Bullet Baba Shrine

Drunk driving accidents are nothing to look up to but at the Bullet Baba Shrine in Jodhpur, India one such crash has been turned into a religious hotspot. 

On his way from Pali to Chotila, Om Singh Rathore crashed his motorcycle into a tree, allegedly while driving drunk. According to local legend, after the police hauled the bike away to the station, it was mysteriously discovered back at the site of the accident the next morning. Thinking this was a prank, the police took the bike, emptied the gas tank and chained it up. The very next day the chains were found broken and the bike was once again found at the site of the accident.

After all of the ghostly happenings, the motorcycle was moved to the site permanently and a shrine was erected including a concrete dais and glass enclosure for the bike. Each day hundreds of passersby stop to bow down to the spirit of Om Banna the Motorcycle God (known colloquially as Bullet Baba because the motorcycle in question was a Royal Enfield Bullet) who is believed to offer protection to distressed travelers. They leave flowers and bottles of liquor to ask for the deity’s blessing. The temple even has its own priest who conducts the morning and evening rituals and tends to the upkeep of the site.

The tree into which Rathore crashed still stands in front of the shrine, and is now festooned with prayer strings, bangles and ropes. Bullet Baba’s shrine is a colorful reminder that even the worst accidents might happen for a reason.