KARNAL, Haryana

Main Attraction: National Dairy Research Institute

The National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal was originally started as Imperial Institute of Animal Husbandry and Dairying in 1923 at Bangalore. It was expanded and renamed as Imperial Dairy Institute in 1936 and was known as National Dairy Research Institute after independence in 1947. Subsequently, in 1955, NDRI headquarters was shifted to Karnal. Facilities at Bangalore were retained to function as a Regional Station to serve the Southern States. In 1989, status of Deemed University was conferred to the Institute for further strengthening the academic programmes for human resource development. In 1990, with the birth of "Pratham", the first IVF buffalo calf of the world, NDRI reached a significant milestone.

The National Dairy Research Institute as the premier Dairy Research Institution undertakes research, teaching and extension activities towards dairy development in the country. Being the National Institute, it conducts basic and applied research with the objective to enhance animal productivity and also to develop cost effective technologies for the benefit of the teeming millions. Further, the Institute provides high quality manpower to meet the human resource requirements for the overall dairy development in the country. The Institute also undertakes extension programmes for transferring the know how from the laboratory to the farmer's fields.

Brief History

The district is named after the town of Karnal which according to legends owes its name to Raja Karna who, although an elder brother of the Pandavas born to Kunti of God Sun before marriage, was a very close associate of Duryodhana and fought for him in the great Mahabharata war. A tank in the city also bears the name Karna Tal and a town gate is called Karna gate after him.

The history of the area in which the Karnal district lies can be traced back to ancient Aryan past. Of the five traditional divisions of India, the region comprising Karnal district lay mostly in Madhyadesha.

In the first two centuries of the Christian era, the tract was included in the Kushana empire. In the 3rd century Kushana power declined and the Yaudheyas representing an ancient Indo-Iranian clan rose to power and held sway over the region between Satluj and the Yamuna. In the first half of the 4th century Karnal area along with Haryana seems to have been annexed by the Gupta monarchs. The empire was shattered by the attack of Huns in about 510 A.D. and upto the end of the 6th century there was no settled rule in these parts. 

At the end of 6th century A.D., area was under the rule of Vardhanas of Thanesar. The 7th century was a period of eclecticism in religion. Buddhism was declining and Hinduism was again coming into its own. The region was under Kanauj rule under the Pala Emperor of Bengal (A.D.770-810). The authority of Mihira Bhoja (c.A.D. 836-85), the Pratihara ruler of Kanauj penetrated as far as Pehowa. At that time, the Tomara Rajputs descending from Raja Jaula, established themselves as rulers of this region in the middle of the 9th century.

About the beginning of the 10th century, as the Pratihara power began to decline, the Tomaras assumed independence. One of the Tomara rulers, Anangpala, founded the city of Delhi and made it his Capital. His successors, Tehapala, Madanpala, Kritpala, Lakhanpala and Prithvipala were rulers of note. The Tomaras came into conflict with the Chahamanas (Chauhans) of Sakambhari, but continued to rule the Hariyana country till the middle of 12th century when they were overthrown by the Chahamana Vigraharaja IV. The country between the Satluj and the Yamuna experienced relative peace for a century and a half except the plundering invasions of Mahamud of Ghazni.

In A.D.1190-91 Mohammad Ghuri invaded India but was defeated by Prithviraja at Taraori. Again attacked in 1192 and defeated Prithviraja at Taraori. After the Second Battle of Taraori in 1192, the Karnal area was more or less firmly attached to Delhi till the close of the 14th Century. During 1398, invasion of Timur swept away the Tughlug dynasty and put an end to the Turkish rule in India. Timur marched through the Karnal district on his way to Delhi. In the anarchy that followed the departure of Timur, the tract was entirely separated from Delhi, and belonged, first to the ruler of Samana and eventually to the Lodi rulers of the Punjab. In A.D.1525-26, first battle of Panipat between Babar and Ibrahim Lodhi, the latter was killed and Babar destroyed the power of Lodi dynasty and transferred the empire of Hindustan from the Afghans to the Mughal dynasty.

When Humayun died at Delhi in A.D.1556, the young Akbar, who was then in the Punjab, marched at once under the guardianship of Bairam Khan to meet the Afghan Army under Himu ( a Dhusar of Rewari), the Hindu General of Adil Shah, Himu fought heroically but was killed and the result was the total rout of the Afghans. For about two centuries the tract enjoyed peace under the Mughals, Karnal area was plundered in A.D.1573 by Ibrahim Hussain Mirza in his revolt against Akbar and its neighbourhood was laid by Banda Bairagi in A.D.1709.

In 1709-10, Banda Bairagi, the disciple of Guru Gobind Singh, in an effort to fight against oppression collected an army of Sikhs and occupied the whole of the country west of the Yamuna. But he was repulsed by Bahadur Shah in December, 1710.

In A.D. 1739, it was the scene of the defeat of Muhammad Shah by Nadir Shah. Emperor Muhammad Shah (A.D.1719-1748) with an enormous army occupied a strongly fortified camp at Karnal. But he yielded to the invader as his supplies were cut off from the open country and starved into submission. A decade later, in 1748 Emperor Muhammad Shah had died at Delhi.

On the retirement of Ahmad Shah Durrani from the Punjab, in December, 1762, the Sikhs appeared on the scene. The importance of Karnal grew in the time of Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind who after its capture in A.D. 1763 built the boundry wall and a fort and under whose rule the town increased considerably in size. On January 14, 1764 Sikh Chiefs defeated and killed Zain Khan, the Durrani Governor of Sirhind, and took possession of the whole of Sirhind province as far south as Panipat.

During seventh campaign (1764-65) Ahmad Shah Durrani reached Kunjpura by the end of February, 1765. But due to unfavourable weather, he returned to Afghanistan.

Amir-ul-Umara Najib-ud-daulah, the Mir Bakshi of the Mughal Empire, then held the charge of Hariyana. The off and on plundering by the Sikhs in the parganas of Karnal and Panipat continued in the following years. Najib-ud-daulah fought many battles with them but was defeated in 1768. After the death of Najib-ud-daula in 1770, complete anarchy prevailed in this area. But Karnal fell on bad days when Bhag Singh, son of Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind lost it to Marathas first in A.D. 1787 and finally in A.D.1795.

