Brahma Sarovar and Jyotisar, Kurukshetra
Thanesar / Kurukshetra, Haryana · Brahma Sarovar (sacred tank of Brahma) with a Shiva shrine; Jyotisar, where Krishna taught the Bhagavad Gita
The battlefield of the Mahabharata: bathe in Brahma's vast tank, then stand under the banyan at Jyotisar where Krishna spoke the Gita to Arjuna.
Kurukshetra, the 'Dharmakshetra' of the Bhagavad Gita's first verse, is where the Mahabharata war was fought. Its centrepiece is Brahma Sarovar, a huge sacred tank (about 3,600 x 1,500 ft) where, it is believed, Brahma created the universe; bathing here during a solar eclipse is thought to wash away sins, and on one eclipse in 2006 about a million people came. About 10 km away, Jyotisar marks the spot where Krishna delivered the Gita to Arjuna, under a banyan tree held to be an offshoot of the original. Both are tended by the Kurukshetra Development Board, and the International Gita Mahotsav each November–December fills them with lamps.
Timings
- Brahma Sarovar: Open-air tank, accessible through the day; evening aarti reportedly around 6:30 PM (check locally)
- Jyotisar: Daytime; light and sound show in the evening (check timings with Haryana Tourism)
Darshan types and costs
- Brahma Sarovar and Jyotisar – Free
Sevas and costs
- Holy dip – Free (Any day; especially solar eclipses, Amavasya and Gita Jayanti)
- Deep Daan (lamp offering) – Small cost for lamps (Gita Jayanti / Gita Mahotsav (Nov–Dec))
- Shraddha / pind daan – Varies (paid to the panda) (Amavasya, eclipses, Pitru Paksha)
How to book darshan
No booking is needed for the sarovars. For Gita Mahotsav events and Haryana Tourism accommodation, check the Kurukshetra Development Board and Haryana Tourism.
Haryana Tourism – Brahma Sarovar
Dress code
Modest clothing; carry a change of clothes if you plan to bathe.
Best time to visit
October–March; the International Gita Mahotsav (late Nov–early Dec) is the festive peak, and migratory birds arrive in winter. Summers are very hot; winter mornings foggy.
How to reach
- air: Chandigarh airport approx. 90 km; Delhi airport approx. 170 km.
- rail: Kurukshetra Junction is on the Delhi–Ambala main line.
- road: Kurukshetra is just off NH 44 (Delhi–Ambala) at Pipli, about 160 km from Delhi. Jyotisar is about 10 km west of the town on the Pehowa road; Sannihit Sarovar is 3 km on the same road.
Festivals
- International Gita Mahotsav / Gita Jayanti – Late November–December (Gita Jayanti 2026: about 20 Dec; check Mahotsav dates)
- Solar eclipse bathing – When an eclipse is visible from Kurukshetra
- Somvati Amavasya – New moons falling on Mondays