Jyotisar | |
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Location | Kurukshetra, Haryana |
Coordinates | 29°57′41″N76°46′16″E / 29.96139°N 76.77111°E |
Basin countries | India |
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Jyotisar, on the bank of Jyotisar Sarovar wetland, is a Hindu pilgrimage site in the city of Kurukshetra in Haryana state of India. According to Hindu tradition, Krishna delivered the sermon of Bhagavad Gita - the doctrine of Karma and Dharma to his wavering friend Arjuna to guide him to resolve his ethical dilemma [1] [2] and revealed his vishvarupa (universal form) to him. [3]
Adi Shankara, an 8th century Hindu scholar, has established that Jyotisar is the exact place where Krishna delivered the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna. [4]
Jyotisar, Kurukshetra is part of the Krishna circuit [5] (Vrindavan, Barsana, Govardhan, Mathura, Dwarka and Bhalka).
It lies west of Kurukshetra city on SH-6 state highway.
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'Jyoti' means the light or enlightenment in this context. 'Sar' means the core. Hence, 'Jyotisar' means 'core meaning of light' or 'ultimately of God' i.e. the 'essence of enlightenment'. [1] [2]
According to mythology, Krishna gave a sermon to Arjuna at Jyotisar, during which the Bhagavad Gita was revealed under a vat vriksh (banyan tree), a sacred tree in Indian-origin religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. A banyan tree which local tradition says is an offshoot of the tree Krishna preached under stands on a raised plinth at Jyotisar. [1] [2]
There is also an old Shiva temple here where the Kauravas and Pandavas had worshipped Shiva. Abhimanyupur and Harsh Ka Tila, archaeological finds are nearby. The Dharohar Museum, Kurukshetra Panorama and Science Centre, and Shrikrishna Museum are also in Kurukshetra.
Jyotisar tirth was renovated and continuously being upgraded by the Kurukshetra Development Board. Krishna Circuit Kurukshetra development project is jointly undertaken by the Government of Haryana and India's Ministry of culture, which entails development of several other sites in and around Kurukshetra including Brahma Sarovar, Sannihit Sarovar, Narkatari Baan Ganga, Abhimanyu Ka Tila and Mahabharata themed park, etc. [3] Phase-I entails Bhagavad Gita and Mahabharata museum, statues, and development of various trithas in 4 kos ki Kurukshetra prikrama, etc. Phase 2 entails broadening of revived saraswati river from Pipli to Jyotisar.
As part of the National Krishna Yatra circuit, 48 Kos Kurukshetra and 134 pilgrimage sites within it are being developed along the lines of the Braj Kosi Yatra. Under this national project, Union Government of India and respective state governments are also constructing two mega temples of Lord Krishna, at Vrindavan on 65 acres with a cost of Rs 800 crores (US120 million) and at Bangalore with a cost of Rs 700 crores (US105 million). [6]
A daily light and music laser show is organized by the tourism department at the Jyotisar lake, which recreates episodes from the Hindu epic Mahabharata .
The project includes the hi-tech digital and virtual reality Bhagavad Gita and Mahabharata theme museum at Jyotisar, [7] with a 100,000 sq feet new constructed area which will cater for 10,000 pilgrims expected every day. [3]
To promote international religious tourism, this Mahabharata and Sri Krishna heritage theme project entails construction of 8 buildings on the bank of ancient Jyotisar lake. Each building, 4 to 5 story high, will have a separate theme based on the mahabharta which will provide pilgrim and tourists an immersive experience of being in the Mahabharat war which lasted for 18 days. The project will cost Rs 200 cr or US$30 million at 2018 prices. [8]
Several tall statues of Mahabharata era figures are being installed in and around Jyotisar. [9]
A marble chariot statue of Krishna preaching to Arjuna marks the site at Jyotisar where mythological tradition says Bhagavad Gita was revealed to Arjuna.
