Jyotisar

Getting there

• By train

  Kurukshetra Junction railway station is on the Delhi-Kalka line, in Kurukshetra city, Haryana.

Why devotees come here

Jyotisar, on the Jyotisar Sarovar wetland in Kurukshetra city, Haryana, is called the birthplace of the Gita. Tradition says Krishna preached the Gita to Arjuna under a banyan tree here. A banyan tree on a raised plinth still stands at the site.

Jyotisar is called the birthplace of the Gita. According to the Mahabharata, Krishna delivered his sermon to Arjuna here, revealing the Gita beneath a banyan tree. A local banyan tree, considered an offshoot of the original, stands on a raised plinth at the site. Many visitors from across the country come to Kurukshetra each year to pay their respects at it. Jyotisar serves as a focal centre for the International Gita Mahotsav, which is held every December.

Adi Shankara, an 8th-century scholar, identified Jyotisar as the exact place where Krishna gave the Gita. The site also has an old Shiva temple, where the Kauravas and Pandavas are said to have worshipped. A marble chariot statue shows Krishna preaching to Arjuna. In 2021, a 40-foot-tall statue of Krishna's cosmic form was installed here. It is cast in ashtadhatu, an alloy of eight sacred metals.

Festivals

• Every DecemberInternational Gita Mahotsav

  Jyotisar serves as a focal centre for this annual festival.

• December, at the close of Gita MahotsavGita Deepotsav

  Hundreds of thousands of earthen lamps are lit along the lake embankments, including Jyotisar Sarovar.

Tips for your visit

• The two galleries of the Jyotisar centre are opened only occasionally.
• The Kurukshetra Development Board runs five outlets that distribute the official Kurukshetra Prasadam to pilgrims.
• Narkatari, between Jyotisar and Kurukshetra city, has a twin-statue installation of Bhishma's final moments.

Questions people ask