Know Your State Haryana – Haryana General Knowledge Notes (Part 2)

Previously, we discussed some very interesting facts about Haryana. If you haven’t read that already, click here – Know your State ‘Haryana’ – Part 1.

Haryana has a proud history going back to the Vedic Age. In this blog, we’ll be covering all the important points regarding the historical, environmental and economic aspects of the state.

Do you know which state carries the significance of all the three Battles of Panipat? Where was the war fought between Kauravas and Pandavas? In which state Sultanpur National Park located?

Now, coming to the very first aspect i.e. –

HISTORY Haryana GK Notes

ANCIENT HISTORY –

• In the Ancient Era, many sites of the Indus Valley Civilisation have been found in the Haryana region. For example, Rakhigarhi, which is home to the largest and oldest Indus Valley Civilisation site.   
• The Vedic Civilisation between 1600 BC to 600 BC surrounded this region with rivers and doabs as the center, as the practice of agriculture and settled pattern has flourished.
• Rig Veda hymns were composed in this region in the early vedic times.
• It is the place where Aryans chanted their sacred mantras.
• The epic Mahabharata was written by saint Ved Vyas in this region in Sanskrit.
• It is the place where Krishna preached Arjuna the great Bhagavad Gita.
• The Kurukshetra war also known as Mahabharat war, was fought between the Kauravs and Pandavas for eighteen days to select the king for the throne of Hastinapur in the city of Kurukshetra. Before the Mahabharat war, a battle of ten kings took place in the Kurukshetra region in the Saraswati Valley. But it was the Mahabharat war, approximately in 900 BC, which gave the region worldwide fame.
• The city of merchants near Hisar called Agroha was established by Maharaj Agrasen. Every immigrant of the city was given a brick and a rupee by all the residents of the city to build a house and to start a business for self-employment.
•  Haryana has been the scene of many wars because of it being “The Gateway of North India”. As years rolled by, successive streams of Huns, Turks and Afghans invaded India and decisive battles were fought on this land.
• After the downfall of the Gupta Empire in the middle of 6^th century AD, North India was again split into several kingdoms. The Huns established their supremacy over Punjab. It was after this period that one of the great kings of ancient India, Harshvardhan began his rule. He became the King of Thanesar (Kurukshetra) in 606 AD and later went on to rule most of north India.

MEDIEVAL HISTORY –

• The Pratiharas ruled over a vast region for quite a while from Harsha’s adopted capital of Kannauj after his death.
• In the 12^th century, Prithviraj Chauhan established forts in Haryana at Taraori and Hansi. But Muhammad Ghori has conquered these areas in the Second Battle of Tarain (1192) after defeating him.
• After his death, the Delhi Sultanate was established in the 13^th century, which ruled much of India for several centuries in which Haryana remained a strategic region, especially for battles.
• The earliest reference to ‘Haryana’ 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.
• This region was fortified by a fort at Hisar which was built by Firoz Shah Tuglaq in 1354.
• The three famous Battles of Panipat took place near the modern town of Panipat:

1. The first battle took place on 21 April 1526, where Babur, the ruler of Kabul defeated Ibraham Lodi of the Delhi Sultanate, through the use of field artillery.
2. In the Second Battle of Panipat (November 5, 1556), Akbar’s forces defeated Hem Chandra Vikramaditya also called Hemu, who belonged to Rewari in Haryana and who had won 22 battles during 1553-1556 before acceding to Delhi throne.
3. The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761, between the Afghan warlord Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Marathas under Sadashivrao Bhau of Pune. Ahmad Shah won decisively in this battle.

• After the Third Battle of Panipat, the Marathas lost the courage to go to their native place but many of the families resided at various places in Haryana like Kaithal, Assaundh, Karnal, Hansi, Bhiwani, etc.

MODERN HISTORY –

• During British rule, the region has been one of the nerve centres of the Great Revolt of 1857 and acted as a centripetal force for gathering the mass and revolted against the British Government.
• The later British government made this region the strategic defensive location to tackle future revolts.
• Babu Dayal Sharma, Lala Shyam Sharma, Heera Singh, Dr. Madharam, etc. were some of the national leaders.
• After independence, Haryana was a part of Punjab state. In 1965, Hukam Singh Parliamentary Committee gave the recommendation to separate the Hindi speaking part from Punjab as the state of Haryana.
• In 1966, the Indian government set up the Shah Commission to demarcate the boundary between the two states.
• Based on the recommendation of the Shah Commission some districts of the Punjab state had become the new state called Haryana.

