Mahabharata Places Today: Kurukshetra, Hastinapur, Indraprastha and Dwarka

Quick answer: The main Mahabharata places you can visit today are Kurukshetra in Haryana (the battlefield, with Brahma Sarovar and Jyotisar), Hastinapur near Meerut (the Kuru capital), Purana Qila in Delhi (identified with Indraprastha), Dwarka in Gujarat (Krishna's city), Bairat in Rajasthan (Virata's capital by tradition) and Barnawa near Baghpat (the house of lac by tradition).

The Mahabharata names these cities, but it does not give modern locations. The identifications below come from long tradition. Archaeology has found ancient settlements at several of these sites, but it has not proved that the events of the epic happened there. We say which is which.

Kurukshetra, Haryana

In the epic the war is fought on the plain of Kurukshetra, which the text treats as a holy field (dharmakshetra, as the first verse of the Gita calls it). Today's Kurukshetra, in Haryana, is a pilgrimage centre built around this tradition.

• Brahma Sarovar, a vast sacred tank, is the centre of the annual International Gita Mahotsav, held around Gita Jayanti in November and December.
• Jyotisar, a few kilometres away, is honoured as the place where Krishna taught Arjuna the Bhagavad Gita, and pilgrims visit its old banyan tree. This is tradition; the epic does not mark a spot.
• The 48 Kos parikrama is a pilgrimage circuit of many tirthas around Kurukshetra, looked after by the Kurukshetra Development Board.

See the Kurukshetra war day by day and Gita Jayanti.

Hastinapur, Uttar Pradesh

Hastinapura was the capital of the Kuru kings, Bhishma's and Dhritarashtra's city. The town of Hastinapur in Meerut district is identified with it. The archaeologist B.B. Lal excavated the mound for the Archaeological Survey of India in 1950 to 1952 and found Painted Grey Ware, a pottery of the early first millennium BCE. He also found signs of a great flood of the Ganga and suggested a link with the Puranic account that the capital later moved to Kaushambi; that link is his hypothesis, not established fact. Hastinapur is also an important Jain pilgrimage centre.

Indraprastha and Purana Qila, Delhi

Indraprastha was the city the Pandavas built after the division of the kingdom, and where Yudhishthira held the Rajasuya. Tradition places it at the Purana Qila, the Old Fort in Delhi. The ASI has excavated there in several seasons, first under B.B. Lal and later under Vasant Swarnkar. The 2023 season reported Painted Grey Ware sherds, a Mauryan ring well, coins, seals and sculpture from many periods, and the ASI describes about 2,500 years of continuous occupation, from pre-Mauryan times to the Mughals. The identification with Indraprastha remains a tradition, not a proven fact.

Dwarka, Gujarat

Dwaraka was Krishna's city by the western sea. At the end of the Mahabharata, after Krishna's death, the sea floods it (16.8.40 in the critical edition). Today's Dwarka in Gujarat is one of the holiest Krishna pilgrimage towns, with the Dwarkadhish temple, and Bet Dwarka is an island nearby. From the 1980s the marine archaeologist S.R. Rao led offshore surveys that found stone structures and anchors; their date and any link with Krishna are disputed. In 2025 the ASI's revived underwater archaeology wing began new surveys off Dwarka and Bet Dwarka. See Krishna in the Mahabharata.

Bairat (Viratnagar), Rajasthan

In the Virata Parva, the Pandavas spend their thirteenth year in disguise at the court of King Virata of the Matsyas. Tradition identifies his capital with Bairat, or Viratnagar, in Jaipur district. The ASI's site here is known for a Mauryan circular shrine on Bijak-ki-Pahari and for edicts of Ashoka. See the Virata Parva summary.

Barnawa, Uttar Pradesh: the house of lac

Duryodhana's plot to burn the Pandavas in a house of lac, the Lakshagriha, is told in the Adi Parva. Tradition places it at Barnawa in Baghpat district. The mound there is protected by the ASI and was excavated in 2018. In February 2024 a Baghpat court dismissed a long-running suit that claimed the site as a graveyard and dargah. The link with the epic is tradition.

Other places linked with the epic

• Mathura and Vrindavan (Uttar Pradesh): Krishna's birthplace and childhood home. These belong more to the Bhagavata Purana and the Harivamsha than to the Mahabharata itself.
• Ekachakra (Birbhum, West Bengal): held by local tradition to be the Ekachakra where the Pandavas lived in disguise and Bhima killed Baka.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Kurukshetra battlefield today?

Around the town of Kurukshetra in Haryana, which pilgrims visit for Brahma Sarovar, Jyotisar and the 48 Kos parikrama.

Where was the Bhagavad Gita spoken?

Tradition points to Jyotisar near Kurukshetra. The Mahabharata places the Gita on the battlefield of Kurukshetra but does not mark a spot.

Is Purana Qila the real Indraprastha?

It is the traditional identification. Excavations show a very old settlement, but they do not prove it was the Pandavas' city.

Has Krishna's Dwarka been found under the sea?

Offshore surveys have found ancient stone structures and anchors near Dwarka. Their date and their link with Krishna are disputed, and new surveys began in 2025.

Where was Hastinapur?

Hastinapur in Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh, is identified with the Kuru capital. It was excavated in 1950 to 1952.

Related reading

• Mahabharata: The Complete Guide
• The Kurukshetra war day by day
• Sabha Parva summary
• Ramayana places in India
• Mahabharata family tree

Sources

1. The Mahabharata, critical edition (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune); electronic text via Indology.
2. Archaeological Survey of India, Jaipur Circle: Bairat, excavated site (page on asijaipurcircle.nic.in).
3. University of Lucknow, teaching material on Hastinapur excavations (B.B. Lal, 1950 to 1952).
4. On the Purana Qila excavations: The Print, 2023.
5. On Dwarka surveys: The Hitavada, February 2025.
6. On Barnawa: LiveLaw, February 2024 and Scroll, 2017.
7. On Kurukshetra and the Gita Mahotsav: The Tribune.

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.