Spirituality

The Highway accident and Temple of a Motorcycle: The Bullet Baba of Bandai

Many meditate on the idea, many pray to the symbol. Many pray to the holy book, and many pray to the idols. Many say that the Divine is a shapeless and omnipotent entity with its presence in every corner of the universe. Every individual has their image of their God in their mind.

Keeping the same open mind, how will you react when I tell you that there is a temple in Rajasthan where the deity is the Royal Enfield motorcycle? Today, in the blog series of mysterious temples in India, we will visit the Om Banna Temple, also known as the Bullet Baba temple in Rajasthan, where an enchanted motorcycle is known to fulfil the wishes of the devotees and protect them from road accidents.      

Story of a Young rider

5th May 1998. The night was just like any ordinary night. A young rider named Om Banna Thakur was riding his beloved 350cc Royal Enfield motorcycle (popularly known as the Bullet) on the Barmer-Pali highway. His motorcycle RNJ 7773 was smoothly gliding on the highway, and suddenly, it lost its way and collided with a tree. Banna died on the spot while his beloved 7773 fell into the nearby roadside ditch.

The following day, local police came and took the motorcycle to the police station to file the accident report. Like any other vehicle, that motorcycle was kept in the impoundment lot beside the police station. The following day, the bike went missing, and a couple of hours later, police received a call, saying it had been found on the highway.

When constables went there to see what happened, they found the bike in the same ditch they had found on the night of the accident. Again, they towed the Enfield and brought it back to the impound, considering this as a prank.

The police were not in the mood to entertain the pranksters this time. Hence, they emptied the petrol tank, disconnected the spark plug, and chained the motorcycle. The following day, to their surprise, the bike was gone and found in the same ditch beside the Barmer-Pali highway.

According to the legend, this happened several times. Police used to seize the motorcycle, and it used to return to the same spot before dawn. After a few futile attempts, police gave up, and the bike was left in the ditch forever. Since then, the story of Om Banna Thakur and his spirited motorcycle spread across the Jodhpur area like a wildfire.

The tree on which the Royal Enfield collided is about 50 km away from Jodhpur. Nowadays, the tree is considered holy, as it gave birth to the legend of Om Banna. The tree works as an altar for the memory of Banna, as many small and even life-sized images and idols of Om Banna are kept surrounding that tree. Its branches are ornamented with bangles, scarves, and threads. Any devotee with a special resolution comes here, bows to that tree, and ties a scarf or saffron or yellow colored thread around one of the tree branches. It is said that Om Banna’s spirit helps the devotee complete that resolution.

The ditch, where that young rider fell and lost his life, was filled with concrete, and a platform was created there. Banna’s motorcycle is kept on that platform, where the passer-by riders and drivers bow down, taking the blessing of that miraculous machine.

Worship of the Om Banna

 Barmer-Pali highway is a busy highway nowadays. Thousands of private vehicles, bikes, camel karts, buses, and trucks travel on it every day. Every day, many villagers and almost every one of the vehicles passing on the highway stop here at the Om Banna temple.

With an open mind, if you ask around, you can hear thousands of first-hand account stories, where someone has met with an accident on that road, and how the spirit of Om Banna helped them, saving their lives. Those who take a stop bow down their heads with respect, presenting the offerings to the helpful spirit of Om Banna for their safe journey.

India could be called the hub of road accidents, as thousands of people die here on roads every day. Many of those accidents are caused by drunk drivers. Ironically, drivers who halt at the bullet temple offer small bottles of liquor to the bullet shrine to receive favour from the undying spirit of Om Banna. Drivers walk three circles clockwise around the motorcycle while pouring the small amount of liquor on its tires. Every day, morning, and evening rituals are conducted at the temple, including Aarti (composed praises) of Om Banna’s spirit.

Many people will find this practice of praying to the victim of a road accident and a motorcycle bizarre and weird. Still, we all must understand that one of the essential prerequisites for spirituality is openness. The process begins with readiness to examine the new thoughts and concepts without dismissing them blatantly. May it be meditation, Yoga, bowing five times a day, or praying to the motorcycle. You can find the Divine in anything and everything; you just need to believe.      

We hope you enjoyed reading about the mysterious temple of the Bullet Baba of Bandai, located on the deserted highway of Rajasthan. Please subscribe to our mailing list to stay connected and receive information about spirituality. In case of any queries, please write to us at info@chamundaswamiji.com. You can check out our YouTube channel Chamunda Swamiji where you can learn Tantra, Mantra, Yantra, and Meditation from His Holiness Shri Chamunda Swamiji.