The taxi arrived sharp at 7AM at our residence at Rohini Delhi to take us to an ancient town of
Kurukshetra now in the state of Hariyana. I had passed from close to this town on NH 1 on previous occasions of my journeys to exotic Himachal and every time it evoked nostalgic childhood memories of stories I had heard of epic events of the greatest war on earth and teachings of Lord Krishna in Mahabharat. All the events took in and around this town centuries ago.
Therefore, when one of my old friends invited me to attend the wedding of his nephew at Kurukshetra, I readily agreed, as the visit would fulfil my long cherished dream of
A: to touch the soil of a land where stood Lord Krishna and gave his preaching as in
Srimad Bhagavad-Gita which are more relevant in today’s chaotic world and
B: to explore the events of the great The Kurukshetra War which is believed to date varying from 6000 BCE to 500 BCE.
We did not have our breakfast purposely at Delhi as we always look forward to enjoy it at one of the road side famous north Indian cuisine Dhabas (restaurants) on NH 1 at a small place called
Morthal.
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Mouth watering breakfast at Sukhdev Dhaba, Morthal |
It took us around one and a half hour to cover 70 Kms to reach Morthal and the driver parked the car in front of
Sukhdev Dhaba. It was one of the most delicious north Indian breakfasts of Paneer Paratha (Indian bread stuffed with spicy cottage cheese) with White Butter, Raita (Yoghurt) and Nimbu Achaar (Lime pickle), Wow! It was spicy, thick and delicious I ever had.
Soon we left for Kurukshetra arriving there within 3 hours from Morthal.
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Entrance gate of Kurukshetra town |
The entrance of the town awesome with an imposing gate and on the top was a statue depicting an ancient scene from Mahabharat of a chariot with Lord Krishna and Arjun.
The booking for the guests attending wedding was done at
HOTEL SAFFRON , which was a nice place.
Later, I was introduced to Mr. Prakash Sharma who was supposed to take us for sightseeing around
Kurukshetra, a smiling old man who retired as a professor of History from the University. As we went around, I found him a man of knowledge and wisdom.
Now I’m narrating an incredible incident which stunned me while we were at a place named
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Where Lord Krishna delivered the doctrine of Bhagwad Gita to Arjun |
Jyotisar
It was 5 km from the town of Kurukshetra, called as Jyotisar tirth (Holy place). The place holds special reverence as the site that marks the place where the great war took place and where Lord Krishna delivered the doctrine of Bhagwad Gita to Arjun who was in dilemma whether to or not to fight.
As Mr. Sharma was explaining, I asked a question,
“Praksh Ji, how was it possible winning a war of such a magnitude with primitive weapons like bows and arrows?” Mr. Sharma was quiet for a moment. Then he looked sternly at us, his eyes steely and penetrating. Perhaps I saw a faint smile on his curled lips as if he was mocking on us, or pitying? Or feeling sorry for us?
“It was an atomic war!” declared Mr. Sharma
I was stunned! My jaw dropped. I looked at my friend who was looking at me. How could it be...how can a knowledgeable man, a scholar like Prakash Sharma can say such an unbelievable thing?
“Prakash Ji, how can...” I fumbled and stopped. “I can prove it, it has been proven to the world”, replied Mr. Sharma calmly. “I will show you tonight”, added Mr. Sharma.
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Brahm Sarovar (Holy lake) at Kurukshetra |
The land of Dharma
Kurukshetra the holy pilgrimage in which 360 places of pilgrimage related to the Mahabharata
Read more
Well, later in the afternoon we went to see may beautiful spiritual lakes called as “Sarover” in Hindi, Sri Krishna Museum, Kalpana Chawla (From USA) Planetarium and other fascinating places of interest.
However, we were waiting for the night to fall, to finish our dinner quickly and then to listen to what Mr. Sharma has to give as an “evidence’ of atomic warfare thousands of years back in India
We sat in my room after dinner eager to listen to Mr. Sharma. I’m giving below a summary of what happened-
Dr J. Robert Oppenheimer
“The Mahabharata describes a great war and the weapons used. Interestingly, Manhattan Project chief atom bomb scientist Dr J. Robert Oppenheimer was known to be familiar with ancient Sanskrit literature. In an interview conducted after he watched the first atomic test, he quoted from the Bhagavad Gita:
“Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.” When asked in an interview at Rochester University, seven years after the Alamogordo nuclear test, whether that was the first atomic bomb ever to be detonated, his reply was:
“Well, yes, in modern history.”"The first atomic bomb was detonated by Dr. Julius Robert Oppenheimer on July 16, 1945 in the Trinity test in New Mexico as mentioned earlier. Dr.J.R.Oppenheimer is called the father of the atomic bomb. During the explosion of the first atomic bomb, Oppenheimer quoted several Bhagavad Gita verses from the 11th chapter, such as:
“Death I am, cause of destruction of the worlds…” |
Prehistoric Vimana in India |
For every theory he gives a quote from Mahabharata or Gita. Once he stated about the ancient Indian texts that
“They are not fictional stories. They are history. They speak of flying vimanas. ‘Vimanas’ were real vehicles and the origin of the ‘Aeroplanes’. Great wars were described in the early texts. Weapons could literally level the land like a moving force field.”About ancient atomic explosions Oppenheimer stated that
“In ancient India, we find words for certain measurements of length, one was the distance of light-years and one was the length of the atom. Only a society that possessed nuclear energy would have the need for such words.”Read moreIncredibly, archaeologists appear to have found evidence in India and Pakistan, indicating that some ancient cities were destroyed in atomic explosions. When excavations of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro reached the street level, skeletons were discovered skeletons, many holding hands and sprawled unburied in the streets as if some rapid, terrible catastrophe had overtaken them(refer figure). These skeletons are among the most radioactive ever found.
Source Brahmastra
It was like present nuclear warhead. It is sometimes known as the Brahma Astra (Astra means 'weapon'). As described in a number of the Puranas, it was considered the deadliest weapon also used during Kurukshetra war. Only Arjuna and Ashwatthama possessed the knowledge to summon the Brahmashira. The weapon was also believed to cause severe environmental damage. The land where the weapon was used became barren and all life in and around that area ceased to exist, as both men and women became infertile. There was also a severe decrease in rainfall with the land developing cracks, like in a drought.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmastra |
Mass deaths and destruction in Kurukshetra War |
The war
The Kurukshetra War is believed to date variously from 6000 BCE to 500 BCE
Each army consisted of several divisions; the Kauravas had 11 while the Pandavas controlled 7. A division (akshauhini) includes 21,870 chariots and chariot-riders, 21,870 elephants and riders, 65,610 horses and riders, and 109,350 foot-soldiers (in a ratio of 1:1:3:5). The combined number of warriors and soldiers in both armies was approximately 3.94 million
At the end of the 18th day, only twelve warriors survived the war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurukshetra_WarGENERAL INFORMATION
Climate - Climate of the district is very hot in summer (up to 47°C) and cold in winter (down to 1°C) with rains in July and August.
Access - Kurukshetra is well connected with NH1 and has much access by Road, Rail and Air. The journey is comfortable with various facilities provided en route.
By Road: Buses of Haryana Roadways and other State Corporations ply through Kurukshetra and connect it to Delhi, Chandigarh and other important places.
By Air: The Airports close to Kurukshetra are at Delhi and Chandigarh, which are well connected by road and rail. Taxi service is also available.
By Rail: Kurukshetra is a railway junction, well connected with all important towns and cities of the country. The Shatabadi Express halts here.
http://haryanatourism.gov.in/destination/kurukshetra.asp