Khatu Shyam Temple
pilgrimage site · Rajasthan
Khatu is a small town in Sikar district, 80 km by road from Jaipur, and what is worshipped in its temple is a head, an idol in stone.
- State
- Rajasthan
- Type
- Pilgrimage Site
- Best season
- Winter
Khatu is a small town in Sikar district, 80 km by road from Jaipur, and what is worshipped in its temple is a head, an idol in stone. In the legend behind it, Barbareek, a grandson of Bhima, gave his head to Krishna before the Kurukshetra war and was promised worship as Shyam in the Kaliyug. The head, the story goes, was found when a cow's udders spilled milk over the spot at Khatu where it lay buried, and villagers dug it out at the place said to be the Shyam Kund, a holy pond near the temple. The temple is white marble. Its prayer hall, the Jagmohan, has walls painted with scenes from the myths, and the sanctum's shutters are sheathed in silver. Five aartis mark the day, the first before 6 am and the last at 9 pm or later. Check the lunar calendar as well as the month. The Falgun (Lakkhi) Mela, in February or March, builds to Shukla Ekadashi, and in 2026 cameras on the approach path counted 4.10 lakh people by the evening of its third day. Come for the mela if the crowd is what you want. Beyond it, the temple marks each lunar month's Shukla Ekadashi, Dwadashi and Amavasya as special days, and days held sacred to Shyam are when pilgrims come from far beyond Rajasthan. For a shorter queue, pick a day that is none of these, and do not expect an empty temple even then.
Khatu Shyam Temple is known for
A short history
The state's Devasthan Department dates the first temple to 1027 AD, built in eight months by Roopsingh Chauhan and his wife Narmada Kanwar after she dreamt that the deity asked to be taken out of the earth. Rajasthan Tourism's temple page tells it differently: the villagers had already dug up the head, and Roopsingh Chauhan, whom it calls the then-king of Khatu, dreamt that he was asked to install it inside a temple. The temple took its present shape in 1720 AD (Samvat 1777), when Diwan Abhaisingh renovated it at the behest of the king of Jodhpur. In 1779 the town lent its name to a battle. Murtaza Khan Bhadech, collecting revenue arrears in Shekhawati, was on his way to Jaipur when the Shekhawats, led by Devi Singh of Sikar, blocked him at Khatu-Shyamji and beat him. Today the Shri Shyam Mandir Committee, chaired by Shakti Singh Chauhan, runs the temple. The 2024 state budget set aside Rs 100 crore for a corridor and a facelift for the temple, and in October 2025 Patrika reported a Rs 100 crore temple beautification scheme as already launched, with the temple premises and surrounding areas being developed.
When to go
November to January, going by the IMD averages for Sikar, the district headquarters 43–55 km away: days of about 22–28 °C and almost no rain. The catch is the cold at the first aarti, with Sikar's nights averaging about 6–7 °C in December and January. February or March brings the Falgun mela and the heaviest crowds of the year. Avoid May and June, when the average high sits close to 40 °C.
Why visit
Plan the trip round the Falgun mela if you can take a crowd. That is when pilgrims walk the 17 km or so in from Reengus with flags for the deity, and standing in the queue among them is the reason to make the trip. If what you want from a temple is quiet, choose another one.
Cultural notes
During the Falgun mela, the triangular flags coming up the road are nishans, saffron, orange or red, carried on foot from Reengus, where many of the padyatras start at the Bhairuji temple. One flag is different. A white flag with a blue horse is walked 152 km from Surajgarh, on the Haryana–Rajasthan border, and hoisted atop the temple, a custom said to be more than 300 years old. Shyam is the family deity of lakhs of households, and many come on family business: newly-weds to pay their respects, parents with babies for the mundan, the first shearing of the hair. At each of the five aartis two hymns are sung, the Shri Shyam Aarti and the Shri Shyam Vinati. Many who come for the mela stay on until Holi to play gulal.
