Important Places:- Rohtak it is identified with Rohitaka, mentioned in the Mahabharata.It was quite possibly the capital of Bahudhanyaka 1, the

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1 Rohtak-History The district derives its name from its headquarter's town Rohtak which is said to be a correction of Rohtashgarh,a name still applied to the ruined sites(also called khokhrakot) of two older sites, one lying immediately north of the present town and other about 5 Kms.towards the east. Traditionally, it is named after Raja Rohtash in whose days city is said to have been built. It is also claimed that the town derives its name from the Roherra (Tacoma undulate) tree called Rohitaka in Sanskrit. It is said that before the town came into existance,it was the site of a forest of Rohitaka trees and hence ita name became Rohtak.Another version connects Rohtak with Rohitaka, which is mentioned in Mahabharta in connection with campaign of Nakula, the Pandva warrior. History of the district as an Administrative unit. The areas of Rohtak district underwent many changes, extending over hundreds of years before the administrative unit emerged in its present from. Under the Mughal Emperor Akbar, when his Minister Todar Mal divided North India into administrative circles, the areas of Rohtak(as a part of Suba of Delhi) fell within the Sarkars of Delhi and Hisar firuqa. Lying close to the imperial city of Delhi, the tract which now comprises the Rohtak district,was often granted in military Jagir by the Sultan and Mughal emperors to the Nobles of the court. For this reason Rajput, Brahman, Afgan,& Baluch chiefs have at different times enjoyed its revenues. On the death of Bahadur- Shah-I( ),the successor of Aurangzeb, the Mugal empire began to decline rapidly. The areas of Rohtak frequently experienced a change of masters. The claims of Imperials were contested sometimes by the Rajputs,Jats & Sikhs and often by the Marathas. George Thomas, the protage of a Maratha leader, Appa Kandirao, established his authority at Hansi and extended it to Meham and Rohtak for a number of years, until Sindhia and various other regional forces combined to derive him away. Sindhia was, however, not destined to hold for long his conquests to the west of the Yamuna. By the treaty of Surjit Arjungaon, signed on Dec. 30,1803, the Rohtak area alongwith the other possessions of Sindhia situtated to the west of Yamuna passed to the British and came under the administration of the North-west provinces. The British had no intention at that time to hold large territories beyound the Yamuna. Accordingly, a number of Chiefs and leaders who had done good military service against the Marathas or had atleast remained neuthural, were settled in this tract to form a barrier of independent outposts between the British border and the Cis-Sutlej Sikh estates as well as the trans-sutlej rising kingdom of Ranjit Singh. Accordingly, the Jhajjar territory was given to Nawab Nijabat Ali Khan and the Baluch possessions at B.Garh to his brother, Nawab Ismail Khan. Gohana & Kharkhoda-Mandothi tehsils were given to Raja Bagh Singh of Jind & Bhai Lal Singh of Kaithal as life jagirs. The villages Lohari, Patudha and Kheri Sultan in the south east corner of Jhajjar tehsil were given as a seprate Jagir to Mohmad Khan son & Nawab Nijabat Ali Khan. The estates of Hassngarh, Kirhauli, Pyladgarh(Pehladpur) and Khurampur in Sampla area were also granted to him for life. Rohtak,Beri and Meham tehsils of the present distt. were given to the Nawab of Dujana who resigned the major portion of the gift in A.D.1809 because it was beyond his power to manage it. The formation of present Rohtak district began when the gift was abandoned by the Dujana Chief. The Gohana and Kharkhoda-Mandothi estates lapsed to the British Govt. after of the death of Bhai Lal Singh in A.D.1818 and Bhagh Singh in When the Hissar district was created in the latter year, the Beri and Meham-Bhiwani tehsils were included in Hisar and

