Pehowa

Pehowa Prithudak
city
Pehowa Location in Haryana, India
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Haryana
District	Kurukshetra
Government
• Type	democratic
Elevation	224 m (735 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	38,853
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)

Pehowa is a city and a municipal committee in Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana.

Geography

Pehowa is located at . It has an average elevation of 224 metres (734 feet). The Telsil Pehowa was created on 1 November 1979 and is at a distance of 27 km from Kurukshetra. Two inscriptions dated ninth Century A.D. found at Pehowa mention that the place was controlled by Mahendrapala, of Kanauj and a Vishnu temple was constructed at this place by Tomara family, but such historic temple is not found in present day Pehowa.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Pehowa had a population of 83,547. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Pehowa has an average literacy rate of 89%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 85%, and female literacy is 76%. In Pehowa, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. Punjabi dialects are spoken in the countryside, while Hindi is the official language.

Religious significance

Pehowa is considered religious place of high importance and to highlight the sanctity of the place, Haryana State Government has banned sale, possession, consumption and purchase of non-vegetarian food in the town limits. Slaughtering of animals is also banned in the town through the court orders. The town is considered sacred to Ahirs, Hindus and Sikhs. It is understood that after the battle of mahabharata, krishna performed the last rites of those killed in battle to liberate their souls and provide them moksha.

Places of significance

File:Sarawati River and Temple - Pitrudhak Teerth - Pehowa.jpg

Sarawati River and Temple - Pitrudhak Teerth - Pehowa

Prithudak Teerth

Pehowa is a very ancient town, believed to pre-date the Mahabharat War by many centuries as it flourished on the banks of now dried up Saraswati River in those days. By the time of the Mahabharata war, the river had long dried up, yet was still a very holy place where people offered "Pinda Pradhan" to their ancestors. It is still called as "Pitrudhak Teerth" and was the holiest place for these oblations to be done much before Prayag or Gaya as the local legend goes. Lord Krishna is believed to have taken the Pandavas to this place before the war started and made them take the blessings of Sarasawati Mata and of their ancestors. Presently, the river does not have any inflows nor outflows and is stagnant. The Pillars on the entrance to the Saraswati Temple date many centuries. Saraswati Sarovar is located in this town, where people perform pooja and religious rituals.

Prithudak is one of the important point in the 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra.

Sarasvati Temple

Pehowa is known to be an important place and pilgrimage on the banks of mythical and revered Sarasvati River. There is an ancient temple dedicated to Goddess/River Saraswati. This is another temple of this city forming a part of 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra.

• Saraswati Temple main entrance - ancient archway.jpg

  Saraswati Temple main entrance - ancient archway.

• Fresco on the Sarasawti temple wall - Archaeological treasure.jpg

  Fresco on the Sarasawti temple wall - Archaeological treasure

• Eroded Fresco on the Sarasawti temple wall - Archaeological treasure.jpg

  Eroded Fresco on the Sarasawti temple wall - Archaeological treasure.

Other Temples

• Kartikeya Temple
• Pashupathinath Mahadev Temple
• Prachi Tirtha (Part of 48 kos Parikrama)
• Brahmayoni tirtha (Part of 48 kos Parikrama)
• Arunai Temple, Arunay (Part of 48 kos Parikrama)

References

Template:Kurukshetra district topics