Now, talking about the flora and fauna, the state has little natural vegetation but is home to a variety of mammals.

ENVIRONMENT Haryana GK Notes

• Forest types of Haryana are Tropical Dry Deciduous in north-eastern region; Tropical Moist Deciduous in Shivalik region; and Tropical Thorn Forests in western region.

• For in-situ conservation of wildlife inside their natural habitat, 2 National Parks, 8 Wildlife Sanctuaries and 2 Conservation Reserves have been established in the state. Whereas, as part of ex-situ conservation efforts breeding of Red Jungle Fowl in Shiwaliks of Haryana, is considered to be of pure breed.

Important National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries –

1. Sultanpur National Park – Formerly known as Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary, the National Park is located at Sultanpur village. In summer about 11 species of migratory birds such as Asian Koel, black-crowned night heron, Indian Golden Oriole, cuckoos come here. It covers approximately 142.52 hectares.
2. Kalesar National Park –It is a protected area in the eastern district of Haryana i.e. Yamunanagar, 150 km from Chandigarh. It is a popular destination for Leopard and bird-watching. Among herbivores, Sambhar is common, especially in the more densely forested areas on gentle slopes, where groups of 2 to 4 are often seen. Chital is another herbivore found in open grassy patches and fire lines. The Rhesus macaque is the most common monkey in the park and most of these were released in the park area from outside.
3. Nahar Wildlife Sanctuary – It is situated in Rewari district of Haryana state. It is 36.9 km from Rewari. The sanctuary is spread over an area of 211.35 hectares. It is 5 km away from Kosali on the Kosali-Mahendragarh road. It is named after Nahar because it comes under Nahar village. Forest Department, Government of Haryana officially notified this as Wildlife Sanctuary on 30 January 1987.
4. Chhilchhila Wildlife Sanctuary –This Wildlife Sanctuary is also known as Seonthi Reserve Forest which is located near Kurukshetra University in Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is located in a depression which has a small lake created by an embankment.
5. Saraswati Wildlife Sanctuary – It is also known as Seonsar Forest which is situated in Kaithal district of Haryana state, India. It is spread over an area of 4452.85 hectares. Kalesar National Park, Morni Hills and Saraswati Wildlife Sanctuary are the first, second and third largest forest in Haryana respectively.  

Important Dams and Canals of Haryana –

• The two most important canals of Haryana are Western Yamuna Canal and Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal.

1. Kaushalya Dam – Panchkula district – Yamuna River
2. Ottu Barrage – Sirsa district – Ghaggar River
3. Tajewala Barrage – Yamunanagar district – Yamuna River
4. Hathnikund Barrage – Yamuna River
5. Anagpur Dam – Faridabad district – Hakra River

• The two important waterfalls of Haryana are Tikkar Taal (From Morni Hills) and Dhosi Hill Falls (From Mahendragarh district).
• Eucalyptus trees are planted along the highways and in wastelands. Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) trees grow along the roads and canals in the northern half of the state, while small, spiny kikar (Acacia arabica) trees and scrub are found in the southern and southwestern Haryana.

Today Haryana has become a developed state in the economic, industrial and banking fields. So, let’s begin with the next aspect in which there is a lot to know and a lot to discuss.

ECONOMY Haryana GK Notes

Haryana has made rapid strides in the development of agriculture-based manufacturing. Among the most important of such industries are cotton and sugar processing and the production of farm machinery.