2 the other portions of the present northern tehsils in Panipat. In 1824 the Rohtak distt. was formed as a separate unit consisting of Gohana, Kharkhoda-Mandothi, Rohtak, Beri and Meham -Bhiwani tehsils. The Bahadurgarh territory formed its estern and Jhajjar its southern boundary. Until A.D.1832, the whole area, including Rohtak, was under the resident of Delhi, but when in that year it was brought under the same regulations as the rest of North indian, the resident became commissioner. The Distt. Was abolised in A.D Gohana going to Panipat and rest of tehsil to Delhi but in the very next year it was created again. Two Distt. of Rohtak and Jhajjar togather with rest of Delhi and Hisar divisions were deatched from North-western provinces after 1857 and passed to the Punjab by the Govt. of India on 13th April,1858. The Rohtak distt. remained a part of the Hisar division until After its transfer to the Punjab, the Rohtak Distt. Experienced several changes before assuming its present form. Bahadurgarh estate was added to the Sampla tehsil, five detached village to the east, going to Delhi. Jhajjar including some areas of Narnaul, Kanaudh and Dahari was at first created as a new distt. but was abolished shorthly afterwards in 1860, when large parts of it were assigned to the phulkian chief as a rewards for their loyal services. While the Jhajjar tehsil itself was added to Rohtak several Badali villages were transferred either to Delhi or Gurgoan and two deatched Jhajjar estates were given to the Raja of Jind. In the following year, The Meham tehsil was abolished and after making necessary territirial adjustments in favour of Hisar and Delhi, the rest of the area was added to Rohtak tehsil. All these changer were completeded by 1st July, On the abolition of Hisar Division in 1884, the Rohtak Distt. Was transferred to Delhi division. It consisted of four tehsils-rohtak, Gohana, Jhajjar & Sampla, But in April, 1910, Sampla tehsil was abolised for reasons of administrative economy and its area was divided between the Rohtak and Jhajjar tehsils which had reminded attached to the Delhi distt. since the year 1861 and was added to the Rohtak distt. in sept,1912,on the seperation of Delhi Territory from the Punjab. The distt. Was then attached to Ambala division.in 1948,Dujana state was merged in Jhajjar tehsil and a new sub-tehsil of Nahar was created. Thus, Rohtak distt. was given a shae with four Tehsils i.e. Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhajjar & Gohana with Nahar & Meham as sub-tehsil of Jhajjar and Gohana tehsils respectively. Tehsil of B.Garh was created in 1973 from Jhajjar tehsil. In 1973 Meham sub-tehsil was upgraded as tehsil.sonipat tehsil was created by bifurcating Rohtak distt, and Gohana and Sonipat tehsils were alloted to Sonipat district. One more tehsil,kosli was created out of Jhajjar tehsil and Nahar sub-tehsil was abolised and the bifurcated Rohtak distt., compresed of five tehsils, namely Rohtak, B.garh,Jhajjar, Meham and kosli and one sub-tehsil M.hail was also created. In Nov.,1989 reorganisation of distt. took place and Gohana tehsil was again attached with Rohtak distt. Of Rewari. Three sub-tehsils of Badli,M.hail and Beri were created again in July,92,Gohana tehsil was again transferred to Sonipat distt. and Badli sub-tehsil was abolised later on. In July,97,Jhajjar district was created after bifurcating Rohtak district into Rohtak and Jhajjar districts and the present Rohtak District consists of Rohtak and Meham Tehsils, while Jhajjar & B.garh tehsils are in Jhajjar Distt.

3 Important Places:- Rohtak it is identified with Rohitaka, mentioned in the Mahabharata.It was quite possibly the capital of Bahudhanyaka 1, the kingdom of the Yaudheyas.In the Vinaya Mulasarvastivadins jivaka is represented as taking journey from Taxila in the north-west to Bhadramkara, Udumbara, Rohitaka and Mathura in Ganga Doab. The ancient highway carried the trade of the Ganga valley to Taxila passing through Rohitakato Sakala.The ruins of the ancient town are found at Khokrakot or Rohtasgarh, a mound near the present town. Sahni holds that the town is probably as old as the Indus Valley Civilization sites. Minor finds at Khokrakot are typical of the Indus Valley sites. Clay moulds of coins discovered here have thrown important light on the process of casting coins in accident india. The existence of the town during the rule of the Kushana is testified by the recent recovery of Kushana Pillar Capital decorated with carving of winged lions and riders. The Pillar Capital represents the sculptor's excellence in his professional skill. An example of a lion capital of the first second century A.D., it resembles the lion capital in the British museum at London, famous for its inscriptions. The riders on it are similar to the riders on elephants at Karle Cave and figures at Sanchi Gateway. It is a significant example of the sculptural art of Haryana towards the beginning of the Christian era. The coin moulds of the later Yaudheyas of the third-fourth centuries A.D. have been discovered in large numbers here. Of the same and subsequent dates are several clay sealings. A.Gupta terracotta plaque and a head of a later date have also been discovered. The town continued to flourish till the tenth century A.D., as coins of Samanta Deva, the Hindu king