In the holy city of Kurukshetra in Haryana — the sacred field of the Mahabharata — stands the ancient Sthaneshwar Mahadev temple, from which the town of Thanesar (Sthaneshwar) takes its very name. Here Shiva is worshipped as Sthaneshwar, and tradition holds that the Pandavas prayed to the Lord at this spot before the great war, and by his grace won victory.
Revered as a place of deep antiquity and power, with a sacred tank whose waters are held to heal, the temple draws pilgrims to the land of the Gita, especially at Shivaratri and during the great solar-eclipse gatherings for which Kurukshetra is famed. Sthaneshwar Mahadev is among the most venerable Shiva shrines of the north.
