Kuru kingdom, founded by
King Puru—the ancestors of
Kauravas and
Pandavas Vedic
Indo-Aryan tribal union in northern
Iron Age (c. 1200 – c. 900 BCE), developed into the first recorded
state-level society (
janapada) in the
Indian subcontinent. This kingdom documented their ritual hymns into collections called the
Vedas, and developed new rituals which gained their position in
Indian civilization as the
Srauta rituals, which contributed to the "classical synthesis" or
Hindu synthesis (roots of Hinduism). It was the dominant political and cultural center of the middle Vedic Period during the reigns of
Parikshit and
Janamejaya, but declined in importance during the late Vedic period (c. 900 – c. 500 BCE) and had become "something of a backwater" by the
Mahajanapada period in the 5th century BCE. Traditions and legends about the Kurus continued into the post-Vedic period, providing the basis for the
Mahabharata epic. The time-frame and geographical extent of the Kuru kingdom (as determined by
philological study of the Vedic literature) corresponds with the archaeological
Painted Grey Ware culture. Kurukshetra was conquered by the
Mauryan empire in the late 4th century BCE and subsequently became a center of Buddhism and Hinduism. The history of Kurukshetra is little-known in between the collapse of the Mauryans and the rise of the
Kushans who conquered the region. After the decline of Kushan power in the region, Kurukshetra became independent only to become conquered by the
Gupta empire in the early 4th century CE. Under Gupta rule, Kurukshetra experienced a cultural and religious revival and became a center for Hinduism. After the fall of the Gupta, the
Pushyabhuti dynasty ruled over Kurukshetra. Kurukshetra reached the zenith of its progress during the reign of King
Harsha (c. 590–647 CE) during which Chinese scholar
Xuanzang visited Thanesar. Civil war broke out when Harsha (of the Pushyabhuti dynasty) died without a successor in 647. A Kashmiri army briefly conquered Kurukshetra in 733 but were unable to establish dominion in the area. In 736, the
Tomara dynasty was founded and they took over the region. Around the early 9th century, Kurukshetra lost its independence to Bengal.
Mahmud of Ghazni sacked Kurukshetra in 1014 and Muslim raiders sacked it in 1034. Kurukshetra was incorporated into the
Delhi Sultanate in 1206. Other than a short moment of independence from the result of a rebellion within the Sultanate in 1240, Kurukshetra was under the control of Delhi until 1388. Kurukshetra became independent once again after the steep decline of the Delhi Sultanate and the raids of
Tamerlane near the region. The
Sayyid dynasty incorporated Kurukshetra into their territory though the city likely enjoyed some autonomy. The area was much more firmly controlled under the subsequent
Lodi dynasty. Some damages to Kurukshetra and its structures occurred during this period. Kurukshetra became part of the
Mughal Empire after
Babur quashed a local rebellion in 1526. Under
Akbar, Kurukshetra once again became a spiritual center not only for Hindus but also for Sikhs and Muslims. Between the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Kurukshetra was controlled by the forces of the
Maratha Empire until the British took over Delhi in 1803. In 1805, the British took Kurukshetra after defeating the Maratha forces in the
Second Anglo-Maratha War, who were controlling the city. Since 1947, Kurukshetra has become a popular spiritual center and has seen much infrastructure, development, and restoration of old structures. ==Geography==