Thanesar is an old and historic town on the banks of the Sarsawati Ghaggar river in the state of Haryana in northern India. It is located in Kurukshetra District, approximately 160 km northwest of Delhi. Prabhakaravardhana, father of Harshavardhana, was the ruler of Thanesar and the first king of the Vardhana dynasty with his capital at Sthanishvara (present day Thanesar).