HISTORY OF KURUKSHETRA
It is written in Puranas that Kurukshetra is named after King Kuru of the Bharata Dynasty, ancestor of Pandavas and Kauravas.The Vamana 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 situated between two rivers — the Sarasvati and the Drishadvati.
It is written in Puranas that Kurukshetra is named after King Kuru of the Bharata Dynasty, ancestor of Pandavas and Kauravas.The Vamana 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 situated between two rivers — the Sarasvati and the Drishadvati.
Places of interest
• Brahma Sarovar: Every year lakhs of people come to take a holy bath at Brahma Sarovar on the occasion of "Somavati Amavasya" (Sacred No-Moon Day that happens on a Monday) and on solar eclipse believing that a bath in holy sarovar frees all sins and cycle of birth-death.
Jyotisar:
• Sannihit Sarovar: This sarovar is believed to be the meeting point of seven sacred Saraswatis. The sarovar, according to popular belief, contains sacred water. Bathing in the waters of the tank on the day of Amavasya (night of complete darkness) or on the day of an eclipse bestows blessings equivalent to performing the ashvamedh yajna.
5 km from the town of Kurukshetra, lies the Jyotisar tirth. The place holds special reverence as the site that marks the place where Lord Krishna delivered the doctrine of Bhagwad Gita to Arjun.
Sthaneshwar Mahadev
Sthaneshwar Mahadev Temple at Thaneswar is another holy center. It is small and distinct. It was here that the Pandvas prayed to Lord Shiva and received his blessing for victory in the battle of Mahabharata. Legend has it that the waters of the tank adjoining the temple are holy. A few drops of water cured the King Ban of leprosy. And, no pilgrimage of Kurukshetra is believed to be entirely complete without a visit to this Holy Temple. The tank and temple lie a short distance from Thanesar town, which gets its name from this temple. the temple of Sthaneswar is the abode of Lord Shiva say the devote. It once formed an important part of the kingdom of the King Harsha Vardhan of the Pushyabhuti dynasty. The architecture of the temple is regional in style-it has a domical roof. The facade of this dome is given an amla shape alongwith a tall pinnacle. The Linga is ancient and worshiped with a lot of ritual and prayer.
has some historical artifacts and paintings depicting the Mahabharata war.Krishna Museum
Kurukshetra Panorama and Science Centre
A world-class panorama depicting the Mahabharata war with scientific explanations justifying every episode in the war. There are also several scientific exhibits designed to kindle a curiosity for science.
Dharohar
A must visit to know the tradition and culture of Haryana; located in Kurukshetra University.
o Bhishma Kund at Naraktari
The place where Arjuna shot an arrow towards the earth to quench Bhisma Pitamah's thirst.
Saraswati Forest Reserve
It is a large reserved forest area with rich flora and fauna in Kurukshetra district.
o Sheikh Chehli ka makbara (tomb)
This monument is maintained by the Archeological Survey of India. It was built during the Mughal era in remembrance of Sufi Saint Sheikh Chehli, believed to be the spiritual teacher of Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh. However, this is an erroneous belief, since the Prince's main 'Murshid' or 'Sheikh' (Spiritual Guide) is historically known to have been Hazrat Sheikh Mian Mir Sahib, of Lahore,[4] although Sheikh Chehli might have been an additional/minor guide. There is another theory that the site of the supposed 'makbara' or tomb was one of the meditative 'Chillas' or sites of Hazrat Mian Mir Sahib, who might have visited the area during his wanderings.[5] It is possible that a later caretaker, some disciple of the Hazrat/Sheikh lies buried here, at the place sanctified by his 'Chilla'.
Kurukshetra University
Kurukshetra University (Hindi: कुरुक्षेत्र विश्वविद्यालय) was established in 1956 in Kurukshetra in Haryana, India, situated 160 km from Delhi, and member ofAssociation of Commonwealth Universities[1] The Kurukshetra University was the dream of the then Punjab Governor, Sir Chandeshwar Prasad Narayan Singh, a great Sanskrit scholar, who wanted to set up an institute to promote Indian culture and traditions.[2] Department of Sanskrit was the first and the only department in university when it was inaugurated by India's first President, Dr.Rajendra Prasad. Its campus is spread over 400 acres (1.6 km2).
• Department of English - Established in 1961
• Department of Foreign Languages - Established in 1961
• Department of Punjabi
• Department of Hindi
• Department of Library and Information Science - Established in 1969
• Department of Commerce - Established in 1971
• Institute of Management Studies - Established in 2003
• University school of Management (Formerly Department of Management)
• Department of Tourism and Hotel Management
• Department of Education
• Department of Physical Education
• Department of Sanskrit, Pali & Prakrit
• Department of Philosophy
• Department of Music
• Department of Fine Arts
• Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture & Archaeology
• Department of Law
• Department of Biochemistry
• Department of Botany
• Department of Microbiology
• Department of Biotechnology
• Department of Zoology
• Department of Computer science and Applications
• Department of Electronic Science
• Department of Geography
• Department of Geology
• Department of Geophysics
• Department of Mathematics
• Department of Statistics and OR
• Department of Political Science
• Department of Public Administration
• Department of History
• Department of Economics
• Department of Psychology
• Department of Social Work
