Overview of Khatushyamji temple
As far as historical references are found, the Khatu Shyamji temple was built by Roopsingh Chauhan along with his wife Narmada Kanwar in 1027 AD. In 1720 AD, it was further renovated by Diwan Abhaisingh. The temple is located in the Sikar district of Rajasthan.
Importance as a cultural and spiritual asset
KhatuShyam ji temple is well-renowned and the legend of the place is immensely popular. Khatushyam ji temple rajasthan is architecturally rich. The construction is done in a great fashion using lime, mortar as well as marble tiles. The sanctum shutters are covered beautifully with sheets of silver. Outside is a prayer hall that is named Jagmohan elaborating scenes from the mythology. The temple is considered to be of great spiritual importance as it is an immensely popular temple of the Krishna. The Shyam Bagicha is a garden that is near the temple.
Significance of the presiding deity
The Khatu Shyamji temple is essentially as a Krishna temple. The Lord is incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the universe and destroyer of evil. It is said that Narmada Kanwar, the wife of Roopsingh Chauhan had a dream of the lord to take out his idol out of the earth. The place that is known as Shyam Kund was dug up and the idol emerged that was enshrined in the temple. The idol for khatushyam ji temple darshan is essentially in the form of a Sheesh that appears in the holy pond of Shyam Kund.
More about the idol
The idol is the center of attraction for devotees and families. It is made of rare stones. The exit and entry gates are made of marble with floral designing done on them. It appears astonishingly beautiful during the customary rituals. As discussed earlier, the idol is in the form of Shish and is enshrined in the sanctorium. The place is revered by all and is considered to be one of the holiest places of Hindu pilgrimage.
The presence of other shrines
Apart from the main deity of worship, there are other shrines in Khatushyam ji temple images. The Samadhi of Aloo Singh, the great devotee is worth mentioning in this aspect. It is located within the garden. Apart from this, there is the Gopinath temple located at the south-east of the main temple. Also, worth mentioning is the Gaurishankar temple that has the mark of a spear on the lingam.
The nature of rituals
There is huge flock of devotees at Khatushyam ji temple throughout the year. The Khatushyam ji temple timings range in summers as well as winters. The summer timings are from 4.30 am in the morning till 12.30 pm in the afternoon. It opens again in the evening by 4 pm and stays open till 10 pm in the night. The winter hours are from 5.30 am in the morning till 1 pm while in the evening the temple opens again at 5 pm and closes by 9 pm in the night. It is important to note that Shukla Paksh Ekadashi the temple remains open for 24 hours. The birthday of Shyamji is celebrated on every Kartik Sudi Ekadashi during which the temple remains open all the time.
Important festivals that follow
The Falgun mela is considered to be the main festival in Khatushyam ji temple history. It is organized in the months of February and March. The festival generally ranges from eight to twelve days. It happens just five days before the festival of Holi. This is truly an auspicious time as there is the arrival of innumerable devotees to this place at this time. There is presence of famous singers during this time as well. This is also known as Nishan Yatra that essentially means the journey to Shyam ji with flags. The devotees start their foot journey with flags Ringus that is 19 km from the Khatu Dham.
During this journey they chant name of Shri Shyam, dance merrily as well as listen to Bhajans. They are arrangements made for DJ as well that adds to the ambience in a unique manner. Some of the devotees also play with color while they convey their journey to Khatu Dham. There are a number of bhakts of Shyam who provide food and water to the pedestrians on the way. They provide encouragement to the devotees to complete their journey with enthusiasm.
Value of pilgrimage
Lord Vishnu is considered to be the preserver and destroyer of evil. It is generally a faith among the devotees that visiting this place will resolve their worldly sorrows. People claim that offering Khatushyam ji temple puja they will be able to live a happy, peaceful and contented life.