The area had experienced varying political disturbances in the eighteenth century. These were identified with the terms Singhashahi Ka Ram Raula or Bhaogardi, the ‘Sikh hurly-burly’ or the ‘Maratha anarchy’. The Mughal authority had lost its grip over this region. The Sikhs never really established their grasp over the country, south of Panipat. But the whole period was a constant contest between these three powers; and the tract formed a sort of no man’s land, coveted by all but protected by none. And in 1803 when the British took over the district, it was estimated that more than four-fifths was overrun by forest, and its inhabitants either removed or exterminated. The royal canal had long dried up, and thick forest had taken the place of cultivation and afforded shelter to thieves, vagabonds and beasts of prey.

A treaty was signed in 1809 by which Ranjit Singh was prevented from making any encroachments south of the satluj. At the same time all the chiefs between the Satluj and Yamuna were taken under British protection. Punjab was annexed by the British in 1849

The uprising of 1857 clearly showed that the people in many areas of this district rose in opposition to British authority. All the important towns of the district were heavily guarded by the forces of the Patiala and Jind Chiefs, who, to protect their own interests, were aligned to the cause of the British. The British were merciless in their atrocities after the Uprising was suppressed. Lambardar’s allowances were confiscated, villages were heavily fined. As a measure of punishment, the district was not included for any of the development programmes and keeping it economically and educationally backward, in order to use it as a recruiting area for the British army.

India began to change in the 19th century and the Karnal district was no exception, though its pace was slow. Arya Samaj played an important part in the popular awakening. It was founded in the Holi Mohalla, Karnal in the beginning of the present century.

After World War I of 1914-18, people were highly discontented due to shortage of goods, heavy prices, famine etc. Epidemics had resulted in a very heavy mortality. In March, 1919 hartals were observed against the obnoxious Rowlatt Acts. There were demonstrations throughout the district against the massacre of Jallianwala Bagh on 13th April, 1919. In 1920, Gandhiji launched a Non-violent Non-Co-operation Campaign throughout India. The course of events in the district was in line with what happened elsewhere. A District Political Conference was organized at Karnal with Lala Lajpat Rai as its Chairman.

In 1930, Civil Disobedience Movement was launched. Many villages in the district showed signs of dis-affection. The movement continued unabated till May, 1934 when it languished. After this, Congress decided to participate in elections of 1937. Political activity was kept alive after the elections of 1937. The leading persons of the district unanimously approved the ‘Quit India’ resolution adopted by the Congress in 1942.

GURGAON, Haryana

Main Attraction: Gurgaon - The Millennium City

Gurgaon district has witnessed a phenomenal growth in all spheres of developments, particularly in industry and urbanization. Today, it has become a hub of multinational companies, industries giants, call centres, software companies, shopping malls and skyscrapers. Gurgaon is strategically located with its boundaries touching Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Its excellent connectivity with other state via Delhi-Jaipur –Ahmedabad broad gauge rail link and NH 8, brings thousands of people to Gurgaon for the purpose of work travel and entertainment. In fact with the collaboration of Suzuki Motors of Japan and Maruti Udyog Limited in early eighties, a new area of rapid industrialization of Gurgaon started as a result of which the district came on the international map. Maruti Suzuki is India’s Largest passenger car company.

The automobile industry of Gurgaon is producing passenger cars, motor cycles, scooters and its components. The Gurgaon –Manesar-Bawal belt has emerged as the auto hub of the country, Thereby offering ample opportunities to the entrepreneurs.There are many prominent and prestigious units involved in the manufacturing of telecommunication equipments, electrical goods, sports goods, rubber products and readymade garments, and in software development. Other industries include light engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, agro based and foods processing, leather, terry towels, air conditioners, shoes, pesticides , insecticides, etc. the main industries in these fields are Cosco, Enkay Rubber, Perfetti, Haldiram, HFCL, Martin Haris,TERI, Ranbaxy Laboratories etc.

With its rapid development, Gurgaon city has emerged as a jewel in the crown of Gurgaon district and has done the district proud with its achievement.

Brief History

Nothing much is known about the ancient history of the areas comprising the Gurgaon district but it seems always to have been held under the sway of the rulers of Delhi. It is said that the name Gurgaon is a corruption of Guru Gram, i.e. village of a spiritual leader. The traditional account is that Yudhishtira, the eldest of the Pandavas, gave this village to his Guru Dronacharya, in whose memory a tank still exists on the west side of the road to the railway station.

It can be assumed on the basis of the extent of the Mauryan Empire that, the region was held under effective Maurya control. After the break up of the Mauryan Empire, inroads of the foreign invaders, like the Bactrians, Greeks, Parthians, Scythians and Kushanas spread confusion in the region. But soon the Yaudheyas rose up and repelled the rule of the Kushanas from the region between the Satluj and the Yamuna. They were first subdued by the mighty Saka Satrap Rudradaman, then by Samudragupta, later by the Hunas who were overthrown by Yasodharman Vishnuvardhana of Mandasor and lastly by Yashovarman, the king of Kanauj.

The area of Gurgaon also formed a part of Harsha’s Empire in the first half of the seventh century, and then of the Gurjara-Pratiharas. The Tomaras who were earlier the feudatories of the Pratiharas, and later became independent, laid the foundation of Delhi, then called Dhillika, in A.D. 736 and the Gurgaon region was under them till Visaladeva Chahamana conquered Delhi about A.D. 1156.

During the early Muslim invasion, the people, of the region would appear to have experienced vicissitudes of fortune at the hands of the incoming Muslim invaders. For nearly two centuries the people of the region sturdily resisted the Muslim domination and the history of ‘the region is a record of incursions of’ the people of’ Mewat area which includes districts of Gurgaon, Mathura (UP) and parts of former States of Alwar and Bharatpur (Rajasthan) into Delhi territory and of punitive expeditions undertaken against them.

At the time of Babar ‘s invasion, Hasan Khan Khanzada was the chief of Mewat. As he declined to submit, Babar led an expedition against him. Hasan Khan was killed in A.D. 1527 and his son, Nahar Khan, submitted to the Mughals - Mewat was made a part of the Mughal empire and henceforward regular Governors were appointed for this area. In the time of Akbar (A.D. 1556—1605), the area covered by the Gurgaon district was contained in Subah of Delhi and Agra.

