Thanesar is one of the most sacred places of Hindu pilgrimage. The town derives its name from the words Sthan-esvar or the abode of God (Mahadev). The town was once the centre of great learning. Today it is famous for the Sthanesvar Mahadev temple and the Ma Bhadra Kali Temple. It lies adjoining the town of Kurukshetra and is often called its twin town. It is a sacred town for Hindus because the Shiva in the form of linga (organ) was first worshipped here. Kuru, the Kauravas and Pandavas' ancestors meditated on the banks of the Yamuna and Parasurama killed many Kshatriyas here. King Harsha was born here, ascended the throne at the age of 16 and ruled for 41 years, sharing his seat of power with his widowed sister whom he had rescued from Sati (self-immolation). During his rule, the renowned Chinese traveler Huen Tsang lived in Thanesar for a number of years and Bana Bhatt, the celebrated Sanskrit scholar, met Harsha here.

It can be said without a doubt that the presiding deity of Thanesar is Lord Shiva.  It is after the Sthanesvar Shiva Linga Temple that Thanesar  gets  its name.  Vaman Puran categorically mentions the importance of this temple and legends tell us that Lord Brahma Himself laid the first Linga of Lord Shiva at the temple. Renovated in recent times, the temple has a white amla  (fruit shaped) dome. A large water body has been designed  before the temple. A Gurudwara that lies opposite the Sthanesvar temple marks the spot sanctified by the visit of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

The famous Ma Bhadra Kali temple celebrates the legend of Sati Mata.  It lies a short drive from the Sthanesar Mahadev Temple. The learned say Sati's lower limb fell here, granting the area the sanctity of a Sidh Peeth or a place where wishes are fulfilled. The temple has been renovated with red stone and the inner sanctum has been beautified.  At a well in the precincts, devotees offer terracotta horses as offerings in thanks-giving, each time their wishes are fulfilled.  The inner sanctum of the temple houses both the awe inspiring and the sublime forms of the Mother Goddess Kali. Thousands of devotee throng the temple on the holy days of Navratre  (March-April and September-October) and every Saturday.

Another tomb of sand stone with a dome of marble decorated with floral designs is situated on the western wall of the enclosure. It is said to be Sheikh Chehli's wife. The beautiful monument resembles the Taj Mahal and in view of its architectural and historical importance, has been declared as a 'protected monument' of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Haryana's history has been synonymous with religious tolerance and communal harmony. During the Sultanate period, (C-1206-1526 A.D.), Haryana witnessed the growth of Sufism on its soil. The earliest seat of this order in this region-the Chistis, named after its founder, the great Sufi saint Mouiniddin Chisti had its centre at Hansi. Thanesar and Panipat also emerged as important centres of Sufism.

celestial.  Jyotisar delights with its fine waterbody, bathing ghats and small temples. Here the marble image of Lord Sri Krishna and Arjun stand immortalised in marble: Lord Krishna explaining to Arjun, the doctrine of Karma through the Gita Updesh. A banyan (believed to be an off-shoot of the original tree under which the Lord gave His Sermon) gives shade to the area. One of the most revered placed of Dharama-Kshetra Kuruskhetra is Jyotisar. It is here under the 5000 years old holy banyan tree that Lord Krishna is believed to have delivered the eternal message of Bhagawad Gita to Arjuna before the commencement of the battle of Mahabharata.

The word Jyotisar constitutes of two parts - "Jyoti" meaning light and "Sar" meaning "tank" and "essence". Thus Jyotisar, symbolically signifies the essence of enlightenment. A beautiful marble chariot depicting Lord Krishna delivered the eternal message of Gita to Arjuna, canopied by a Banyan tree exists at the site. There is an old Shiva temple and a Brihm sarover also here.

Recently, a Sound and Light Show, on the theme of Bhagawad Gita has been mounted by ITDC and Haryana Tourism at Jyotisar. This show tries to capture the drama of Mahabharata with special emphasis on the teaching of Bhagawad Gita.

It is an ancient town not far from Kurukshetra has been a centre of pilgrimage for ages. It is on the, left bank of the sacred Saraswati, twelve kilometers from Thanesar. Pehowa was built sometime in ad 882 although an inscription on a temple claims that it was actually built in ad 895. The town derives its name from King Prithu. On the death of his father says a legend, the King sat on the bank of river Saraswati, offering water to all visitors. As a result, the place came to be known as Prithudaka or Prithu's pool. The town which he afterwards built on the spot was called by the same name. With time, the town of Prithu came to be called Pehowa. Today, it is an ancient place of great sanctity, where prayer and `pind daan' for ancestors is believed to grant `moksha' or redemption from the cycle of birth and death.

Pehowa is also famous for temples devoted to Shiva and his son Kartikkya. Unlike the other temples, the temple dedicated to Shiva, has no linga. Instead, it has a panch-mukhi (5 faced) idol of Lord Shiva which is said to be one of its kind. Haryana Tourism runs its Anjan Yatrika Resort for pilgrims visiting Pehowa.

Sources: Various websites on Kurukshetra, Wikipedia etc. For booking Tourist resorts one may look in to http://kurukshetra.nic.in/tourist