Haryana is an Indian state, located in the north of the country. Earlier it was part of east Punjab. Haryana was constituted on November 1, 1966, as a result of the partition of the former state of Punjab into two separate states—Punjabi-speaking Punjab and Hindi-speaking Haryana.
Geography
It is bounded by these states:
Northwest – Punjab and the union territory of Chandigarh,
North and northeast – Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand,
East – Uttar Pradesh and the union territory of Delhi,
South and southwest – Rajasthan.
The city of Chandigarh serves as the capital of the states of Haryana and Punjab both.
The most populous city of Haryana is Faridabad, which is a part of the National Capital Region. The city of Gurugram is among India’s largest financial and technology hubs.
Vedic Significance of Haryana:
Indian civilization and culture have their roots in the Vedic land of Haryana. Indian mythology identifies this region as the “northern altar’s matrix of creation,” where Brahma offered pristine sacrifice and created the universe.
Archaeological research done in 1915 by Guy E. Pilgrim, who determined that early man lived in the Haryana Shivaliks 15 million years ago, has greatly contributed to the confirmation of this idea of creation.
According to the Vamana Purana, King Kuru regained a region of seven Kosas by plowing the battlefield of Kurukshetra with a golden plowshare driven by Lord Shiva’s Nandi. Haryana’s history is rich with myths, stories, and connections to the Vedas.
The great battle of the Mahabharata was fought here, 5,000 years ago, when Lord Krishna preached Arjuna a sermon on the importance of doing one’s job and not worrying about the results. His teachings on the battlefield of Kurukshetra are popularly known as Bhagavad Gita. Therefore, Kurukshetra, Haryana is considered to be the birthplace of the Bhagwad Gita (the holy teachings of Lord Krishna.)
History
5000 years ago, in the era of the ancient epic, Mahabharata, the battlefield of Kurukshetra saw Good triumph over Evil when the Pandavas were victorious over the Kauravas. Haryana was called “Bahudhanyaka”, the land of plentiful grains, in the Mahabharata that was written by Ved Vyas. Today, Kurukshetra is a place for pilgrimage for millions of Hindus not only as the site of the famous war but also as the birthplace of the Bhagavad Gita, the Holy Book. Panipat has been the scene of three big power wars in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Several Hindu saints and Sikh gurus have also traversed the land of Haryana spreading their message of universal love and brotherhood.
Today, Haryana is one of the richest states in India with agriculture and industrial growth being the main reasons. Roads, services, electricity, and education are just some of the best parts of this highly developed state.
