Places to Visit in Kurukshetra, Tourist Places Sightseeing
Antiquity Steeped In Myth
National Highway No.1 stretches north of Delhi and cuts a swathe through the fertile and prosperous plains of Haryana and Punjab. With only minor variations, today’s tarmac follows the route of the fabled ‘Grand Truck Road’ that came into being in the 16th century during the brief rule of Sher shah Suri-throughs armies and trade caravans had traced its trail long before this.
From Pipli, 165 km from Delhi, a side road branches off the national highway to kurukshetra.
EPIC LAND
Here myth and religious belief have merged their gray borders with verifiable history-and Kurukshetra is one of the most sacred places for Hindus. Its soil is soaked with the blood and glory of the epic Mahabharata battle.From here came the Kernel of Hindu belief and doctorine- the message of the Gita, which Lord Krishna gave to a doubt-ridden Arjuna on the battlefield.
According to a popular belief the name Kurukshetra comes from the pious king Kuru and his tribe. He was the legendary ancestor of the Kauravs and Pandavas- the warning sides in the epic Mahabharata. Till its waters vanished into the ground, the holy river Saraswati is regarded to have flowed by Kurukshetra- and many Vedic hymns were composed along its bank.
Tourist Places to Visit in Kurukshetra : –
HARSHAVARDHAN’s GLORY
From the mists of pre-history, Kurukshetra steadily emerged to touch its glory in the 7th century when the powerful King Harshavardhan made adjoining Thanesar his seat of power. When Harshvardhan’s empire crumbled for well over a millennium Kurukshetra spent its days in the shadows of its past. It tremble at the advance of every invader and its once legendary wealth was reduced to a few coins for archeologists to find. After independence in 1947, Kurukshetra regained its position and today, apart from several religious and historical places of interest, it is a town proud of its ancient past.
FAMOUS HOLY TANK
The Brahma-sarovar, is perhaps Kurukshetra’s most famous site. It is called the Samantapanchaka or Ramahrada, and lies just off Thanesar. Brahma-Sarovar is is top in the list of places to visit in Kurukshetra.. Tradition says it was first excavated by king KURU. During solar eclipses, thousands of Hindus take a dip in its waters with the belief that this will lead to salvation. The Sannihita, or assemblage of waters’, is another one of Kurukshetra’s sacred sites where people converge during solar eclipses.
The Jyotisar, 5 km west of Thanesar, is the spot where Lord Krishna is said to have delivered the message of the Bhagvadgita. Jyotisar is top in the list of places to visit in Kurukshetra.
CENTRE OF SUFISM
Close to the Kurukshetra University is the mound locally known as Raja Karna Ka Qila or ‘Raja Karna’s Fort’. Excavations have identified 11 structural phases ranging from circa 400 B.C. to 300 AD. In the vicinity , Mirzapur, daultapur, Bhagwanpura and Banawali are other major archaeological sites.
During the medieval period, the Kurukshetra area was an important centre of Sufism. The tombs of mystics Jalalud-Din and sheikh Chehali, the Jama Masjid, Pathariya Masjid and Chiniwali Masjid are memorable survivors of that era.
A ‘must do’ for Kurukshetra is a visit to its unique museum where myriad depictions of Lord Krishna have been collected under a single roof.
There is a choice of accomodation at Kurukshetra. Haryana Tourism’s complexes are also available. Kurukshetra is connected to Delhi by both road and rail.
After a day’s sightseeing, leave for Chandigarh or spend the night in Kurukshetra and leave after morning tea.