A Khatu Shyam mandir that is built to pay homage and pilgrimage to a param bhakt of Shri Krishna and is indirectly related to the Dwapar yug when the Mahabharat was taking place. It is said that the idol inside the main shrine of the Baba Shyam mandir is just the head of Barbarik. It is really very interesting to know why the head of Barbarik is worshipped in Kali Yug with relevance to the Dwapar Yug. To know more about this fascinating story, scroll down!!
A tale not known to many
This is a story or more of an incident that occured in the Dwapar Yug. It was the time just before the commencement of the Kurushetra war amongst the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Lord Krishna had disguised himself as a saint and went to all the yodhas to ask them in how many days can they think of completing the war and achieving victory.
Krishna ji first went on to ask Bhima and got an answer that he would emerge victorious in 20 days. Then Krishnaji went on to ask the great warrior Karna and got an answer of 24 days. He then went on to ask Dronacharya about the same and got an answer of 25 days and then he lastly asked the great archer Arjun and got the response of 28 days.
Then Krishna ji went on to ask Barbarik, Barbarik had promised his mother that he would fight the war on the side of the losing team which he thought was his father’s side as the Pandav’s had less soldiers and army. But when he met Krishna ji, Krishna ji asked him the same question and to that he said that he has 3 arrows and with the help of those arrows he can emerge as victorious in a matter of half a second.
To test this, Krishna ji took him to a safe spot where a tree rested and asked him to remove all the dry leaves on that tree. As told by Krishna ji, Barbarik did the same and eliminated the leaves in a matter of seconds and the arrow then came pointing towards lord Krishna’s feet to which Barbarik said that “Oh Lord there is a dry leaf under your feet, hence it is pointing towards you”.
After seeing this miracle, Krishna ji explained the whole consequences of the war and how Barbarik would not be able to fulfill his promise. After listening to all the pros and cons, Barbarik was confused as to what should be his course of action further, then Krishan ji presented him with a solution that there is a ritual that is followed before the war starts, the head of a great warrior is used to sanctify the battle ground.
Hearing this and also knowing that to avoid the destruction, Barbarik cut his head and gave it to Krishna ji and soon after this act, the war commenced. The place where this act took place is in present Haryana and is known as “Chulkanadham”.
The beheaded found in the village of Khatoo
After many many years, when the Kaliyuga started, the head of Barbarik was found in a village of Rajasthan named Khatoo. The head was buried deep in the ground. On one fine day, when a cow was near the buried place of the head, milk started flowing continuously from its udder which horrified the villagers.
Seeing this they dug deep into the ground and found the cut head of Barbarik. After extracting the head of Barbarik, they handed the cut head to a priest who later on worshipped it and was waiting for some divine revelations in order to know what to be done further with it.
It is then said that the king of Khatoo got a divine dream in which he was asked to construct a temple and place the idol there for people to come and pay their homage. There is also another story that says that the wife of the king of Khatoo had got a dream about the idol and then she went on to tell this to her husband who then constructed the temple and placed the idol there.
The making of the mandir in the town of Khatoo
Roopsingh Chauhan the king of Khatoo, then constructed a temple and placed the idol there in 1027 AD. The place where the idol was dug out from is now called Shyam kund. A nobleman named Diwan Abhaysingh visited the place and renovated the mandir to its present structure with the help of the then present ruler of Marwar.
The idol that is placed in the Khatu Shyam mandir is made out of a rare stone and Khato Shyam ji is considered as the kul devta for many families in Rajasthan. There is another Khatu Shyam mandir that is situated in Lambha, Ahmedabad, Gujarat and the families get their new born babies here to seek blessings from Khato Shyam Ji. in Gujarat, he is known as “Baliya Dev”.
The architecture of the temple
The architecture of the Khatu Shyam mandir is very beautiful, which is made out of lime carter, white marbles and tiles. Beautiful carvings of sculptures and inscriptions are made on the temple walls. The main shrine or the garbhagriha of the temple is covered with silver sheets on the inside and the large prayer halls are painted with mythological scenes from the past.
