Samanta Panchaka

Kurukshetra is known as Samanta Panchaka (meaning “five lakes”) because here Lord Parashurama made five lakes from the blood of kshatriyas he killed. (Lord Parashurama purged the earth of wicked kings and warriors twenty-one times.) Srila Prabhupada said that the blood later turned into water.
 
One of these 5 lakes is called Sannihit (“assembly”). On the new-moon day all the holy places personified are said to assemble in the lake. At the time of a solar eclipse, pilgrims take bath in Sannihit Lake, known as an abode of Lord Vishnu.

Brahma Sarovar

Lord Brahma is said to have created the earth here. During solar eclipses hundreds of thousands of pilgrims come to take a holy dip in Brahma Sarovar, observing an ancient tradition. The beautiful Brahma Sarovar is larger than the other lakes in the area and is well maintained by the Kurukshetra Development Board. It has become the center of interest for pilgrims coming to Kurukshetra. This is a huge lake the size of 5 football stadiums put together where people do “Pitr tarpan” for the betterment of the souls of their dead near and dear. Performing pitr tarpan on the day of Amavasya is considered to be very auspicious. A lot of people come to take bath there on that day. There are so many temples situated along a strip of land extending right into the middle of the huge pond including a huge beautiful black chariot with Krishna and Arjuna.

Among the holiest of water tanks in India, the Brahma Sarovara is an important place to visit in Kurukshetra. This is a vast water body. In the centre of the tank stands the Sarveshwar Mahadev Temple looking like a lotus. The eastern section of the tank is 1800 feet long and 1500 feet wide while the western section is a square of 1500 feet length and 1500 feet breadth. The tank is 15 feet deep. This large water body is edged with 20 feet wide platforms, stairs and a 40 feet wide `parikarma’. In this section, a number of meditation chambers have been built for the convenience of pilgrims. A dip in the Sarovar bears the sanctity of performing Ashwamedha Yajna. The months of November and December are the time when migratory birds flock around Brahma Sarovar and add an exhilarating environmental setting to the sanctity of the place. The tank lies about 3 km from the railway station. A number of temples lie in close vicinity of this holy water body.

On the northern banks of Brahma Sarovar sits a Radha-Krishna temple of the Gaudiya Math. The Gaudiya Math temple was built by His Divine Grace Shrila Bhaktisiddhant Saarswati Thakur Prabhupad to commemorate the reunion between Radha and Krishna that took place at Kurukshetra five thousand years ago.

Solar Eclipse in Kurukshetra


Millions of pilgrims and tourist throng to Kurukshetra during the Solar Eclipse every year to have the privilege of having a dip in the sacred tanks of Brahma Sarovar and Sannihit Sarovar. A holy dip in these tanks during the eclipse gives the merit of performing 1000 Ashwamedha Yajnas. It is said that in the Sannihit Sarovar during this time all the sacred places & pilgrimages assemble there by and thus one directly gets the merits of all the sacred places at one particular place.

The Bhagavad Gita

The Battle of Kurukshetra began on the day known as Mokshada Ekadashi. (Ekadashi is the eleventh day of either the waxing or waning moon, and Mokshada means “giver of liberation.”) On that day, Krishna enlightened Arjuna with the knowledge of Bhagavad-gita, liberating him. Now every year on that day—considered the birthday of Bhagavad-Gita—festivals in honor of the Gita are held at Kurukshetra and many other places in India. The grand festival in Jyotisar, the spot where the Gita was spoken, is organized as a state function, with chief ministers and governors presiding. Coincidentally, this is also the time of ISKCON’s annual Prabhupada Book Marathon, when devotees distribute hundreds and thousands of copies of Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-Gita As It Is in India and around the world.