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 burn their heads. But, do you know who Baba Shyam is… and why the temple of Baba Shyam has been built in Khatushyam ji… which is famous all over the world.
It is mentioned in Mahabharata that Bhima’s son was Ghatotkacha and his son was Barbarik. Barbarik was a devotee of Mother Goddess. Pleased with Barbarik’s penance and devotion, Mother Goddess gave him three arrows, with one of which he could destroy the entire earth. In such a situation, when the Mahabharata war was going on, Barbarik proposed his mother Hidimba to fight the war. Then Barbarika’s mother thought that the army of the Kauravas was big 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 behalf of the losing side. After this, following the orders of their mother, the barbarians set out to participate in the Mahabharata war. But, Shri Krishna knew that if Barbarika reached the battlefield then Pandavas would win, they would fight the war on behalf of Kauravas. So Lord Krishna took the form of a Brahmin and approached Barbarika.
Then Lord Shri Krishna asked for his head as a donation from Barbarik. Barbarik donated his head to Lord Krishna without any questions. Because of this donation, Shri Krishna said that in Kalyug you will be worshiped in my name, in Kalyug you will be worshiped in the name of Shyam, you will be called the incarnation of Kalyug and will be the support of the defeated.
When Ghatotkacha’s son Barbarik donated his head to Lord Shri Krishna, Barbarik expressed his desire to see the war of Mahabharata, then Shri Krishna kept Barbarik’s head at a high place. Then Barbarik witnessed the entire Mahabharata war. After the end of the war, Lord Krishna threw Barbarik’s head into the pregnant river. In this way the head of Barbarik i.e. Baba Shyam came from the pregnant river to Khatu (Khatuwang city at that time). Let us tell you that the pregnant river in Khatushyamji had disappeared in 1974.
According to the local people, a cow used to give milk on its own every day near the Peepal tree, so when people excavated that place, Baba Shyam’s head was found from there. This head of Baba Shyam was received on Gyaras of Phalgun month, hence Baba Shyam’s birth anniversary is also celebrated on Gyaras of Phalgun month. After the excavation, the villagers handed over the head of Baba Shyam to Narmada Devi of 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.
