Travelling from Jodhpur towards Rohet Garh suddenly our driver pulled over and stopped near a large tree.This tree was decorated with thousands of colourfull 'wishing threads'. 'eek minute sir, I just come."Sir,would you also like to see the motor cycle wallah mandir?'
Behind the tree was a sort of samadhi, a square platform,about 4x4 meters and 50 centimeters high, with a kind of grave in the middle. All decorated with flowers and a colourful sheet. A kind of road side shrine.On side of the shrine stood a motor cycle, covered with flowers.The flowers were fresh and fragrant. People kept coming with flowers to offer to this shrine. Most of them were drivers, taxi drivers, rikshaw drivers, truck drivers motor cycle drivers.
'The story of this place is like this, sir: that the raja of the nearby state had only one son, and this son was crazy about motor cycles, specially powerful and fast ones, the ones you have in Europe' and he went further in his half hindi half rajasthani, 'long ago he met with an accident at this very spot, and got injured very badly that he knew that he won't survive this. He lied there bleeding heavily and begged the people gathered around him not to move him and when he dies he be burried at the very spot. The body was
taken to his town by the Raja and his people to be burried / cremated at the family burial grounds.
'And after that day there were daily accidents at this place.Even when people were careful accidents were taking place as if some mysterious power took over.'
'Some day a passing by holy man made a small shrine there and egged the Raja to re-burry his son at that place and make a shrine.Ever since all the passing drivers stop at this place to pay respect to the 'spirit 'of the lost one.
'And sir, as long as I come on this road, I have not heard of any accident on this place.' He said his prayers, so did I and we drove further towards Rohit Garh.
Jan.12.2008
