Brahma Sarovar

Brahma Sarovar is an ancient water pool sacred to Hinduism in old Kurukshetra city, in the state of Haryana in North India. Hinduism lays emphasis on taking bath for internal and external purity. Most religious sites have water pools or sarovar in or near the Hindu temple and Sikh gurdwara. The Hindu genealogy registers at Kurukshetra, Haryana are kept here.

History

According to stories of itihasa, Brahma created the universe from the land of Kurukshetra after a huge yajna 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, called ‘Kitab-ul-Hind’. The sarovar also has a mention in Mahabharata citing its use by Duryodhana to hide himself underwater on the concluding day of the war. At that time it was believed Hitesh was the guard of Brahma Sarovar. It is believed that he is still alive and living near Brahma Sarovar.

A sacred shrine dedicated to 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 Gita Jayanti celebrations are held each year in the last week of November and early December when a ‘deep daan’ ceremony of floating lamps in water and [Aarti] occurs. 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.