Sikar is a city and municipal council in the Sikar district of the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Sikar district. It is largest city of the Shekhawati region, which consists of Sikar district, Churu district and Jhunjhunu. After Kota, Sikar is number one coaching hub in the country for competitive examination preparations and has a number of engineering and medical coaching institutes.It is also known as Rajasthan's 'Mini Kota'.
Sikar is also a major hub for agricultural trade, given it is surrounded by large plains areas west of the Aravalli Range.
Sikar is a historical city and contains many old . It is away from Jaipur, from Jodhpur, from Bikaner, and from New Delhi.
Sikar district is also popular for Khatu Shyam Temple, situated in the town of Khatoo, 16 km from Reengus town and 45 km from Sikar city.
Another place for which Sikar is famous is the Harsh Parvat, part of Aravalli Range. Mainly, Harsh Parvat is known for the Harshnath Temple, which is historical temple. Moreover, it is a tourist place where people come to enjoy the mansoon season and greenery of mountains.
History
Sikar had been the biggest Thikana (Estate) of the
Jaipur state. Previously Sikar was known as Shekhawati pradesh. It was the capital of Thikana Sikar. Sikar is surrounded by fortified walls consisting of seven "Pols" (gates). These historic gates are named: Bawari Gate, Fatehpuri Gate, Nani Gate, Surajpole Gate, Dujod Gate Old, Dujod Gate New, and Chandpole Gate.
Geography and climate
Geography
Sikar city is the district headquarters of
Rajasthan's Sikar district, which is situated in the eastern part of
Rajasthan. It is the sixth most populous city of Rajasthan. It is located at.
It has an average elevation of .
Climate
Demographics
Sikar City had a population of about 244,497 people according to the final results of the census of 2011.
As per provisional reports of Census India, the population of Sikar in 2011 is 237,579; of which there are approximately 123,156 males and 114,423 females. The sex ratio of Sikar City is 929 females per 1000 males. Regarding education, total literates in Sikar city are 158,413 of which 91,403 are males while 67,010 are females. The average literacy rate of Sikar City is 77.13, male and female literacy status is 86.29 and 67.37, respectively. The total population of children (0–6) in Sikar City is about 32,189, consisting of 17,236 boys and 14,953 girls. The child sex ratio of girls is 868 per 1000 boys.
At the time of the 2011 census, 67.96% of the population recorded their language as Rajasthani, 14.76% Urdu, 9.54% Hindi and 7.11% Marwari language as their first language.
Popular places
Sikar, a city rich in cultural heritage, offers several fascinating places to visit:
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Khatu Shyam Temple: A renowned pilgrimage site, this temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna’s incarnation, Khatu Shyam Ji. It attracts devotees from all parts of the country.
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Harshnath Temple: Located about 11 kilo-meters from Sikar, this ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva dates back to 973 CE. It offers a hilly area scene with historical significance.
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Lachhmangarh Fort: built by Rao Raja Laxman Singh in 1805.
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Nehru Park: One of the largest parks in Sikar.
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Smriti van: one of the biggest park
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Bheruji Temple, Reengus: A renowned pilgrimage site dedicated to Lord Bhairava.
Administration
Sikar city is governed by a Municipal Council, which comes under the Sikar Urban Agglomeration. The new municipal council building is built in Shekhawati style like a mahal or haveli. Sikar city is divided into 60 wards. Although Sikar city has a population of 237,579 (in 2011), its urban/metropolitan population is 244,563 (in 2011). The Sikar metropolitan area includes Chandrapura (Rural), Radhakrishnpura, Samarthpura, Shivsinghpura and Sikar city.
Education
Sikar has emerged as a significant educational hub, particularly for competitive exam preparation.
The city of Sikar hosts numerous coaching institutes that offer specialized training for medical and engineering entrance exams such as NEET and IIT-JEE, attracting students from rural areas and neighbouring states, including
Haryana,
Uttar Pradesh.
This approach has been associated with lower stress levels compared to other coaching hubs like Kota.
