Since times immemorial, Kurukshetra has been the venue of the great purification ceremonies for Moksha (salvation) for pilgrims from the four corners of the country. The Matsya Purana and Padma purana, ancient Hindu texts tell us that if an individual take a holy dip in the sacred tanks of Kurukshetra on the occasion of a Solar Eclipse, he attains the merits of thousands of Ashwamedha Yazna. Primary amongst these important occasions is the Somavati Amavasya (held on the first day of the new moon falling on Monday) and on a Solar Eclipse (held on a new moon day as the moon comes between the sun and the earth, thereby causing the eclipse of the sun). The Brahma Sarovar and the Sannihit Sarovar are the focal points of the holy purification ceremonies.

The total eclipse of the Sun is the most spectacular event in all of Nature! It is really an unforgettable experience to witness this celestial wonder. As the dark shadow of Moon plunges into an eerie twilight we could see the mysterious and incredibly beautiful corona of the Sun.

For a few minutes during a total solar eclipse, when the disk of the moon slides precisely between our planet and the sun we glimpse the light and shadow. Unless light from the sun is blocked, the corona is usually too dim for us to see from earth. During an eclipse, we'll have a better view of the lower corona than even space telescopes can provide

The earliest reference to the Solar Eclipse at Kurukshetra is found in the Hindu ipic the Mahabharata where mention is made of pilgrims taking a holy dip at Kurukshetra during the Solar Eclipse. This also has a cross reference in the Van Parva and Udyog Parva of the Mahabharata. The Bhagwad Purana has an exclusive chapter on the visit of Lord Krishna to Kurukshetra on the occasion of the Solar Eclipse.

A scientific phenomenon as we know, solar eclipse is the partial or complete obscuration of the Sun because of the passage of moon in front of it. This eclipse occurs when moon comes between the Sun and the earth. In ancient times (of course,not going to Vedic period or earlier time) in the age of Puranas (5th-6th century A.D. this natural phenomenon was interpreted in another way. Rahu aned Ketu, the ascending and descending nodes, to the people, took over the sun and they caused ecipse in it. But Varahamihira and others had already rejected this belief and advocated the idea of moon and the the shadow of the earth that caused solar eclipse, which has opposed by Brhmagupta.

Krishna along with his family came from Dwaraka to participate in the fair of solar eclipse at Kurukshetra. People from all over India too assembled at the sacred place as also the Vrishnis, the Bhojas, Akrura, Vasudeva, Ugrasena and others. From Vrindavana the gopis also came to have sacred bathe in the tanks of Kurukshetra. Krishna was then a child when he left Vrindavana thus after a long time the gopis could see Krishna at Kurukshetra. Krishna and Balarama warmly embraced their parents. During the fair, there was an interesting dialogue between gopies and Krishna. They were also hugged by Rohini and Yashoda. Krishna told the gopies that he is the beginning and the end of the corporeal beings and he himself represents both inside and outside their bodies just as the five elements or panchbhutas such as ether, earth, water, fire and air, which are present in all created things. The created objects are pervaded by these elements but soul is untouched by the elements and is enshrined in the body for the enjoyment of worldly objects.
It is believed that the Mughal Emperor Akbar, accompanied by his court historian Abul Fazl, too visited Kurukshetra during the Solar Eclipse in 1567. Abul Fazl’s Akbarnama refers to the Eclipse in Kurukshetra and the Pilgrims bathing in the Brahma Sarovar. The French traveler Francios Bernier of the Mughal Emperor Shahjehan’s era also mentions the sacred baths at the Indus, Ganges and the sacred tanks of Thaneshwar (Kurukshetra) on the occasion of the Solar Eclipse.