An important town during Akbar’s rule, it is located near the Bidkiar Lake. The town is said to have been founded by Yudhishthira in celebration of the Pandavas’ victory in the Mahabharata. It was first known as Kapisthala, or Abode of Monkeys, and is the birth place of the monkey god Hanuman. A temple in memory of Hanuman’s mother, Anjana, is built here. At present Kaithal is a flourishing agricultural town known for its cotton and rice.

¤ The Site of Battle Between Razia Sultan and Delhi Forces

A fierce battle between Razia Sultan (Iltutmish’s successor) and the rebel forces of Delhi, was fought here. She is said to be buried here, although her tomb is also to be found in Delhi. There is also a mosque near her tomb. The Emperor Akbar renovated this town and built a fort, and after the third battle of Panipat the region came under the rule of Bhai Desu Singh, a Sikh leader, whose palace has now been converted into a police station and overlooks the lake.

¤ The Main Attractions

The Phelgu tank is a watery and holy site in honour of Rishi Phelgu who meditated here, and the Pundri tank dates back to the Mahabharata period. A few temples are also scattered around, like the Saraswati temple, Kapil Muni temples and Baba Narayan Das temple. The tombs of of Shah Wilayat, Sheik Shihabuddin, Shah Kamal and Bidkiyar Lake itself are worth a look.

Brick Temples
Going by legend, a king called Shalivahana ruled thies area in the 7^th century AD. He was cursed that he would die during the night, but by a stroke of luck he touched the earth where the temple now stands. The curse was revoked, and the king’s happiness knew no boundaries. So he gave orders for five temples to be built, out of which only two stand now.

One of them must have originally stood on a terrace but is now half buried under a mound of earth. Both temples follow the Ajanta-Ellora pattern of a rock cut facade. Constructed from carved bricks, the highest point culmintaes in a shikara (pinnacle) and is joined in a beehive manner.