HaryānaHaryanastate in north-central India. It is bounded on the northwest by the state of Punjab and the union territory of ChandīgarhChandigarh, on the north and northeast by the state states of Himāchal Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, on the east by the state of Uttar Pradesh and the union territory of Delhi, and on the south and southwest by the state of RājasthānRajasthan. The area is 17,070 square miles (44,212 square kilometres). The city of ChandīgarhChandigarh, within the Chandīgarh Chandigarh union territory, serves as the capital of not only that territory but also of the states of Haryāna Haryana and Punjab.

Haryāna Haryana was constituted on Nov. 1, 1966, as a result of the partition of the former state of Punjab into two separate states—Punjābīstates—Punjabi-speaking Punjab and HindīHindi-speaking HaryānaHaryana. The Although the reorganization followed agitation demands made by the Sikh Akalī party community for a Punjābī Suba Punjabi suba (PunjābīPunjabi-speaking province), but it also substantially met the aspirations of people in the HindīHindi-speaking region of Punjab for a Vishāl Haryāna Vishal Haryana (Greater HaryānaHaryana). The name Haryāna means “The Abode of God,” Haryana, from Hari (the Hindu god Vishnu [Viṣṇu]) and ayana (home), although it has also been suggested that the derivation may be from the word hari (“green”), denoting the fertility of the countryside.

Physical and human geographyThe landHaryāna

means “The Abode of God.” Area 17,070 square miles (44,212 square km). Pop. (2008 est.) 23,778,000.

Relief and drainage

Haryana has two major physiographic regions: the flat alluvial plain covering most of the state and, in the northeast, a narrow strip of the highly dissected Shiwālik Hills. This plain, between 700 and Siwalik (Shiwalik) Range (including the narrow foothill zone). Remnants of the Aravalli Range, which stretches from southwestern Rajasthan to Delhi, are evident in parts of southern Haryana.

The alluvial plain lies at an elevation of 700 to 900 feet (210 and to 270 metres) in elevation, and is drained by only one perennial river, the Yamuna, located on the state’s eastern marginborder. Many seasonal streams flowing from the Shiwālik Hills Siwalik Range pass through the area, however. The most notable of these is the Ghaggar (near the state’s northern boundary), which once flowed far enough to join the Indus River, in what is now in Pakistan. Evidence of pre-Aryan settlements has been uncovered along the lower course of this river.Rainfall is scanty in most areas


The soils of Haryana are generally deep and fertile. There are some exceptions, however, including the eroded lands of the hilly northeast and the sandy areas of the southwest that fringe the Thar (Great Indian) Desert of Rajasthan. Most of the state’s land is arable, but much requires irrigation.


The climate of Haryana is hot in the summer and markedly cold in winter; maximum temperatures in May and June may exceed 110 °F (43 °C), and in January, the coldest month, low temperatures may drop below the freezing point.

Most of the state experiences arid to semiarid conditions; only in the northeast are conditions relatively humid. Precipitation averages about 18 inches (450 mm) annually, most falling between July and September. Although the state has a system of canal irrigation and tube wells, there are chronic drought-prone areas and occasional floods from the , particularly in the southern and southwestern regions. By contrast, the areas surrounding tributaries of the Yamuna and the Ghaggar . The climate is hot in summer and markedly cold in winter. The maximum temperature in summer (May–June) goes up to 114° F (46° C). The minimum temperature of 28° F ( -2° C) occurs in January.

The soils are deep and fertile except in the eroded lands of the northeast and in the sandy areas of the southwest bordering the Great Indian (Thar) Desert in Rājasthān. More than 90 percent of the land is arable, of which more than two-thirds is irrigated. Little natural vegetation remains. The largest indigenous trees are the shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) and the kikar (Acacia arabica).

The people

Hindus constitute about 90 percent of Haryāna’s population. are subject to occasional floods.

