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Kurukshetra DotComTM is named after Kurukshetra
which is a district of Northern
Indian State of Haryana. Kurukshetra was originally given to an area covered by
48 kosas (land measurement scale used in India) 860 places of pilgrimage related
to the Mahabharata and Gita exist today. It is also called "Holy Land" "Land of
Mahabharat". Extending between 29.97°N and 76.85°E, , It is about 150 km / 100 miles
Northwest of Delhi. It is full of Agricultural Land and temples.
There was a big 3 Weeks battle between the Pandavas and Kauravas in which Lord Krishna
played a important part, Battle was fought on the plains of Kurukshetra. This is
the land, where Lord Krishna Preached Arjuna (Arjuna is one of the heroes of the
epic Hindu Mahabharata. His name means 'bright', 'shining', or 'silver'. The third
of the five Pandava brothers, Arjuna was the youngest of the children borne by Kunti,
first wife of Pandu )during the Mahabharat battle. " Bhagavad Gita " is famous holy
book of Hindus. Land of Kurukshetra is also called "Dharmkshetra" means "Land of
Dharma" .
Kurukshetra can rightly be called the cradle of ancient Indian culture. In the hoary
past, the Vedas and Upanishads were recited by seers, saints and scholars on the
banks of the holy Sarasvati. Our ancient texts, including Matsya, Vaman, Padma and
Agni Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharata are connected to this land. This is the most
ancient place of pilgrimage. It was here that the vedic Aryans, after the compilation
of Vedas, performed the first-ever yajna and spread the teachings propounded in
the Vedas throughout India.
Although the origin of Kurukshetra is lost in the mist of time, the Puranas disclose
that Kurukshetra was named after valiant and adventurous King Kuru of Bharat dynasty,
who was the ancestor of the Kauravas and Pandavas. The fascinating details narrated
in Vaman Purana describe how this meritorious and virtuous King came to settle on
this land. King Kuru, after making global conquests, felt the need to leave behind
him certain glorious monuments. In search of an appropriate place for the monuments,
he reached the banks of the Sarasvati. He found that the whole area, through which
the mighty river flowed, had been sanctified by various yajnas and sacrifices performed
by numerous sages and therefore this land was called the Uttar Vedi (the northern
sacrificial altar). He also learnt that the divine Parshu Ram had crushed to death
the tyranical rulers who were exploiting their subjects. After destroying them,
he filled five tanks with their blood and proclaimed that the rulers who usurp the
wealth of their subjects would meet a similar fate.
King Kuru selected the area for sowing the seeds of spiritual culture, which involved
eight virtues — austerity (tapas), truth (satya), forgiveness (kshama), kindness
(daya), purity (sucha), charity (dana), yagya and brahmacharya. Lord Vishnu granted
him a boon that the land will not only be known by the name of Kurukshetra (the
land of Kuru) but also as the land of dharma and the entire humanity shall follow
in the footsteps of saints residing there. Those wandering souls who hunt in search
of divine bliss shall find solace on visiting his land of dharma. The opening shloka
of Shrimad Bhagavadgita also asserts that the land of Kuru is the land of righteousness
and justice (dharamkshetre Kurukshetre.....) When Al-Bairuni, an Arab historian,
came to visit India in the 11th century he also corroborated the association of
Kurukshetra with King Kuru. This legend has been repeated in other Puranas with
some minor modifications.
The land of Kurukshetra was demarcated between two rivers — the Sarasvati and the
Drishadvati. The Sarasvati was considered to be the mightiest and holiest of all
the rivers known to Vedic seers. They prayed to the Lord that no calamity should
befall the area, compelling them to leave this land of plenty (bahu dhanyak pradesh).
The Bharat dynasty also settled in Kurukshetra, and later on the whole country came
under its sway and was named after the clan.
Kurukshetra had a reputation for being a region that produced plenty of grains and
a variety of crops. Foreigners who came to acquire knowledge on the banks of the
Sarasvati were surprised to find that the flora and fauna of the area surrounding
Kurukshetra was unique. The political importance of Kurukshetra reached its zenith
during the time of Mahabharata. It was in this land that the great philosophy of
Gita was pronounced by Lord Krishna.
