Om Banna Temple - I will never know

Was it a mere coincidence or the universe was listening to me? I cannot tell. But the incident that unfolded continues to be a mystery to me and guess it will always be and I will never know.

Om Banna Temple. Neither had I heard about the existence of this temple nor had I the slightest inkling regarding the stories related to it.

I was in Jodhpur and was lazing around in our hotel room after an exhausting day earlier. Lying on the bed while randomly scrolling through my phone an article made me sit up. Not far from Jodhpur in Pali district, there is this temple called Om Banna popularly known as Bullet Baba. First, it definitely was the unique name of the temple that caught my attention and next was its story.

Now this ‘Bullet’ had nothing to do with a gun or a pistol rather it refers to the dream motorcycle of every rider ‘Bullet’. Legend has it that on 5th May 1988 Om Banna, a local was travelling on his motorcycle when he crashed right here and died. Later the police had come to remove his motorcycle and rubble to clear off the area. To the surprise of everyone, the motorcycle disappeared from the police station only to be found at the accident site the next day. This kept happening every time the motorcycle was removed even when it was kept under lock and key. Seen as a miracle the motorcycle was ceremoniously placed there and a temple was built in the same spot.

As I finished reading the article I felt a strong desire to visit the place. Unfortunately with a packed schedule for the next day which involved our onward journey to our next destination, I had to shove the idea to the extreme back of my brain.

The next morning en route to our destination our driver, Dipak suddenly stopped in the middle of the highway. I was convinced he had to run for a stomach-related emergency. While he was gone we got ourselves a cup of tea. Sipping on mine, my eyes caught the line of shops like those you find outside a temple on both sides of the highway. Such shops in the middle of the highway were not a usual sight. Curious I walked up to one to check out the wares. Besides the common temple-related items like candles, flowers, and incense sticks there were also framed pictures of a man. Not just a few but many. Meh! Maybe some local god-like figure. Dismissing my thoughts and losing any spark of interest that I might have had earlier, I retreated my way back to the car. Dipak was back.

As I offered him tea and requested to join us, he apologetically smiled saying that whenever he is on this route he stops for a quick visit to Om Banna Temple on the other side of the highway.

Om Banna Temple!

I could feel my eyes pop and my jaws literally drop!