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Hisar (city)

City in Haryana, India

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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 course. Hisar has a continental climate, with very hot summers and relatively cool winters. The most commonly spoken languages are Hindi, Haryanvi, and Bagri.

History

Early history

Archeological excavations at nearby locations of Rakhigarhi (7000 BCE), Siswal (4000 BCE), and Lohari Ragho suggest the presence of human habitation from pre-Harappan period. Later, Aryan people settled around Drsadvati River. The Jain literature Uttaradhayana Sutra (599/540 - 527/468 BCE) mentions a town Isukara in the Kuru (c. 1200 – c. 900 BCE) country which is believed to be the earlier name of Hisar. The kingdom of Hisar, with its capital at Agroha, possibly assisted Chandragupta Maurya (reign: 321–297 BCE) in his war against the Greeks. The kingdom was then included in the Mauryan Empire, as evidenced by the discovery of Ashokan pillars in the vicinity of the city. The city later came under the Kushan Empire (127 - 375 CE) and the Gupta Empire (250 - 550 CE). The area was sacked by Mahmud of Ghazni during his campaigns. In the 12th century, the Chauhan king Prithviraj Chauhan made Hansi, located in the present day Hisar district, his capital and built a fort. It remained a strategic place for Chauhan Empire until Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated in the Second Battle of Tarain by the invading Ghurid ruler Muhammad Ghori.

Tughlaq era

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. 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. The construction of the fort started in 1354 AD and was completed in 1356 AD. 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. The emperor had the Gujri Mahal built for his wife named Gujri near the palace. The city's name means fort of Firoz in Persian. Timur invaded the city in 1398 AD and his soldiers set fire to the fort.

The city later came under the rule of the Sayyid dynasty and Lodi dynasty before Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the first battle of Panipat.

Mughal era

When Babur invaded India in 1524–1526, Hisar was part of Ibrahim Lodi's empire. 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. 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. During Akbar's reign (1556–1605), Hisar once again became a place of considerable importance. The city remained under Mughal rule until 1760.

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. 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. 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.

For their participation in First War of Independence, the Chaudharys and Lambardars of villages involved in the rebellion were deprived of their land and property. This included 368 people from Hisar and Gurugram who were either hanged or transported for life. The city remained as a major centre of the Indian independence movement from the rebellion of 1857 until the independence, as many national leaders visited the city during the movement such as Lala Lajpat Rai in 1886, Subhas Chandra Bose in 1938, and Jawaharlal Nehru in 1946.

After independence

After independence, the city became a part of Punjab and later Haryana in 1966.

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