During the flourishing times of the Mughal empire, Gurgaon was not in the limelight of history, but with its decay, mention of the district is again found in historical writings. In 1685, Aurangzeb had to send a powerful army under the command of Raja Jai Singh to Mewat area against Ikram Khan who had started giving trouble to the Mughal administration. With the decline of the Mughal empire after the death of Aurangzeb, the district was torn between several contending powers.

Under the Marathas, the greater part of the district was held by Generals De Boigne, Perron and Boruquin. Begum Samru owned the pargana of Jharsa or Badshahpur, and George Thomas had that of Firozpur assigned to him in 1793. George Thomas once plundered Gurgaon but could not retain this possession. Apa Khande Rao, the Maratha Governor of the Mewat country, west of Delhi, engaged George Thomas and placed a battalion of Sepoys under him. He worked for Apa Khande Rao for four years from 1793 to 1797.

In 1801, the rising power of Daulat Rao Sindhia in North India was completely broken by the British forces under General Lake in the second Maratha war. The Gurgaon district, with other possessions of Sindhia, west of the Yamuna, passed on to the British East India Company by the Treaty of Surji Arjungaon signed on December 30, 1803.

At the time of annexation in 1803, the Gurgaon district (exclusive of the paragana of Pali which was transferred to Delhi in 1863) consisted of 11 parganas viz Jharsa, Sohna, Nuh, Hathin, Palwal, Hodal, Punahana, Firozpur, Bahora, Rewari and Shahjahanpur. At that time, it was a principle of British possession, and to interpose between that border and foreign territory a buffer of semi-independent States; and consequence of the effect given to that policy it was only gradually that the greater part of the district came under direct British rule.

Pataudi territory was granted in perpetuity in 1806 to Faiz Talab, a descendant of Afghan family of Samana (Punjab). The Nawabs continued to rule Pataudi till after Independence when the State was merged with the Gurgaon district.

By 1857, the life in the district seemed to have settled down to a peaceful and quiet routine. The feudatory races had to be taken themselves to agriculture, the higher castes to trade and British services. Gurgaon was attacked on May 13, 1857 by a large party of the 3rd light Cavalry troopers who had come through Delhi. The complete political vacuum thus caused led the people to believe that the British rule had ceased to exist.

On October 2, 1857, Brigadier-General Showers was sent to punish the turbulent Meos, Gujars, Rangharas, Ahirs and ‘the rebel princes’ and to settle the Gurgaon district. He carried fire and sword far and wide. All the villages between Dharuhera and Taoru were indiscriminately burnt and their inhabitants were shot down ruthlessly. An account of his experiences in the district of Gurgaon by Brigadier-General Showers is worth noticing “From the time, I entered the Gurgaon district, I was in enemies country” . After 1857, the British. Government followed a relentless policy of harshness. No steps were taken to develop Gurgaon region, educationally and economically. Though situated in the immediate neighbourhood of Delhi, the district was deliberately kept backward. Under the Minto Morely Reforms, as embodied in the Indian Councils Act, 1909, the District Boards and other local bodies of the Gurgaon, Rohtak and Hisar districts were constituted into an electoral unit to elect a member to the Punjab Legislative Council. The policy of ignoring the district was slightly modified after World War I in which the people of the district contributed liberally in men and money.

During World War I (1914-1918), after having done all that, they could hardly be happy at what was offered to them by the Rowlatt Committee Report of 1918. It is, therefore, no wonder that strikes and other disturbances became frequent.

Non-Cooperation Movement was, in full swing, in 1921. Hartals were repeatedly observed in April in the towns of all the districts including Gurgaon. Congress Committee had been established in almost all the towns of the district and so the movement was, well-organised. The provisions of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, XIV of 1908, Part-Il. were extended to the Gurgaon district also. All volunteer bodies were declared unlawful. Many persons were arrested and lodged in the police station.

The country was partitioned and India achieved Independence on 15th August, 1947. One of the most significant political changes that have taken place after the Independence, has been the formation of Haryana as a separate State on November 1, 1966. Gurgaon became one of the districts of the new State.

BHIWANI, Haryana

Main Attraction: Gauri Shankar Mandir

Bhiwani, popularly known as the’Chhoti Kashi’ of India has numerous temples. The temple of Gauri-Shankar is one among them. Located in the heart of Bhiwani town, this temple was built by Seth Kirori Mal in 1951 and speaks of the Hindu architecture of modern times. It is made up of marble. The shrine of Gauri Shankar is placed in the middle, the Laxmi-Narayan to the right and the Radha-Krishan to the left. Carvings of scenes portraying Hindu mythology and the text of Srimad Bhagwad Gita can be seen all over within the temple complex. Thousands of devotees visit this temple every day from far and wide. Shri Krishna Janmashtmi is celebrated here with great enthusiasm and pomp and show on ashtmi of Bhadon month every year.

Brief History

Bhiwani, believed to be a corruption of the word Bhani. From Bhani it changed to Bhiani and then to Bhiwani. Tradition has it that one Neem, a Jatu Rajput, who belonged to village Bawani, then in Hansi Tahsil of the Hisar (Hissar) district, came to settle at Kaunt, a village near the present town of Bhiwani. This was resented by the local Jat inhabitants and they plotted his murder. Neem was warned by a Jat woman named Bahni, and thus had forewarned his revenge on the local Jats. He killed most of them at a banquet the site of which was mined with gunpowder. He married Bahni and founded a village named after her. Archaeological excavations and explorations conducted so far in the district have revealed that this region was first inhabited by the Chalcolithic agricultural communities as early as 2400 B.C. These early settlers of this area, known as Sothians lived at Mitathal, Chang, Tigrana, Dadri, Manheru, Mishri, Jhinjar and Talu in small mud-brick houses with thatched roofs, comprising about 50 to 100 houses each. They engaged themselves in agriculture, domesticated cows, bulls, goats etc., and used wheel made pottery painted in bichrome with black and white designs. 

They used copper, bronze and stone implements though only a few pieces have been discovered. Subsequent to the Chalcolithic period traces of the Harappan or possibly the pre-Harappan culture are also visible. It cannot be stated with certainty whether the Harappans migrated to this area or their culture was diffused to this area or the development was indigenous and pre-Harappan. The appearance of the Aryans later on in this area is supported by the grey ware pottery found from a few sites in the District. Archaeological explorations indicate that the first Aryan settlements were located in the northern part of the district i.e. Bawani Khera, Kungar and Jamalpur. According to a tradition, Nakula one of the five Pandavas, during the course of his digvijaya, fought against these Aryan settlers of Bhiwani and brought them under his sway.

