Om Singh Rathore (also called Shri Om Banna and Bullet Baba) is a folk deity, whose shrine and temple called Om Banna Dham is located in

Pali district Pali district is a district in Rajasthan, India. The city of Pali is its administrative headquarters. Pali is also known as the Industrial/Textile City and has been a hub for merchant activities for centuries. It has a rich heritage and culture ...

near

Jodhpur Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, devoted to him and his motorcycle. It is located from

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

and away from Jodphur on the Pali-Jodhpur highway, near Chotila village. The motorcycle is a 350cc

Royal Enfield Bullet The Royal Enfield Bullet is an overhead valve, single-cylinder, four-stroke motorcycle initially made by Royal Enfield in Redditch, Worcestershire England. It is now produced by Royal Enfield at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, a company originally ...

RNJ 7773. Hundreds of devotees turn up every day to pray for a safe journey.

History

Om Singh Rathore was born in Chotila to Jog Singh Rathore, the Thakur of the village. On 5 May 1988, Om Banna (formerly known as Om Singh Rathore; ''banna'' is an honorary word used for

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

youth) was travelling from the town of Bangdi near

Sanderao Sanderao is a village in Pali district of Rajasthan state in India. It lies 16 km north west of Bali town. It was founded by Yasobhadra in the tenth century. This place was governed by offshoots of Sisodia rulers of Udaipur. Today Sandera ...

of Pali, to Chotila, when he lost control of his motorcycle and hit a tree. He died on spot whereas the motorcycle fell into a nearby ditch. The next morning after the accident, local police took the motorcycle to a nearby police station. The next day it was reported to have mysteriously disappeared from the station and was found back at the site of the incident. Police, once again, took the motorcycle, this time emptying its fuel tank and putting it under lock and key. Despite their efforts, the next morning it again disappeared and was found at the accident site. Legend says that the motorcycle kept returning to the same ditch. It thwarted every attempt by police to keep it at the local police station; the motorcycle always returned to the same spot before dawn. This came to be seen as a miracle by local population, and they began to worship the "Bullet Bike." News of the miracle motorcycle spread to nearby villages, and later they built a temple to worship it. This temple is known as "Bullet Baba's Temple." It is believed that Om Banna's spirit helps the distressed travellers. Om banna bike

Worship

D152244e41d035b4cd7d1a240606f0a7om banna

Every day nearby villagers and travelers stop and pray to the bike and its late owner Om Singh Rathore. Those who pass by stop to bow their heads leave offerings in honour of the helpful spirit, and some drivers also offer small bottles of alcohol at the site. It is said that a person who does not stop to pray at the shrine is in for a dangerous journey. Devotees also apply the 'tilak' mark and tie a red thread on the motorbike. Local people sing folk songs in the name of Om Banna. Tree at chotila

Offerings include incense sticks, flowers, coconut, liquor, red thread and sweets. An

eternal flame An eternal flame is a flame, lamp or torch that burns for an indefinite time. Most eternal flames are ignited and tended intentionally, but some are natural phenomena caused by natural gas leaks, peat fires and coal seam fires, all of which ca ...

is kept at the shrine.

References

External links

Listen and Download Om Banna Bhajans and SongsOm Banna, ChotilaListen to AUDIO "Om Banna Ri Katha" at Saavn.com
{{authority control Regional Hindu gods Hindu folk deities People from Pali district