Why does a temple in Rajasthan tell visitors not to take its food home?

Whereas the majority of the Indian temples involve taking prasad back home and distributing it among their families, the Mehandipur Balaji temple in the Dausa district of Rajasthan is an exception to this practice. It has been observed that pilgrims to the temple have been instructed since long ago not to carry prasad or any offering beyond the precincts of the temple.

Why the Mehandipur Balaji Temple has different rules for prasad?

This temple is built in honour of Hanuman’s child deity (Balaji). It has developed a reputation over time as a spiritual healing temple because many people come to the temple seeking deliverance from negativity, spirit possession, etc. The atmosphere within the temple is quite different from that of an ordinary pilgrim place. Apart from the normal practices of worship, there are certain rituals that are conducted for those who are considered to have bad spirits attached to them. The visitors can see devotees shouting and performing prayer ceremonies.

As per the native belief, the offerings that take place in the temple are associated with the above-mentioned rituals. People provide different offerings to the different deities who are worshipped in the temple. Laddoos are generally offered to Balaji, rice to Pretraj Sarkar, and urad dal to Bhairav Baba.

It is believed traditionally that these offerings go on to become part of rituals performed to counteract or take out the negative energy. This is why it is believed that one should never take these prasads back home. By doing so, one would be bringing back the same negative energy that was to be removed by the rituals.

Mehandipur Balaji temple has some more instructions which most of the pilgrims adhere to. Pilgrims usually refrain themselves from eating onions, garlic, alcohol, and meat a few days prior to the visit. Also, they are advised to not look back once they leave the temple premises and not take anything with them.

A feature that distinguishes this temple is the fact that there are three main gods in the temple premises: Balaji, Pretraj Sarkar, and Bhairav Baba. Followers usually give offerings to the gods in a ritual manner. Most visitors come to the temple for both worship and help in getting rid of problems that are considered to have spiritual causes. Over the time, the temple has become one of the most visited places of worship in Rajasthan.

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