Being Punjabi, we adore our Bullet motorcycles, we serve them well,
we keep them clean and sparkling.. and we love them like our
girlfriends. Indeed Bullets are our better half, they are our
girlfriends… but we never really consider Bullet as a God.. however, if
there is a Motorcycle God, it has to be Bullet 350. And indeed there’s
a shrine dedicated to the Motorcycle Devta, also called Bullet Baba.
The deity is indeed a motorcycle and such is faith that hundreds of
devotees turn up every day to pray for a safe journey. The unlikely
shrine near Chotila village, around 20 km away from Pali en route to
Jodhpur on the highway, has a Royal Enfield 350 cc motorbike as its
deity. It’s hard to miss the din of pilgrims here. Every day nearby
villagers and travellers stop and pray to the bike and its late owner
Om Singh Rathore. The temple beside the Enfield motorbike has a big
picture of Singh, fondly known as Om Banna.
It is said that a person who does not stop to pray at the shrine is
in for a dangerous journey. The story goes that back in 1991, on a
fateful summer night, Om Bana was returning from Pali to his native
Chotila on his Bullet 350 when it skidded and hit a tree, killing him on
the spot. The tree stands over the battered vehicle till date.
Villagers say after Om Bana’s death, the motorbike was taken to a local
police station. But next day morning, it was found at the accident
spot.
The Bullet Baaba Shrine at Chotila village
Om Banna – Om Singh Rathore
Police initially thought it was a prank and after emptying the fuel
tank they brought the bike back to the station. However, the motorcycle
was again at the accident spot the next day. “As soon as the story
spread, people in the nearby village built a platform on the spot where
the death occurred and started offering prayers,” said Chotu Singh, a
resident of the nearby village. Many shops offering incense sticks,
flowers, coconut and red thread meant for offering prayers have sprung
up near the shrine. Local people sing folk songs in the name of Om Bana
who owned the Royal Enfield. The cause of his death, the tree itself
remains ornamented with offerings of bangles, scarves and rope. The
temple even has its own priest, Poonam Giri, who has been incharge of
the upkeep of the shrine for two decades.
Every pass by pays respects here
The Royal Enfield Bullet 350 – motorcycle that is prayed to
Mahender Singh, a travel agent from Jodhpur who begins every trip
with a salute to Bana, says, “Back then, only a few people would visit
the temple. After tales of Om Bana riding his motorcycle on this road
began to spread, his followers increased in number.” He recounts the
story of one of his drivers whose vehicle skidded and fell into a ditch
not far from the spot of Bana’s accident. “The driver was injured and
bleeding in the vehicle when he swore that Om Bana came to him and
helped him out. Such stories only increased this temple’s reputation,”
Mahender Singh adds.
The busy Pali-Jodhpur highway ensures a constant flow of pilgrims,
who are easy enough to spot, with their bottles of liquor. Som Singh,
who organises pan-Rajasthan travels from Jodhpur, says, “I come here
every week to offer prayers to Om Bana. Most devotees offer liquor.” He
walks the traditional three circles around the motorcycle, each time
pouring some of the contents of a liquor bottle onto its wheels.
A sight that merges religion and technology
Bullet 350, Bullet Baaba covered with garlands
Travellers, especially drivers of vehicles that pass by, offer
prayers at the site, which is almost in the middle of the road. Some
drivers also offer a small bottle of country liquor at the site, praying
for a safe journey. “Whenever I pass this area, I never forget to
light incense sticks, offer liquor and lie prostrate in reverence,”
said Jagdish Singh, a taxi driver. Devotees also apply the ’tilak’ mark
and tie a red thread on the motorbike. “Villagers here believe Bana’s
spirit still hovers around the place and they can hear the Royal
Enfield rev up at night,” said Hem Singh Rajput, the resident of a
nearby village.
A mini-economy has sprouted around the shrine. Over the last few
years, at least a dozen shops have come up around its premises, selling
everything from religious offerings like flowers, incense sticks,
kumkum, turmeric and camphor to memorabilia including VCDs, audio tapes,
key chains, necklaces, charms, rings and of course, photographs of Om
Bana in all sizes.

Kailash Rathore opened his shop five years ago. “Business here is
very good. I operate this shop in shifts and we are open 24 hours a
day,” he says. “There are many babas nowadays, but there will only be
one motorcycle baba,” Rathore adds, smiling
Watch the Video of this storie which is real Click below on this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmJNDi5RgXQ&feature=player_embedded
Via:
Royal Enfield .com