The Bearded Balaji: Unveiling the Miraculous Legend of Salasar Hanuman Temple, Rajasthan

Did you know there is a unique temple dedicated to Hanuman Ji where he sports a beard and a moustache?

The story of Salasar Balaji dates back approximately 275 years. It centres around a devout Brahmin named Mohandas Ji. Mohandas Ji moved to Salasar to live with his sister, Kani Bai, after her husband passed away, leaving her widowed with a five-year-old son. Mohandas Ji began cultivating the land alongside his nephew.
Mohandas Ji was an ardent devotee of Hanuman Ji, constantly chanting “Sitaram Hanuman” even while ploughing. His devotion was so pure that Hanuman Ji was immensely pleased, often providing him shade with his tail and visiting to wrestle. However, Hanuman Ji was visible only to Mohandas Ji. Concerned after observing her brother converse with an invisible figure, Kani Bai decided to arrange his marriage.
Hanuman Ji had blessed Mohandas Ji so profoundly that anything the devotee spoke would come true. When Mohandas Ji stated that the girl intended for his marriage had died, no one believed him. However, when his relatives travelled to her village, they found her funeral procession underway. Following this event, Kani Bai never again pressured Mohandas Ji to marry.
The Sadhus’ Promise and the Idol’s Discovery
Mohandas Ji’s desire was born from a transformative encounter: he had first received a vision of Hanuman Ji in the form of a sadhu with a beard and moustache. He yearned for Hanuman Ji to appear again in that very form. Hanuman Ji promised his devoted follower, Mohandas Ji, that he would grant him this vision again, this time in the form of an idol.
The fulfilment of this promise occurred in the year 1755. In a location called Asota, a farmer’s plough struck a stone slab (shila). When he excavated the area, he discovered a striking statue of Hanuman Ji carrying Lord Shri Ram and Lakshman on his shoulders.
As soon as the farmer lifted the statue, he was struck by a severe stomachache. His wife recognised this as a divine play (leela) of Hanuman Ji. She immediately offered the statue Churma (a traditional sweet), and as soon as the offering was made, the farmer’s stomach pain instantly vanished.
Establishing the Temple
News of the miraculous stone reached the King of Asota, who brought the idol back to his palace. That night, Hanuman Ji appeared in the King’s dream, instructing him to deliver the idol to his greatest devotee, Mohandas Ji, in Salasar. Simultaneously, Hanuman Ji appeared in a dream to Mohandas Ji, confirming that the idol would soon reach him.
The King dispatched the stone on a bullock cart, which travelled until it spontaneously stopped at the precise location where the current Salasar temple is now situated. Mohandas Ji established the idol at that spot and adorned it with pure gold. This is the sacred ground where the magnificent Salasar Balaji Temple stands today.
The defining feature of this idol is its distinctive facial hair. Mohandas Ji personally added the beard and moustache to the statue, ensuring that all future devotees could receive the darshan (sacred viewing) of Hanuman Ji in the form of the sadhu he had first encountered.
A Legacy of Service and Sacrifice
Four years after the temple’s establishment, in 1759, Mohandas Ji entrusted the service (seva) of Balaji to Kani Bai’s family and entered samadhi (conscious, voluntary departure from the body). The eternal flame (Akhand Dhuni) that has been burning since that time continues to alleviate the suffering of all who come to pray.

Jay Shri Ram! Sitaram!