Geography

Haryana is a state in northern India. The landlocked state is bound by Punjab in the west, Uttar Pradesh in the east, Himachal Pradesh in the north and Rajasthan in the south. Its eastern border also touches Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh. The state also surrounds Delhi from the northern, western and southern side. The range of Aravalli hills outlines the southern boundary and the natural borders are provided by the Shivalik hills in the north-east, river Yamuna in the east and river Ghaggar in the west. The Yamuna-Ghaggar plains form the largest part of the state.

History

Manu had designated Haryana as Brahmavart. It means the birthplace of the Brahmanical religion which emerged and spread across the country. The famous Kurukshetra mentioned in the epic of the Mahabharata is a part of Haryana where Lord Krishna gave one of his most important messages through the Geeta. The land also witnessed the legendary Bharata dynasty, which gave India its Hindi name, Bharat.

The plains of Haryana have been used by a number of intruders to enter and fight battles in the region. Timur entered Haryana with his Army in the late 14th century to reach Delhi. The invading Mughals overpowered the Armies of the ruling Lodi dynasty at the Battle of Panipat in 1526 and won another battle there in 1556. The Marathas controlled Haryana till the middle of the 18th century. The third battle of Panipat in 1761 saw the Afghans under Ahmed Shah Abdali overthrowing the Maratha forces.

Haryana separated from Punjab and became a separate state on November 01, 1966 on the recommendation of the Sardar Hukam Singh Parliamentary Committee. The Shah Commission was formed to set up boundaries of Punjab and Haryana on the basis of the language spoken by the people. In its report on May 31, 1966, the commission recommended including the-then districts of Mahendragarh, Gurgaon, Hissar, Rohtak, and Karnal. Further, Chandigarh as well as a Punjabi speaking area of district Rupnagar were made a union territory, which then served as the capital of both Punjab and Haryana.

The Rajiv-Longowal accord sought transfer of Chandigarh to the state of Punjab in 1986. However, the process has not been concluded till date. Haryana today is among the most prosperous states in India.

Demographics

With an area of 44,212 sq km, Haryana is home to 21.14 million. The state has 20 districts, 119 blocks and 6,955 villages. The decadal growth rate of the state is 28.43%, and population density of 478 per sq km. Female foeticide is rampant in the state.

Haryana has the highest population of Hindus (84%) followed by Sikhs 15%, Muslims 1%, Jains 0.3%, Christians 0.1% and Buddhists 0.03%. Immigrants from Bihar, Bengal and Nepal can also be seen in the state.

Economy

Haryana is one of the most agrarian states in India. Famous for wheat and milk production, it is hard to overlook the industrial revolution in the state. The landlocked state also houses India`s largest automobile manufacturer, Maruti Udyog Limited, and the world`s largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, Hero Honda Limited. Besides manufacturing, the state’s economy relies on retailing and information outsourcing as well. A number of Special Economic Zones puts Haryana in the list of the most industrialised states of India. The contribution of primary, secondary and tertiary sectors for the Gross State Domestic Product in 2007-08 was Rs 21,265.92 crore, Rs 30,919.95 crore and Rs 49,133.55 crore respectively.

Govt and politics

Haryana’s legislature is unicameral. And the Haryana state government is headed by the Chief Minister. The state has five seats in the Upper House of Parliament and 10 in the Lower House. The largest political players in the state are Congress, Indian National Lok Dal, Bharatiya Janata Party, and Haryana Janhit Congress.

Compiled by: Kamna Arora