History

The ancient Sthaneshwar Mahadev Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva is situated in Thanesar, a holy town in the Kurukshetra district of Haryana. It was here that the Pandavas along with Krishna prayed to Lord Shiva and received his blessings for victory in the battle of Mahabharata. The ninth Guru, Shri Tegh Bahadur stayed at a spot near the Sthaneshwar Tirtha that is marked by a gurdwara just besides this temple.

Legend has it that the waters of the tank adjoining the temple are holy. A few drops of water cured the King Ban of leprosy. No pilgrimage of Kurukshetra is believed to be complete without a visit to this ancient, holy temple. The tank and temple lie a short distance from the Thanesar town, which gets its name from this temple. It is also believed that Lord Shiva was first worshipped here in the form of a lingam. The ancestor of the Mahabharata heroes, Kuru, performed penance on the banks of the Yamuna and Parshuram, the great warrior sage killed many Kshatriyas here.

The temple of Sthaneshwar is the abode of Lord Shiva and this town served as the capital of Emperor Harshavardhana. The temple with a dome-shaped roof follows a regional type of architecture. The facade of the roof is shaped like an ‘amla’ along with a tall pinnacle. The Lingam is ancient and still venerated by the local people.