From top going clockwise: District Administrative Complex, St. Thomas Church, Fort of Firoz Shah, Sheetla Mata Temple and observatory at OP Jindal Gyan Kendra.
The city was ruled by several major powers, including the Mauryans in the third century BC, the Tughlaqs in the 14th century, the Mughals in the 16th century, and the British in the 19th century. After India achieved independence, it was unified with the state of Punjab. When the Punjab was divided in 1966, Hisar became part of Haryana.
The current name was given in 1354 AD, as Hisar-e-Firoza by Firuz Shah Tughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi from 1351 to 1388. The Ghaggar and Drishadvati Rivers once flowed through the city, but they have now changed their course. Hisar has a continental climate, with very hot summers and relatively cool winters. The most commonly spoken languages are Hindi, Haryanvi, and Bagri.
Hisar was founded in 1354 AD, as 'Hisar-e-Firoza' by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, who reigned over the Sultanate of Delhi from 1351 to 1388.[10][11] He built a walled fort with four gates, the Delhi Gate and Mori Gate to the east, the Nagori Gate to the south, and the Talaqi Gate to the west.[12] The construction of the fort started in 1354 AD and was completed in 1356 AD.[12] In the middle of the fort stood the Firoz Shah Palace. Apart from its several underground apartments, the complex had different buildings such as Baradari, Lat ki Masjid, Diwan-e-Aam, and Shahi Darwaza.[8] Near the palace was the Gujri Mahal built by the emperor for his wife name Gujri.[12] The city was named as Hisar-e-Firoza, which means Fort of Firoz in Persian. Timur invaded the city in 1398 AD and his soldiers set fire to the fort.[8]
When Babur invaded India in 1524–1526, Hisar was part of Ibrahim Lodi's empire.[8] In the battle of Panipat in 1526, Babur sent prince Humayun, who succeeded in defeating the army of Ibrahim Lodi. Babur handed over the city of Hisar to Humayun as a reward for his success on his first military expedition.[8] In 1540, Hisar came under the control of Sher Shah Suri when he defeated Humayun but Humayun took it back in 1555 and assigned it to Akbar.[8] During Akbar's reign (1556–1605), Hisar once again became a place of considerable importance.[8] The city remained under the rule of Mughals until 1760.[8]
British era
Hisar was occupied by George Thomas, an Irish adventurer, in 1798. The arrangement continued until 1801 when Thomas was driven out by the Sikh-Maratha-French confederacy.[7] The region came under the rule of British East India Company in 1803 and remained a part until the Indian Rebellion of 1857 when Muhammad Azim and Rao Tula Ram conquered it away for a short period. The company sent forces under General Van Cortlandt, who defeated Azim and Tula Ram on 16 November 1857.[7] Between 1803 and 1879, the British constructed a 4,000-km-long Great Hedge of India, for levying the customs duty on salt and sugar, that ran through Hisar and Hansi. Hisar became a municipality in 1867.[13]
After independence, the city became a part of Punjab and later Haryana in 1966.
