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.