Ancient Town Of Marwar Dynasty !!!

Osian is an ancient village town known for its cluster of temples, located in the Jodhpur District of Rajasthan, lying nearly 65 km away in the north of Jodhpur, on a diversion off the main Jodhpur – Bikaner Highway.

Though a small village now, history confirms that Osian was once a large and prosperous city. So large in fact, that according to the local story, Osian at the height of its prosperity had its grain market in the town.

Osian was an important pilgrimage centre between the 8th and 9th centuries, apparent from the surviving Hindu temples of the Vaishnava, Saura (Sun) and Shakti (mother goddess) sects. Later, inspite of the ruler’s adoption of Jainism, Osian continued to attract Hindu devotees to its temple of the goddess Sachiyamata (a folk transformation of Mahishasuramardini), still in use today.

There are 15 brahminical temples and shrines, and a cluster of Jain temples, all built during the Gurjara Pratihara dynasty between the 8th and the 12th centuries: testimony to the significance of religion in the life of its people for 400 years. One group of 11 temples belonging to the early phase (8th-9th centuries), lies within and on the outskirts of the present-day village. The other group belonging to the 11th and 12th centuries is located on a hill overlooking the village. Though small, these temples are beautifully built and richly sculpted. A striking feature is the variety in their design. Each temple has its original design, planning and layout.

The stone from which these temples were built was extracted from local quarries, and has managed for the most part to withstand the ravages of time.

Getting There
Airways : Jodhpur Domestic Airport is the nearest airport to Osian Temples, lying 70 km away from here. It has an excellent daily flights to the major cities of Rajasthan and India like Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Udaipur, Delhi and Mumbai. Indian Airlines operate several flights each week to Jaipur and other destinations. After reaching Jodhpur, one can take RSTC buses or taxi to reach Osian Temple Complex, which is nearly 65 km away.

Railways : The nearest Railway Station to Osiyan is Jodhpur Railway Station,. It has well organised tracks, some of the important trains are 2466 Intercity Jodhpur-Jaipur, 192 Jodhpur-Kota passenger, 349 Jodhpur- Bikaner passenger that connect Jodhpur with in a span of few hours to various travelled sections of India. Once you are in Jodhpur, you can look for RSTC buses, taxi, and local buses to converge to Osian.

Roadways : Osian is located 65 km away in the north of Jodhpur, on a diversion off the main Jodhpur – Bikaner Highway, you can chose to travel to Osian from Bikaner or Jodhpur, both are convenient routes. Jodhpur is well connected to National Highway No. 65, linking mostly travelled sections of Rajasthan. You can easily get buses from outside the Roadways Bus Stand of Jodhpur and Bikaner or you can also hire taxi to reach Osian Temples.