In 2021 a 40 feet tall statue of Krishna, made of ashtadhatu (eight metals), was installed at the cost of INR10 crore (INR100 million or US130,000 at 2021 prices) at Jyotisar. The 40 ft high statue on a 10 ft plinth. [10] which with landscaping will cost Rs. 10 crore. [9] The statue was designed by the sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar, who also designed the 182-metre Statue of Unity of Sardar Patel in Gujarat and Ram Janmabhoomi temple. [10] The statue has nine heads, including Krishna, Shiva, Ganesha, Narsimha avatara of Vishnu, Sugriva, Hanumana, Parshurama, and Agni Deva (The fire god), which will be covered with a canopy in the form of Sheshnaga. [11]
A 18-ft tall statue of Abhimanyu at Abhimanyupur, with a chariot wheel carried in both hands above his head depicting his stance during he Chakravyūha battle of mahabharta war, is installed at Abhimanyupur at the place where he was killed. It is installed by the Kurukshetra Development Board at a cost of Rs 24 lakh in 2020. This will be part of 8 acre park housing the statue and a Chakravyūha formation. [9]
At Narkatari, between Jyotisar and Kurukshetra city, 2 statues will be installed - Arjuna and "Bhishama’s sarsaiya' (Bhishma’s deathbed). "Arjuna’s Banganga" statue is 9-ft tall is depicted in the posture of him shooting an arrow to bring out the underground holy spring water for the thirsty Bhishma. Whereas, Bhishma's statue is depicted lying on a 10-ft long death bed made of arrows. It will cost Rs 32 lakh. [9]
This entails broadening of the Sarasvati River, a sacred river mentioned in the sacred Hindu text Rigveda, from Pipli to Jyotisar, banks of river will be beautified, tourist cruises and boats from Pipli to Jyotisar tirtha will be operated. As Sarasvati River has been made perennial, it will be widened to enhance the flow of water and to utilise the channel for heritage, tourism and recreational activities. The length of Sarasvati's channel from Pipli on NH-44 in the northeast of Kurukshetra city to Sutlej Yamuna link canal (SYL canal) immediate east of Jyotisar is 21 km (70,000 ft) long. It is 20 m (66 ft) wide near Pipli zoo at NH-44, which gets reduced to a varying width of between 4.6 to 9.1 m (15 to 30 ft). This narrowing of the river hampers flow of water and causes flooding in the inhabited areas in the northern part of Kurukshetra city. The narrowing of river is caused by the illegal encroachments by people. In March 2021, people were asked to remove the encroachments, after which legal notices will be sent to the remaining illegal encroachers. After the encroachment has been removed, the river will be widened, which will also prevent flooding. [12]
The river receives 1,000 cusecs at Pipli during rainy season, but downstream only 200 cusecs water could flow due to encroachments. A minimum 70 ft wide channel is needed for the smooth flow. Hence, river will be widened after removing encroachments. [13]
In addition to boating, there will be series of ghats, open air gym and cafeteria, etc. Initially boating will be started from Pipli to Kheri Markanda village, which will be later extended till Jyotisar after the widening of Sarasvati river. [14]
The 18 month long construction project commenced on 21 June 2018 with target completion by December 2019. However, the project was delayed for various reason including covid, and now it is scheduled to be completed by November 2021. As of August 2021, according to the officials the Administrative Block and Building No 4 are already complete, remaining work is 85% complete. However, ground report by new reports estimate only 50% work is complete, subsequently government officials have assured completion by Nov 2021. [8]
Just like Mathura peda as prasāda (consecrated food offered as blessing) is a specialty of Braj Krishna circuit in Mathura area, the sweet laddu made from the roasted channa (Indian chickpea) will be used as the geo-specialty food prasāda of various tirthas within 48 kos kurukshetra prikarma. This will be called Kurukshetra Prasadam. Compared to other sweets such as barfi or peda, the laddu does not spoil easily and has a longer shelf life at room temperature. Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) has advised all the sweet shops if any tourist or pilgrim asks for prasad then only chana laddoo must be given. KDB will open 5 shops of its own to sell channa laddu as Kurukshetra Prasadam. [15]
Jyotisar is one of the important site where the Gita International Festival is held every year in December. This also entails a Gita Deepotsav (Gita festival of lights) during which hundreds of thousands of traditional earthen diya lamps are lit on the banks of Brahma Sarovar, Sannihit Sarovar and Jyotisar Sarovar. For example, 300,000 lamps were lit in December 2020. [16]
The Mahābhārata is one of the two major Smriti texts and Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered in Hinduism, the other being the Rāmāyaṇa. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succession between two groups of princely cousins, the Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas.
Arjuna was a warrior prince of the ancient Kuru Kingdom, located in the present-day India, and his story is discussed in the epic, the Mahabharata. He was the third of five Pandava brothers, from the lineage of the Kuru. In the Mahabharata War, Arjuna was a key warrior from the Pandava side in the battle of Kurukshetra. Before the beginning of the war, his mentor Krishna gave him the supreme knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita to overcome his moral dilemmas.
Sanjaya or Sanjaya Gavalgana is a figure from the ancient Indian Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Sanjaya is the advisor of the blind king Dhritarashtra, the ruler of the Kuru kingdom and the father of the Kauravas, as well as serving as his charioteer. Sanjaya is a disciple of Sage Vyasa. He is stated to have the gift of divya drishti, the ability to observe distant events within his mind, granted by Vyasa. He narrates to Dhritarashtra the events of the Kurukshetra War, including the ones described in the Bhagavad Gita.
Kurukshetra is a city and administrative headquarters of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita".
The Kurukshetra War, also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the Hindu epic poem Mahabharata, arising from a dynastic struggle between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura. The war is used as the context for the dialogues of the Bhagavad Gita.
Brahma Sarovar is a man-made tank in Kurukshetra, in the state of Haryana, India. It is 3600 feet long, 1500 feet wide, and 45 feet deep. Hinduism lays emphasis on taking bath for internal and external purity. Most religious sites have water pools or sarovar in or near the Hindu temple and Sikh gurdwara. The Hindu genealogy registers at Kurukshetra, Haryana are kept here.
