Thousands of years ago there flourished a prosperous civilisation in north-west India. One suc

Thousands of years ago there flourished a prosperous civilisation in north-west India. One such part that was spoken of with great reverence was Kurukshetra. Today its 48 kosas (92 sq. km. area) hide in its fold 360 places of pilgrimage. It was on this land that Lord Brahma created man and the universe, as revealed by our mythologies. It was here that King Kuru, the great Aryan, gave the supreme sacrifice for his land; it was at Kurukshetra that Lord Shri Krishna gave the sermon of holy Bhagwad Gita; it was here that the epic Mahabharata war was fought.

The Brahma Sarovar is the best place to begin one'ssojourn in this city. Here lies a huge water tank. Even the Vaman Purana tells us that Brahma, the Creator, himself conceptualised the site of the tank. Another water source of great sanctity is the Sannighit Sarovar. It lies about 1 km from the Brahma Sarovar.

Jyotisar, or the source of light and inspiration, is the birthplace of the holy Bhagwad Gita. The site lies some 12 km from the railway station on the Pehowa state road. Statues of Lord Krishna and Arjuna from the Mahabharata epic stand immortalised in marble. A banyan, believed to be an offshoot of the original tree as mentioned in the epic, provides shade to the area. A ?light and sound? show held here is a special source of attraction.

The Sthaneswar temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Renovated most recently, the temple has a white amla dome. A large tank is built before the temple. The Lakshmi Narayan temple and a number of gurudwaras can also be visited. The site museum at the mausoleum displays artefacts that belong to the civilisation dating from 2500 b.c. to the Mughal era. The Shri Krishna Museum houses all kinds of artefacts on Lord Krishna and his innumerable forms.

The ?Raja Karna ka tila?, King Harsha'sgarden, the Pathri Masjid and mausoleum of Sheikh Chehli are famous archaeological sites. The Panorama Project and the Science Centre display the progress of science through the ages and present a fine display of the Mahabharata battle-ground. The Kurukshetra University, is a famous centre of learning in the country.