• The GDP rank of the state is 14^th with Rs. 9.40 lakh crore.
• The GDP growth stands at 7.7% with GDP per capita as Rs. 264,207.
• GDP by sector is –

Agriculture – 16% 

Industry – 33%

Services – 51%

• The unemployment rate is 8.6% according to 2017-18.
• As per November 2016 data, Gurugram ranks number 1 in India in IT growth rate and existing technology infrastructure, and number 2 in the start-up ecosystem and innovation.
• The state is one of India’s largest automobile hubs and accounts for two-thirds of passenger cars, 50 percent of tractors and 60 percent of motorcycles manufactured in the country.
• Haryana was ranked the third best state in the country ease of doing business in the Business Reforms Action Plan 2017. As of November 2019, the state had seven exporting Special Economic Zones.
• Haryana’s agricultural productivity is largely attributable to the so-called Green Revolution, an international movement launched in the 1960s to diminish world hunger. As a result of this movement, large-scale investments have been made in irrigation, fertilizers and high-quality seeds. In the early 21^st century, nearly two-fifths of the state’s workforce was employed in agriculture.  
• A number of major highways and railway lines – including the historic Grand Trunk Road and the mainline of the Northern Railway – pass through the state to converge on Delhi. State-owned bus service operates between most of Haryana’s larger towns and cities. The state is served by a domestic airport in Chandigarh.
• In addition, the state produces significant quantities of cotton, mustard seed, pearl millet, chickpeas, sugarcane, sorghum, corn and potatoes. Dairy cattle, buffaloes and bullocks, which are used for ploughing the land and as draft animals, are prominent in the north-eastern region. 

EDUCATION Haryana GK Notes

Education and particularly higher education had been a critical component of bringing change in a society and a nation. To address the issues relating to equity, accessibility, quality and infrastructure has been a prime concern for the State Government. Haryana has taken extensive steps in the direction of imparting quality higher education, to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER).

• National Institute of Technology (NIT) Kurukshetra is the prestigious institute that provides engineering, science and humanities courses at all levels such as undergraduate, postgraduate and Ph.D.
• The prominent colleges in Haryana are N.C. College of Engineering, C.R. State College of Engineering, Apeejay Engineering College, etc.
• Haryana had 622 AICTE-approved technical institutions other than deemed private universities and central institutes during the 2012-2013 school year.
• O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) is a private university located in Sonipat, Haryana, India. It was established in 2009 as a philanthropic initiative of its founding chancellor, Naveen Jindal in memory of his father O.P. Jindal. In 2019, UGC named JGU as an Institute of Eminence, making it one of the ten private universities in India to have received the distinction.

SPORTS Haryana GK Notes

Haryana has always been at the top in sports achievement in the past decade.

• The state is the national champion in Women’s hockey and Men’s Volleyball.
• During the 33^rd National Games held in Assam in 2007, Haryana stood 4^th in the nation with a medal tally of 80, including 30 gold, 22 silver and 28 bronze medals.
• In the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Haryana contributed no less than 22 of the 38 gold medals that India won.
• Famous Athletes of Haryana who qualified for the Olympic Games are Sushil Kumar, Phogat Sisters, Seema Punia, Vijendra Singh, etc.
• The wrestling academy in Sonipat and Rohtak and the Boxing academy in the city of Bhiwani are the most popular schools which have given numerous award-winning wrestlers and boxers to Haryana.

Here are Some of the Interesting Facts about Haryana –

• Haryana is the only state in India to have 100 percent rural electrification.
• Haryana is the largest exporter of Basmati Rice in India.
• According to the legends, Lord Brahma created the universe from the Brahma Sarovar of Kurukshetra after performing a huge Yajna.
• The city of Panipat finds mention in Mahabharat as one of the five cities founded by the five Pandava brothers.
• National Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden and Research Centre is Asia’s biggest Cacti Garden and has more than 3500 species of Cacti.
• Bhishma lying on the bed of Arrows felt thirsty, so, Arjuna shot an arrow into the ground, which let loose a stream of gushing water. It later came to be known as Bhishma Kund.

So, this was all about this magnificent state. We’ll keep updating with you such informative knowledge which will be helpful in your coming competitive exams such as SSC 10+2, SSC CGL, BANK PO, etc. In the next blog, we would be discussing some interesting facts and trivia about the state of Himachal Pradesh. Click here for Know your State – ‘Himachal Pradesh’.

We would recommend that you check out our other interesting blogs about the state of Punjab and the Union Territories of Chandigarh and Delhi as well.

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