01A court of three
The murti of Balaji is part of the hill itself, a form in the living rock, and a thin stream of water flows from near his feet. Beside him, in their own shrines, sit Pretraj Sarkar, the king of spirits, and Bhairav, called Kotwal Kaptan, who carries out the court’s orders. The darshan is of all three. Pilgrims speak of the temple as a darbar where a case is heard: the afflicted person makes an application, the arzi, of laddus and offerings, and waits for the sankat to be lifted.
02Rules of the place
The customs are strict and pilgrims keep them. Prasad offered here is not eaten and not carried home; nothing from Mehandipur is taken back, and many do not look back as they leave the valley. Visitors keep to simple food for some days before and after. Scenes in the halls can be hard to watch, as the afflicted shout or sway during the aarti. Since 2013 a team of doctors from AIIMS and universities in Europe has studied the temple’s healing rituals, and their reports treat the place with respect.
The life of this place
- 2013A team from AIIMS and European universities begins a study of the temple’s rituals.
The temple is just off the Jaipur–Agra highway near Sikandra; Bandikui and Mahwa are nearby railheads. Tuesdays and Saturdays are the busiest days.