How to reach
By road: Khatu is 80 km from Jaipur, and the way out of the city is the Sawai Jai Singh Highway onto the Jaipur–Sikar road. Private and government buses run from Jaipur to Khatu with no reserved seats; from the Khatu bus stop, take an auto-rickshaw to the temple. By train: the railhead is Ringas (Reengus) Junction, station code RGS, 16–17 km from the temple, with trains from Delhi and Jaipur. Cabs and jeeps, private and shared, wait outside the station. There is no station at Khatu yet: a line from Ringas has been approved, but track-laying had not begun as of May 2026. By air: Jaipur International Airport, about 80–90 km away. At mela time the roads change. For the 2026 fair the Reengus road, which the pilgrims walk, was a no-vehicle zone, and drivers were directed to parking by QR code. The committee put that year's arrangements on a Mela 2026 page on its website; look there for the current year's plan before you drive.
Khatu Shyam Temple guide & itineraries
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to visit Khatu Shyam Temple?
It depends on whether you want the Falgun mela. If you do, it falls in February or March and draws the biggest crowds of the year. If you don't, go for the weather: November to January, when Sikar, the district headquarters, averages daytime highs of about 22–28 °C with almost no rain, though the nights are cold. Avoid May and June, when highs average close to 40 °C.
How do I get to Khatu Shyam from Jaipur?
It is 80 km by road, and buses, private and government, run from Jaipur to Khatu. By rail, go to Ringas Junction and take a cab or shared jeep for the last 16–17 km. At the 2026 Falgun mela the road in from Reengus was closed to vehicles for the pilgrims on foot, so check each year's traffic plan before you drive.
Which is the nearest railway station to Khatu Shyam?
Ringas (Reengus) Junction, code RGS, 16–17 km from the temple, with trains from Delhi and Jaipur. A 17.49 km line on to Khatu has been approved, with a Khatushyam station and a halt at Sundarpura about 9 km short of the temple, but track-laying had not started as of May 2026 and no date had been announced for trains.
What are the Khatu Shyam Temple timings and aarti times?
Five aartis are held daily, from Mangla when the doors open to Shayan before they close for the night. The committee's 2022 timetable puts Mangla at 5:30 am and Shayan at 9 pm in winter, 4:30 am and 10 pm in summer, with Bhog at 12:30 pm in both; a second table on its website does not quite match. Rajasthan Tourism has the doors open 5:30 am to 1 pm and 5 to 9 pm in winter, and 4:30 am to 12:30 pm and 4 to 10 pm in summer. Phone the committee office on 01576-231182 before you go.
When is the Khatu Shyam Falgun Mela?
In February or March each year, building to Falgun Shukla Ekadashi. Its length changes: the 2026 fair was fixed at eight days, 21–28 February, against twelve the year before, and its main day, the one expected to draw the biggest crowd, was Ekadashi, 27 February. The temple committee's 2026–27 calendar puts the next Shyam Falgun Mela on Thursday 18 March 2027, but not when the fair starts or how long it runs, so check its website nearer the time.
Who is Khatu Shyam?
Devotees worship Barbareek as Shyam. In the legend he was the son of Ghatotkacha and grandson of Bhima, and before the war at Kurukshetra Krishna asked him for his head. He gave it, and Krishna granted that in the Kaliyug he would be known by Krishna's own name, Shyam, and worshipped. At Khatu that head, an idol in stone, is what devotees pray to, and here Shyam is also held to be Krishna himself.
How long should I allow for Khatu Shyam?
Outside mela time, a day trip from Jaipur is enough. At the mela, allow for closed roads, a walk in and queues: in 2026 the walk from the Toran Dwar gate was about 1.5 km, and three pilgrims from Jaipur who arrived there by bus reached the temple within the hour. Do not count on that for Ekadashi, the main day. If you want to stay the night, the town has dharamshalas.
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