Social,
Environmental & Economic Sustainability
Our analysis of the rank of the district
Backwardness : 429
Sex Ratio Rank : 74
(Rank one is least sex ratio - Cenus 2001)
HIV Category District : C
(HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2004 -2006)
Disability : 419 (Census 2001)
Literacy Ratio : 200 (Census 2001)
Minority : Does not figure in MCD
Water : Flouride in Groundwater above permissible limits
Challenges of the district : Our research with local communities
Firstly, deforestation is the main challenge of
Kurukshetra. The second main challenge we face is poor quality of
education. There are no skilled based schools or colleges in this
district. It is very essential for the youth to progress. Government
should encourage and provide workshops for income generation.
Unemployment is also an issue faced by many people of Kurukshetra.
Government should help the poor and deprived to come up in life
Brief About Kurukshetra District
The name Kurukshetra is associated in the Puranas and the Great
Epic with the legendary king Kuru although it appears to be more
logical to trace it to the tribe of Kurus which was born as a
result of merger of the various classes of the Great Bharatas
who are described in the Rigveda as kindling sacrificial fires
on the banks of the sacred Sarasvati and Drishadvati. The Sarasvati
is described in the Rigveda as a perennial river par excellence,
flowing from the Himalayas to the ocean most probably it refers
to the Ghaggar. The Drishadvati was the river in whose bed the
Hansi-Hisar branch of the Western Yamuna Canal now flows. The
Kurus also were known to the Rigveda as the mention of a King
named Kurushravana indicates.
Many geographical names and personalities connected
with Kurukshetra occur in the earliest Sanskrit literature and
around this region were enacted the opening scenes of the drama
of Indian history. Most of the Vedic literature was composed here
and most of the social, religious and political traditions of
this country arose in this region. It is therefore regarded as
the cradle of Indian civilisation and culture. Kurukshetra shot
into prominence as the battle field of Mahabharta and as the birth
place of the holy Gita. The great 18-day battle of Mahabharta
was fought here in the ancient past between Kauravas and Pandavas
for upholding the cause of dharma. It was a war between good and
evil, in which the Pandavas were victorious. Bhagvad Gita, the
Song Celestial, is the divine message which lord Krishna delivered
to Arjuna on the eve of the Great War when he saw the latter wavering
from his duty. It epitomises all that is the best and noblest
in the Hindu philosophy of life.
Jyotisar, near Thanesar, is supposed to mark
the site where it was delivered.
Kurukshetra is mentioned a great deal in ancient
literature. A flourishing country of the Kurus, it was the most
sacred region of the Dvapara age according to the Matsya Purana
and one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas of Jambudvipa. It was the
region of lakes and lotus beds which can be seen even now. Manu
indirectly praises the prowess of the people of Kurukshetra. Bana
describes it as the land of the brave in the eyes of the warriors.
The place was visited by Buddha and appears to have been favoured
by his masterly discourses. Kurukshetra also finds mention in
Panini's Ashtadhyayi. It was also visited by nine out of the ten
Sikh Gurus, Guru Angad Dev the Second Guru, being the only exception.
The place where Guru Nanak stayed during his sojourn at Kurukshetra
is well known as Gurdwara Sidhbati on a mound near the pumping
station across the Kurukshetra Tank. The gurdwara dedicated to
Guru Hargobind, the sixth guru, stands near Sannihit tank. Another
gurdwara near the Sthaneshwar tank marks the spot sanctified by
the visit of the ninth Guru Tegh Bahadur. And on the main bank
of the Kurukshetra tank, stands the Gurdwara Rajghat built in
the memory of the visit of the tenth Guru Gobind Singh; who also
visited Jyotisar.
This region saw the rise and fall of many an
empire through centuries. Sons of the soil fought invaders in
the battlefield of this sacred land from time to time and their
exploits fill the pages of history. The period of King Harsha
was a golden age.
LOCATION
Kurukshetra district lies between latitude 29o-52'
to 30o- 12' and longitude 76o-26' to 77o-04'
in the North Eastern part of Haryana State. The district headquarter
is located at Kurukshetra town and is about 160 Kilometers North
of Delhi, 39 Kilometers North of Karnal and 40 Kilometers South
of Ambala. It is at a distance of about 6 kilometer from Pipli
an important road junction on the National Highway No.1 popularly
called the Grand Trunk Road.
Kurukshetra Railway Station, also called the
Kurukshetra Junction, is located on main Delhi-Ambala Railway
line. The other important towns of the district are Pehowa, Shahbad
& Ladwa. The district consists of 419 villages.
GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES
On the whole, the district is a plain which slopes
from North East to South and South West. The plain is remarkable
flat and within it, are the narrow low-lying flood plains, known
as either Betre Khadar of Naili. Saraswati, Markanda and Ghaggar
are the important rivers of the district. A good network of canals
is providing irrigational facilities. Underground water level
is not relatively high. Tubewell irrigation is also common in
the district. It is one of the prosperous district from agriculture
point of view. The soil is generally alluvial, loam and clay does
not constitute average texture of the soil.
CLIMATE
The climate of the district is of pronounced character
i.e. very hot in Summer and markedly cold in winter. It is as
high as 45 degree C in summer and as low as 3 degree C in winter.
HISTORICAL AND RELIGIOUS
BACKGROUND
Kurukshetra is a place of great historical and religious
importance, revered all over the country for its sacred associations.
It was here that the battle of Mahabharta was fought and Lord
Krishna preached his Philosophy of "KARMA" as enshrined in the
Holy Geeta to Arjuna at Jyotisar. In the very first verse of Bhagwat
Gita, Kurukshetra is described as DHARAMKSHETRA i.e. field of
righteousness. Mythologically, the name Kurukshetra applied to
a circuit of about 48 KOS or about 80 miles (128 Kms) which includes
a large number of holy places, temples and tanks connected with
the ancient Indian traditions and the Mahabharata War and Kururu,
the pious ancestor of Kaurvas and Pandavas.
