Kurukshetra district | |
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     Statue of Krishna and Arjuna inKurukshetra,Sthaneshwar Mahadev Temple, Temple inPehowa, Palace ruins,Sheikh Chilli's Tomb | |
 Interactive map of Kurukshetra district | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Haryana |
| Headquarters | Kurukshetra |
| Tehsils | 1.Thanesar, 2.Shahabad 3.Pehowa, 4.Ladwa |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,530 km2 (590 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 964,655 |
| • Density | 630/km2 (1,630/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 26.10 |
| Demographics | |
| • Literacy | 76.31 |
| • Sex ratio | 888 |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| Lok Sabha constituencies | Kurukshetra (shared with Yamuna Nagar and Kaithal districts) |
| Vidhan Sabha constituencies | 4 |
| Website | http://kurukshetra.gov.in/ |
Kurukshetra district is one of the 22 districts ofHaryana state in northernIndia. The town ofKurukshetra, a sacred place for theHindus, is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district occupies an area of 1530.00 km2. The district has a population of 964,655 (2011 census). 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.
The district derived its name from the ancient region of Kurukshetra, which literally means the land of theKurus. It is believed that theKurukshetra war described in thePuranas and the war was fought here andShri Krishna preached theBhagavat Gita toArjuna on the battlefield before the war.[citation needed]
The district was carved out of the erstwhileKarnal district in 1973. Later some parts of this district were transferred toKaithal andYamuna Nagar districts at the time of their creation.
The Kurukshetra district is headed by an IAS officer of the rank ofDeputy Commissioner (DC) who is the chief executive officer of the district. The district is divided into 4 sub-divisions, each headed by aSub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM):Shahabad,Thanesar,Ladwa andPehowa.
The district has 4 revenuetehsils, namely, Thanesar, Pehowa, Shahabad and Ladwa and 2 sub-tehsils - Babain and Ismailabad.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 175,735 | — |
| 1911 | 158,807 | −1.01% |
| 1921 | 164,560 | +0.36% |
| 1931 | 169,002 | +0.27% |
| 1941 | 197,157 | +1.55% |
| 1951 | 219,455 | +1.08% |
| 1961 | 341,906 | +4.53% |
| 1971 | 465,222 | +3.13% |
| 1981 | 542,423 | +1.55% |
| 1991 | 669,346 | +2.12% |
| 2001 | 825,454 | +2.12% |
| 2011 | 964,655 | +1.57% |
| source:[1] | ||
According to the2011 census Kurukshetra district has apopulation of 964,655,[2] roughly equal to the nation ofFiji[3] or the US state ofMontana.[4] This gives it a ranking of 452nd in India (out of a total of640).[2] The district has a population density of 630 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,600/sq mi) .[2] Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 16.81%.[2] Kurukshetra has asex ratio of 889females for every 1000 males,[2] and aliteracy rate of 76.7%. Scheduled Castes make up 22.30% of the population.[2]
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 83.47% | |||
| Sikhism | 14.55% | |||
| Islam | 1.66% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.32% | |||
At the time of the2011 Census of India, 65.81% of the population in the district spokeHindi, 17.47%Punjabi and 15.22%Haryanvi as their first language.[6]
Kurukshetra University was established as a unitary residential university at Kurukshetra in 1956. The Regional Engineering College at Kurukshetra was established in 1963, which was later renamed asNational Institute of Technology. Kurukshetra has recently got two reputed institutions in the form ofNational Institute of Design andNational Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT). Apart from these, the Institute of Hotel Management atJyotisar is also known.Also having country's first AYUSH University namely Shiri Krishna AYUSH University and now naturopathy is also made part of it. also new campus is awaited for the same.
Kurukshetra Junction railway station is ajunction station at the junction ofDelhi–Kalka line and Kurukshetra–Jind branch line.[7] It is located in the Indian state ofHaryana. It serves Kurukshetra andThanesar city.
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Karn ka Tila, alsoRaja Karn ka Tila, is a group of partially excavated archeological mounds 5 km southwest ofThanesar and immediately south ofKurukshetra University. There are several mounds, the smaller mound 200 m east of the main mound hasthe 4000 years oldlate phase (1900-1300 BCE) of theIndus-Saraswati Valley Civilisation with a 2-room complex of mud-brick walls.[8]
Partial excavation of 10-meter high main mound found 3archaeological cultural layers. The oldestPeriod-INorthern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) has pottery from the 4th century BCE. The 1st-3rd century CEPeriod-II hasPlain Red Ware andRed Polished Ware pottery, 3 clay seals inBrahmi script & terracotta figurines. Habitation at the site was abandoned after period-II, and resettled in themedieval times in thePeriod-III which has [[lakhori bricks]] and pre-Mughal Empire glazed ware, ruins of late medieval fortification, hauz of lakhauri bricks plastered with lime.[8]
Bhai Lakhi Shah Banjara Baoli at Ishargarh, 7 km north of Pipli bus stand on NH-44Grand Trunk Road, was constructed byBhai Lakhi Rai Banjara. See alsoStepwells of Haryana.
Kurukshetra is not just the land known as the land ofMahabharta; it is also known for the Philosophy of Life and Karma given toArjuna by LordKrishna. For more than 2000 years now, Srimad Bhagawad Gita has emerged as the one scripture which is free from the tags of religions and communities. It is equally reverend all over the world for the message of Selfless Karma which is much relevant in all ages.
Kurukshetra has been celebratingGita Mahotsav (Gita Jayanti). For long it was known as Kurukshetra Utsav. In 2016, the Haryana Government decided to give it a global fervor and organised annual International Gita Mahotsav at Kurukshetra from 1 December to 11 December. The Gita Jayanti was celebrated on 10 December as per the traditional calendar. In 2016, over 1 million people visited the events.[9]
Fiji 883,125 July 2011 est.
Montana 989,415
Places adjacent to Kurukshetra district | |
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| National | |
29°58′12″N76°51′00″E / 29.97000°N 76.85000°E /29.97000; 76.85000
