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. |
