Haryana is a state in India. The state houses several sites from the Indus Valley Civilization, which was a cradle of civilisation. In the Mahabharata, Haryana is mentioned as Bahudanayak Region.

Haryana has been ruled by various native and non-native polities including the Maurya Empire, Gupta Empire, Pushyabhuti dynasty, Pratihara dynasty, Tomara Dynasty, Chahamanas of Shakambhari, Ghurid dynasty, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, Sikh Confederacy, Durrani Empire, Maratha Empire, George Thomas, Gwalior State, Company Rule in India and British Raj.

Sikhs during the 18th and 19th centuries ruled some parts of the Haryana region which earlier came under Punjab division. Some Sikh states in Haryana were Jind, Kaithal, Hisar, Ladwa, Kalsia and others. Mostly Sikh rulers belong to Jats community of Punjab.

During Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire, Haryana was known as Delhi Subah. Many historically significant battles have been fought in it such as Battle of Tarain, Battle of Panipat, and Battle of Karnal. The Khanzadas of Mewat ruled the Mewat region until 1527.

During the British Colonial period, from 1858 to 1947 it was administered as a part of the Punjab province. It became a separate administrative state of India in 1966. Chandigarh is the joint capital for the states of Punjab and Haryana.

Chronological history

Paleolithic

History of human presence in Haryana dates back to 100,000 years ago. Archaeologists discovered cave paintings and tools in Mangar Bani hill forest in May 2021; the cave paintings are estimated to be 100,000 years old. These are believed to be the largest in the Indian subcontinent and possibly the world's oldest. Group of 43 sites was found in this area including Ankhir, Anangpur, Anangpur Dam, Shilakhari, Mangar Bani, Dhauj, Kot, Roj ka Gujjar, Nurpur, Dhumaspur, Surajkund, etc.Rush for protected tag to Faridabad site where stone age cave art found, Times of India, 31 July 2021.

Paleolithic and Neolithic Stone Age (7000 BCE - 5500 BCE) find were excavated from the banks of the stream (paleochannel of Saraswati river) flowing through HMT complex,Manmohan Kumar : Archaeology of Ambala and Kurukshetra Districts, Haryana, 1978, Mss, pp.240-241.Haryana Samvad , Oct 2018, p38-40. by the Guy Ellcock Pilgrim who was a British geologist and palaeontologist, who discovered 150,000 year old prehistoric human teeth and part of a jaw denoting that the ancient people, who were intelligent hominins dating as far back as 150,000 ybp Acheulean period, lived in Pinjore region near Chandigarh.Pilgrim, Guy, E. 'New Shivalik Primates and their Bearing on the Question, of the Evolution of Man and the Anthropoides, Records of the Geological Survey of India, 1915, Vol.XIV, pp. 2-61. Quartzite tools of Lower Paleolithic period were excavated in this region extending from Pinjore in Haryana to Nalagarh (Solan district in Himachal Pradesh.Haryana Gazateer, Revennue Dept of Haryana, Capter-V.

Neolithic

Neolithic are numerous in Haryana, specially the pre-IVC phases found at Bhirrana, Siswal, Rakhigarhi, Kunal,The Harappan Civilisation: Its Sub-cultures, Daily Pioneer, 10 May 2018. etc.

Indus Valley Civilisation

Indus Valley civilisation evolved on the banks of Rigvedic rivers Indus and Sarasvati rivers. Sarasvati and its tributary Drishadvati river (Ghaggar) flow through north and central Haryana and there are numerous IVC sites in haryana along paleochannels of these rivers, notable among those are the Rakhi Garhi, Banawali, Bhirrana, Farmana, Jognakhera, Mitathal, Siswal, and IVC mines and smelter at Tosham. Haryana govt is undertaking projects to revive Saraswati and Rakhigarhi Indus Valley Civilisation Museum has been constructed for the conservation of the artefacts.

