Khatu is a small village in Sikar district of Rajasthan, which is famous for the temple of Shyam baba (Khatu Shayam or Barbarika). There is a story linked to this 11th century temple: after the battle of Mahabharata, Barbarik's (Grandson of Bheema) head was burried at this place, and after several thousand years the head was recovered from here by the King of Khatu Roopsingh Chauhan, then he had a dream where he was inspired to build the temple of Khatu Shayamji. The original temple was built in 1027 AD and was renovated in 1720 by Diwan Abhai Singh. How to reach KhatuShyam ji Temple: Khatu Shyam ji By Air Nearest airport from Khatu is Jaipur International Airport (Sanganeer airport) which is around 90 kms from the temple, one can easily get day rental cab from and to Jaipur in INR.2200-2500. Khatu Shyam ji By Train Nearest railway station from Khatu Shayam Ji temple is Ringas Junction (IRCTC Code: RGS) which is about 18.5 kms from temple but there are only 4 trains from Delhi to Ringas. Once you reach Ringas railway station its not at all difficult to get transport to temple as there are many jeeps and taxis playing between railway station to temple from early morning till late evening. Train info: Train no. 22452 - CDG BDTS SF EXP runs only on Wed and Sat from Delhi Cantt. (IRCTC Code: DEC) 10:02 hours and reaches Ringas Junction at 13:50 hours. Train no. 12981 - CHETAK EXP runs daily from DELHI S ROHILLA (IRCTC Code: DEE) at 19:40 hours and reaches Ringas Junction at 23:16 hours. Train no. 12066 - AII JAN SHATABDI runs twice a week on Fri and Sat from Nizamuddin Station (NZM) at 15:10 hours and reaches Regus Junction at 19:46 hours. Train no. 19030 - DEE BDTS EXP runs only once a week on Thur from DELHI S ROHILLA (DEE) at 16:00 hours and reaches Ringas Junction at 19:46 hours. Khatu Shyam ji By Road If you are travelling by road then the best bet is via NH8 and it takes just around 4 hours from Delhi, first time when I went from Delhi to Khatu Shayam Ji Temple I had no idea of the route all what I knew was that it’s in Sikar district, so I turned on GPS navigation on my Android device and it worked for me. For reference please find the map attached. Accommodation (Where to stay near Khatu Shayam Ji Temple) There are no hotels near Khatu Shayam Ji Temple so it’s better to make a day trip only and leave by sunset, still if you want to spend some extended time around temple then there are many Dharamshalas where one can stay but do not expect any luxurious facilities in any of these dharamshalas. All what you can expect is: attached bathroom, air conditioner and working geysers during winter season. List of Dharamshalas near Khatu Shayam Ji Rewadi walon ki Dharamshala Garh walon ki Dharamshala. Shree Shyam Mitra Mandal. Shree Shyam Panchayati Dharamshala. Shree Shyam Seva Mandal. Haryana Dharamshala Shree Shyam Prem Mandal. Places Around: Salasar Balaji Birla Temple Shree Shyam Mandir Sariska National Park Sambhar Lake
The Mahabharata story associated with this temple is epic! however, it doesn't haves strong following in south and middle India. Deven daily buses go from Sarai kale khan and ISBT Hare ka sahara Shyam baba
This sounds pretty interesting! My apologies, I could no longer remember my Mahabarata. It was a required reading for us back in sophomore high school (haha, some 20 years ago!). Anyway, the picture looks like there is some kind of festivity. Is there one? What's it called? When people come here, generally what will they expect? Btw, I notice a lot of men are wearing some sort of orange belt. Is there a significance to that?
That is saffron color which is considered holy so people wear it as a mark or respect. There is one festival or the other all year round every few weeks so hard to tell which one is in the picture. It is not a tourist place, people go there for pilgrimage. They just pay their respect to the deity there and go back.