Geography
Hisar is located at 29°05′N75°26′E / 29.09°N 75.43°E / 29.09; 75.43 in western Haryana. It has an average elevation of 215 m (705 ft) above sea level. The region is part of the alluvial Ghaggar-Yamuna plain and its southern and western portions mark a gradual transition to the desert.[8] The Ghaggar[17] and the Drishadvati[18] rivers once flowed through the city. According to tectonic map, the district lies on Delhi-Lahore Ridge which is bounded by thrusts and no earthquake of any significance has originated in the zone in the past.[8] Only one instance has been recorded of a famine occurring in the city in 1837–38.[19]
Climate
Hisar has a semi-arid climate, with very hot summers and mild winters.[20] The main characteristics of climate in Hisar are dryness, extremes of temperature, and scanty rainfall.[21] The maximum daytime temperature during the summer varies between 40 and 46 °C (104 and 115 °F). During winter, its ranges between 1.5 °C and 4 °C.[22] Maximum temperature recorded is 50.3 °C (122.5 °F) in May 2024, whereas the minimum temperature recorded is −3.9 °C (25.0 °F) in January 1929. Annual average maximum and minimum temperature is 32.3 °C (90.1 °F) and 15.4 °C (59.7 °F), respectively. Relative humidity varies from 5 to 100%.[21]
Hisar is located on the outer margins of the south-west monsoon region. The average annual rainfall is around 429 mm (16.9 in), most of which occurs during July and August. The annual highest rainfall of 793.6 mm (31.24 in) was recorded in 1976 and the lowest of 145.2 mm (5.72 in) in 2000. Dew is observed in December and January. Hot winds, locally known as loo, are strong and frequent from May to July.[21] Occasionally, dust storms are experienced during summer and hail storms during February to April. Fog prevails generally in December and January. Thunderstorms also occur during the post-monsoon season and summer.[21]
Hisar became a municipality in 1867.[29] It was made the headquarters of the Hisar district in 1832. The Municipal Corporation of Hisar, consisting of 20 wards, is headed by a mayor. Law and order in the city are maintained by Haryana Police, which is headed by Superintendent of Police.[30] The city also serves as headquarters of the Hisar Range of Haryana Police which covers Sirsa, Jind, Bhiwani, and Hisar and is headed by Inspector General of Police.[31]District court was set up at Hisar in 1832[32] and was upgraded as a Sessions Division in 1915. It is headed by Chief Judicial Magistrate.[32] The district court has a bar association which was founded in 1870.[8]
The city has a large steel industry and is known as the 'City of Steel'.[35][36] As of June 2012, Hisar is India's largest manufacturer of galvanized iron.[37]Textile[38][39][40] and automobile industry is also a major contributor to the economy of the city.[8][41] It also has a large number of livestock farms with the Central Livestock Farm, established in 1809 being one of the Asia's largest cattle farms.[42][43] The Jindal Group headed by Savitri Jindal is the world's largest producer of stainless steel strips for razor blades and India's largest producer of coin blanks.[44] The city has been identified as a counter-magnet city for the National Capital Region to attract migrants and develop as an alternative center of growth to Delhi.[45]
Demographics
According to the 2011 census of India, Hisar has a population of 301,249[46] and is currently the 141st-most populated city in India.[47] Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%, with 844 females per thousand males. Hisar has an average literacy rate of 81.04%, higher than the national average: male literacy is 86.13% and female literacy is 75.00%. In Hisar, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age and the child sex ratio is 860 girls per thousand boys. Although Hisar city has population of 301,249, its urban population is 306,893, of which 166,623 are males and 140,270 are females.[1] The decadal growth rate was 27.06%.[48] Historically, Hisar had an estimated population of 7,000 people in 1843.[49]
Religion
Over 97% of the city's population are followers of Hinduism. The remaining 3% are followers of Sikhism, Jainism, Islam, and Christianity.[1] The city had a major Muslim population before Indian Independence in 1947, following which most Muslims migrated to Pakistan during the Partition of India.[8] It was also a major centre of learning for Digambara Jains and was once the seat of Bhattaraka, head of Digambara Jain institutions.[50]
Signs of pre-Harappan settlements have been found at Siswal and Lohari Ragho in Hisar district.[56] One of the four pre-Harappan phases has been named Sothi-Siswal period (3200–2600 BC)[57] on this site.[58]Harappa settlements can be found as well in Rakhigarhi. The site covers 2180 hectares, making it the largest Harappan site known in India and the second-biggest overall after Mohenjodaro.[59] All the sites are maintained by Archaeological Survey of India. Agroha is another place of historical importance. It is situated about 24 km from the city and was once the capital of king Agrasena, who is believed to have lived during the last stages of Dvapara Yuga in the Mahabharat era. Remains of his capital have been excavated, known as Agroha Mound or locally as Ther, and belong to around 3000 BC. The city was also a major centre during the Mauryan period as Buddhist and Jain temples have also been revealed in the excavations.[60]
