Kurukshetra – Site of Battle in the Great Epic of Mahabharata

By George On

Kurukshetra, the site of Battle in the Epic of Mahabharata, is at Haryana in India. Kurukshetra or Dharmshetra means ‘the region of righteousness’.

Krishna Arjun Rath Monument at Brahma Sarover, an ancient water pool sacred to Hinduism in old Kurukshetra city
Krishna Arjun Rath Monument at Brahma Sarover, an ancient water pool sacred to Hinduism in old Kurukshetra city

This city is a place of great significance in Hinduism. It is where the fierce ‘Battle of Mahabharata’ was fought. Jyotisar in Kurukshetra, is the place where Lord Krishna preached his philosophy of ‘Karma’ (Karma is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘deed’ in English) to ‘Arjuna’, as per the Holy epic of Bhagwad-Gita. This place is spread over vast areas of North Eastern Haryana and consists of many holy places, temples, sacred tanks, etc. Geeta Jayanti festival is the main festival of this town.

Kurukshetra

Manuscript Illustration of the Battle of Kurukshetra.

Mahabharata, the great Sanskrit epic by Vyasa, is believed to be written in the 8th or 9th century BCE. The oldest existing preserved parts of this great epic are believed to be from 400 BCE. The great Epic of Mahabharata is considered the “longest poem”, consisting of 1.8 million words!

Brahma Sarovar, Sannihit Sarovar, Jyotisar, Jindal Park, Bhadra Kali Mandir, Krishna Museum, Kurukshetra Panorama and Science Centre, Bhishma Kund, etc, are some of the other places in and around this historic place.

How Do I Go to Kurukshetra, Site of Battle of Mahabharata?

Kurukshetra is well connected by road, train, and airways. It can be reached from the link road from National Highway Number 1 through Pipli town.

The nearest railway station is Kurukshetra Junction, with station code KKDE. It is an important railway junction where most trains stop. There are regular bus services from New Delhi, Punjab, and other neighboring states.

The nearest airport is at a distance of around 100 kilometers from Chandigarh. Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, the capital of India, is around 150 kilometers away from the Site of the Great Battle of Mahabharat.