Kurukshetra district is one of the 22 districts of Haryana state in northern India. The town of Kurukshetra, a sacred place for the Hindus, is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district occupies an area of 1530.00 km2. The district has a population of 964,655. This district is part of Ambala division. Kurukshetra is also the land of Srimad Bhagawad Gita. Jyotisar is the place in Kurukshetra where Krishna is believed to deliver the sermon of Gita to Arjuna in the Mahabharata.
Gita Mahotsav,Gita Jayanti, also known as Mokshada Ekadashi or Matsya Dvadashi is a Hindu observance that marks the day the Bhagavad Gita dialogue occurred between Arjuna and Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. It is celebrated on Shukla Ekadashi, the 11th day of the waxing moon of the lunar month Margashirsha (December–January) of the Hindu calendar.
Pehowa is a town and a municipal committee in Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is an important sacred Hindu pilgrimage site, related to Krishna and Mahabharata, within the 48 Kos Parikrama of Kurukshetra. The Hindu genealogy registers at Peohwa, Haryana are kept here at the Pruthudak Tirath on the banks of Sarasvati river.
Mahabharat is an Indian Hindi-language epic television series based on the ancient Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. The original airing consisted of a total of 94 episodes and were broadcast from 2 October 1988 to 24 June 1990 on Doordarshan. It was produced by B. R. Chopra and directed by his son, Ravi Chopra. The music was composed by Raj Kamal. The script was written by Pandit Narendra Sharma and the Hindi/Urdu poet Rahi Masoom Raza, based on the epic by Vyasa. Costumes for the series were provided by Maganlal Dresswala. The serial claims to have used the Critical Edition of Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute as its basic source with Vishnu Sitaram Sukthankar and Shripad Krishna Belwalkar as its primary editor.
Bhagadatta was the son of Narakasura, and the king of Pragjyotisha in Hindu mythology. Bhagadatta was born from a limb of the asura called Bashkala. He was a renowned warrior, and was known to be a great friend of Indra. When Arjuna embarked on a conquest to help his brother Yudhishthira perform the rajasuya yajna, Bhagadatta was one of the first kings to be conquered by him.
Bilaspur is a census town and block headquarter in Yamunanagar District in the state of Haryana, India. It takes its name from the corrupted form of "Vyas Puri", as it was the ashram of Ved Vyasa rishi where he wrote the Mahabharta on the banks of Sarasvati river near Adi Badri where Sarasvati river leaves Himalayas and enters the plains. On Jagadhari road lies another popular religious site of Kapal Mochan.
Yatra, in Indian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, generally means a pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, sacred mountains, places associated with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and other sacred pilgrimage sites. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. The journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves.
Abhimanyupur is a village in Kurukshetra district of Haryana, India. This village is 8 kilometres from the city of Kurukshetra. This village is famous for being the site where Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, died in the Mahabharata War. This is the site where the Kauravas arranged the deadly "chakravyuha" formation and trapped and killed Abhimanyu. This village is part of the 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra. This village has many sacred places associated with Hinduism.
The Bhagavad Gita, often referred to as the Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture, which is part of the epic Mahabharata. The Bhagavad Gita is dated to the second half of the first millennium BCE. Even though Hinduism includes several denominations, the Gita holds a unique pan-Hindu influence as the most prominent sacred text. It has been noted that if there is any one text that comes near to embodying the totality of Hindu thought, it is the Bhagavad Gita.
Vishvarupa, also spelt as Vishwaroopa and known as Virata rupa, is an iconographical form and theophany of a Hindu deity, most commonly associated with Vishnu in contemporary Hinduism. Though there are multiple Vishvarupa theophanies, the most celebrated is in the Bhagavad Gita, given by Krishna in the epic Mahabharata, which was shown to Pandava prince Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra in the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Vishvarupa is considered the supreme form of Vishnu, where the whole universe is described as contained within him.
The Mini Zoo is located on Grand Trunk Road near Pipli bus stand in Kurukshetra, Haryana, India.
Adi Badri, also Sri Sarasvati Udgam Tirath, is a tourist site of archaeological, religious and ecological significance in a forest area in the foothills of the Sivalik Hills in Bhabar area, situated in northern part of Yamunanagar district, of the north Indian state of Haryana. There are remains of many Buddhist stupas and monasteries, which are about 1500–2000 years old, and there is also a group of Hindu temples from the 9th century. Based on the multiple archaeological excavations undertaken here, archaeologists have sent the proposal to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to include this site in the list of protected heritage site. Several popular annual festivals are held here, including the five day long National Saraswati Festival in January, Adi Badri Akha Teej Mela in Vaisakh around April–May, week-long Adi Badri-Kapal Mochan Kartik Purnima religious mela around November.
The 48 kos parikrama is a parikrama of various Mahabharata-related and other Vedic-era tirthas around the holy city of Kurukshetra in the state of Haryana, India.
The Arjuna Vishada-yoga is the first of the eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad Gita. The chapter has a total of 47 shlokas. The chapter is the 23rd chapter of Bhishma Parva, the sixth book of the Mahabharata.