Churu (Rajasthani: चूरु) is a city in the desert region of Rajasthan state of India. It is known as gateway to the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. It is the administrative headquarters of Churu District. It lies in the Thar Desert[clarification needed] on the National Highway-65 connecting Pali to Ambala and is a junction station on the railway line to Bikaner. It is near the shifting sand dunes of the Thar Desert and has grand havelis with marvelous fresco paintings, namely Kanhaiya lal Bagla ki Haweli and Surana Haweli, with hundreds of small windows. It also has some fine Chhatris. Near the town is a religious seat of the Nath sect of Sadhus where there are life-size Marble statue of their deities and a place for prayers. There stands a Dharam Stup, a symbol of religious equality. At the centre of the town is a fort built about 400 years ago.
Founded in A.D. 1620 by Churru, a chieftain of the Jats (an agricultural people of northern India). Churu, like an oasis, situated in the middle of the shifting golden sand dunes, opens the gate to the great desert of Thar. Geographically, it lies in 28°18′N latitude and 74°58′E longitude. Administratively, it is the headquarters of the Churu District., The temples of Salasar Balaji & Babosa Maharaj are situated in the Churu district.
Before India's independence in 1947, it was a part of Bikaner State. The district came into existence in 1948 comprising three tehsils Churu, Rajgarh and Taranagar when the administration of Bikaner State was reorganized.