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About
Haryana |
The name of Haryana instantly
conjures up the image of a State which astonishingly
combines both-antiquity and plenty. The Vedic land
of Haryana has been a cradle of Indian culture and
civilization. Indian traditions regard this region
as the matrix of creation of northern altar’
where Brahma performed the pristine sacrifice and
created the universe. This theory of creation has
been confirmed to a large extent by archaeological
investigations carried out by Guy E. Pilgrim in
1915, who has established that 15 million years
ago, early man lived in the Haryana Shivaliks. The
Vamana Purana states that King Kuru ploughed the
field of Kurukshetra with a golden ploughshare drawn
by the Nandi of Lord Shiva and reclaimed an area
of seven Kosas.
Replete with myths, legends and vedic references,
Haryana's past is steeped in glory. It was on this
soil that saint Ved Vyas wrote Mahabharata. It was
here, 5,000 long years ago that Lord Krishna preached
the gospel of duty to Arjuna at the on set of the
great battle of Mahabharata:"Your right is
to do your duty and not to bother about the fruits
(Outcome) thereof !" Since then, this philosophy
of the supremacy of duty has become a beacon to
succeeding generations.
The Mahabharata knows Haryana as the land of plentiful
grains (Bahudhanyaka) and immense riches (Bahudhana).
Before the Mahabharata war, a battle of ten kings
took place in the Kurukshetra region. But it was
the Mahabharata fought for the highest values of
righteousness which gave to the region world-wide
fame because of the profound and sophisticated thought
expounded in the holy Bhagavadgita by Lord Krishna
recited to the quivering Arjuna.
The region has been the scene of many a war because
of its being ‘A Gateway to North India’.
As years rolled by, successive streams of the Huns,
the Turks and the Tughlaqs invaded India and decisive
battles were fought on this land. At the end of
the 14 century, Tamur led an army through this area
to Delhi. Later, the Mughals defeated the Lodhis
in the historic battle of Panipat in the year 1526.
Another decisive battle was fought in the year 1556
at this very site, establishing the supremacy of
the Mughals for centuries to come.
Towards the middle of the 18th century, the Marathas
had established their sway over Haryana. The intrusion
of Ahmed Shah Durrani into India, culminating Maratha
ascendancy and the rapid decline of the Mughal empire,
leading ultimately to the advent of the British
rule.
Indeed, the history of Haryana is the saga of the
struggle of a virile, righteous, forthright and
proud people. From ancient times, the people of
Haryana have borne the main brunt of invaders and
foreign hordes with their known traits if bravery
and valour. They have survived many an upheaval,
upholding the traditional glory and greatness of
the land to this day. The epoch-making events of
yore, the martyrdom in the First War of Indian Independence
in 1857, the great sacrifices in the freedom struggle,
and the display of outstanding valour, unflinching
courage, and heroism in recent years are all in
keeping with the character of this land of action.
Bold in spirit and action, the people of Haryana
have formed a bulwark against forces of aggression
and anti-nationalism.
Haryana has always remained a rendezvous for diverse
races, cultures and faiths. It is on this soil that
they met, fused and crystallized into something
truly Indian. Hindu Saints and Sikh Gurus have traversed
the land of Haryana spreading their message of universal
love and brotherhood. Sihi in Faridabad, the birth
place of great Hindi poet Surdas, is another nucleus
of culture in Haryana while the legend of Lord Krishna
is very evident in the lives of the people. The
love for cattle and the abundance of milk in the
diet of Haryanavis persists to this day which gave
to the region world-wide fame.
Haryana emerged as a separate State in the federal
galaxy of the Indian Republic on November 1,1966.
With just 1.37% of the total geographical area and
less than 2% of India’s population, Haryana
has carved a place of distinction for itself during
the past three decades. Whether it is agriculture
or industry, canal irrigation or rural electrification,
Haryana has marched towards modernity with leaps
and bounds. Today, it enjoys the unique distinction
in India of having provided electricity, metalled
roads and potable drinking water to all its villages
within record time. Haryana is among the most prosperous
states in India, having one of the highest per-capita
income in the country.
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