Vedic period

During the Vedic era, there were Janapadas in Haryana from 1500 BCE till the 6th century BCE, which evolved into Mahajanapadas which lasted from 6th century BCE to 4th century BCE. During Janpada period Kuru Janapada covered most of Haryana and their area was called Kurukshetra, except South Haryana where Matsya Janapada (700–300 BCE) covered Mewat in Haryana (and Alwar in Rajasthan) and Surasena Janapada covered Braj region including parts of Haryana near Barsana (such as Punhana and Hodal). After the Mahabharata, and subsequent Ashvamedha Yajna, the Kuru Janapada evolved into a Mahajanapada which sovereignty over other surrounding Janpadas. The sandy Bagar tract in north-western and west-central Haryana on the Haryana-Rajasthan border was part of the larger Jangladesh which also covered thr Thar area of Rajasthan. Lord Krishna revealed Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna at Jyotisar. Śrauta were codified in Haryana during Kuru Mahajanpada era, and notable sites in Haryana related to Rishi authors are Bilaspur (Vyas Puri) and Kapal Mochan both related to Rishi Veda Vyasa who wrote Mahabharata on the banks of Saraswati at his ashram at Bilaspur, Dhosi Hill was ashram of Rishi Chyavana, who is mentioned in the Mahabharata, and he is well known for creating Chyavanprash and detailed formula for which first appeared in the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita.

In some ancient Hindu texts, the boundaries of Kurukshetra (the area under Kuru Janapada, not just the modern day Kurukshetra city) correspond roughly to the state of Haryana. Thus according to the Taittiriya Aranyaka 5.1.1., the Kurukshetra region is south of Turghna (Srughna/Sugh), north of Khandavprastha forest (Delhi and Mewat region), east of Maru Pradesh (Marusthal or desert) and west of Parin.Agarwal, Vishal: Is There Vedic Evidence for the Indo-Aryan Immigration to India? Some of these historic places are included in the 48 Kos Parikrama of Kurukshetra.

Sultanate period Muhammad Ghori conquered Haryana after the Second Battle of Tarain. Following his death, the Delhi Sultanate was established that ruled much of India for several centuries. The earliest reference to 'Hariana' occurs in a Sanskrit inscription dated 1328 AD kept in Delhi Museum, which refers to this region as The heaven on earth, indicating that it was fertile and relatively peaceful at that time. Firuz Shah Tughlaq established a fort at Hisar in 1354 to further fortify the region, and also constructed canals or rajwahas as they were referred to in the Indo-Persian historical texts.

The Khanzadas of Mewat were a ruling dynasty of Muslim Rajputs, who traced their lineage to Raja Sonpar Pal, a Yaduvanshi Rajput who converted to Islam during the Delhi Sultanate. The Khanzadas were granted the Lordship of Mewat by Firuz Shah Tughlaq in 1372. Raja Nahar Khan, formerly known as Raja Sonpar Pal, proclaimed the title of Wali-e-Mewat, solidifying a hereditary polity that endured until 1527.

Mughal Empire

The three famous battles of Panipat took place near the modern town of Panipat. The first battle took place in 1526, where Babur, the ruler of Kabul defeated Ibrahim Lodi of the Delhi Sultanate, through the use of field artillery. This battle marked the beginning of the Mughal Empire in India. Hasan Khan Mewati was the son of Raja Alawal Khan, his dynasty ruled Mewat for nearly two centuries. Descended from Raja Nahar Khan, the Wali of Mewat in the 14th century, Hasan Khan Mewati assumed the role of a sovereign king. Babur acknowledged him as the leader of the 'Mewat country'.

In the First Battle of Panipat, Hasan Khan Mewati supported Ibrahim Lodi against Babur in 1526, marked a pivotal moment in the conflict between the Mughal Empire and the Delhi Sultanate. Hasan Khan Mewati later aligned himself with Rana Sanga in continued opposition against the Mughal Empire in the Battle of Khanwa, where he was killed by the forces led by Babur.