Against the battle of Mahabharata, the Kuru Kingdom was divided into three parts: Kurukshetra; Kurudesa; and Kuru-Jangala. The Bhiwani territory formed a part of the last division, i.e. Kuru-Jangala, which was ruled by Parikshita from Asandivat (Assandh now in Karnal district) as his capital. Later on Kuru-Jangala met its downfall. The result being the division of the kingdom into many small States including Indraprastha and Isukara (Hisar). The Bhiwani area formed a part of the latter State. With the decline of the Kurus in the course of time, many tribes like Jarttrikas (Jats). Abhiras (Ahirs), Bhadras (Bhadanakas) and Yaudheyas, flocked into this region. They intermixed and became part and parcel of the early settlers. The intermixture is believed to have given the people a singular breadth and energy which made them sturdy agriculturists, cattle breeders and strong fighters. Nothing much can be stated historically about this region upto the rise of and during the Mauryan reign. The punch-marked and uninscribed cast coins discovered at Naurangabad and Tosham preserved in an archaeological museum at Jhajjar indicate that at least these two towns were centres of trade. A large number of Yaudheya coins found from

Naurangabad then known as Prakritanakanagar, Bhiwani, Tosham, Bawani Khera and Dhanana in this district, indicate the domination of Yaudheyas, a republican tribe after the fall of the Mauryas.

In the 1st century B.C. Indo-Greeks defeated Yaudheyas and ruled over this region for a short while and were replaced by the Kushans during A.D. 1st century and ruled for about 150 years. Yaudheyas again revived their rule and continued upto A.D.350 when Samudragupta, the great Gupta ruler of Magadha, brought them under his rule. The settlements of Naurangabad and Tosham seem to have retained their earlier respectable status during this period-Naurangabad as a political seat and Tosham as a religious centre-where two holy tanks and one temple devoted to god Vishnu, were built by one Acharya Somatrata. A small building known as Baradari or Kachehri, built by Prithviraja Chahamana on the small stone hillock to the north of Tosham hill provides an indication that this area was under the Chahamanas of Delhi during A.D.12th century.

This area came in the limelight again in the first few decades of the Tughlaq rule. It became the scene of many royal hunting parties. Muhammad’s cousin, Firoz (A.D.1351-88), who had an unusual fancy for Hisar, brought this tract alongwith other areas in the region into prominence. In view of its strategic importance, he posted detachments at Bahl, Tosham and Hansi. This tract felt the impact of Timur’s invasion on India in A.D.1398, though it was not directly invaded. Alongwith other territories in the Hisar Division, it fell out of the hands of the Sultan in A.D.1408, but was later recovered by the imperial forces under emperor Nasir-Ud-din Muhammad Tughlaq. In A. D. 1411, however, it came into the possession of Khizr Khan who subsequently in A.D. 1414, ascended the throne of Delhi as the first ruler of the Sayyid dynasty. Bahlol Lodi, Governor of Punjab seized it from Mohammad Shah (A.D. 1445-50), the last of the Sayyids. The new rulers started a sort of Tribal oligarchy. The Afghans and others were invited in large numbers to settle in the country and zamidaris were granted to them in ample measure. The district alongwith other adjacent tracts was given to one Muhabbat Khan as fiefholder. Unfortunately, this system did not work properly, for the Sultanate was not strong to assert itself. The new zamidaris proved to be a turbulent element which eventually spelled the fall of the Lodis leaving the field free for the Mughals.

Babur, the Mughal, launched a fierce attack on India in A.D.1526. Hamid Khan, the official incharge of the Hisar Division put up a fierce battle near Hisar with Babur’s son Humayun, but was defeated. Out of pleasure, Babur gave Hisar Division (including the present Bhiwani area) to Humayun as a reward, which he controlled until A.D. 1530 when Babur died and he himself ascended the throne to Delhi. Akbar divided his kingdom into subahs, sirkars and mahals or parganas. He placed this tract in the central subah of Delhi. The whole of what is now the Bhiwani district was mostly in sirkar of Hisar Firuza (principal mahals being Tosham, Seoran and Siwani) and sirkar of Delhi (principal mahals being Dadri Taha). After the decline of the Mughal empire, the Marathas, Jats, Rajputs and Baluchs came and extorted what they could. This was George Thomas, an Irishman, who came to India in 1780-81 and provided good government to the people. He divided his territory into 14 parganas, the Bhiwani district having four Dadri, Bhiwani, Tosham and Siwani. Marathas, Sikhs, Jats and Rajputs joined hands and defeated George Thomas, who was betrayed by several of his chief officers.

Within two years of the abandonment of his dominion by George Thomas, the rising power of Sindhia in North India was completely broken by the British forces under General Lake in the Second Maratha War. The Bhiwani area, with other possessions of Sindhia, west of the Yamuna, passed on to the British East India Company by the treaty of Surji Arjungaon in 1809.

When Raja Bhag Singh of Jind and Bhai Lal Singh of Kaithal, both declined to hold this region and Nijabat Ali Khan, the Nawab of Jhajjar was denied the occupation of this tract, for political reasons, Lord Minto, the Governor General advised Seton, the British Resident at Delhi, to use military strength to crush the turbulent people of this central region consisting of Rohtak, Bhiwani and the eastern part of Hisar. A big force, under the charge of Gardiner, Assistant to the Resident at Delhi, was sent in March, 1810 which was checked manfully at Bhiwani. Bhiwani people continued their gallant action and stopped the enemy for two long days. But on the third day, they could not maintain their position and retreated to the town. Since the British forces were equipped with heavy artillery, they breached the walls of the town. A bloody struggle ensued. The people fought with courage but were driven back and followed into the fort. There were heavy losses on both sides. After the battle, the entire tract was brought under the British control without any stiff opposition. It was made a part of the Rohtak district where it remained, silent and peaceful, upto 1857. The placid waters of Bhiwani were disturbed once again in 1857. 

