Bhiwani district is one of the 22 districts of the northern Indian state of Haryana. Created on 22 December 1972, it was the largest district of the state by area, before the creation of Charkhi Dadri as a separate district, as it occupied an area of 4,778 square kilometres (1,845 sq mi) and administered 442 villages with a population of 1,634,445. Sirsa is now the largest district of the state.
As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Haryana (out of 21), after Faridabad and Hisar.[2]
History
Pre-Indus Valley Civilization mine, smelt and houses have been found at Khanak hills of Tosham Hill range.[citation needed] Excavations (1968–73 and 1980–86) in the village of Mitathal in Bhiwani have unearthed evidence of pre-Harappan and Harappan (Indus Valley civilisation) culture in the area. Near the village of Naurangabad, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of Bhiwani city, preliminary diggings in 2001 revealed artefacts including coins, tools, sieves, toys, statues and pots up to 2,500 years old. According to archaeologists the presence of coins, coin moulds, statues and design of the houses, suggests that a town existed here sometimes in the Kushan, Gupta and the Youdheya period till 300 BCE.
Bhiwani city is mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari and has been a prominent centre of commerce since the time of the Mughals.
Wreckage of a Boeing 747, from Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763, fell in Bhiwani District as part of the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision.[3]
According to the 2011 census Bhiwani district has a population of 1,634,445,[2] roughly equal to the nation of Guinea-Bissau[6] or the US state of Idaho.[7] This gives it a ranking of 306th in India (out of a total of 640).[2] The district has a population density of 341 inhabitants per square kilometre (880/sq mi) .[2] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 14.32%.[2] Bhiwani has a sex ratio of 884 females for every 1000 males,[2] and a literacy rate of 76.7%.[2] After bifurcation the district has a population of 1,132,169. Scheduled Castes make up 251,736 (22.23%) of the population.[8]
^1941 figures are for Bhiwani Tehsil, which roughly matches present-day district borders. District was incorporated to take into account population increases during the post-independence era, which has resulted in various bifurcations of districts and tehsils across the historic Punjab Province region.