Sarveshwar Mahadev Temple, Kurukshetra – Legends

Sarveshwar Mahadev Temple, Kurukshetra – Legends

Kurukshetra:

It is written in Puranas that Kurukshetra is named after King Kuru of the Bharata Dynasty, ancestor of Pandavas and Kauravas. The Vamana Purana tells how King Kuru came to settle here. He chose this land at the banks of Sarasvati River (dried up before 1900 BCE) for embedding spirituality with eight virtues: austerity (Tapas (Sanskrit)), truth (Satya), forgiveness (Kshama), kindness (daya), purity (Shuddha), charity (Daana), Yajna and Brahmacharya.

Lord Vishnu was impressed with the act of King Kuru and blessed him. Vishnu gave him two boons: first that this land forever will be known as a Holy Land after his name as Kurukshetra (the land of Kuru); second that anyone dying on this land will go to heaven. The land of Kurukshetra was situated between two rivers — the Sarasvati and the Drishadvati.

This land has been known as Uttarvedi, Brahmavedi, Dharamkshetra and Kurukshetra at different periods. When King Kuru came on this land it was called Uttarvedi. According to the ancient Hindu text, the Battle of Mahabharata was fought on this land, during which Lord Krishna preached Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna.

Mahabharata & Manu Smriti was written here:

It is believed that sage Vyasa wrote Mahabharata and Manu Wrote Manu Smriti in this place.

Slaying of Vritasura:

Indra fashioned the Vajrayudha (Thunderbolt) from Dadhichi spine and this weapon was then used to kill the Vritasura, allowing Indra to reclaim his place as the king of Devaloka. Supposed battle is believed to be happened in this place.

Battle between Parasurama & Bhishma:

Battle between Parasurama and Bhishma is believed to be happened in this place.

Brahma worshipped Lord Shiva here:

Mythology says that Lord Brahma used to worship Lord Shiva in this temple.

Destruction & Reconstruction of this Temple:

During the battle of Mahabharata, temple used to get destroyed by war in the daytime and reconstructed during the night, every day.