Sikar : Baba Shyam is considered to be the incarnation of Kalyug. Shyam is also called the support of the defeated. Every year lakhs of devotees come to Baba Shyam’s court to sacrifice their heads. But, do you know who Baba Shyam is… and why Baba Shyam’s temple has been built in Khatushyam Ji… which is famous all over the world.
It is mentioned in the Mahabharata that Bhima’s son was Ghatotkach and his son was Barbarik. Barbarik was a devotee of Goddess Mother. Pleased with Barbarik’s penance and devotion, Goddess Mother gave him three arrows, with one of which he could destroy the entire earth. In such a situation, when the war of Mahabharata was going on, Barbarik proposed to his mother Hidimba to fight the war. Then Barbarik’s mother thought that the army of the Kauravas was large and the army of the Pandavas was small, so perhaps the Kauravas would overpower the Pandavas in the war. Then Hidimba said that you will fight on the side of the losing side. After this, following the mother’s orders, the barbarians set out to participate in the war of Mahabharata. But, Shri Krishna knew that if Barbarik reached the battlefield, the victory would be of the Pandavas, he would fight the war on behalf of the Kauravas. So Lord Krishna took the form of a Brahmin and reached Barbarik.
Then Lord Krishna asked Barbarik for his head as a donation. Barbarik donated his head to Lord Krishna without any question. Due to this donation, Shri Krishna said that in Kaliyug you will be worshiped in my name, in Kaliyug you will be worshiped in the name of Shyam, you will be called the incarnation of Kaliyug and will be the support of the defeated.
When Ghatotkach’s son Barbarik donated his head to Lord Shri Krishna, Barbarik expressed his desire to see the Mahabharata war, then Shri Krishna placed Barbarik’s head at a high place. Then Barbarik saw the entire Mahabharata war. After the end of the war, Lord Krishna threw Barbarik’s head in the pregnant river. In this way, the head of Barbarik i.e. Baba Shyam came to Khatu (Khatuwang city at that time) from the pregnant river. Let us tell you that the pregnant river in Khatushyamji disappeared in 1974.
According to the local people, a cow used to give milk daily near the Peepal tree, so when people dug that place, Baba Shyam’s head came out from there. This head of Baba Shyam was found on the 11th day of the month of Falgun, so Baba Shyam’s birth anniversary is also celebrated on the 11th day of the month of Falgun. After the digging, the villagers handed over Baba Shyam’s head to Narmada Devi of the Chauhan dynasty. After this, Narmada Devi installed Baba Shyam in the sanctum sanctorum and a Shyam Kund was built at the place where Baba Shyam was dug.
