OM Banna Bullet Baba Temple

If there's a motorcycle god, it's got to be a Bullet!

It's a shrine dedicated to Bullet Baba. And such is the faith that hundreds of devotees turn up every day to pray for a safe journey. The god in question: A Royal Enfield 350.

Devotees offer flowers and garlands to Bullet Baba, the revered Enfield 350, on the highway near Pali.

It's hard to miss the unlikely shrine near Chotila village, around 20 km away from Pali en route to Jodhpur on the highway. Every day nearby villagers and travellers stop and pray to the bike and its late owner Om Singh. The temple beside the Enfield motorbike has a big picture of Singh, fondly known as Om Bana.

Motorcycle baba (OM Banna)

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Jai OM Banna

There's a place in Rajasthan on Jodhpur-Ahmedabad highway, named as Rohet 20 kms before Pali city. This place is an accident prone site, hence a sign board has been put up to tell the traveler and commuters to slow down.

The specialty is this area is known for a motorcycle baba, and the local use to worship him. they believe doing so will prevent accidents in that area. Story behind this Baba is, there was a Guy named Om Singh Rathore alias Om Banna of village chotilla, in 1988 he crashed on the same site while riding on his bullet. after that cops seized his bike, but the next morning the bike was missing from the police station, they searched the bike and found that the bike is standing on the accident site, they took the bike back to the police station but again next morning they found the bike at the same spot. they believed that this whole act is done by Om Banna (actually his soul). so they built a temple there (a shed only) in his memory. from then on people worship him as an accident preventer.

Pray for a Safe Journey

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.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.