In the Second Battle of Panipat (5 November 1556), Akbar's general Bairam Khan defeated Hemu, the local Haryanvi who grew up in Rewari. Hemu, who belonged to Rewari in Haryana, rose from a businessman to become adviser to Afghan kings and then Prime Minister-cum-Chief of Army. He fought and won 22 battles in between 1553 and 1556, from Punjab to Bengal against Afghans and Mughals and won all of them without losing any. Hemu defeated Akbar's army at Tughlaqabad in Battle of Delhi-1556 and became king at Delhi on 7 October 1556 declaring himself as Vikramaditya following the reigns of earlier Vedic kings.Kar, L. Colonel H. C. "Military History of India", Calcutta (1980), p.283 Hemu died in the Second Battle of Panipat.

Maratha period (1756–1801) The Third Battle of Panipat was fought in 1761 between the Afghan Emperor Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Maratha Empire under Sadashivrao Bhau of Pune. Ahmad Shah won decisively, on 13 January 1761.

Colonial period

1857 war of independence

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 war started first at Ambala Cantonment, 8 hours before revolt started in Meerut, when the soldiers of 5th Indian Infantry Brigade and 60th Indian Infantry Brigade revolted but it was crushed.Haryana Samvad , Jan 2018. 5th and 60th Regiments of Benga Native Infantry rebelled at Umballa (Ambala). During the Battle of Narnaul at Nasibpur on 16 November 1857 led by Rao Tula Ram led 5000 force including Rewari forces 3000 Ahirs in which British lost 70 British soldiers and their commanders colonel Gerrard and Captain Wallace. 40 British soldiers and officers Captain Craige, Captain Kennedy and Captain Pearse were wounded.Dr Malti Malik, History of India, Page 356. The major centers of rebellion were at Hisar, Hansi, Sirsa, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Bahadurgarh, Farrukhnagar, Ballabhgarh, Rewari, Ambala, Panipat and Thanesar. Under the "Delhi Agency" there were seven Princely states, Jhajjar, Farrukhnagar, Ballabhgarh, Loharu, Pataudi and Dujana. The Chiefs of the last two estates remained loyal to the British and others rebelled.Madan Gopal, 1977, Sir Chhotu Ram: a political biography, Page 9. The Rajput rulers of Rajasthan also kept out of the mutiny.M.K. Singh, 2009, Encyclopaedia Of Indian War Of Independence (1857–1947) (Set Of 19 Vols.)

Raja Nahar Singh was the ruler of Ballabhgarh, Rao Tula Ram ruler of Rewari and his cousin Gopal Dev, Nawab Abdur Rahman Khan Jhajjar, Nawab Ahmad Ali of Farrukhnagar, Sadruddin was the leader of Mewat, Harsukh Rai and Mirza Gauhar Ali of Palwal and Imam of Bu Ali Shah Qalandar mosque in Panipat played key role.

After the failure of revolt by Indians, Haryana was taken out of North-Western Provinces and merged with Punjab as a punishment.

This rebellion was partly caused by the unjust tax system implemented through the use of The Great Hedge of India, a historic inland customs border which ran through several states including Haryana.

Independence and riots Lala Lajpat Rai worked towards the social reform, spread of Arya Samaj, creation of mass support for the Indian independence movement and he died protesting against the Simon Commission. Lala Murlidhar of Ambala and journalist Balmukund Gupt of Rewari were the members of the founding session of congress who promoted Swadeshi movement. Chhotu Ram, Pandit Nekiram Sharma, Lala Ugrasen and Ramswaroop Jaglan of Bidhwan were also key independence activists.

In 1907, two years after the 1905 Partition of Bengal, British Indian Army soldiers in the 6th Jat Light Infantry and 10th Jats mutinied and sided with Bengali revolutionaries to take over a government treasury. Their revolt was suppressed by the colonial government and several mutineers were sentenced to prison. In early 1919, Jhanda Singh Giani was especially noted for his protests against the Rowlatt Act, he was a pleader and resident of Ambala. In 1914, Kasi Ram Joshi a member of the Ghadar Party hailing from Haryana, returned to India from America. On 15 March 1915 he was hanged by the colonial rulers. Subhas Chandra Bose's Azad Hind Fauj had 2847 soldiers from Haryana, of whom 346 attained martyrdom.

During the partition of India in 1947, state experienced riots at many places, which also scores of death and migration of millions of people from Haryana to Pakistan and vice versa.