Plant and animal life

Little natural vegetation remains in Haryana. 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 southern and southwestern Haryana.

Haryana is home to a variety of mammals. Larger species, including leopards, jackals, wild boars, and several types of deer, among others, are generally limited to the hilly regions of the northeast and the far south. Small mammals, such as bats, squirrels, mice, rats, and gerbils, are common in the plains. Ducks and teals of various sorts are found near the rivers. Pigeons and doves are common in the agricultural areas, as are small, colourful birds such as parakeets, buntings, sunbirds, bulbuls, and kingfishers. Several species of snakes are found in the state; among these are pythons, boas, and rat snakes, as well as poisonous kraits and vipers. Other reptiles, including various lizards, frogs, and tortoises, also inhabit Haryana.

Population composition

Hindus constitute the great majority of Haryana’s population. Sikhs and Muslims each form a small but significant minority; there is also a tiny community of Christians. Most of the state’s Sikh population is located in the northeast and northwest; , while Muslims are concentrated in the southeastern districts adjoining Delhi. Jāts Jats (a members of the peasant caste) form the backbone of Haryāna’s Haryana’s agricultural economy and, like the Sikhs of the Punjab, . They also are prominent in India’s armed forces. Although roughly 75 percent of the population is rural, cities have been growing

Settlement patterns

Roughly three-fourths of Haryana’s population remained rural in the early 21st century; however, cities have continued to grow rapidly as commercial, industrial, and agricultural marketing centres. Cities with more than 100,000 persons include Faridābād Complex, Yamunanagar, Rohtak, Pānīpat, Hisār, Karnāl, Sonīpat, Ambāla (city and cantonment), Gurgaon, Bhiwāni, and Sirsa.

The economy

Haryāna, an agriculturally prosperous state, The state’s largest cities include Faridabad, Rohtak, Panipat, Hisar, Sonipat, and Karnal. With the exceptions of Rohtak, which is in central Haryana, and Hisar, which is in the northwest, most of the major urban centres lie in the eastern part of the state.


An agriculturally prosperous state, Haryana contributes a large amount of wheat and rice to the Central Pool (a national repository system of surplus food grain). Sugarcane, In addition, the state produces significant quantities of cotton, rape and mustard seed, pearl millet, chickpeas, sugarcane, sorghum, corn (maize) are other major crops. The state’s agricultural production has been greatly aided by the Green Revolution, which has involved large-scale investment , and potatoes. Dairy cattle, buffaloes, and bullocks, which are used for plowing the land and as draft animals, are prominent in the northeastern region.

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. More than three-fourths of the population is In the early 21st century, nearly two-fifths of the state’s workforce was employed in agriculture.Haryāna


Haryana has made rapid strides in the development of agriculture-based industries (e.g., manufacturing. Among the most important of such industries are cotton and sugar ), farm machinery, and processing and the production of farm machinery. Haryana also manufactures chemicals as well as a great variety of consumer goods industries, including the largest bicycle industry in India. Areas adjoining the union territory of Delhi, especially along major transportation arteries (e.g., , most notably bicycles.


Haryana has long been well connected to surrounding states and to the rest of India. A number of major highways and railway lines—including the historic Grand Trunk Road and the main line of the Northern Railway), are particularly attractive to new factories. Some of the state’s industrial investment has come from Punjābī entrepreneurs unwilling to invest in Punjab because of political uncertainties and continued violence.

Administration and social conditionsGovernmentThe

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.

Government and society
Constitutional framework

The governmental structure of Haryana, like that of most Indian states, is defined by the national constitution of 1950. The governor, appointed by the president of India, is the head of the state. The

governor is aided and advised by a

Council of Ministers, which is led by a chief minister and is


accountable to the


state’s Legislative Assembly (

Vidhān Sabhā). Election to the assembly is normally for

Vidhan Sabha), assists and advises the governor. Haryana’s legislature is a unicameral body; members are normally elected to a five-year term. The state has a common High Court with Punjab.

