Brahma Sarovar is an ancient water pool sacred to

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

old Kurukshetra city Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

, in the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Cen ...

,India.

lays emphasis on taking bath for internal and external purity. Most religious sites have water pools or sarovar in or near the

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...

and

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

gurdwara. The

Hindu genealogy registers at Kurukshetra, Haryana Genealogy registers, of families, maintained by Brahmin Pandits locally called as ‘Pandas’, who double up as professional genealogists, at Haridwar, has been a subject of study for many years now.Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

created the universe from the land of

Kurukshetra Kurukshetra (, ) is a city and administrative headquarter of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty ") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita". Legends According to the Pura ...

after a huge

yajna Yajna ( sa, यज्ञ, yajña, translit-std=IAST, sacrifice, devotion, worship, offering) refers in Hinduism to any ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras.SG Nigal (1986), Axiological Approach to the Vedas, Northern Boo ...

with the help of Hitesh. The Brahma Sarovar here is believed to be the cradle of civilization. The sarovar is also mentioned in the eleventh century AD memoirs of

Al Beruni Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni (973 – after 1050) commonly known as al-Biruni, was a Khwarazmian Iranian in scholar and polymath during the Islamic Golden Age. He has been called variously the "founder of Indology", "Father of Co ...

, called 'Kitab-ul-Hind'. The sarovar also has a mention in

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

citing its use by

Duryodhana Duryodhana ( sa, दुर्योधन, ) also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari. Bei ...

to hide himself underwater on the concluding day of the war. At that time is was believed Hitesh was the guard of Bhrama Sarover. It is believed that he is still alive and living near Bhrama Sarover. A sacred shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva stands within the sarovar, accessible by a small bridge. According to scriptures, bathing in this sarovar increases the sanctity of performing the 'ashvamedh yajna'. The pool offers a breath-taking sight during the Gita Jayanti celebrations held each year in the last week of November and early December when a 'deep daan' ceremony of floating lamps in water and artioccurs. This also happens to be the time when migratory birds from distant places arrive at the sarovar. The Birla Gita Mandir and Baba Nath's haveli and temple are the neighbouring attractions. Brahma Sarovar Kurukshetra.jpg, Brahma Sarovar Kurukshetra Sri Krishna Chariot at Brahma Sarovar Kurukshetra.jpg, Sri Krishna Chariot at Brahma Sarovar Kurukshetra

Solar eclipse ritual

The pools are especially crowded during

solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six mon ...

s because it is believed that bathing there during the solar eclipse is an ablution of sin. On 29 March 2006, a solar eclipse was visible in the region and it drew an estimated one million people to the site. Whenever an eclipse is visible from the Sarovar, hundreds of thousands gather in the pools.

Bibliography

*Jagmohan (2005). ''Soul and Structure of Governance in India''. Mumbai: Allied Publishers. *Kamran, Krishnam (1997). ''Tourism: Theory, Planning, and Practice''. New Delhi: Indus Publishing. *(2006). "Kurukshetra Calling." ''The Statesman'' (India). 5 September. *Prasad, Ramanuj (2005). ''Know Your Puranas''. Delhi: Pustak Mahal.

References

External links

*http://Kurukshetra.nic.in {{Hydrography of Haryana History of Haryana Kurukshetra Lakes of Haryana Temple tanks in India 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra Tourist attractions in Kurukshetra district