The Jats, Ranghars, Pachhadas, Rajputs, Kasabs and others rose up enmasse and destroyed all vestiges of the British rule from the region. The people of Dadri and Loharu followed suit. The rebellion in Loharu was so serious that it was only with the help of British Cavalry that the Nawab restored his authority. The turbulent situation in the area continued upto September when General Van Courtland came with a big force and defeated the people in several actions and established British order again. With the end of the Uprising, vengeance of the British started. Hundreds of people were hanged and their villages burnt. Dadri, which was in the possession of Nawab Bahadur Jang, a relative of the Jhajjar Nawab was confiscated. It was conferred on Raja Sarup Singh of Jind. The Bhiwani area (except Dadri and Loharu) alongwith the south-east Punjab, roughly comprising Haryana, which had hitherto been a part of the North-Western Province, was tagged to the Punjab vide Government of India, Notification No. 606 of April13, 1858.

The people of Bhiwani and Loharu suffered in various ways but could not raise even their little finger against their rulers. Contrary to it, the poor and exploited people of about 50 villages in Dadri, led by their local Choudharis and Hakim Kasim Ali rose enmasse (May 1864), captured police stations, arrested their officers and proclaimed the end of Raja Raghbir Singh rule. This was a bold challenge to the Raja who immediately marched in person at the head of a big army. His first attack was on Charkhi (May14), where some 1,500 or 2,000 of the rebellious Jats had collected and entrenched themselves. They resisted the Raja to the last. But ultimately, they were defeated and their village was burnt. 

Next, prices in the post-war years hit them very badly. Then came calamities like plague and influenza, the Government relief work in the suffering villages in those critical hours was far from satisfactory. The Bhiwani peasantry, who had been by and large, loyal to the Government before and during the war, reacted now to the shabby treatment meted out to them by the Government after the war. The congress movement started gaining acceptability after the end of the World War (1914-18). The revolutionary resolutions condemning the Rowlatt Act were passed in the mass meeting (April 6, 1919) at Bhiwani.

The agitation was further intensified when Khilafat Movement gained momentum (1920). Bawani Khera, Charkhi Dadri, and almost all places where Muslims lived took part in the agitation. Mahatma Gandhi launched Non-Cooperation Movement (August 1, 1920). The Khllafat here-after became a part of the Non-Cooperation Movement. The First Ambala Division (Haryana) Conference was held at Bhiwani on October 22, 1920, where Mahatma Gandhi was the chief guest. This had a great effect on the people of the area. The programme of the non-cooperation became popular in towns and even in villages. When Civil Disobedience was launched in 1930, the people of Bhiwani prepared salt at Bhiwani on April 20, 1930 in defiance of salt laws. The local cloth dealers took a vow not to import foreign cloth. During the Quit-India Movement (1942), the arrests in Bhiwani exceeded a little over 300 (August 1942—May 1944). Besides, many officers and soldiers from Bhiwani joined the Indian National Army. Similarly, people of Loharu and Dadri took active part in Parja Mandal Movement and played a vital role in the struggle for freedom.

After Independence (1947) and the subsequent formation of PEPSU (Patiala and East Punjab States Union) on May 5, 1948, Dadri area of the Jind State was included in the Mahendragarh district. Under the State Reorganisation Act, 1956, PEPSU was merged with Punjab on November 1, 1956 and consequently Mahendragarh district, of which Dadri was a part, became one of the then 19 districts of Punjab. Four villages of the Dadri tahsil viz. Umravat, Halluwas, Dharana and Rajgarh with a total area of 31.4 square kms were transferred to the Bhiwani tahsil of Hisar district. This entire area was included in the new State of Haryana on November 1, 1966.

HISAR, Haryana

Main Attraction: O.P. Jindal Knowledge Centre

O. P. Jindal Knowledge Centre was inaugurated in 2009 in the memory of O. P. Jindal. The centre has a museum, library, herbal park, skating rink and a cafeteria. It also houses a 25-storied 282 metre high steel tower built on the lines of Seattle Tower. The tower is the tallest of its kind in Asia and the second tallest steel tower in the world.Another park developed by the Jindal family is the O. P. Jindal Memorial Park located near the Firoz Shah Fort Complex. Spread across an area of 23 acres, it consists of a Sundial and a 63 metres high flagpole of Tiranga put as a reminiscent to the initiative taken by Naveen Jindal that led to the revision of Flag code of India.

Brief History

Hisar is an abbreviation of Hisar-e-Firoza, the name acquired by the original town of Warais, as a result of construction of a fort (Hisar) by Feroz Shah Tughlaq about A.D. 1354.

Hisar district has yielded rich pre-Harappan sites of Rakhigarhi (Rakhi Shahpur and Rakhi Khas) and Siswal, which take us back to the first half of the 3rd Millennium B.C. and possibly even earlier. The earliest settlers in the district were pre-Harappans. They were followed by Harappans, whose significant settlements so far known were Rakhigarhi and Siswal. The disappearance of Harappan culture was probably caused by the diversion of the courses of the vedic rivers Sarasvati and Drishadvati and their gradual drying up as a result of the great flood mentioned in early literature and now confirmed by archaeological findings. The region was associated with the vedic tribes like Bharatas, Purus, Kurus, Mujavats and Mahavrishas. It was almost certainly a part of the Kuru Kingdom and with the dawn of the historical period it came under the rule of the Nandas and Mauryas. During 2nd century, B.C., Agras came into prominence at Agroha. Agroha seems to have come to prominence about the time of Alexander’s invasion. Variously known as Agrodaka, Agodaka, Aggalapura, Agara and Agallassoi, it was inhabited by a powerful people mustering an army of 48,000 foot and 3000 horses, It is likely that these republican people might possible have assisted Chandragupta Maurya in his war against the Greek. They were included in the Maurya Empire, as the discovery of Ashokan pillars at Hisar and Fatehabad would suggest. The pillars were most probably brought from some nearby place of antiquity like Agroha or Hansi and the epigraphs effaced and replaced by Firoz Shah’s own geneology. Towards the end of 2nd century B.C. or the beginning of 1st century B.C., they were subjugated by Indo-Greeks later supplemented by Sakas. The region thereafter formed part of the Kushana empire as gathered from discovery of their coins from Hansi. The Yaudheyas played an important part in the decline of the Kushanas and possibly controlled this area for some time. In 4th century A.D. it was subjugated by Samudragupta and after the Guptas over taken by the Hunas. In 7th Century A.D. the district formed part of the empire of the Pushpabhutis who initially ruled from Thanesar till Harsha shifted his capital to Kannauj. later in the 9th century A.D., the Pratiharas established their hold over the region.