Haryāna is divided into 16 districts—Ambāla, Bhiwāni, Faridābād, Gurgaon, Hisār, Jīnd, Kaithal, Karnāl, Kurukshetra, Mahendragarh, Pānīpat, Rewāri, Rohtak, Sirsa, Sonīpat, and Yamunanagar. The system of village self-government (pañcāyat raj) has been extended to all the villages.

Education and welfareEducation

Haryana comprises four divisions, each of which consists of a number of districts. Divisional commissioners oversee the divisions, while each district is headed by a deputy commissioner. The council (panchayat) system of self-government operates at the village level.

Health and welfare

A network of district and subdivisional hospitals and primary health centres provides health and medical services throughout Haryana. Since the early 1990s all villages in the state have had access to safe drinking water. The state government provides loans and grants to members of traditionally disadvantaged communities for agricultural, industrial, and business activities.


Education has been given a high priority in the state’s development program

. As a result, there has been a large increase in school enrollment since the 1960s, although, as in the northern states in general, the education of girls continues to lag behind, in both enrollment and quality, and the literacy rate for both boys and girls is lower than in the southern states of India. The state, however, has more than 100 teaching colleges, and Kurukshetra University (founded 1956) at Kurukshetra has a regional engineering college. Maharshī Dayānand University at Rohtak has operated since 1976. Hisār is the seat of the Haryāna Agricultural University, including its renowned College of Veterinary Sciences.

Haryāna has a network of district and subdivisional hospitals and primary health centres. Of the nearly 7,000 villages in the state, some 80 percent now have access to safe drinking water. Government assistance in education and housing is provided to a significant minority of those belonging to Scheduled Castes (former “untouchables”) and other disadvantaged classes.

Haryāna has more than 14,000 miles of surfaced roads, most of which were constructed between 1970 and 1985. The state-owned Haryāna Roadways operates the overburdened local and interstate bus system.

Cultural life

Haryāna’s , and both the government and private organizations have made a significant contribution to the promotion of education at all levels. However, while thousands of primary and secondary schools have ensured that basic education is available throughout the state, much of the population—especially rural women—remained unable to read in the early 21st century. In an effort to reverse this tendency, the state has continued to provide assistance to students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue education of all sorts.

Several universities and hundreds of smaller colleges offer postsecondary education in or near Haryana’s larger towns and cities. Among the state’s most prominent tertiary institutions are the National Dairy Research Institute (1923) at Karnal and Kurukshetra University (1956) and the National Institute of Technology (1963), both at Kurukshetra, in the northeastern region; Maharshi Dayanand University (1976) at Rohtak, in central Haryana; and Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (1970; including a renowned college of veterinary sciences) and Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology (1995), both at Hisar, in the northwest. Of the smaller colleges, most provide general education, and many are exclusively for women.

Cultural life

Haryana’s cultural life reflects both the seasonal rhythm of its agricultural economy and a treasure of traditions and legends


with roots in ancient India. The boisterous spring festival of


Holi is celebrated by people showering coloured powder (or coloured powder mixed with water) on each other, irrespective of age or social status.


Janmasthami, the birthday of Krishna (an incarnation of the god Vishnu), is of special religious importance in


Haryana because it was on a battlefield at Kurukshetra that Krishna is said to have delivered to the warrior Arjuna the teachings contained in the


Bhagavadgita (a part of the epic known as the


Mahabharata). Festivals in honour of other deities and saints are also an important element of the state’s cultural life, as are cattle fairs, which are held at a number of locations.

Many prominent pilgrimage sites are located in Haryana. The solar eclipse bathing festival at Kurukshetra

attracts more than half a million

invariably attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from various parts of India.

