History, Importance, Timings, Festivals, Social & Religious Activities, Interesting Facts, Best time to Visit and Travel Guide of Brahma Sarovar, Old Kurukshetra City, Thanesar, Haryana, India
Believed to be the cradle of civilisation on earth, the old Kurukshetra city, houses ‘The Brahma Sarovar’, a site of great spiritual and historical value for Indians. Legends say that Lord Brahma performed a yajna near the pond, from which life on earth was made possible. The holy site is therefore believed to be the origin of all sources of life on earth. It is water, one of the prime elements of the universe, which supports life in all its form and the Hindu philosophy always reinstate the significance water bodies hold to humans time and again. The Brahma Sarovar thus holds immense value as a place for taking ritual baths for external and internal purity of souls.
It is one of Asia’s largest man-made ponds, which is believed to date to the beginning of civilisation on earth as believed in popular legend. The epic, Mahabharata mentions the site as the place where Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kuravas, tries to hide underwater on the last day of the Kurukshetra war.
The Sarovar also finds mention in Al Beruni’s eleventh century memoirs ‘Kitab–ul–Hind’, the most important foreign account giving details about India and its culture. The Brahma Sarovar thus roots to be present from antiquity. The actual formation of the pond has not clear sources to know about its history even today.
The pond is worshipped twice a day, at sunrise and sunset. A beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, the destroyer of the world, stands in the middle of the pond. This temple is made accessible through a concrete bridge. A fixed number of devotees are allowed at once over the bridge to avoid chaos and mishappenings. The Ghats of the Sarovar are named after the most prominent characters of the Mahabharata.
An enormous black stone chariot of Lord Krishna and Arjuna is also constructed in the premises, showing the deep association of the site with the Mahabharata and its stories. This pond is the most beautiful and breath-taking site in the city where visitors love to spend time observing the sunset with a reddish-golden reflection in the water.
On every solar eclipse, thousands of people across the country come here to take a holy dip in the pond to pray to the Sun God, as it is believed that this ritual gives you many blessings as you get by performing an Ashvamedh Yajna (described in the Ramayana). It is considered an important practice that results into the ablution of sin.
Brahma Sarovar hosts the seven day festival of Geeta Jayanti celebration, to celebrate the birth of Bhagavad Geeta. Cultural performances, plays, exhibitions, and sacred ceremonies are prearranged throughout the week. This place becomes a colourful and lively bonanza during the festival. People visit multiple times to see various performances, handmade items and diversified cuisines from various states.
The Sarovar timings are open for devotees throughout the day. Sunsets and sunrise are the most preferred times for the ritual baths to escape the heat during summers.
The best time to visit the place is in November and December when the festivities of Geeta Jayanti are in full swing.
Water like religion and ideology, has the power to move millions of people. And all people, everywhere and every day need it. The Brahma Sarovar at Thanesar thus fulfils the message of the importance that water holds in our lives, it must be protected, revered and taken care of.
How to Reach Brahma Sarovar, Old Kurukhetra, Thanesar, Haryana, India
The Kurukshetra Railway Junction is the most convenient method to reach the place, with a number of rest rooms found across the place for visitors coming from outside the state. Kurukshetra being one of the major city and district of Haryana, India, thus it is very well connected with all major cities of India via road, rail and air network. Kurukshetra has major railway junction which connects all major cities of India via rail network. Nearest major airports from Kurukshetra are in Chandigarh and in Delhi at just 100 and 150 km respectively from where you can get flights to various cities like Delhi, Bengalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune etc. Kurukshetra is very well connected with all other cities of the country by roads through national highway or the state highway. Kurukshetra is located at 95 km from Chandigarh, 150 km from Delhi, 201 km from Shimla, 50 km from Ambala, 100 km from Panchkula.