The early 11th century saw the Ghaznavid inroads into the district, Sultan Masud led expeditions to Agroha and Hansi, at the latter place he faced a strong resistance. Masud’s son Majdud was appointed Governor of Hansi but later, his brother Maudud the Governor of Ghazni, who managed to kill him, brought the region under his direct administrative control. The tradition attributing the foundation of Hansi to Anangapala, a Tomara ruler of Delhi, and the discovery of Tomara coins from Hansi and other places from the adjoining district probably suggest their recapture of Hansi from the Ghaznavids, which however, they soon lost to the Chauhans. The Chauhans seem to have taken special measures for protecting the area against Muslim incursions which however proved futile and the district alongwith Agroha and Hansi finally passed under the Muslim rule after the defeat of Prithviraja III in the second battle of Tarain (1192), Delhi, Ajmer, Sirsa and Hansi fell into the hands of the Muslims but they appear to have established no administrative control over the tract. In 1290 the district slipped into possession of Khaljis who were followed by the Tughlaqs. In the time of Feroz Shah Tughlaq the district received special attention. The new ruler came to have somewhat unusual fancy for the tract, founded the towns of Fatehabad and built a fort at the site of the present town naming it ‘Hisar-e-Feroza’. He also built canals to bring water to the tract and the Western Yamuna Canal was first got dug up him in an existing dry bed, probably of the old Drishadvati river.

The year 1398 witnessed the invasion of Timur, more commonly known as Tamarlane. Timur, the fierce invader met the stiffest resistance in Bikaner and he then marched to Fatehabad via Sirsa. Ahruni, which probably corresponds to Aharwan and Tohana were sacked and inhabitants fled. The Tughlaqs were no match to the fierce invader and he left the area in chaos and confusion after his retreat.

In 1408, Hisar fell into the hands of the rebels but Muhammad Tughlaq recovered Hisar. In 1411, however, the area of Hansi came into the hands of Khizar Khan, who subsequently in 1414 ascended the throne of Delhi as the first of the Sayad dynasty. During the rule of Lodhis, the tract of Hisar or rather Hariana continued to form part of Delhi empire and was granted as a fief to one Muhabbat Khan in the reign of Bahlol Lodhi. The town of Hisar-e-Feroza appears to have been the headquarters of an imperial garrison at the time of Babar’s invasion and it was a strategic centre in the operations prior to the battle of Panipat in 1526. On reaching the Ghaggar, Babar learnt that troops from Hisar were advancing against him, he accordingly dispatched Prince Humayun who took over the town which Babar formally gave him as a reward for his success in the military expedition. Humayun retained the district under his direct control until 1530, when Babar died and he became the king of Hindustan. In 1540, Sher Shah Suri drove Humayun out of India and Hisar along with all other possessions of the latter came into the hands of Sher Shah. An administrative genius as the Sur King was, he ruled over the district very effectively having converted it from Shikk to one of his Sarkars and located its headquarters at Hisar. His Successors also managed it likewise until A.D.1555 when Humayun on his advance to Delhi, dispatched from Lahore a force which occupied Hisar district without stricking a blow. After his victory at Sirhind, Humayun entered Delhi and assigned Hisar to Akbar being the province Humayun himself had received from Babar, when he first entered India,

During the reign of Akbar, Hisar was the headquarters of the revenue division or Sarkar of ‘Hisar-e-Feroza’, in the subha or province of Delhi. At the time of Aurangzeb’s death in 1707 Nawab Shahbad Khan was Nazim of Hisar (Sarkar). He ruled upto 1738 whereafter Bilochs of Farrukhnagar held sway upto 1760. During Biloch rule the district became a triangular contest between the Sikhs of the north-east, the Bhattis of the north and north-west and Muslim chiefs of the south. In 1774, Maharaja Amar Singh of Patiala took Fatehabad and Sirsa and annexed Rania held by Bhatti Muhammad Amir Khan.

In 1781, an agreement was reached under the treaty of Jind which resorted the parganas of Hansi, Hisar, Rohtak, Maham and Tosham to the Delhi empire, gave Fatehabad and Sirsa to the Bhattis and left the remaining territories with the Sikhs, Raja Jai Singh was appointed Nazim of Hisar.

The last noteworthy actor in the History of the district, before the advent of the British, was the Irish adventurer, George Thomas who occupied the district and the adjoining areas in Hariana with his capital at Hansi and lorded over the area till he was driven out from here by the Sikh- Maratha-French confederacy. From 1801 to 1802, a French Officer, Lt. Bourquian controlled the district on behalf of the Marathas. He is said to have rebuilt the towns of Tohana and Hisar. Later in 1802, it was placed under the charge of Illias Beg, a Mughal noble of Hansi.

In the beginning of 19th century, the British East India Company appeared on the scene and the Marathas were ousted and Treaty of Surji Arjungaon was signed in 1803 by which Haryana along with Hisar district came under the British rule. A British garrison was stationed in Hansi and Mirza Illias Beg was appointed Nazim for the districts of Hisar and Rohtak. The Delhi Residency of the British Indian Company had control over the district alongwith other areas of Haryana. There was no law and order here and the British Resident A.Seton sent an adequate force led by Edward Gardiner, a Senior Assistant, in March 1809. The famous James Skinner, who was later given an estate near Hansi, commanded a cavalry regiment of this force. The people gave opposition to it at a number of places, the tough one being at Fatehabad. Here the British fought Bhattis led by their chief Khan Bahadur Khan. The Bhattis fought bravely but being inferior in arms and fighting skill, they were overpowered. Khan Bahadur was expelled from the principality which was taken under direct control (1809). With Hansi as his headquarters of civil administration, Gardiner ruled over the territory by forming it into a sort of a district for six years.

In 1819, Haryana territory was divided into three divisions, North- Western, Central and Southern. Hisar district along with Panipat, Sonipat, Rohtak and sirsa formed the North-Western division. Being unwieldly, this division was bifurcated into Northern and western divisions the very next year. Hisar along with Bhiwani and Sirsa was included in the former and Hansi was made its headquarters. In 1832, the Haryana territory, officially designated as Delhi Division, comprising the districts of Hisar, Delhi, Rohtak, Panipat (Karnal) and Gurgaon was brought under the Regulations of the East India Company and included in North-Western Provinces. Hisar was made the headquarters of the newly formed Hisar district in place of Hansi. These arrangements continued till 1857.

