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.