The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.
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.
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