In the Uprising of 1857, the people of Hisar district played a significant part. The sturdy Jats, Ranghars, Rajputs, Bishnois and Bhattis rose up against the British. The Haryana Light Infantry and 14th Irregular Cavalry revolted and by June, 1857, the entire district of Hisar was out of British control. But soon the district was brought under control and General Van Cortlandtmarched with 550 men and restored order in Sirsa, Hisar and Hansi. The Hansi fort was completely dismantled. The whole of Delhi territory along with districts of Bhatiana and Hisar were transferred to the Punjab in 1858 and the district of Bhatiana was renamed as Sirsa.

Towards the close of the 19th century, there was general awakening among the people. A number of organizations were born of which the most significant was the Arya Samaj. Lala Lajpat Raj who practised as lawyer at Hisar, organized the Arya Samaj in 1886 and brought awakening among the people. Congress party started its activity and the people of the district participated in the Rowlett agitation, 1919. Hartal was observed in Hisar and processions were taken out. The people of Hisar participated in Noncooperation Movement of 1920, Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930 and Quit India Movement of 1942. Many officers and soldiers from the district joined Indian National Army and two officers and 51 soldiers laid down their lives fighting for India’s liberation.

FARIDABAD, Haryana

Main Attraction: Surajkund Crafts Mela

Surajkund Crafts Mela is an annual fair celebrated in Faridabad District, Haryana. The festival showcases the art, craft and cuisines of India. The crafts persons from SAARC nations also participate in this Fair. The Mela is located at a distance of 8 km from south Delhi in the historic site of Surajkund.

The ancient Sun Temple stood here during AD 1000. The remains of the temple are still present here. The enchanting aura of the place won the heart of a Tomar chieftain Surajpal, a worshipper of the Sun god, who got a sun pool and an amphitheatre built here. The place was named after him. Surajkund was a simple tourist destination till 1987, when it was first organized. Later on it became a famous site which celebrated the centuries old crafts and traditions of India.

Brief History

The region, comprising the present Faridabad district, seems to have been under the influence of the rulers of Delhi. With the extension of Maurya Empire it can be presumed that the region was held under effective Maurya control. Its break-up resulted in paving inroads for foreign invaders like the Bactrians, Greeks, Parthians, Scythians and Kushanas.

The region also formed a part of Harsha’s empire in the first half of the seventh century and then of the Gurjara-Partiharas. The Tomaras also held this region till Visaladeva Chahamana conquered Delhi about A. D. 1156. In the time of Akbar (A.D. 1556-1605), the area covered by the present Faridabad district was contained in Subah of Delhi and Agra. During the flourishing times of the Mughal empire, the region was not in the limelight of history, but with its decay, mention of the old Gurgaon district (including the present Faridabad district) is again found in historical writings. During the period of Mughal Empire after the death of Aurangzeb, old Gurgaon district (including Faridabad district) was torn between several contending powers.

The exploits of Balram Jat, popularly called Balu, came to prominence in the fifties of the 18th century. Balu was the son of a petty revenue collector of Faridabad. Supported by his family connection with Badan Singh, the Jat Raja of Bharatpur, he extended his power by seizing the neighbouring villages and ousting their lawful owners and the local magistrates. He killed Murtaza Khan, the local Mughal Governor Officer at Faridabad who had once imprisoned of the ascendancy of the Bharatpur Chiefs with the Mughal Court. In 1739, Muhammad Shah, the Emperor, gave the titles of Naib Bakshi and Rao to Balu. When after Muhammad Shah’s death in 1748, Balu expelled the imperial outpost at Shamspur.

Safdar Jang, the Wazir of the new Mughal Emperor, Ahmed Shah, sent a force there which was boldly resisted by Balu. Thereupon, Safdar Jang himself marched against him. The Wazir had only reached Khizrabad when Balram in terror came and made his submission through the Maratha envoy. He was sent back to his home after a few days, on his promising to be the Wazir’s follower. He had built a mud fort in about 1740 and named it Ballabgarh and by taking the lease of the revenue collection of Palwal and Faridabad (which lay in the Nizam’s Jagir) soon made himself a district governor and noble (Rai) Then began a civil war. Ahmed Shah dismissed Safdar Jang and appointed Intizam-ud-daulah as new Wazir. Safdar Jang revolted and decided to try his strength. The Emperor was supported by Intizam-uddaulah and Mir Bakshi, Imad-ul-mulk. The Ruhelas led by Najib-ud-daulah as well as the Marathas joined the Emperor. In his struggle against the Emperor, Safdar Jang won over Suraj mal and Balu to his side. The civil war lasted for a year and a quarter at Sikri, 5 kilometres south of Ballabgarh, and with his jat allies put up a stout resistance. However, after having been defeated, he fled to Avadh in November, 1753. Imad-ul-mulk then tried to gain possession of the lost areas from the jats.

Imad’s chief agent, Aqibat Mahmud Khan, son of Murtaza Khan (who had been killed by Balu) opened the campaign of re-conquest of Faridabad side. Here the leading disturber of law and order was Balu. When Aqibat came with 500 Badakshis and 2,000 Maratha troopers and demanded revenue of the district and tribute due to the Emperor, Balu offered flight. Imad sent 7.000 more troops and 30 pieces of light artillery with rockets to Aqibat to match the guns of Ballabgarh. After some fighting Balu made his submission, saw Aqibat and agreed to pay the rent and tribute due from him. Then Aqibat advanced to Palwal, about 23 kilometres south of Ballabgarh, but found the peasants afraid to pay him rent lest Balu should demand it again. The revenue collector of the place, whom Balu had ousted, told Aqibat that unless he captured Ballabgarh and killed Balu, he would fail to get control over the administration of the area. A thanedar sent by him to Fatehgarh village was turned out at Balu’s bidding. Aqibat, therefore, marched back to a plain near Ballabgarh and asked Balu to come and settle the revenue demand. Balu arrived with his Diwan, one son and an escort of 250 men. Aqibat demanded payment. The jat chief replied defiantly, “I have not brought the money in my pocket. I only promised to pay the tribute after collecting the rent. If you want to wrest this tract from me, you will have to fight for it.” High words were exchanged and Balu in anger laid his hand on the hilt of his sword. But the Badakshis surrounding Aqibat’s palki fell upon Balu and slew him with his son, his Diwan and nine other men (November 29, 1753). The garrison of Ballabgarh kept up fire till midnight after which they evacuated the fort. Aqibat took possession of it with all its artillery and armament and gave up the other property within to plunder by his soldiers. The areas were then conferred upon lmad.

