Haryana Chief Minister Saini inaugurates International Gita Mahotsav in Kurukshetra

Kurukshetra (Haryana) [India], December 6 (ANI): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday inaugurated the International Gita Mahotsav in Kurukshetra. CM Saini also offered prayers on the occasion at Brahma Sarovar.
Speaking to reporters CM Saini said, that the International Gita Mahotsav will continue till December 11.
"International Gita Jayanti Mahotsav is starting today on the holy land where Lord Krishna gave the message of Gita. The festival will continue till 11th December. This is the pilgrimage site of our country in India. There are 182 pilgrimage sites here. PM Narendra Modi and our government together have renovated them and the work of taking them forward is going on continuously," CM Saini said on Thursday.
This year, the International Gita Mahotsav 2024 will be celebrated with great enthusiasm on the sacred land of Dharmakshetra-Kurukshetra, a site of profound significance in Indian culture and the birthplace of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, as per Haryana Chief Ministers office (CMO).
The festival will showcase a divine confluence of spirituality, culture, and art. The grand event will take place from November 28 to December 15, running continuously for 18 days, during which the timeless message of the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita will be shared with all of humanity.
Saini stated that the International Gita Mahotsav has achieved immense success and popularity over the past eight years, since year 2016. Lakhs of people from India and abroad attend the Mahotsav. Last year, approximately 45 to 50 lakh people participated, and a similar turnout is expected this year.
The Chief Minister highlighted that for the first time in 2019, the International Gita Mahotsav was held in Mauritius and London, followed by celebrations in Canada in September 2022, Australia in April 2023, and Sri Lanka and England in 2024, as per Haryana CMO.
Saini shared that from November 28 to December 15, a grand Gita Mahaarati will be held daily on the sacred banks of Brahma Sarovar. Cultural programs will take place at various pilgrimage sites throughout the 48 Kos of Kurukshetra from November 28 to December 11. The festival will officially kick off with a Gita Yajna and Pujan at Brahma Sarovar on December 5. On the same day, a three-day 'International Gita Seminar' will begin at Kurukshetra University. On December 9, a saint sammelan will be held at Purushottampura Bagh, followed by an All India Devasthanam Conference at the same location on December 10.
Chief Minister Saini highlighted that on Gita Jayanti, December 11, a Gita Yajna and Bhagwat Katha will be organized at Jyotisar Tirtha, with a global recitation of the Gita by 18,000 students.
"On December 11, there will be a 8 Kos Tirtha Sammelan, Gita Shobha Yatra, Deepotsav, and cultural programs at 182 pilgrimage sites within Kurukshetra University. As in previous years, Gita book fairs and exhibitions will also take place at Brahma Sarovar from December 5 to 11," as per Haryana CMO. (ANI)