Haare ka Sahara · Sheesh ke Daani
Khatu Shyam
Khatu Shyam Ji, the warrior Barbarika who gave his head to Lord Krishna, is worshipped in Kali Yuga by Krishna’s own name, Shyam. Millions come to him at Khatu in Rajasthan as Haare ka Sahara, the support of those who have lost: keep his Ekadashi, call his name, and see when his days fall in your city.
- His day
- Thursday
- Next: Thu 5 Nov
- Next Khatu Shyam day
- Ekadashi
- In 4 days · Thu 5 Nov
1 of 6 · the dark one, a name of Krishna
Shyam
Shyam, the dark one, is a name of Krishna. In the tradition Krishna blessed Barbarika to be worshipped in Kali Yuga by this very name, and to answer all who called him by it.
Devotees greet each other with Jai Shri Shyam, the words many a nishan carries.
2 of 6 · the support of those who have lost
Haare ka Sahara
Before the war of Kurukshetra he promised his mother to fight only for the side that was losing. Devotees believe he still stands by everyone who has lost hope, and call it out on the walk to Khatu.
His jaikara: Haare ka sahara, Baba Shyam hamara.
3 of 6 · the one who gave his head
Sheesh ke Daani
When Krishna, in the guise of a Brahmin, asked for his head as a gift, Barbarika gave it gladly, asking only to see the war. That head is what devotees worship at Khatu, richly adorned.
Many tell that he gave it on Phalguna Shukla Dwadashi, the day after the mela’s great Ekadashi.
4 of 6 · the bearer of three arrows
Teen Baan Dhari
In the most told telling Lord Shiva gave him three arrows that never miss: the first marked what he meant to strike, the second what he meant to spare, and the third struck all the first had marked.
What each arrow does is told below, in The three arrows.
5 of 6 · the king of Khatu
Khatu Naresh
Khatu, in Sikar district of Rajasthan, is his town. By tradition his head was found there, where a cow gave her milk on one spot each day, and his temple of white marble stands beside Shyam Kund.
In the Phalguna mela pilgrims walk the 17 km from Reengus to him with nishans like these.
6 of 6 · the son of Maurvi
Morvinandan
His mother Maurvi, by tradition the daughter of the asura king Mura, taught him the arts of war. It was to her that he gave the promise that makes him the support of all who have lost.
Some devotees chant Om Shri Morvinandanay Namah, I bow to the son of Maurvi.
Tap a flag, or a name, to read what it means. Devotees carry nishans like these on foot to his temple at Khatu, saffron or blue, with Jai Shri Shyam or a peacock feather on them.
His days, in your city
Dates and puja times for the city you pick
For New Delhi
Every Ekadashi is his day, when Khatu stays open through the day and night. The greatest are Phalguna Shukla Ekadashi, the heart of the Phalguna mela, and Dev Uthani Ekadashi, kept as his birthday.
- Every Thursday
- Thu 5 NovHis day of the week
- His birthday, Dev Uthani Ekadashi
- Fri 20 NovParana 21 Nov, 1:11 pm to 3:18 pm
- Holi
- Mon 22 Mar
- Janmashtami
- Wed 25 Aug12:01 am to 12:46 am, 26 Aug
Take refuge in Shyam
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज।
अहं त्वां सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः॥
Sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja,
Aham tvam sarva papebhyo mokshayishyami ma shuchah.
Set aside every other duty and take refuge in me alone. I will free you from every wrong. Do not grieve.
सारे धर्मों को छोड़कर केवल मेरी शरण में आ जाओ। मैं तुम्हें सब पापों से मुक्त कर दूँगा। शोक मत करो।
Shyam Baba bears Lord Krishna’s name, and devotees who come to him with nothing left hold to this promise of Krishna’s. At Khatu the day turns on five aartis, from the mangala aarti before dawn to the shayan aarti at night, and the aarti sung at each is Om Jai Shri Shyam Hare, to the tune of Om Jai Jagdish Hare.
Read the Gita’s famous versesHis prayers
- Om Jai Shri Shyam HareHis aarti, sung at Khatu and at every Shyam jagaranSoon
- Shri Shyam ChalisaForty verses in HindiSoon
- Bhagavad Gita 18.66Krishna’s promise to all who take refuge in himRead
A simple Ekadashi puja
Shyam Baba is worshipped above all on Ekadashi, and many keep the day’s fast and break it on Dwadashi. At home a short puja with a calm heart is enough; follow your family’s way where it differs.
- Bathe, and set his picture or image on a clean cloth.
- Light a ghee lamp and incense before him.
