12 September 2026 · Blog
International Gita Mahotsav, Kurukshetra: a visitor's guide
Gita Jayanti falls on Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi (Mokshada Ekadashi), the day Krishna is believed to have taught the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna at Kurukshetra. Since 2016 Haryana has celebrated it as the International Gita Mahotsav, a festival that now runs for about two weeks around the day.
Brahma Sarovar
The heart of the Mahotsav is Brahma Sarovar, one of the largest man-made tanks in India. Its ghats are lined with stalls from every state — Phulkari from Punjab, brass from Moradabad, Haryanvi durries — and every evening there is a Gita aarti with thousands of diyas floated on the water.
Jyotisar
About 12 km from the city, Jyotisar has an old banyan said to be a descendant of the tree under which the Gita was spoken. There is a light-and-sound show and a large museum, the Gita Gyan Sansthanam and the Krishna Museum, in Kurukshetra itself.
The 48 kos
Kurukshetra is not one town but a sacred land of 48 kos — about 150 km around — with more than 360 tirthas across Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Jind and Panipat. Pehowa, Thanesar's Sthaneshwar Mahadev, Bhadrakali Shaktipeeth and Banganga are among the best known.
Planning
- Kurukshetra is on the Delhi–Ambala line; Shatabdi trains stop at Kurukshetra Junction.
- December mornings are foggy and cold; carry warm clothes for the evening aarti.
- Weekends during the Mahotsav are very crowded — weekdays are calmer.
The Mahotsav dates are announced by the Kurukshetra Development Board each year. Gita Jayanti dates on this site are calculated from the tithi.