important places related to great epic mahabharata

District Meerut

• It is said that during the Mahabharata period, a famous architect was awarded land of Meerut by Yudhisthir.

• He established a city in the name of ‘MAYA’ initially, which later on became famous as ‘MEERUT’ .

• This district is said to be associated with earliest traditions of the Hindus according to which Maya, the father-in-law of Ravana, founded this place which has therefore been called  as “MAIDANT-KA-KHERA”.

• In another version states that Maya, a distinguished architect, was awarded land from Yudhishthir, on which the city of meerut now stands.

• He renamed it as ‘MAYARASHTRA’, in course of time became ‘MEERUT’. was part of dominions of Mahipal, King of Indraprashta

Hastinapur

• sit in district meerut approx 37 km from meerut & 100 km from delhi.

• hastinapur is connected through meerut-bijnor road. silent witness to the majestic grandeur, royal conflicts and princely anecdotes of pandavas & kauravas.

• well known all over as capital city of pandavas and kauravas in mahabharata times.

• the sites related to mahabharata are loc throughout hastinapur as vidur tila, pandaveshvar temple, baradari, draupadeshvar temple, karna temple, draupadi ghat, karna ghat and draupadeshwar mahadev temple etc.

• draupadeshwar mahadev temple has relevance from mahabharata times.

• legend says this place was used as meditation place for draupadi, bhishmapitamah etc.the temple lies amidst the forest area along the ganga canal

• hastinapur is also a sacred place for jain devotees. the jain temples, master piece of architecture are worth visiting.
  ambudweep jain temple
  shwetambar jain temple
  prachin digambar jain temple
  ashtapad jain temple
  shri kailash parvat jain temple, having sumeru parvat and kamal temple in jambudweep jain temple

• it is also a center of great faith for sikh devotees being the birth place of panch pyare bhai dharam singh ji, one of the five disciple of guru govind singh ji. the gurdwara at saifpur,karamchandpur is a sacred & historical palace alongwith being a center of devotion and faith for sikh religion.

• it is also known for its wild life sanctuary near by which is full of flora and fauna diversity, a centre of wild life tourism and adventure, ecotourism and related activities.

• adequate lodging & food facilities are also available.

Parikishitgarh

• sit approx 23 km. away from meerut in district meerut.

• parikishitgarh holds the pride of being the capital city of king prikshit - grand son of brave arjun and son of brave abhimanyu of mahabharta times.

• in parikishitgarh ghandhari talab is related to mata ghandhari, where according to the myth gandhari used to take bath. it is a temple complex near a large water body. a lot of people come to gandhary talab for religious and recreational purpose.

• gopeshwar temple was once the meditation centre for gandhari and also an escape route for any emergency. there is one secret tunnel which connects to ghandhari talaab, hastinapur and shringirishi aashram. the temple is located on the outer skirt of parikshitgarh the natural vicinity of orchards make the environment very pleasant.

• hshringirishi aashram is an age old aashram, named after the sage who was a great medicine-man. the aashram is very famous and imp & people from different places come here to get blessings and treatment of their diseases esp during the saawan time, when kaawarias come for ganga snan and darshan of mahadev temple

District Baghpat

• baghpat is one of the districts of uttar pradesh and its town is loc approx 50 km. from meerut. this city is believed to be one of the five districts of mahabharata epic. there are many stories related to its name . on e story in mahabharata times states it was called vyaghrprastha (place of tigers), whle another one says it was called vakayaprastha (place of speech), with the passage of time these name changed to present day variant name“baghpat”. lakchagriha barnava, shiekh-bah-uddin ki dargah, bageshwar mahadev temple, yamunaghat at baghpat city, pura mahadev temple at pura village, parshuram ji ka khera near pura mahadev temple, valmiki ashram at baleni village and jain temple at badagaon are the other places of tourists interest.

Lakchagriha Barnava

• barnava is sit in district baghpat about 33 km from meerut and 80 km from delhi. south of this village there is a hillock about 100 ft high and spread across an area of 30 acres. it is believed to be the remains of the laksha palace of mahabharta times. a cave sit in the roots of hillock where it is said that the pandavas escaped through it when kauravas as a part of their conspiracy, tried to burn them alive in the palace.

District Gaziabad

Before 14th November 1976 Ghaziabad was the Tehsil of District Meerut. The then Ghaziabad came into existence as a district on 14th November 1976, since then Ghaziabad has moved forward leaps and bounds on the social, economic, agriculture and individual front. Ghaziabad, the headquarter of the district of the same name, lies on the Grand Trunk road about a mile east of the Hindon river 19 Kms. east of Delhi and 46 Kms. south-west of Meerut with which it is connected by a metalled road. Other roads lead north-west to Loni and Baghpat and east to Hapur and Garhmukteshwar. Buses run at frequent intervals from here to Delhi, Meerut, Aligarh, Bulandshehar, Moradabad and to other districts also. It is an important station on the Northern Railway where railway lines, from Delhi to Calcutta, Moradabad and Saharanpur meet, connecting it with many important cities of India. As it’s boundary is adjacent to Delhi, it acts as the main entrance, Brijghat-Garhmukteshwar, Dhudheshwar Nath Mandir, Balaji Mandir Gaziabad, Rathpala Baudh Matth Hapur etc. are few of the important places of tourists interest in the distt.