Sikar is home to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Shekhawati University, which offers higher education programs in various fields. Additionally, government colleges in Sikar provide undergraduate and postgraduate courses in arts, sciences, and commerce, while private institutions contribute significantly to the educational landscape. Notable private institutes include Mody University of Science and Technology in Laxmangarh, which focuses on women’s education, and Bhartiya and Sobhasaria Engineering Colleges.
Sikar is also home to Shri Kalyan Government Medical College, a tertiary medical institution offering Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) and postgraduate courses.
Sikar has gained recognition for its success in medical entrance exams, with several students achieving high ranks in NEET, including All India Rank 1 in 2024.
In NEET UG 2025, Mahesh Kumar of Hanumangarh got All India Rank 1 with 686 marks out of 720, and topped the exam while studying at a private coaching institute in Sikar.
Notable persons
Politicians
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Narayan Singh Burdak - RPCC Chief and former minister in Government of Rajasthan
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Govind Singh Dotasra - RPCC Chief and former minister in Government of Rajasthan
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Mahadeo Singh Khandela - former union minister in Government of India
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Gopal Singh Khandela - former minister in Government of Rajasthan
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Banshidhar Bajiya - former minister in Government of Rajasthan
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Bhairon Singh Shekhawat - 11th vice president of India
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Ramdev Singh Maharia - former minister in Government of Rajasthan
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Subhash Maharia - former union minister in Government of India
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Amra Ram - MP from Sikar
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Harlal Singh Kharra - former minister in Government of Rajasthan
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Jhabhar Singh Kharra - minister in Government of Rajasthan
Businessmans
Sport persons
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Arjun Lal Jat, Indian rower
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Bajrang Lal Takhar, Indian rower
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Radhey Shyam, Indian basketball player
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Aditya Garhwal, Indian Cricketer
Others
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Swami Keshwanand - Indian freedom fighter and social reformer
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Digendra Kumar - Mahavir Chakra recipient for bravery in Kargil War
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Himani Shah - Princess of Sikar (now Former Crown Princess of Nepal)
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Priyan Sain - Indian beauty pageant titleholder
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Jamnalal Bajaj- He was an industrialist and freedom fighter
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Lothoo Nitharwal - freedom fighter
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Anjana Devi Chaudhary - first woman from Rajasthan state to be arrested during freedom struggle and wife of Ram Narayan Chaudhary
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Roop Kanwar - victim of sati practice
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Sobhagya Singh Shekhawat - Rajasthani language writer
Modes of transportation
Rail
Sikar Junction railway station comes within the territory of the North Western Railway. Sikar City is connected to
Jhunjhunu,
Rewari,
Delhi, Churu,
Bikaner,
Sri Ganganagar, Hisar,
Jaipur, Kota,
Ajmer,
Udaipur,
Abu Road,
Indore,
Ahmedabad and
Mumbai,
Mathura,
PrayagrajAlwar. New lines proposed since 2010 are Sikar to Nokha via
Sujangarh and Sikar to
Neem-Ka-Thana via
Udaipurwati.
Road
Sikar is well connected by roads from all the major cities of
Rajasthan and nearby states. A four-lane national highway NH-52 passes through the city. NH-52 connects Sikar with
Jaipur and
Bikaner. The western freight corridor also pass through
Ringas of Sikar, as a main project of the central government. Kotputali Kuchaman Mega Highway also passes through Sikar. Jhunjhunu-Jaipur state highway is also passes through Sikar.
Airport
The nearest airport to Sikar City is Jaipur International Airport, which operates daily flights to
Delhi,
Mumbai, Hyderabad,
Bangalore,
Pune,
Indore,
Ahmedabad,
Chennai,
Guwahati,
Kolkata,
Udaipur,
Dubai, Sharjah, and Muscat. A new airport is proposed at Shahpura (a town in
Jaipur district) that is very close to Sikar. A small air strip at
Tarpura village is also available for the landing of small private planes against payment.
See also
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Sikar district
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Sikar (Lok Sabha constituency)
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Sikar (Rajasthan Assembly constituency)
External links