Aqibat quickly followed up this success in other directions. In the following week. he sacked the walled villages of Mithaul and Hathin (19 kilometres south and south-west of Palwal), where disobedient peasants had fought all day and had fled away at night. He also attacked the small mud forts of the jats around Palwal and brought them under his rule. Then after a visit to Delhi, he started (December, 27) again for Faridabad, taking Khandoji Holker and his troops to assist him in the campaign, But could not control this tract, as his soldiers refused to obey his agents, and the jats seized the opportunity to expel the outposts set up by him at Hathin and other newly conquered places. So he appealed to his master to come in person and Imad marched from Delhi to Ballabgarh.

Khandoji Holker, son of Malhar Rao Holker, had encamped at Hodal (27 kilometres south of Palwal) and sent detachments which plundered the Jat villages all around, even as far as Barsana (19 kilometres) and Nandgaon (27 kilometres) south of Hodal, ousting Jawahar Singh, Suraj Mal’ s son from these and establishing Maratha posts there (end of’ December, 1753). This strengthened Aqibat’s position and he sacked the Jat village of Ghangaula (14 kilometres south-west of Ballabgarh) belonging to a brother of Balu and planted his own thana there (January 5, 1754). On January 8, Imad advanced from Ballabgarh to Palwal and got into touch with Khandoji at Hodal. The fort of Ghasera (24 kilometres west of Palwal) had been wrested by Suraj Mal from Bahadur Singh Bar-Gujar, the Faujdar of Chakla Koli (Aligarh). On April 23, 1753, after that chieftain had slain his women and rushed to death in battle at the head of 25 desperate followers. Imad appointed Bahadur’s son, Fateh Singh, master of his father’s fort, which the Bharatpur garrison had evacuated in terror. Thus a mortal enemy of the Jats was planted there with orders to attack their hamlets around.

During his fourth invasion in 1756, Ahmed, Shah Abdali encountered Marathas at Faridabad, sacked and burnt the town. In 1757, Ahmed Shah Abdali marched down the west bank of the Yamuna, by way of Khizrabad and Badarpur, to a place about 10 kilometres south of Ballabgarh. His objectives were Suraj Mal’s strongholds of Kumher and Dig. At first he left Ballabgarh untaken in his rear. But as his foragers, spread over a vast area, approached this place, the Jat garrison attacked them, slaying and wounding many. Thereafter fort of Ballabgarh was attacked and captured. After the capture of Ballabgarh, Ahmed Shah Abdali set forth for Mathura still held by the Jats under Suraj Mal.

Abdali’s second visit to the district was in 1760 during his fifth invasion of India. After his victory over Dattaji Sindhia at Barari Ghat, north of Delhi on January 9, Abdali skirting the city of Delhi, which was then without a ruler, instead of entering it, encamped at Khizrabad, south of Delhi, on January 14. Thirteen days later, he marched south through Gurgaon district to Dig (in Bharatpur) against Suraj Mal. Moving through Mewat, he reached Rewari on February 18, chasing in vain the Marathas under Malhar Rao Holker. Abdali then started for Delhi, reached Dhankot (32 km south west of Delhi) on February 27 and Khizrabad on February 29 without having achieved anything. Soon after he shifted to Aligarh. He remained there till he again marched towards north through the Doab, crossed the Yamuna and defeated the Marathas in the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761.

Meanwhile, the Mewatis had been robbing the disturbed country around Mewat. For some years past, Suraj Mal had also been engaged in conquering that region and establishing his own administration there. He had seized Palwal on September 27, 1754, recovered Ballabgarh and in November, 1755 recovered Ghasera.

The district of Faridabad is conferred upon this name from the town Faridabad which is said to have been founded in A. D. 1707 by Shaikh Farid, treasurer of Jahangir, with the object of protecting the highway which passed through the town. Shaikh Farid built a fort, a tank and a mosque.

Later it came to be the headquarters of a pargana which was held in jagir by the Ballabgarh ruler. It was confiscated by the Government as the ruler took part in the 1857 Uprising.

The site for Faridabad township, covering an area of about 18.1 square kilometres on the western side of the Delhi-Mathura National Highway, was selected by the Government of India for rehabilitating the displaced persons migrating form the North-Western Frontier province and Dera Ghazi Khan district (now in Pakistan) consequent upon the partition of India in 1947. To start with, the control of this township was vested in the Faridabad Development Board, which functioned under the authority of the Government of India through the Ministry of Re-habilitation. It was not considered desirable that the Central government should retain a permanent enclave within the territory of the State Government and so the township was handed over to the Punjab Government.

Ballabgarh town, which is which is now merged in Faridabad Municipal Corporation, is about 48 kilometres away from Gurgaon to the east and at a distance of about 35 kilometres from Delhi to the south. Legend, however, fanciful, has it that the town was founded by Ballhab Singh, the son of a poverty stricken cultivator. His mother as usual carried a few pieces of dry bread and onions as a mid-day repast for her husband who was tilling a tiny patch. She put down the child whom she had also carried in her lap in the shade under a tree and took the food to her husband where he was working. When she returned, she found a black serpent hovering with its hood raised over the baby. As the men around rushed to kill the snake, a passing sadhu pleaded with them to desist, and prophesised the child would one day be a king. His words came true; Ballhab struck great fortune when two mules laden with gold mohurs strayed into the farm. This was the beginning of his rise. He and his successors ruled over 200 surrounding villages as fiefs of the Mughals for seven generations.

The fort in the town is said to have been built by Balram and possibly the name may be a corruption from Balramgarh. The township outside the fort precincts was laid out by “Raja Bahadur Singh of Ballabgarh. It still bears the trace of his careful planning-quadrangular market places, wells at cross roads, and a large garden which he named Dilkusha. A chhatri and a pakka tank were constructed by the widow of Anrudh Singh, Raja of Ballabagarh till 1818, in the memory of her deceased husband. The fort, the tank and the chhatri are still there. The inner part of the fort now houses the police station and the tahsil office. The last of this dynasty was Nahar Singh, a martyar of the great Uprising of 1857. A monument and Nahar Singh memorial park have been raised by the municipal committee on the outskirts of the town to mark the centenary of the event.