Osian or Osiyan is an ancient temple city located in the Jodhpur District of Rajasthan. This city is known as Khajuraho of Rajasthan.

Derivation of Osian
The city of pilgrimage tourism was named `Osian` after the legendary Scottish poet of the 3rd century. He was credited of being the author of ancient lines handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.

Location of Osian
Osian located at about 69 kilometers from the main cities of Rajasthan by road. The district headquarter is located at the north of Jodhpur. It is reachable by a diversion off the main Jodhpur -Bikaner Highway.

History of Osian
History of Osian dated from the time of Brahmanical and Jain rule. The modern temple town of Osian is famous for the presence of Brahmanical and Jain temples. These temples are dated from the 8th to 11th centuries. Osian or Osiyan was a popular pilgrimage destination during the rule of the kingdom of Marwar and the Gurjara Pratihara dynasty. Osian can be traced back from the Gupta Empire. The art and architecture of the temples of Osian were flourished in the later early era and the medieval era. In the medieval era, when Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated by the Muhommad Ghori in the Battle of Tarain, the Muslim armies destroyed and plundered most of the temples. The famous Mahavira Temple was built by Pratihara King Vatsa Raja in 783 AD. Osian was described as an ornament of the Thar Desert in India. In the olden times Osian was an important flourishing town. In 1846, William Craig, John Ogden and Squire La Fever laid out the town of Osian. The official incorporation date of the town was on March 14, 1850. It was at that time the trustees officially named the town.

Demography of Osian
According to the Population Census in the year 2011, Osian had the 12,452 inhabitants, out of which the 6,555 were male and 5,897 were female.

Culture of Osian
The people of Osian mostly follow the Jain culture and Jain festivals are flourished.

Economy of Osian
The economy of Osian mostly follows the tourism. There is a power field that produces electricity to the temple town.

Tourism in Osian
Osian is a place of tourism importance. Sachiya Mata Temple, Osian temple, Oswal Jain temple, Pipplala Temples, Shiv Mandir, Lord Vishnu Temple, Parshvanath Temple, Harihara temple and many more are the popular temples of Osian.

Visiting Information
Osian is connected with the roadways and railways from all the cities of Rajasthan. For an outland tourist one needs to come at Bikaner or Jaipur to get the train or bus or private taxis to Osian.