- Offer red roses, a little ittar and a peacock feather.
- Offer kheer or churma as his bhog, with a coconut if you have one.
- Chant Om Shri Shyam Devaya Namah 108 times, or sing his bhajans and aarti.
- Call his jaikara, Haare ka sahara, Baba Shyam hamara, and share the prasad.
What you need
- His picture or image
- A ghee lamp and incense
- Red roses
- Ittar, a flower perfume
- A peacock feather
- Kheer or churma, and a coconut
Who is Khatu Shyam
Khatu Shyam Ji is the warrior Barbarika of the Mahabharata tradition, worshipped as Shyam, a name of Lord Krishna. By tradition he was the son of Ghatotkacha and Maurvi and the grandson of Bhima the Pandava. His story is not in the Sanskrit Mahabharata itself: it lives in the tellings of Rajasthan and the north, and a Purana tells it in its own way.
He had three arrows that could end any war, and had promised his mother to fight for the side that was losing. Before the war of Kurukshetra, Lord Krishna came to him as a Brahmin and asked for his head as a gift. Barbarika gave it gladly, and Krishna blessed him: in Kali Yuga he would be worshipped by Krishna’s own name, and would answer all who called him.
His head is worshipped at Khatu, in Sikar district of Rajasthan, where crowds come every Ekadashi and in their lakhs to the Phalguna mela. Devotees call him Haare ka Sahara, the support of those who have lost, and greet each other with “Jai Shri Shyam”.
- Shyam Baba Baba Shyam, as devotees call him
- Barbarika his name in the Mahabharata tradition, also Barbareek
- Haare ka Sahara the support of those who have lost
- Sheesh ke Daani the one who gave his head
- Teen Baan Dhari the bearer of three arrows
- Lakhdatar the one who gives by the lakh
- Morvinandan the son of Maurvi
- Khatu Naresh the king of Khatu
- Neele ka Asawar the rider of the blue horse
ॐ श्री श्याम देवाय नमः
Om Shri Shyam Devaya Namah
I bow to Shri Shyam Dev. Many chant it 108 times on Ekadashi, with a mala.
श्री श्याम देव को मेरा नमन। कई लोग एकादशी के दिन माला लेकर इसे 108 बार जपते हैं।
हारे का सहारा,
बाबा श्याम हमारा।
Haare ka sahara,
Baba Shyam hamara.
The support of those who have lost: that is our Baba Shyam. Devotees call it on the walk to Khatu, at his aarti and whenever they need him.
जो हार गए हैं, उनका सहारा: वही हमारे बाबा श्याम हैं। भक्त खाटू की पैदल यात्रा में, उनकी आरती में और जब भी उनकी ज़रूरत हो, यह जयकारा लगाते हैं।
The three arrows
The teen baan of Barbarika, in the order he looses them
1 of 3 · It marks
The first arrow
Loosed first, it flies over the whole field and puts a mark on everything he means to strike: every warrior, every chariot, every leaf, however hidden. Nothing it has marked can escape.
Under the peepal tree, this was the arrow that found the leaf hidden under the Brahmin’s foot.
2 of 3 · It spares
The second arrow
The second marks whatever he wishes to keep safe. Its mark is a shield: when the third arrow flies, all that the second arrow marked is left untouched.
Some tellings leave it out, and have him need only the first and the third.
3 of 3 · It strikes
The third arrow
The last of the three destroys everything the first arrow marked, then comes back to his quiver. With the three, it was said, he could end the whole war of Kurukshetra in a moment.
This is why Lord Krishna asked for his head: no army could stand against a warrior who would always fight for the losing side.
Tap an arrow, or its number, to read what it does. They fan out from his bow in the order he looses them. In the most told telling Lord Shiva gave him the three arrows after long tapas; others say it was the goddess Durga, or the goddesses he worshipped. The tellings differ, but agree on what the arrows did.
The Phalguna mela and his birthday
His great days at Khatu, by the moon
The Phalguna mela
His greatest festival, the Lakkhi mela, at Khatu in the bright half of Phalguna, in February or March. Its great day is Phalguna Shukla Ekadashi, Amalaki Ekadashi, when lakhs come to see him; many tell that he gave his head on the next day, the Dwadashi.
His birthday
Kept as his Janmotsav on Dev Uthani Ekadashi, Kartika Shukla Ekadashi, in October or November, the day his head is said to have been set in the temple at Khatu. Some devotees keep the Phalguna Ekadashi as his birthday instead.
