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Kurukshetra (Hindi: कुरुक्षेत्र) is a
district in Haryana state of India. Known as a holy place;
Kurukshetra earns its name from King Kuru, the ancestor of
Kauravas and Pandavas. What makes it really important is the
theory that this was where the Kurukshetra war of the
Mahabharata was fought and the Bhagavad Gita emerged during
the war when Lord Krishna found Arjuna in a terrible
dilemma.. Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh 'Dinkar' has written an
epic poem by the title of Kurukshetra. It is a narrative
poem based on the Santi Parva of the Mahabharata. It was
written at a time when the memories of the Second World War
were fresh on the mind of the poet. Thanesar or Sthaneswar,
a historical town is located adjacent to what is now newly
created Kurukshetra city. Thanesar derives its name from the
word "Sthaneshwar" which means "Deity of the Place". The
Sthaneshwar Mahadev Temple, whose presiding deity is Lord
Shiva, is believed to be the oldest temple in the
vicinity.Local hearsay identifies the legendary "Kurukshetra"
with a nearby obscure hamlet, and with the active abetment
of the state government, it is presently experiencing a
tourist boom[citation needed. A few kilometeres from
Kurukshetra is the village known as "Amin", where there are
remnants of a fort and it is said to be Abhimanyu's fort. In
some ancient Hindu texts, the boundaries of Kurukshetra
correspond roughly to the state of Haryana. Thus according
to the Taittiriya Aranyaka 5.1.1., the Kurukshetra region is
south of Turghna (Srughna/Sugh in Sirhind, Punjab), north of
Khandava (Delhi and Mewat region), east of Maru and west of
Parin.
History
A manuscript of Mahabharata
depicting the war at Kurukshetra.
It is written in Puranas that
Kurukshetra is named after the
King Kuru of Bharata Dynasty,
ancestor of Pandavas and
Kauravas.
The Vaman purana tells how King
Kuru came to settle on this
land. He chose this land at the
banks of Sarasvati River for
embedding spirituality with 8
virtues- austerity (tapas),
truth (satya), forgiveness (kshama),
kindness (daya), purity (sucha),
charity (dana), yagya and
brahmacharya. Lord Vishnu was
impressed with the act of King
Kuru and blessed him. God gave
him two boons, one that this
land forever will be known as a
Holy Land after his name as
Kurukshetra (the land of kuru)
and the other that anyone dying
on this land will be going to
heaven. The land of Kurukshetra
was separated between two rivers
— the Sarasvati and the
Drishadvati.
This land has been known as
Uttravedi, Brahmavedi,
Dharamkshetra and Kurukshetra at
different periods. When King
Kuru came on this land it was
called Uttarvedi. Over the
period this land has been ruled
by many empires. Bharata Dynasty
came and settled on this land.
Later Battle of Mahabharata was
fought on this land during which
Lord Krishna preached Bhagavad
Gita to Arjuna. It reached
zenith of progress during the
reign of King Harsha during the
period of which Chinese scholar
Hieun Tsang visited this land at
Thanesar. By the archaeological
grounds it has been proved that
Ashoka the Great made
Kurukshetra a centre of learning
for people from all over the
world. Mughals also ruled this
land. Sufi saint Sheikh Chehli's
tomb on this land is an evidence
of this fact.
Places of interest
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Brahma Sarovar: Every year lakhs of
people come to take holy bath at Brahma Sarovar on the
occasion of "Somavati Amavasya" (Sacred No-Moon Day that
happens on a Monday).
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Sannihit Sarovar
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Jyotisar: The famous site where
Bhagavad Gita was delivered to Arjuna
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Krishna Museum: Have some historical
artifacts, paintings depicting Mahabharata war.
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Kurukshetra Panorama and Science
centre: An excellent world class Panorama depicting the
Mahabharata war with scientific explanations justifying
every episode in the war. There are also several
scientific exhibits which kindle in the visitor, a
curiosity for science.
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Kalpana Chawla Planetarium
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Light and Sound Show : A newly built
Tourist attraction which highlights some aspects of
Geeta Saar in brilliant combination of lights and sound.
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Dharohar: A must visit to know the
Tradition and Culture of Haryana located in
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Kurukshetra University.
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Bhishma Kund at Naraktari: The place
where Arjuna shot an arrow towards earth to quench
Bhisma Pitamah thirst
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Saraswati Forest Reserve: It is a
large reserved forest area with rich flora and fauna in
Kurukshetra district.
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Sheikh Chehli ka makbara (tomb): This
monument is maintained by ASI. It was built during
Mughal period in remembrance of Sufi Saint Sheikh Chehli,
believed to be the spiritual teacher of Mughal Prince,
Dara Shikoh.
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Sthaneshwar Mahadev
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Kamal Nabhi
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Valmiki Ashram
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Birla Mandir
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Gurdwara Raj Ghat Patshahi Dasvin
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Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi
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Gurdwara Siddh Bati Patshahi Pahili
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Pehowa
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Ban Ganga in village Dayalpur
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Bhadrakali Mandir - a temple of
goddess which is one of the 52 shakti peeths. As per the
story in Hindu Mythology, Goddess sati killed herself by
entering the Yagna of Raja Daksha as a protest against
the insult of Lord Shiva. Remorseful Lord Shiva was
wandering in the whole universe with the corpse of his
beloved Sati on his shoulder. To bring him back to the
original mood, it was necessary to destroy the corpse of
Sati. Lord Vishnu hence cut the corpse in 52 pieces with
his Sudarshan Chakra. The different parts fell at
different places where the temples of the goddess was
built by the devotees later on. Collectively, these are
known as 52 shakti peethas. One of them is in
Kurukhsetra where the leg of the goddess fell.
Click to Enlarge
Educational Institutes
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National Institute of Technology,
Kurukshetra
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Kurukshetra University: One of the
India's premier university which was established in
1956.
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University Institute of Engineering
and Technology, Kurukhsetra University
Hospitals
District administration
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The Deputy Commissioner, an officer
belonging to the Indian Administrative Service, is in
charge of the General Administration in the district. He
is assisted by a number of officers belonging to Haryana
Civil Service and other Haryana state services.
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The Superintendent of Police, an
officer belonging to the Indian Police Service, is
responsible for maintaining Law & Order and related
issues in the district. He is assisted by the officers
of the Haryana Police Service and other Haryana Police
officials.
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The Deputy Conservator of Forests, an
officer belonging to the Indian Forest Service, is
responsible for the management of the Forests,
Environment and Wild-Life in the district. He is
assisted by the officers of the Haryana Forest Service
and other Haryana Forest officials and Haryana Wild-Life
officials.
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Sectoral development is looked after
by the district head/officer of each development
department such as PWD, Health, Education, Agriculture,
Animal husbandry, etc. These officers are from various
Haryana state services.
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Shahbad and Ladwa are other towns in
the district with a significant population
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Kurukshetra Yellow Pages
Telephone Directory
Kurukshetra Property Bazar
College Ranking
STD Code
01744
Pin Code
136 118
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