There is a garden just in front of the Khatu Shyam mandir from where selected flowers are plucked and offered to Khatu Shyam ji. There is a kund or a pond where the head of Khatu Shyam Ji was found; here the devotees take a holy bath or a dip before worshipping baba Khatu Shyam Ji.
Timings of Darshan and Aarti at the temple
There are different rituals and traditions that are followed at the Khatu Shyam mandir during the day. So you can refer to the below schedule before reaching the temple and plan your visit way ahead of your arrival.
Darshan Timings:
Summer Timings for Darshan: April to September
| Morning Timings | 4:30am to 12:30pm |
| Evening Timings | 4pm to 10pm |
Winter Timings for Darshan: October to March
| Morning Timings | 5:30am to 1pm |
| Evening Timings | 4pm to 9pm |
Aarti Timings for both the seasons:
| Mangala Aarti | Summer Timing- 4:30 amWinter Timings- 5:30 am |
| Shringar Aarti | 7am |
| Bhog Aarti | 12 Noon |
| Sandhaya Aarti | Summer Timing- 7 pm Winter Timing- 6:30 pm |
| Shayan Aarti | Summer Timing- 10 pmWinter Timing- 9 pm |
Different transport ways to reach Khatu Shyam Ji
You can reach Khatu Shyam Ji through various transportation options. Read below the ways that are best convenient for you to reach this mandir.
By Air:
- The nearest Airport: The Jaipur International Airport (JAI)
- The distance from airport to temple: Approximately 95 kms from Jaipur
- The Connectivity from different cities: The airport is well connected to major cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Kolkata.
- The vehicles that are available from the airport: At the airport, you can take a cab, hire a taxi or take a bus to reach the venue.
By Rail:
- The nearest railway station: Ringas Junction (RGS)
- The distance from the railway station: 17 kms from the village Khatu
- The connectivity to the railway station from different cities: Delhi, Bikaner and Jaipur
- The vehicles available from the railway station: You can take an auto rickshaw, taxi or take a bus to the temple.
By Road:
Two road connections that are the nearest to the temple are Delhi and Jaipur. So to reach by road from these cities is as follows:
From Delhi:
The distance from Delhi is approximately 270 kms. So it will be a total of 5-6 hrs of journey by road.
- The roadmap to Khatu: Delhi- Gurgaon-Rewari-Narnaul-Singhana-Khatu.
- The vehicles available from Delhi: Hire a private taxi or cab, take a bus or a drive in your own car.
From Jaipur:
The distance between Jaipur to Khatu is 80 kms. So it will take a total of 2 hrs to reach the temple.
- The roadmap to Khatu: Jaipur-Chandwaji-Samod-Khatu
- The vehicles from Jaipur: Take a bus or hire a private taxi or cab.
The most Popular festival at Khatu Shyam Ji
The most popular and famous festival that takes place at this Khatu Shyam mandir is the Khatu Shayam Falgun Mela. This Baba Shyam mela takes place between February and March during the Falgun month. This mela takes place for 10-12 days at the Khatu Shyam mandir premises itself and the town management gets into work well in advance to the date of the mela.
This Khatu Shyam mela takes place on a specific mahurat. A lot of pilgrims come to visit the Khatu Shyam Ji mandir and this mela during this period. There is a special muhurat or an auspicious day when this mela commences. The day when this Khatu Shyam mela commences is the ashtami tithi of the Shukla paksha and ends on the dwadashi of the Shukla paksha. Ekadashi is an important day during the mela.
After having such a holistic, calm and peaceful experience at Khatu Shyamji, you would definitely want to go to a place which expresses the same energy and gives the same vibes that you just experienced. We would suggest that you come to Udaipur which is a 7.5 hrs journey from Khatu Shyamji.
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