The story goes back to 1991 when Om Singh rode on his motorbike and crashed into a tree on this very site. The accident resulted in his death, and the police stationed his motorbike at the nearest police station. The next morning, the bike disappeared from the station and was later found at the accident spot. Police took it as a prank and brought the bike back to the police station, emptied the fuel tank, and tied it with metal chains. To everybody's surprise, the bike disappeared again only to be found at the same accident spot. After many such incidents, locals realized that bike was beset by Om Singh's spirit and they started offering prayers to his motorbike. The news spread to nearby villages and towns, and gradually a temple dedicated to Om Singh and his bike was built. People driving in that route between Jodhpur and Udaipur make a stop here to offer prayers for their safe journey ahead.
KARNI MATA TEMPLE (ALSO KNOWN AS RAT TEMPLE), RAJASTHAN
This temple is known for thousands of black rats that live inside the temple and are worshipped. The rats are so densely populated that one has to watch the steps to avoid crushing one under the foot. The central deity here is Karni Mata, who is an incarnation of Hindu Goddess Durga. As per the legend, Karni Mata's son was drowned.
She asked Yama (God of death) to revive him, and he agreed to reincarnate him along with her other sons as rats. So, all rats here are believed to have been reincarnated after their death. Out of thousands of black rats here, spotting a white rat is believed to be auspicious.
The worship of rats is believed to have started here in around 15th century, and the temple was later built around 1900s by Maharaja Ganga Singh of Bikaner. The food nibbed by these rats is distributed among the devotees as blessings of the deity, but interestingly, no spread of any disease has been reported so far due to the same.
The temple lies around 30 km from Bikaner and attracts lots of devotees and visitors daily.
BABA HARBHAJAN SINGH TEMPLE, SIKKIM
Baba Harbhajan Singh was an Indian soldier and revered as 'Hero of Nathula' by the Indian army. He was martyred near Nathula which is a mountain pass between Tibet and Sikkim, in 1968 at the age of 22. As per the legend, his body was found after 3 days and it is believed that his spirit led the soldiers to the site.
Till date people in this area believe that his spirit protects the soldiers posted here and thus he is thought to be serving the nation even after his death. A temple has been built for him on the site and includes a private room maintained with his day-to-day belongings, including uniform and well-polished shoes.
Indian Army treated Baba as a soldier who never died. He was retired with full military honours in December 2016. Interestingly every year on 11th September, he is granted an official leave, and a jeep departs with his personal belongings to see him off at the nearest train station. A ticket is purchased to his village in Punjab, and three soldiers accompany empty berth until his belongings are received at his home.
The temple lies just 50 km away from Gangtok towards Nathula border between China and India. However, one needs to get a permit issued by the concerned authorities to visit this place, as it lies close to the International border.
DOG TEMPLE, KARNATAKA
Yes, strange but true, a dog temple.
This temple doesn't have any miracle or legend associated with it, but it just shows gratitude. Dogs' faithfulness is a well-known fact, and one cannot forget their importance in human life. People of Channapatna (a small village in Karnataka) found the best way to appreciate and celebrate dogs' loyalty towards humans by worshipping them as a central deity of this temple.
Built by a businessman in the year 2010, the sanctum has two statues of Dogs, which are offered prayers, because they are believed to possess the power of protecting the village from evil spirits.
Channapatna is also famously known as the “land of toys”. The art of toy-making is a 200-year-old art form being practised here even today. The town lies approx. 100 km from Bengaluru enroute to Mysore.
India is a land of mystifying traditions as it will surely bring ones soul and profound imagination to life. The country is abundantly blessed with different cultures, languages, religions, etc. which result in unique and different forms of traditions that showcase the story of its rich heritage. Come and explore this mystifying land with us! At Indo Asia Tours, the itinerary is not just a travel route or a trip. We design, conceptualise and handcraft every journey. Our special customised itineraries and curated experiences in different destinations are what make for those memorable travel moments.
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Around 53 km away from Jodhpur, in the desert state of Rajasthan, there is a temple known as Om Banna temple, where people worship a ‘Bullet motorbike’ and its rider Om Singh Rathore or simply Om Banna (Banna is an honorary term used to refer a Rajput clan boy ).
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