Among numerous ancient pilgrimage centres in the state are Agroha (near Hisār) and Pehowa. The latter, situated

Pehowa, in north-central Haryana, is an important pilgrimage centre as well. Situated on the bank of the sacred


Sarasvati River (identified

in the Vedas



Sarasvati, a Hindu goddess of learning and the arts), it is considered


a premier place for performing propitiatory rites for ancestors (

śrāddha pinda


for ancestors. Fairs in honour of various deities and saints are an important element of Haryāna culture. Cattle fairs are also held at several locations.History

The region now known as Haryāna—the Madhyamā Diś (middle region) of the Later Vedic Period (c. 800–500 BC)—was the birthplace of the Hindu religion. It was in this area that the first hymns of the so-called Aryans were sung and the most ancient manuscripts were written.

Lying athwart the route of overland invasions into India, Haryāna underwent successive waves of migration from the time of Alexander the Great (326 BC) and was the scene of many decisive battles of Indian history, including the battles of Pānīpat in 1526 (. Rites to ensure the salvation of the souls of those who died unnatural deaths or who died in bed are also performed at Pehowa.

Haryana’s traditional family homes, called haveli, are known for their unique architectural features, especially their gates and podiums. The elaborate gates of these homes ultimately impart a medieval—and aesthetically pleasing—character to Haryana’s alleys, while the buildings themselves have richly decorated podiums that are used for various social and religious functions. These podiums indicate the social status of the owner of the haveli.


The Vedas, the most ancient manuscripts of the Vedic religion, stem from the area that is now known as Haryana. These Sanskrit documents were written by the Aryans, who descended into the region from the north between 2000 and 1500 BCE. Haryana is also considered to be the birthplace of Hinduism, which began to take discernible shape by the 2nd century BCE and had developed two distinct branches by the 4th century CE.

Lying across the route of overland incursion into India, Haryana has experienced many waves of migration over the millennia; a notable invasion was led by Alexander the Great in 326 BCE. The area also has been the site of numerous decisive battles of Indian history. Among the most significant of these conflicts were the Battles of Panipat, which occurred in 1526 , when the Mughal leader Bābur defeated Ibrāhīm Lodī and established Mughal rule in India); in 1556, 1556 ( when the Afghan forces were defeated by the army of the Mughal emperor Akbar), ; and in 1761 (, when Aḥmad Shāh Shah ʿAbdāli decisively defeated the MarāṭhāsMarathas, paving the way for British control in India) and . Also important was the Battle of Karnāl Karnal, in 1739 (, when Nāder Shāh Shah of Persia dealt a blow to the crumbling Mughal Empire).

The area included in the present state of Haryana was ceded to the British East India Company in 1803. In 1832 it was transferred to the then North-Western Provinces of British India, and in 1858 Haryāna Haryana became a part of Punjab, remaining as such after the partition of India in 1947. The demand for a Haryāna state, however, was raised even before India’s independence in 1947. . The union between Haryana and Punjab was awkward, however, largely because of religious and linguistic differences between the two regions: Punjabi-speaking Sikhs of Punjab vis-à-vis Hindi-speaking Hindus of Haryana. By the first decades of the 20th century, agitation for a separate state of Haryana was well under way, led most notably by Lala Lajpat Rai and Asaf Ali, both prominent figures in the Indian national movement, advocated a separate state of Haryāna. Sri as well as by Neki Ram Sharma, a veteran freedom fighter, who headed a Haryāna Development Committee to focus attention on committee to cultivate the concept of an autonomous state. The demand for unilingual states by Sikhs and Hindus gained

momentum Haryana remained part of Punjab after the partition of India and Indian independence in 1947, but the demand for separate states—supported by both Hindus and Sikhs—continued, undiminished. Indeed, the movement gained momentum, reaching its fullest intensity in the early 1960s. In 1966Finally, with the passage of the Punjab Reorganization Act (and in accordance with the earlier recommendations of the States Reorganization Commission), Haryāna became India’s Haryana was separated from Punjab in 1966 to become the 17th state of India.