“The land knows you, even when you are lost.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer
A Day at Kurukshetra
Bhagavad Gita, the mega-epic, is probably the best known Hindu scripture in the world. Philosophers and leaders alike have quoted from it, and the average person tries to live by its word. These words are a dialogue between Lord Krishna and one of the five Pandavas (Sons of Pandu), Arjun a.k.a. Parth. The dialogue happens on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, where the Mahabharata war between Kauravas and Pandavas took place for 18 days.
The name Kurukshetra is a union of two words, Kuru and Kshetra. Kuru, an ancestor of both Kauravas and Pandavas, ruled in this region (Kshetra). What we now know as a city is a region extending to five districts of Haryana state – Kurukshetra, Panipat, Jind, Kaithal and Karnal. The 134 pilgrimage sites identified in these districts are part of the 48 kos parikrama, the circumambulation around a radius of 96 miles visiting all the places mentioned in the scripture.
The 24 hour Itinerary
One can visit the most important places in and around the city of Kurukshetra in a day’s time. I was staying at Karnal in a peaceful farmhouse outside the city’s melee. So, a start around 9 am after a hearty breakfast was enough to visit all the important landmarks and bring me back by 7 pm.
Google Maps helped me structure a day in Kurukshetra in a way that kept me going in one direction and optimised my time. The places I covered in this order are :
- Bhadrakaali Shaktipeeth Temple (Devikoop)
- Shri Sthaneshwar Mahadeva Temple
- Sheikh Chilli Tomb and Harsh ka Tila
- Sannihit Sarovar
- Brahma Sarovar
- Baan Ganga
- Jyotisar Tirth
- Saraswati (Prithudak) Teerth
- Pashupatinath Temple
- Arunai Shiv Temple
Of these, the first seven are in Kurukshetra, while the last three are at Pehowa, which is around 20 kms away. Roads are picturesque and in good condition, and travelling in the rustic countryside is a pleasure. My next few posts will bring in more details about some of these places.
In the meanwhile, treat yourselves to this photo feature, and use the shared itinerary to make your own plans.
Pin the righteous region!
