Brahma sarovar

Obeisance for salvation

Brahma sarovar, as the name suggests, is associated with lord Brahma, the creator of the Universe. Since times immemorial, Kurukshetra has been the venue of the great purification ceremonies for moksha (salvation) for pilgrims from the four corners of the country. The Matsya purana and Padma Purana, ancient Hindu text tell us that if an individual takes a holy dip in the sacred  tanks of Kurukshetra, on the occasion of a Solar Eclipse, he attains the merits of a thousand Ashwamedha Yajna. The last Solar Eclipse held on 19th March, 2007 at Kurukshetra witnesses more than a million pilgrims from India and abroad visiting the banks of Brahma Sarovar for a holy dip.

 It is believed that the Mughal Emperor akbar, accompanied by his court historian Abul Fazal, too visited Kurukshetra during the Solar Eclipse in 1567. Abul Fazal's Akbarnama refers to the Eclipse in Kurukshetra and the piligrims bathing in the Brahma Sarovar. The French traveller Francois Bernier of the Mughal Emperor Shajehan's era also mentions the sacred tanks of Kurukshetra.

 The word Brahma means nucleus or gigantic. Brahma Sarovar happens to be the largest man made tank in India. On seeing this huge water body, Abul Fazal, the famous historian called a ‘miniature ocean'.