Kurukshetra is a very holy land in India. It is the place where the great Mahabharata war was fought and where Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-Gita to Arjuna. Because of this, Kurukshetra is remembered as a land of both war and wisdom.

Kurukshetra is about one hundred miles north of New Delhi, in the state of Haryana. It can be reached easily by train or road in about four hours and lies on the main highway. Even today, people from all over the world visit this sacred place.

Long before the Mahabharata battle, Kurukshetra was already known as a holy land. Many ancient scriptures such as the Mahabharata, Bhagavad-Gita, Upanishads, and Puranas speak about its greatness. In the very first verse of the Gita, Kurukshetra is called “Dharma-kshetra”, which means the land of righteousness. This shows that it was considered sacred even before the war.

It is believed that Lord Krishna Himself walked on this land. The name Haryana, given by the Indian government, comes from the words “Hari ka aana”, meaning “Lord Hari (Krishna) came here.”

In ancient times, Kurukshetra was known by many names such as Brahmakshetra, Bhrughukshetra, Aryavarta, and Samanta Panchaka. Later, it came to be known as Kurukshetra, named after King Kuru, the great ancestor of the Pandavas.

According to the Mahabharata, King Kuru wanted to make this land a center of spiritual life. He came there in a golden chariot and used the gold from it to make a plough. He borrowed Lord Shiva’s bull and Yamaraja’s buffalo and began ploughing the land.

When Indra, the king of the gods, saw this, he asked Kuru what he was doing. King Kuru replied that he was preparing the land to grow eight great virtues—truth, yoga, kindness, purity, charity, forgiveness, austerity, and self-control. Indra laughed and asked where the seeds were. Kuru calmly said that the seeds were with him.

King Kuru continued his penance with great determination. After some time, Lord Vishnu appeared and asked him the same question. When Kuru gave the same reply, Vishnu asked him to give the seeds. At once, King Kuru offered his own body—his arms, legs, and head—as the seed. Deeply pleased by this great sacrifice, Lord Vishnu blessed him.

Indra also appeared and granted Kuru a boon. King Kuru asked for two things:

  1. That this land should always remain holy and be known by his name.
  2. That anyone who died here should attain heaven.

After discussion, it was decided that those who died here in battle or while doing penance would reach heaven. Thus, Kurukshetra became both a battlefield and a sacred land of spirituality.

Many centuries later, around 1250 AD, the great Vaishnava saint Sripad Madhvacharya visited Kurukshetra. It is said that he found Bhima’s mace, which had been used in the Mahabharata war. After showing it to his disciples, he placed it back where it originally belonged.

The Vamana Purana also describes Kurukshetra as a very sacred region, saying that nine holy rivers and seven sacred forests exist here.

Even today, Kurukshetra stands as a powerful reminder of dharma, sacrifice, and divine guidance, where Lord Krishna taught humanity the eternal message of the Bhagavad-Gita.