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Khatu, Sikar district, Rajasthan · 27.3667°, 75.4000°
One of Rajasthan's busiest pilgrimage centres, drawing millions each year and especially at the Falgun Mela; tradition credits its founding in 1027 to the local ruler Roop Singh Chauhan. Durga Das Mathur composed the devotional Shyam Pacchisi here in 1675, and the Battle of Khatu Shyamji was fought nearby in 1779.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
Barbarika, grandson of Bhima, is said to have given up his head before the Mahabharata war, and Krishna blessed him to be worshipped under his own name Shyam through the Kali Yuga.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Chauhan
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…