The oldest park located in the city is the Krantiman Park, located across the historic St. Thomas Church. The park was built in the 19th century and was then known as Company Bagh.[29] Other parks include Madhuban Park, Town Park, and O. P. Jindal Knowledge Center.[8] The O. P. Jindal Knowledge Centre, inaugurated in 2009 a museum, library, park and houses a 25-storied, 282-ft- high steel tower modeled on the Space Needle in Seattle.[64]Haryana Rural Antique Museum, which is maintained by CCS HAU in its Gandhi Bhawan, exhibits evolution of agriculture and vanishing antiques.[8]Jahaj Kothi Museum, named after George Thomas, is located inside Firoz Shah Palace Complex and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.[65]Rakhigarhi Indus Valley Civilisation Museum is located at Rakhigarhi, which is an Indus Valley Civilisation site 60 km away.[66]
People from Punjab and Rajasthan come to Hisar for medical treatment.[80] The district Red Cross Society caters to specially abled people.[81]
Transport
Road
The city lies on National Highway 9 and National Highway 52. National Highway 9 from Pithoragarh to Malout connects it to Rohtak and Sirsa and National Highway 52 from Sangrur to Ankola connects it to Narwana and Jaipur and connected to Kaithal . The state highways of Haryana that pass through Hisar are State Highways 10, 13, and 20.[82] Besides, there are district roads, village link roads and canal inspection roads.[8] In 1947, the total metalled road length in the city was 137 km (85 mi) which increased to 1,188 km (738 mi) in 1978.[8]
Bus service is the major means of transport in the town.[83] Bus services are provided by Haryana Roadways and other private operators. Hisar bus depot was established on 11 August 1969 and has a sub depot at Hansi.[83] As of 2012, the depot has a total of 198 buses with daily ridership of 73,500.[83] All the 290 villages of Hisar district are connected to the city through either public transport provided by Haryana Roadways or through private buses.[83]Auto rickshaws are a major means of transport for travelling within the city.[8] In August 2012, city bus service was started in the city.[84] The city is a part of Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project which aims at developing strong road and rail connections between the cities lying on it and develop them as an industrial area.[85]
Hisar Airport is located on the outskirts of the city and is currently under re-development.[89] In August 2012, the DGCA approved the Haryana state government's plan to develop the airport to operate domestic passenger services. Its 4,000-foot (1,200 m) runway will be extended to 6,000 ft (1,800 m) to accommodate air service.
^Hasan Dani, Ahmad (1999). "Pre Indus and early Indus cultures of Pakistan and India". In Vadim Mikhaĭlovich Masson (ed.). History of civilizations of Central Asia (3rd ed.). Motilal Banarsidass Publications. p. 279. ISBN978-92-3-102846-5.
^Adinath Sangave, Vilas (2001). "The Bhattaraka Tradition". Facets of Jainology: Selected research papers on Jain society, religion, and culture. Popular Prakashan. p. 134. ISBN81-7154-839-3.
^Possehl, Gregory L and Mingni khera has also got some of the ancient manucripts and other ancient silver coins (locally called sikka). (2002). "The Beginnings of the Indus Age". The Indus civilization: A contemporary perspective. Pennsylvania: Rowman Altamira. p. 29. ISBN0-7591-0172-8.
^Higham, Charles (2004). "S". Encyclopedia of ancient Asian civilizations. Dunedin: Infobase Publishing. p. 329. ISBN1-4381-0996-2.
^"Rakhigarhi". Global Heritage Network. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
^"Mound Agroha"(PDF). Archaeological Survey of India Chandigarh Circle. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
^"About Hisar". District Administration, Hisar. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
^"List of NGOs"(PDF). Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Haryana. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
Juneja, M. M. History of Hisar: From Inception To Independence, 1354–1947 1989, Haryana: Modern Book Co., 484 pp. OCLC21197085
Juneja, M.M. Hisar City: Places & Personalities 2004, Haryana: Modern Publishers, 744 pp.
Ojha, J. S. B. S. Resource Planning Atlas Of Western Haryana: Sirsa And Hisar Districts 1996, Haryana: National Book Organisation, 207 pp. ISBN81-85135-81-9
Gazetteer Of The Hisar District 1883–84 2001, Haryana: Sang-E-Meel Publications, 72 pp. ISBN978-969-35-1114-7
Shokoohy, M. & Shokoohy, N. H. Hisar-i Firuza: Sultanate and Early Mughal Architecture in the District of Hisar, India 1988: Araxus Books, 172 pp. ISBN1-870606-01-9
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