After Mahabharata, the whole region was devastated and this land faced the onslaught
of invasions by Greeks, Bactrians and Pahlavs. But soon the people of the area overthrew
the rulers of the Kushan dynasty and the Yaudheyas, a community of warriors of Punjab,
captured power in this land.
Later, this land was conquered by Samudragupta, known as the "Indian Napoleon" and
the glory of Kurukshetra was restored. It is believed that great empire-builder
Chandragupta and his political mentor, Chanakya, also visited this place while going
to Takshila, a seat of international learning. From the archaeological findings
at Hisar, it also becomes evident that Ashoka the Great made Kurukshetra a centre
of learning for people from all over the world. They were invited here to learn
Sanskrit and Pali. After the death of Pushyamitra, the great empire built by Ashoka
was liquidated and many feudal principalities emerged in the region. This again
made the area vulnerable to foreign invasions.
During the reign of Harshvardhana, Kurukshetra once again reached the pinnacle of
glory, a description of which has been given by Bana Bhatt in Harshcharita. According
to his account, the people of this land were dutiful, broadminded and healthy in
body and mind.
A great Chinese scholar, Hieun Tsang, also visited this place, called Thanesar after
the name of the presiding God Sthaneshvara Mahadev. He was astonished to find that
although this land was full of wealth yet the persons residing there were following
a simple, austere and a creative life. He also noted that the women of this land
had a charming gait ( Gajgaamini), but there was not a single case of adulterous
conduct. After the death of Harshvardhana Kurukshetra's glory declined.
The Muslim invaders, right from Mahmud Ghaznavi to Ahmad Shah Abdali and Nadir Shah,
passed through this city and plundered its wealth. Thus, Kurukshetra remained a
scene of battles throughout the time the Satnamis were raising a voice against Mughal
empire.
Despite numerous political upheavals, Kurukshetra maintained its spiritual greatness.
During Muslim rule, a great sufi saint, Sheikh Jalaluddin Thanesari, who belonged
to the Chishti sect, made Kurukshetra his seat of spiritual learning and spread
the message of universal brotherhood. His fame crossed the boundaries of Kabul and
Iran. The place was visited by many scholars from Baghdad and Turkistan also. The
saint's grave is now known as Sheikh Chehli Tomb. Persons of all faiths believe
in it.
Kurukshetra has also been sanctified by the visit of nine Sikh Gurus in whose memory
Gurudwaras have been constructed at different places. The sixth Sikh Guru, after
his release from Gwalior Fort, made Kurukshetra his headquarters. Kurukshetra has
also been the seat of Nirmala sect of Sikh religion. Its headquarters still exist
near Sannihit Tank.
After the dissolution of Mughal empire, Kurukshetra witnessed great turmoil. Small
federations were raising their heads and there was no central power that could keep
India under one banner. During this time in 1770 A.D. Kurukshetra was conquered
by the reckless ruler Desu Singh. He could not keep his control for long and his
sons started fighting for power amongst themselves. After lot of bloodshed Bhanga
Singh seized Thanesar. He was known to be a tyrant. After the rise of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh, Kurukshetra came under the sway of the Sikh empire.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh tried to restore the old glory of this region. This area was
annexed to the British regime in 1850. The British linked this area with Delhi province
so that the people of this land would remain backward and uneducated.
From that time onwards, Kurukshetra and Thanesar decayed into slum towns. There
was no trade and no proper means of transport or commercial activity. After the
establishment of Kurukshetra University in 1956, the town again started humming
with academic activity. It also gave rise to business activities. Initially, the
university, located in a small building on the premises of Geeta Bhavan, dealt with
Sanskrit alone. Later, it was converted into a multi-faculty university. Its foundation
stone was laid by President Rajendra Prasad on January 11, 1957. Now the university
accommodates 26 teaching departments and two colleges. Academic activities have
been further augmented with the addition of regional Engineering College and Ayurveda
College, originally established by Gulzarilal Nanda, the then acting Prime Minister.
Since time immemorial, Kurukshetra has attracted pilgrims from all over the country
for the occasion of solar eclipse. The Puranas proclaim that when the glory of sun
is shadowed by demon Rahu, it gives bliss and merit to all those who take bath in
the holy tanks at Kurukshetra. This tradition still continues. The last solar eclipse
occurred on August 22, 1998. The next one will occur on August 11 next year.
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