It was built by Sarsai Nath, a saint of Nath sect, followers of Shiva, who is said to have meditated here. This place is held in high esteem by the people of the area. An inscription of Bhoja, the Pratihara ruler was found at Sirsa. It records that Nilkantha,a saint of Pashupati sect constructed the temple of Yogisvara (Shiva) made of burnt bricks and thick slabs of stones with a golden Shikara. Though no remains of this temple have been found, yet it indicates that Saivism and Pashupati sect flourished here at Sirsa during the 8th and 9th centuries.
Mughal Emperor ShahJahan visited the Dera Baba Sarsai Nath for blessings for his ailing son. The emperor built a dome and donated land to the temple. A document in Arabic, in possession of Dera authorities testify emperor ShahJahan’s visit to the temple. The Dera has temples of Shiva and Durga.
People come here for a sacred bath. A religious place named ‘Panjtirthi’ is situated 15 km away from Yamunanagar on the road coming from Topra Kalan to Harnol.
It is presumed that there was an ashram of Ved Vyas on the bank of a pond situated here. The statue of Uma Mahadev made in 9th-10th century, statue of Ganesha made in 11th-12th century and remains of Gupta period prove the antecedence of Kapalmochan. People from all parts of the country feel spiritually elevated by taking bath here in ponds (kunds) known as Rinmochan, Kapalmochan and Surya kund. A Hindu temple and a Gurudawara of the tenth Sikh guru are also located here.
It lies 40 kms. north of Yamunanagar town. It is approached by road via Bilaspur and is about 2 kms from the nearest village Kathgarh. It is located on the foothills of the Shivaliks. It is a picturesque location, abundant with natural beauty and tranquility. Three mounds of antiquities have recently been excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The core idea behind establishing Panipat Museum was to spread information and create awareness about archaeology, history, art and crafts of Haryana. Here one will have an opportunity to see antiquities, inscriptions, sculptures, arms and armours, pottery, old and valuable documents, jewellery, art and craft objects, which are on display in the museum. It also provides a rare chance to witness bravery of valiant and patriotic warriors who sacrificed their lives at Panipat battle through some write-ups, photographs and trans-slides.
These miniatures are from Baburnama and Akbarnama. These have been obtained from important places like National Museum of New Delhi, The British Library and Victoria and Albert Museum of London. Importantly, most of the traditional artifacts and other items are procured from various districts of Haryana.
An archaeological site museum, a first-of-its-kind in Haryana, has been set up here to enlighten people about the history of Thanesar, which was revealed by archaeological excavations carried out here by the Archaeological Survey of India. Many varied interesting things have been unearthed from the mound, such as stone and terracotta sculptures, coins, ornaments, ritualistic objects, etc. An exhibition at the museum displays these finding.
The museum has six galleries, three each in two blocks. On display are stone sculptures, bronze castings, leaf etchings, miniature paintings, clay pottery and terracotta artifacts. An extension of this museum is the Multimedia Mahabharata and Gita Gallery set up by Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
