Kurukshetra has had its brushes with Buddhism and Sufism. It was the Buddha himself who brought the faith to Kurukshetra, where he delivered his discourses at Thullakotthita and Kamasadamma, identified by historians as Thanesar and Kaithal. The remains of Buddhist stupas at Chaneti and Adi Badri near the town and one near the Brahma Sarovar have been written about by Hiuen Tsang, the Chinese traveller.
Thanesar also has the imposing seventeenth century Sufi shrine — the mausoleum of Sheikh Chaheli or Abd-ur Rahim, the spiritual teacher of Dara Shikoh. In the post 1857 AD period, Thanesar emerged as the centre of anti-British Wahhabi activities in the region that had branches in towns like Karnal, Panipat, Jhajjar and Ambala.
Kuruksheta also holds great sancitity for the Sikhs. The town has been visited by anumber of Sikh Gurus. As a result, a number of Gurudwaras can be seen here. The place where Guru Nanak stayed during his sojourn through Kurukshetra is known as Gurudwara Sidhbati. The Gurudwara dedicated to Guru Hargobind, the sixth guru, stands near Sannehit tank. On the bank of Brahma Sarover, stands Gurudwara Rajghat, built in memory of the visit of Guru Gobind Singh.
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