of Kabul have been found here. Another discovery is of the coins of Gondophernes and a carved lion capital fragment measuring 3 feet in width and 18 inches in height. It is now preserved in the National Museum, Delhi. Carved out of the white spotted red sandstone of the Kushana period, it represents four lions, two in front and two in the back side. Sculptural pieces such as Siva-Linga, red stone image of Surya-Narayana and Vishnu riding his vehicle Garuda were discovered from Khokrakot. From here was also discovered an image of Kartikeya sitting in lalitasana on a peacock and belongs to the same period. The town is said to have been rebuilt in the time of Prithviraja. In 1828, General Mundy speaks of the ancient and consequently ruinous town of Rohtak. The wide circuit of its dilapidated fortifications and the still elegant domes of many time worn tanks tell melancholy tales of gone-by grandeurs. At one time, the town had a wall all around with gates. Only three gates can now been seen and these too are in dilapidated condition. The town has a number of old mosques, some of which remind us of Muslim elegant structures. Dini Mosque or Adina Masjid is the oldest among these. At the north end of this mosque is a tah khana (cell). Over its mihrab (arch) is an inscription of the time of Alu-ud-din Khalji, A.D Sanghi The place is known for Sadashiv Rao Bhau's samadhi on the outskirts of the village. According to a story related by the people of the village, Bhau came here after his defeat and lived in the guise of a mendicant. The story seems unreliable since Bhau Sahib, when he saw that all was lost, galloped into the thick of the battle to find a soldier's death1. The tradition of his association with Sanghi might perhaps have arisen from his cremation there or in the neighbourhood.from the village Sanghi in Rohtak tahsil was acquired the head of Buddha belonging to the 8th century, representing the Antardhyana mudra.

4 Sampla (Rohtak) Though it is a small town yet it carries much importance. After the treaty of Surji Anjungaon (December 30,1803), Rohtak area passed to the British but the British had no idea to hold large territories. So, some territories were distributed among the loyal chiefs of the then states. The estates of Hassangarh, Pahladpur and Khurampur in Sampla area were granted to Faiz Muhammad Khan, son of Nawab Nijabat Ali for life. Sampla came into limelight during the Ist War of Independence (1857). The already dissatisfied sections of the population began to stir the entire population against the British. The arrival of Tafazzal Hussain, an emissary of emperor Bahadur Shah with a small force in the Rohtak district added fuel to the fire. On his way back to Delhi with a part of the Rohtak treasury in his possession, Tafazzal Hussan attacked the town Sampla where he burnt all the buildings in which Europeans lived. Kahnapur (Rohtak) The village was founded by Raja Kanhraj of Malwa belonging to Parmar dynasty. This place was peopled on the bank of famous Kauski or Kasawati stream, now known as Drain No.8. It is on the Dhan Dhan Majra road via Chimni from Rohtak. It was an ancient village of Rajputs. The village was surrounded by a dense forest, strategically the place carried much importance in those days. Many stories are current over the naming of the village as Kahnpur. According to some people, the name as Kahnapur is based on the song viz Kanhra. On the other hearsay, some are of the view that before coming Rajputs to the place, it was under the sway of Kan Singh of Alwar. It is historically proved that the offsprings of Kanhraj spent their time in Kalanaur and Madina. Due to the name of that king, Kanhraj, the place Kahnaur was formerly known as Kanhor. Now a days this name has been corrupted as Kahnaur. The village was known for its pelf of Rajputs. Milk was very much in use. The Pipal tree was in abundance in those days. On account of these trees the village was called Nandan van.the stories of valour of Rajputs of Kahnaur made Akbar Jealous. As per historical records, Akbar, the great Mughal king wanted to expand his empire to invade or dislodge the Nawabs or Jagirdars of Kahnaur and Kalanaur. It is said that a dispute arose between the widows of the late Jagirdar of Kahnaur. One of the widows approached Akber's darbar for getting justice. Akbar imposed Islam on her son and he became from Daya Singh to Dale Khan. In consequence, other Rajputs adopted under force the Islam and they began to be called Ranghars. Many Ranghars were enlisted in the army. Many of them got high ranks in the army by dint of their valour and courage. Salt was produced in Kahnaur in abundance and