Historical Period10c CE
📷 Kaushlendrapathe · [CC0](http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en) · source
Deities
Mehandipur Bālājī
Mehandipur Hanuman — the "exorcism Hanuman"
Mehandipur Hanuman — the "exorcism Hanuman"
Mehandipur Bālājī is India's most famous exorcism shrine. The temple is believed to house the power to cure bhūta-prēta-bādhā (spirit-possession). Pilgrims afflicted or possessed are brought — they often manifest unusual behaviors in the sanctum (screaming, violent movements) that local tradition interprets as the resident spirit leaving the patient. The temple has a unique protocol: no prasadam is carried home, no looking back when leaving, no meat/eggs in the 3-km radius. The shrine houses 3 deities: Bālājī (Hanuman), Pretarāj Sarkār (the king of spirits), and Bhairava. The afflicted receive darshan from all three.
Oṁ Hanumanate Namaḥ
Every tradition in India — textual, oral, tribal, regional, syncretic — deserves first-person recognition. This entry honours Hindu on its own terms.
