Kurukshetra District
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Kurukshetra pronunciation (Hindī: कुरुक्षेत्र) is the name of a district in the present-day Indian state of Haryana. The name literally means "Land of the Kurus" after the famous Kuru vansha (clan), but is also sometimes referred to as Dharam Kshetra meaning the "Land of Righteousness". It purports to be the site of the Kurukshetra war, described in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata.
Nevertheless, this place holds inestimable importance in Hinduism as this is where the Bhagavad Gita ("The Song Celestial") was recited to Arjuna amidst the battle field, just before the great war of Mahabharata.
A few kilometeres from Kurukshetra is the village, Amin where there are remnants of a fort, which is said to be Abhimanyu's fort. Amin Village is also the place where the Pandavas arrayed their forces for the final battle in the war of Mahabharat.
Thanesar, a historical town is located adjacent to Kurukshetra city. "Kurukshetra" is in fact the name of a mythological battlefield, where the Mahabharata war was waged, the actual location of which is impossible to confirm. Local hearsay identifies the legendary "Kurukshetra" with a nearby obscure hamlet, and with the active abetment of the state government, it is presently experiencing a tourist boom.
Thanesar derives its name from the word "Sthaneshwar" which means "Deity of the Place". The Sthaneshwar Mahadev Temple, whose presiding deity is Lord Shiva, is believed to be the oldest temple in the vicinity. Other religious sites include the Brahma Sarovar, the Sannihit Sarovar, Gurdwara 6th Patashahi and the Devi Bhadrakali temple, which is counted among the 51 Shakti Peethas. The bathing-fair held here on the occurrence of a solar eclipse is said to be attended by half a million pilgrims.
Thanesar was sacked and many of its temples were destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni.
In some ancient Hindu texts, the boundaries of Kurukshetra correspond roughly to the state of Haryana. Thus according to the Taittiriya Aranyaka 5.1.1., the Kurukshetra region is south of Turghna (Srughna/Sugh in Sirhind, Punjab), north of Khandava (Delhi and Mewat region), east of Maru (=desert) and west of Parin.[1]
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