Aura of India: Kurukshetra Temples: Jyotisar, Brahma Sarovar and How to Visit

Brahma Sarovar, the great temple tank at Kurukshetra

Photo: आशीष_भटनागर, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Kurukshetra, in Haryana, at the evening aarti on the water.

At Kurukshetra, a banyan tree marks the place where the Bhagavad Gita is said to have been spoken.

The field of the Gita

Kurukshetra, about 160 kilometres north of Delhi, is the battlefield of the Mahabharata, the great Indian epic. At Jyotisar, on the edge of the town, an old banyan tree stands on a raised platform, and tradition holds that under it Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to the warrior Arjuna before the battle. A marble chariot of Krishna and Arjuna stands nearby. In the evening a light-and-sound show tells the story beside a small lake.

The great tank

In the town, Brahma Sarovar is a vast rectangular water tank, one of the largest in India, lined with ghats, the stone steps down to the water, and surrounded by temples. During a solar eclipse, hundreds of thousands of people come to bathe in it. Each winter, around late November or December, the International Gita Mahotsav fills its banks with a crafts fair, music, and an evening aarti with lamps floating on the water. Close by, the Sthaneshwar Mahadev temple, in the old town of Thanesar, is where the Pandavas are said to have prayed for victory.

Why people come

For pilgrims, Kurukshetra is holy ground, and a circuit of tirthas, sacred places, spreads through the district. At Pehowa, Hindu families perform rites for their ancestors on the banks of the Saraswati. In the foothills near Chandigarh, the Mansa Devi temple at Panchkula is crowded at Navratri. In Gurugram, the Sheetla Mata temple draws families in the spring month of Chaitra. At Pinjore, the ruined Bhima Devi temple complex holds fine carvings from around the ninth to eleventh centuries, beside the Mughal-era Yadavindra Gardens.

Getting there

Kurukshetra is on the main railway line north from Delhi, about two to three hours by fast train, and on the national highway to Chandigarh. Panchkula and Pinjore are close to Chandigarh, which has an airport. Gurugram is on the Delhi Metro. Evenings at Brahma Sarovar are best in winter, when the air is clear and cool.

An evening in Kurukshetra

Jyotisar lies a few kilometres west of the town, on the road to Pehowa. Haryana Tourism records its later history: a Shiva temple built by the king of Kashmir in 1850, a stone platform raised around the banyan by the Maharaja of Darbhanga in 1924, and the marble chariot of Krishna and Arjuna installed in 1967 by the Shankaracharya of Kanchi. Go in the late afternoon, walk round the tree and the tank, and stay for the light-and-sound show after dark.

Then go back into town for the aarti at Brahma Sarovar. It is held every evening around sunset on the western bank, at Purushottampura Bagh, facing the Shiva temple on the island in the tank. Priests wave tiered brass lamps, and people float small clay lamps on the water. On a winter evening the whole performance takes about an hour.

The Gita Mahotsav

The International Gita Mahotsav began in 1989 as a small local Gita Jayanti celebration and has been held as an international festival since 2016. The 11th international edition runs from 5 to 25 December 2026 on the banks of Brahma Sarovar. It opens with the Saras and crafts fairs, and the main programmes, with cultural performances, Gita recitation and a gathering of saints, are from 14 to 20 December.

In those weeks the ghats fill with stalls from across India, and the evening aarti draws its biggest crowds of the year. For the rest of the state, see Haryana district by district and our guide to Haryana.

Places to know

Jyotisar, Kurukshetra: the banyan of the Gita.
Brahma Sarovar, Kurukshetra: the great tank and its temples.
Sthaneshwar Mahadev, Thanesar: an old Shiva temple of the Pandavas.
Pehowa, Kurukshetra district: a riverside place of ancestral rites.
Mansa Devi, Panchkula: a goddess temple in the Shivalik foothills.
Sheetla Mata, Gurugram: a spring pilgrimage for families.
Bhima Devi temple ruins, Pinjore: carvings beside a Mughal garden.
Kalayat, Kaithal district: early brick temples of Shiva.

At Brahma Sarovar, the lamps drift across the water long after the aarti ends.

Plan your visit

Entry fee	Free at Jyotisar, Brahma Sarovar and the temples. The Jyotisar show may be ticketed; check before you go.
Opening hours	Brahma Sarovar aarti: daily at sunset, usually between about 6 and 7:30 pm. Jyotisar show, 1 October to 31 March: Hindi at 7 pm, English at 8 pm; from 1 April to 30 September, half an hour later.
Best time	October to March. The Gita Mahotsav runs from 5 to 25 December 2026, with main events from 14 to 20 December.
How to reach	Kurukshetra Junction is on the main line north from Delhi, two to three hours by fast train. Brahma Sarovar is a short auto ride from the station; Jyotisar is about 8 to 9 km.
Nearest airport and station	Chandigarh airport is about 90 km away; Delhi’s airport about 170 km. Kurukshetra Junction is the station.
Where to stay	Near Brahma Sarovar and the old town of Thanesar, or along the Pipli stretch of the national highway, a short drive from the town.
Dress and rules	Remove shoes on the ghats and in temples. Cover shoulders and knees. During the Mahotsav, expect security checks and traffic diversions around the Sarovar.

Open Brahma Sarovar, Kurukshetra, Haryana in Google Maps

Questions people ask

When is the International Gita Mahotsav in 2026?

From 5 to 25 December 2026 at Brahma Sarovar, Kurukshetra. The main programmes are from 14 to 20 December.

What time is the aarti at Brahma Sarovar?

Every evening at sunset, usually between about 6 and 7:30 pm depending on the season. It is held on the western bank, at Purushottampura Bagh.

What are the Jyotisar light-and-sound show timings?

From 1 October to 31 March, the Hindi show is at 7 pm and the English show at 8 pm. From 1 April to 30 September they start at 7:30 and 8:30 pm. The show lasts about half an hour.

How far is Jyotisar from Kurukshetra station?

About 8 to 9 km, around twenty minutes by auto or taxi.

Pages

Kurukshetra Temples: Jyotisar, Brahma Sarovar and How to Visit