Garhmukteshwar & Brijghat

• Situated in District Ghaziabad about 47 km from Meerut and 70 km Ghaziabad, Garhmukteshwar has been famous from ancient time as being an important religious place. Ancient name of Garhmukteshwar was Shivvallabhpur, it is said that Gan (followers/slaves) of Lord Shiva get there emancipation here thats why it come to be known as Garhmukteshwar. Nakka Kuan -The Nakka Kuan temple complex is associated with sage Parshuramji. According to the legend Parshuramji used to meditate here there is an ancient temple dedicated to lord Shiva. Presently the site is well developed and maintained. Ganga Mandir- The Temple is situated on a mound near Old Garh Village. Most of the pilgrims come to this temple while coming to take holy Bath in Garh Ganga. This is a very important temple. Meerabai Ki Reti and Jama Masjid, are very ancient places of immense religious faith and worth visiting.

• Birjghat is situated about 5 km from Garhmukteshwar at right bank of holy river Ganga on Delhi-Lucknow National Highway. Brijghat has emerged as new holy pilgrim center and as a picnic spot, it is also known as Haridwar of U.P. Here at the Ghat at Brijghat, the Arti (religious ceremony performed in worship of God by lighted lamps) in the evening time is very attractive and pleasing. A large fair is also organised on Kartik Poornima (in month of November) here at Brijghat which is very historical and devotees come in huge number on these holy events. Dhabas and eating joints at Brijghat and Garhmukteshwar are available for food. Rahi Tourist Bunglow (Parryatak Aawas Griha) on National Highway near Brijghat is also available for standard food and lodging facilities.

District Bulandshehar

The history of Bulandshehar begins even before 1200 B.C. After decline of Hastinapur, Ahar which is situated in the north-east of district Bulandshehar, became an important place for Pandavas in Mahabharata times. The district is named after the Headquater Town Bulandshehar. The Town is said to be founded by Parmal,a Tomar King. The place was initially called as‘Banchatti’ (land reclaimed from forest) and later as ‘Baran’. Subsequently it was called ‘Unchanagar’ because its ground level was higher than the surrounding country. In the medieval period, ‘Unchanagar’ was rendered into Persian as ‘Bulandshehar’.The district is endowed with various Mahabharat & Historical Sites and other places of tourists interest as Karnwas, Ahar, Anupshahar, Barakhamba Shikarpur, Narora etc.

Karanwas

Karanwas Situated in District Bulandshehar about 55 km FromBulandshehar, is a great pilgrimage centre on the banks of Ganges. It is said that, this is the place where Raja Karan ( of Maharabharata times) use to live and use to donate SAVA MAN (an ancient / old unit of measuring weight ) Sona (Gold) as Alms/ Charity Daily . There are many other temples and a Aashram in the vicinity. Karanwas with few temples and a Ganga Ghat is a very important Tourist / Pilgrimage centre.

District Muzaffarnagar

Muzaffarnagar city headquarter of the district. Situated about 54 km from Meerut, is a flourishing town where a number of Industries, Education centers & Health facilities are available. The district is endowed with various Mahabharata & Historical sites and other places of tourists interest such as Shukratal, Dallu Devta Temple and Kamla Nehru Vatika at Muzaffarnagar City and Dargah Hazart Abbas Baghra, Ghyaneshwar Mahdev Temple Jansath etc.

Shukratal

• Situated in District Muzafarnagar at the bank of holy River Ganga, about 90 km from Meerut and 29 km from Muzaffarnagar. It is well known as the land of religious importance and austerity also for devotees all over. Its existence is from ancient times and having a very important place in Mahabharta times. It is also a place of confluence of holy rivers Ganga and Sonali. Here at a hillock about 150 ft in height is situated a holly Banyan Tree (Vat Vrikch), it is said that under this Tree Muni (saint) Shukhdev recited Shrimad Bhagwat (Great Indian epic) to accursed king Parikshit, for his beatitude and salvation from that curse. Shukhdev Ashram, Hanumant Dham Temple and Eternal Banyan Tree are worth visiting

• With those few above Vidur Kuti Aashram in Distt. Bijnore, situated about 12 kms from Bijnore, is associated with Mahatama Vidur, Uncle of Pandavas of Mahabharata times is also one of the most important laces of Mahabharat Circuit.

With those few above Vidur Kuti Aashram in Distt. Bijnore, situated about 12 kms from Bijnore, is associated with Mahatama Vidur, Uncle of Pandavas of Mahabharata times is also one of the most important places of Mahabharat Circuit.