Ranghars were addicted to smuggling of salt to other areas. They did not toe the line of the British. Even the British could not get their land revenue from Ranghars. The doom (local rural singers) used to sing. The Ranghars of Kahnaur played a significant role in the war of 1857 and murdered many Europeans. The British planned a gun-attack (top ka hamla) but they held up this action due to some latent reasons. On the basis of established freedom activities of the Ranghars, four lambardars of this village were executed on the path of Surana village and even today this place is known Suli Tibba. The majority of villagers consisted of Ranghars. despite the fact, there was a communal harmony between the Hindus and the Muslims (Ranghars). At the time of marriage, the custom of ban was prevalent between these communities. After partition in 1947, the Ranghars migrated to Pakistan.Thereafter Bania (Mahajans), Brahmans, Sunars, Kumhars, Gujjars, Dums, Lilgur, Nai, Bharbhuje, Teli, Mamiyar, Dhanks and Balmiks are found there. The refugees from Mintgumari and Jhang districts settled here. Now their percentage is 40. In the mean time the Jats from neighbouring village purchased land and settled there. Some persons got war

5 Jagirs and murbas due to their valorous activities in the battle fields. MEHAM Meham town is situated 30 km.west of Rohtak city on Rohtak Hisar N.H.No.10. Tradition assigns the settement of the town to Mahabharta period when it was a site of big fort. Later it was re-founded by Rai Ballu, a Power Rajput, before the reign of prithi Raj Chauhan. It is said to have been destroyed by Mohammad Gauri. But this place of antiquity is not historically recovered before the reign of Akbar, when he gave it in Jagir to Shahbaz Khan, an Afgan. later in the reign of Aurangzeb, it was santched from Afgans by the Rajputs Ancient monuments in the town includs a bain or baoli(well with steps leading to it) and two mosques i.e. jama Masjid and Pirzada Masjid. The baoli is having 101 steps and has suits of rooms neer the well. An inscription on a marble slab records the fact that it was made by Sidu, a chobdar in A.D It is made of Kankar ( Gravel) and sand stone. It is,however, not the oldest baoli of the town, having been built to replace another one which had fallen into disuse due to change in the alignment of Delhi Hisar Road. The new baoli is towards the south of the town, while the old one is towards east. the jama Masjid,was constructed in the time of Humayu in A.D.1531, as seen from the inscription under the pulpit stairs. Outside and over the south arch is another scription of the time of Aurangazeb, A.D , stating that the mosque has built by Khawaja Rahmet Ullah. Two Arabic inscriptions also show that a mosque existed there even before the rein of Humayu. The pirzada Masjid is a small Masjid towards south of Jama Masjid built in the reign ofd Babar by Sheikh Yasaf of Hisar as per inscription. ASTHAL BOHAR Asthal bohar is stuated 6-7 Km east of Rohtak city on Rohtak-Delhi N.H.10. the place is know for its math and ancient finds sculptured stone idols. According to a legend, Pooran Bhagat of Sialkot and disciple of Guru Gorakhnath, came hare and founded this nplace. after being neglected, the Math was revided in 1791 or so,when Baba Mast Nath came here. Now here are Ayurvedic Degree College, Free Hospital, Business Management Institute, Engineering College and other institutions being run by Math. Location The district lies in the sourth east of Haryana state. It is bound by Jind and Sonipat districts on the north, Jhajjar district on the south, Jhajjar and Sonipat district on the east and Hisar and Bhiwani districts on the west side. Area & Population The district is having an area of square Kms. Population of the district as per 2011 census is The density of population is 466 per sq.kilometer. There are 146 villages and 151 Panchayats on the district. The rural population is and urban population is As per 2011 census, rural population constitutes 57.98% of the total population of the district. The economy of the distrct is primarily agriculture i.e. agrarian economy. About 51.89% of the total workers are engaged in agriculture and allied activities, 7.68% in cottage & household industries and the rest are engaged in other activities.

6 Out of total geographical area of the district, 83% is under cultivation. The main crops are wheat, gram,sugarcane & bajra. There is no perennial river in the district. Underground water level is relatively high. The district is faced with the problem of brackish water and water logging in may partts of the district. The sub soil water depth variou from 4 to 40 feet.