Obscure and Hilarious Temples in India

By Subhasis Mitra & C K Nayak

Temples are meant for worship all over the world. In India alone there are over 20 lakh shrines. There are capital cities like Bhubaneswar called the temple city of the country because it has more than 1200 temples alone. Most temples are usual places of worship, but some shrines are unique in the sense that they carry some mysterious  tales.  Some of them are mentioned below. There are temples dedicated to both Prime Minsiter Narednra Modi and Congress leader Sonia  Gandhi.   Even there are temples where motorcycles and dogs are worshipped. Some temples are famous for facilitating visas to  the US and in some liquor is served as prasad.

Bharat Mata Temple, Varanasi;  Dedicated to Mother India, as the name suggests, Bharat Mata Temple in the holy city of Varanasi is one of the most unusual temples in the country. The shrine, which is in Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth Campus, was built in 1936 by freedom fighter Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta and inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi himself. The temple is a tribute to the fearless freedom fighters of India who fought, struggled and sacrificed their lives to free our country from the shackles of British yoke. 

But, it’s not a temple as one might think. It has no idol of any God or Goddess. The structure has a map of undivided India on the floor in marble portraying the dream of the freedom fighters. This map was drawn before independence, so it consists of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Balochistan, Myanmar and Bangladesh as well. The best time to visit Bharat Mata Temple is on Independence Day or Republic Day when the water bodies on the map are filled with water and the land area is decorated with flowers.

Sonia Gandhi  Temple in Telangana: In 2014, when a new state of Telangana was created by the intervention of AICC president Sonia Gandhi, Congress leaders across the district did the unlikely – they constructed a temple dedicated to her in Mallial, a town in Telangana. The leaders sourced a white marble sculpture of Sonia Gandhi and installed it inside the temple. The 9-feet statute poses an Indian goddess, holding a lotus in one hand and a plate full of wealth in another. Not to be left behind, the protesting leaders in Andhra had constructed a tomb for Sonia Gandhi for declaring  Telangana a separate state. It is a different story that Congress lost both the states in the assembly polls that followed and could not capture power in it once strong holds as yet.

Modi Temple, Rajkot, Gujarat: When there is a temple for Sonia Gandhi why Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be left behind. There is a temple dedicated to Modiji elsewhere rather than in Gujarat. It took around two years to build the temple and initially had a photograph of Prime Minister Modi. Every day, prayers are conducted twice in this temple and ‘devotees’ from neighbouring villages take part in it.

Dog Temple in Channapatna, Karnataka; With no intention to offend any personality or deity there is a temple where ‘dog’ is worshipped as a god in Agrahara Valagerahalli in the city of Channapatna, Karnataka. The city is globally renowned for its wooden toys and is fondly called the ‘town of toys’. However, quite surprisingly, the temple receives decent footfall each year from all across the globe. The temple was constructed by a rich businessman Ramesh in the year 2010. As per villagers,  once  two dogs mysteriously disappeared from the village. Few days later, the goddess herself appeared in someone’s dream and asked them to build a temple for the lost dogs close to hers for the protection of the village and the villagers. Based on the vision, the dog temple was constructed and two lost dogs are worshipped here. Inside the temple you will see statues of two dogs, and villagers now believe that these dogs continuously  watch out for them and drive the negative energy away. Every year, a huge festival is held in the village in the honour of these guard dogs. The town of toys.

The Karni Mata Temple in Deshnoke, Rajasthan: is known popularly as the Temple of Rats. The undoubtedly unique marble structure, boasting Mughal-style architecture, was  built in the 20th century. The shrine is dedicated to Karni Mata, an incarnation of Goddess Durga. The temple houses a 75 cm tall idol of Karni Mata and her sisters in the inner sanctum. What’s special about this temple is that it is inhabited by over 25,000 rats, few of  them  white one those scamper around the temple complex freely. White rats are considered sacred l, believed to be incarnations of Karni Mata and her sons. So much so, consuming food nibbled on by these rats is deemed as ‘prasad’ by the locals. But there was no report of plague at any time in the area though it is infested by rats.

Aeroplane Gurudwara in Jalandhar, Punjab: The Aeroplane Gurudwara or Shaheed Baba Nihal Singh Ji Gurudwara is one of its kind in the country. This holy shrine is frequented by visa-seekers. It is believed that if you pray in this temple and offer a toy aeroplane, you will get your visa soon. At the end of each day, the toy planes are collected and given as prasad to children who come here to pay their respects. The Kal Bhairav Nath Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh: is located on the banks of Shipra River. It’s one of the holiest  places of worship among the devotees of Lord Shiva. The temple is dedicated to Lord Kal Bhairav, the fierce form of Lord Shiva. He is also considered as the protector or guardian of Ujjain city. What’s unique about this temple is that liquor is offered to the deity along with other things. It is also believed that the idol of Lord Kal Bhairav drinks liquor every time a priest takes a plate full of alcohol near the lips of the idol.

The Chinese Kali Temple in Kolkata, West Bengal: The temple is located in the Tangra or ChinaTown area of Kolkata. It is a well-known shrine dedicated to Goddess Kali.  When  you  visit the temple, it will look the same as any other temple of Goddess  Kali in  India.  What  makes it different from the other temples is the prasad that is offered here. The temple offers Chinese dishes, like noodles, sticky rice, chop suey and other such foods to Goddess Kali and the same is then distributed as prasad to the devotees. Although the priest performs pujas as per Hindu rituals, he uses Chinese incense sticks and candles made of handmade paper during the aarti to keep away evil spirits.

The Visa Balaji Temple in Hyderabad, Telangana: It   is situated in the beautiful village of Chilkur, on the banks of Osman Sagar Lake. Visa Balaji Temple or Chilkur Balaji Temple is yet another unusual temple in the country. It has the deity of Lord Balaji  Venkateshwara and is frequented by devotees from across the country. The temple has a strange belief attached to it. As per locals, paying respects to Lord Balaji Venkateshwara here helps people get visas to the United States. However, they must follow certain rituals for the fulfilment of their wish. People waiting for their visas must offer prayers to Lord Balaji and take 11 parikramas or rounds of the inner shrine. The shrine gained popularity in the 1980s when a group of engineering students got visas to the United States after paying their respects at the shrine. The  temple is now frequented by thousands of devotees and visa-seekers every day, and the numbers shoot up significantly during weekends.

The Hidimba Devi Temple in Manali, Himachal Pradesh : It is a famous shrine dedicated to Hidimba Devi, the wife of Bheema and mother of Ghatotkacha. The temple is surrounded by the beautiful hills of Manali and is known for its unique pagoda-style architecture. There is no idol in this temple but a rock in the sanctum sanctorum. According to locals, the rock is where Hidimba Devi sat for meditation.

Bullet  Banna  Temple in  Pali,  Rajasthan:  is an unconventional shrine dedicated to a Rajput Thakur called Om Singh Rathore and his 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet bike. There is an interesting story behind this unusual temple. Locals say Rathore had met with an accident while travelling on his bike and died on the spot. The police took his bike to the police station, but it went missing the next day. It was later found in the same accident spot. The police took it back to the police station, emptied the fuel tank and secured the bike with chains and locks. However, the bike went missing again and was found at the accident spot. This incident was nothing less than a mystery for locals, who started worshipping the bike. They even believe that the spirit of Om Singh Rathore protects travellers on the route. Locals crossing the route offer flowers, coconuts, sweets, red thread, vermillion and other things here and pray for a safe journey.

The list of funny temples doesn’t end here. There are many and the list is endless.