Every Ekadashi and Dwadashi
The eleventh and twelfth days of the moon, above all in the bright half, are his days each month. On Ekadashi, Gyaras, the temple at Khatu stays open through the day and the night, and Shyam jagarans sing until dawn.
The Nishan yatra
Through the mela, pilgrims walk the 17 km from Reengus to Khatu with a nishan, a flag, in their hands, singing and dancing on the way. The white flag of Surajgarh, carried on foot from Jhunjhunu district, is raised on the top of the temple.
What his symbols mean
The three arrows
The teen baan that could end any war in a moment, which he gave up with his head: power held back for the sake of dharma.
The bow
The weapon of the warrior who promised to stand with whoever was losing.
His head
At Khatu he is worshipped as a head alone, richly adorned: Sheesh ke Daani, the one who gave his head.
The nishan
A flag in saffron, blue, white or red, carried to him on foot and offered at his temple: a sign of the victory his gift made possible.
The blue horse
Neela, the horse he rides, which gives him the name Neele ka Asawar. The Surajgarh flag on the top of the temple bears a blue horse.
The peacock feather
Lord Krishna’s own sign, offered to him by devotees and tied to many a nishan.
His stories
Across India
Rajasthan
At Khatu in Sikar district his temple of white marble stands beside Shyam Kund, where pilgrims bathe. In the Phalguna mela lakhs walk from Reengus with flags, and the Surajgarh flag comes on foot from Jhunjhunu district to be raised on the temple.
Haryana
At Chulkana near Samalkha in Panipat district, his temple is held to stand where he gave his head to Lord Krishna, and devotees come there to play Holi with Baba Shyam.
Gujarat
At Lambha near Ahmedabad, Barbarika is worshipped as Baliyadev, Baliya Bapa, with a fair of his own.
West Bengal and Assam
Shyam devotees built Ghusuri Dham in Howrah, the largest Khatu Shyam temple in the east, and the Shree Shyam Mandir at Chatribari in Guwahati, crowded on every Ekadashi.
Across North India
From Delhi to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, towns hold their own Nishan yatras in Phalguna, and Shyam jagarans fill Ekadashi nights with bhajans until dawn.
His temples
- Khatu Shyam Ji TempleKhatu, Sikar, Rajasthan
- Shree Shyam Baba Mandir, Chulkana DhamChulkana, Panipat, Haryana
- Shree Shyam Mandir, GhusuriGhusuri, Howrah, West Bengal
- Shree Shyam Mandir, GuwahatiChatribari, Guwahati, Assam
- Baliyadev TempleLambha, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Questions
Who is Khatu Shyam?
He is Barbarika, the grandson of Bhima, who gave his head to Lord Krishna before the war of Kurukshetra. Krishna blessed him to be worshipped in Kali Yuga by Krishna’s own name, Shyam. His head is worshipped at Khatu in Sikar district, Rajasthan.
Why is he called Haare ka Sahara?
Because he promised his mother that he would always fight for the side that was losing. Devotees believe he still stands by everyone who has lost hope, and call him the support of those who have lost.
Why did Barbarika give his head?
In the tradition, Lord Krishna saw that a warrior with three unfailing arrows, sworn to help the losing side, would keep changing sides until no one was left. Asked for his head as a gift by Krishna in the guise of a Brahmin, Barbarika gave it gladly.
When is the Khatu Shyam Phalguna mela?
In the bright half of Phalguna, in February or March, ending a few days before Holi. Its great day is Phalguna Shukla Ekadashi, in 2027 on Thursday 18 March in New Delhi. The temple committee announces the exact days of the mela.
When is Khatu Shyam’s birthday?
On Dev Uthani Ekadashi, Kartika Shukla Ekadashi, in October or November: in 2026 on Friday 20 November. Some devotees keep the Phalguna Ekadashi as his birthday instead.
What is the mantra of Khatu Shyam?
Om Shri Shyam Devaya Namah, I bow to Shri Shyam Dev. Many chant it 108 times on Ekadashi, and call his jaikara, Haare ka sahara, Baba Shyam hamara.
What is the aarti of Khatu Shyam?
Om Jai Shri Shyam Hare, sung at Khatu at each of his five daily aartis and at every Shyam jagaran, to the tune of Om Jai Jagdish Hare.
What is the Nishan yatra?
The walk to Khatu with a nishan, a flag, in hand: in the Phalguna mela pilgrims walk the 17 km from Reengus, singing his bhajans, and offer the flag at his temple.
Which day is Khatu Shyam’s?
His days go by the moon: every Ekadashi and Dwadashi, above all in the bright half of the month. Some devotees also keep a fast on Thursday.