GITA JAYANTI

The plains of Kurukshetra in Haryana, for most of the year, are of little interest to travellers who pass through, on their way to Himachal Pradesh and back.

- HEMA RAJARAMAN

Yet, ironically, this is where the celestial song ‘Bhagavad Gita’ was born. It is, therefore, not surprising that Kurukshetra has the privilege of celebrating the unique, offbeat festival of “Kurukshetra Utsav Gita Jayanti Samaroha’. Devotees of Lord Krishna descend here every year at this time to re-live the wisdom revealed by Lord Krishna to His devotee Arjuna, on the battlefield 5200 years ago. Gita Jayanti falls on the 11th day of the waxing moon of Margashirsha and this year, on the 25th of December.

Laced with mythical stories and folklores, Kurukshetra has a fascinating historical past. It is interesting to probe a little deeper into the history of this small town and what it offers. The oldest known suggestion of a possible date of the great epic War was around 3102 BC, made by the astrologer /mathematician, Aryabhata (6th century). The places mentioned in the Mahabharata exist even to this day. To name a few, Hastinapur in Uttar Pradesh, Indraprastha is the modern Delhi, and Dwaraka on the Gujarat coast. Dwaraka was recently excavated, found sunken under the sea.