In order to write this post I need to tell you about the history of Kurukshetra, briefly. It is the same Kurukshetra as in Mahabharat, however, there used to be a small town in front of it, Sthaneshwar. Now both are the same. Sthaneshwar means the palace of Gods and after all these years it has become Thanesar. In the 7th century, there used to be a ruler of Thanesar, Prabhakar Vardhan. Later on his sons, Rajya Wardhan and Harsh Wardhan took the command. Thanesar was the capital of Wardhan or Pushyabhuti Empire. It was this empire that ruled over most of India after the secret dynasty. After the death of Prabhakar Vardhan in 600 A.D., his elder son Rajya Prabhakar was appointed as the new ruler, however, soon after that his enemy killed him which led to Harsh Wardhan becoming the new ruler. He was 16 years old when he became the king. He stretched his empire from Northern India to the present Assam’s Kamrup district and he moved his capital from Thanesar to Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh. It was this Thanesar that was obliterated by Mehmood Gaznavi in 1011 A.D.
Thanesar city is located on top of a mound which is known as Harsh’s Tila (Harsh ka Tila). Sheikh Chilli’s tomb is also in this city and to the West of it there are some of the remains of Harsh’s Tila. Archeologists have found some invaluable crockery of secret and Krishna Dynasty, polished in red and grey from these remains. It’s about the size of 1sq Km. If you just take a glimpse at it, you’d wonder why did you even bother coming here, however, when you get to know about the history of this place you certainly feel satisfied and proud with a sense of witnessing a 7th century structure.
The stairs inside might've been built later on, the Chamber in it is quite wide and spherical on the top. Just as compartments are created for horses in the stable, Delhi's zoo comprises a similar structure for the elephants. It’s difficult to write on this topic anymore than this. Peace.
Story :
India was finally unlocking itself after being quarantined for so long due to Covid-19 and let me tell you, I was getting restless to travel somewhere. Somewhere historic to be precise and boy did I come across the perfect place dripping with history.
I went to a historic place called, Harsh ka Tila in Thanesar, District Kurukshetra. At first sight it looks very ordinary, just some ruins and stone structures here and there in this 1 square kilometer area. But, once I got to know about its origin and what it represented I was quite surprised and intrigued.
But before diving into its ancient past I must talk about how this place was discovered. This site was excavated by Shri B.M.Pandey of Archaeological Survey of India. A few potsherds of Painted Grey Ware found from the lowest level of the site indicate the existence of a settlement before starting a continuous habitation at the site since Christian era. The excavated material ranging from Circa 1st century AD to 19th century was divided in six cultural periods.
I figured it’s better to mention that first as that’s how I was provided this information by a local guide. He also mentioned archeologists love this place for digging and excavating the ancient and unknown.
Now that’s out of the way, let’s dive deep. After reading online extensively and a few 6 feets apart conversations with enthusiasts I got to know about its past, it was immersive to say the least. So, the story goes like this: Harsh Vardhan the younger son of Prabhaker Vardhan was appointed as the King of Pushyabhuti Empire at the age of 16 after a series of events. After the death of Prabhaker Vardhan in 600 A.D. His older son Rajya Vardhan was elected as the new ruler, however, he soon bid his farewell to life after one of his enemies murdered him and that’s how Harsh Vardhan’s empire came to be. It's mind boggling that the Vardhan empire stretched from Northern India to across present Assam. Looking at ancient structure is always an interesting experience for me and this place was no exception.
Another fascinating thing I got to know and still stunned about it is that Harsh ka Tila is situated near the Tomb of Sheikh Chilli, I don’t know if it’s coincident or something more.
It was also stated that archeologists found plenty of utensils from Krishna dynasty, although I was feeling like an archeologist myself by wearing a mask and glasses.
I did not dig up any graves or excavate any ancient relics but I can say by just being in such an ancient place one feels thrilled and starstruck.
I highly recommend all the history loving people and to be honest every person to visit this place once and talk about it’s past with the locals and enthusiasts.