to the idol and offered “Churma” which the wife had brought for the farmer’s lunch. The first offering made to the idol was “Churma” and hence since then, this is one of the most beloved prasad offered at Balaji Dham.
Further giving information about the establishment of the idol, Nitin Pujari Ji says, “The day when the idol appeared was the ninth date of Shukla Paksha of Shravan month of Samvat 1811. The talk of idols coming out in the field immediately spread in the whole village. This news reached the Thakur of Asota village as well. On the same night, Lord Balaji Maharaj appeared in Thakur's dream and said to send the idol to Salasar in a bullock cart.”
It is believed that Lord Hanuman ordered in the dream that no one should drive the bullock cart when it reaches Salasar. He instructed that wherever the cart stops, place the idols there and build a temple. Taking the idol installation in Salasar as the wish of God, the idol was sent to Salasar by placing it in a bullock cart as per the order. Where that bullock cart stopped, today there is a temple of Salasar Balaji. The famous and miraculous bullock cart is placed in the temple premises even today.
The Tradition Of Worshiping Salasar Balaji
After a few years, devotee Mohandas Ji handed over the responsibilities of worshipping Balaji to his nephew Udaydas Ji and took a “Jivit Samadhi” there. The devotees can also pay homage to the Samadhi at Balaji Dham. This tradition of giving the worshipping responsibilities to the next generation is practised even today. Nitin Pujari Ji is the 9th generation of Mohandas Ji, who is carrying out the responsibilities of worshipping Balaji.
Yearly, two big fairs are organised at Balaji Dham, where more than 10 lakh devotees participate and come to take the blessings of Balaji. Other than these two occasions, Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Purnimas, the crowd of devotees are large in comparison to other days.
Salasar Balaji Dham is a very popular temple in India and also around the world. Millions of devotees visit the temple in the hope to get the blessings of Balaji and get their wishes fulfilled. Situated in the Churu district of Rajasthan, Balaji Dham is famous for several miraculous aspects.
One of them is the enlightened fire pit “Dhuni”. The fire lighted by Mohandas Ji almost 300 years back is even burning today. It is said that the ashes of this ‘Dhuni’, which has been burning continuously for about 300 years, helps the devotees to get rid of their sorrows and problems. This is the reason why the devotees who come to see Balaji take the ashes of this Dhuni with them as prasad.
Salasar Dham Open For Visit After Lockdown
Salasar Balaji Dham is open for a visit for devotees from 1st July 2021. The temple trust has issued some guidelines for the devotees, including online registration and booking of tokens. Nitin Pujari Ji has also initiated the facility of “Live Darshan” on his social media channels, Instagram and Facebook.
Those interested in visiting the temple can do online registration from the official website of Salasar Balaji or download the app. The app is only available for Android users. The visitors will also have to show a vaccination certificate or negative report of RTPCR/RAPID.
Media Contact
Digital Vasu *****@drivedigital.in
