Haryana was the cradle of the Indus Valley and Vedic Civilizations, both flourishing on the banks of the now lost Sarasvati River. Several decisive battles were fought in the area, which shaped much of the history of India. These include the epic battle of Mahabharata at Kurukshetra (including the recital of the Bhagavad Gita by Krishna), and the three battles of Panipat. Haryana was administered as part of the Punjab province of British India, and was carved out on linguistic lines as India's 17th state in 1966. Haryana is now a leading contributor to the country's production of foodgrain and milk. Agriculture is the leading occupation for the residents of the state, the flat arable land irrigated by submersible pumps and an extensive canal system. Haryana contributed heavily to the Green Revolution that made India self-sufficient in food production in the 1960s
* No. of Villages: 6955
* No. of Villages Inhabited: 6781
* Intensity of Irrigation: 177
* Percentage of irrigated to net sown area: 82.4
* Fertilizer Consumption (Kgs / Hect.): 171 (NP Ratio 3.1:1)
* Average Rainfall (mm.): 455
* No. of holdings (Total) (in lakh): 17.28
1. Marginal farmers (in lakh) (Up to 1 hect.): 8.15 (47 %)
2. Small farmers (in lakh) (1-2 hect.) 3.38 (20 %)
3. Others (in lakh) (Above 2 hect.) 5.75 (33 %)
* Foodgrains Prod. (Million Tonnes) (2003-04) 13.2
* Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Rs. in Crore) (2002-03): 34800.40
Area 44212 Sq. Km
Capital Chandigarh
Districts 19
Language Hindi
Population 21,082,989
Males 11,327,658
Health institutions 3075
Number of Educational Institutions :
Colleges (all types) 214
High/Sr. Sec. Schools 3838
Middle Schools 1792
Primary Schools 10399
Vet Hospitals/dispensaries 1410
Reg. Working Factories 7813
Tubewells/Pumping sets 575513
Villages Electrified 88999
Formation of Haryana
Haryana state was formed on 1 November 1966, on the recommendation of the Sardar Hukam Singh Parliamentary Committee. The formation of this committee was announced in the Parliament on 23 September 1965. On 23 April 1966, acting on the recommendation of the Hukam Singh Committee, the Indian government set up the Shah Commission under the chairmanship of Justice J. C. Shah, to divide and set up the boundaries of Punjab and Haryana giving consideration to the language spoken by the people. The commission gave its report on 31 May 1966. According to this report the then districts of Hissar, Mahendragarh, Gurgaon, Rohtak, and Karnal were to be a part of the new state of Haryana. Further, the tehsils of Jind (district Sangrur), Narwana (district Sangrur), Naraingarh, Ambala and Jagadhari were also to be included. The commission recommended that Tehsil Kharar (including Chandigarh) should be a part of Haryana.
The city of Chandigarh, and a Punjabi-speaking area of district Rupnagar were made a Union Territory serving as the capital of both Punjab and Haryana. According to the Rajiv-Longowal Accord, Chandigarh was to be transferred to the state of Punjab in 1986, but the transfer was delayed and it has not been executed so far.
Agriculture
Haryana is often called the “Food Mine” of the country. About 80% of the population of the state is agriculture dependent, directly or indirectly. Haryana is self sufficient in producing food grains and is also a major contributor of food grains in meeting the needs of other states of the country. The world famous Basmati Rice is produced here in abundance. The major cereals produced in the state include wheat, rice, maize and bajra.
The crop production of Haryana can be broadly divided into Rabi and Kharif. The main kharif crops in the state include sugarcane, groundnut, maize and paddy etc. The minor kharif crops are chillis, bajra, jawar, pulses and vegetables.
There are two agro-climatic zones in the state. The north western part of the state is suitable for the cultivation of Rice, Wheat, Vegetable and temperate fruits and the south-western part is suitable for high quality agricultural produce, tropical fruits, exotic vegetables and herbal and medicinal plants.
The state has also significantly contributed to the field of agricultural education in the country. Asia's biggest agricultural University - Chaudhry Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University is located at Hisar, which has already made a significant contribution in ushering 'Green Revolution'. The National Dairy Research Institute set up at Karnal and Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes at Hisar are constantly developing the breed of 'Hariana' cow and 'Murrah' buffaloe. There is a network of veterinary institutions to maintain the health of livestock.
Diary farming is mostly seen in the rural areas and the economy depends largely on it. The other crops which are grown in the state include cotton, jute, sugarcane, sesame, groundnut, oilseeds and tobacco.
Irrigation of the state depends on the water provided by the Canals. The various canals which are operating in the state include Western Yamuna Canal, Gurgaon Canal, Jui Canal, Jawaharlal Lal Nehru Canal and Bhakra Canal. These canals are the main source of water for cultivation in various districts of the state.
Dairy farming is also an essential part of the rural economy. Haryana has a livestock population of 98.97 lakh. Milk and milk products form an essential part of the local diet. There is the saying Desaan main des Haryana, jit doodh dahi ka khaana, which means "Best among all the countries in the world is Haryana, where the staple food is milk and yoghurt". Haryana, with 660 grams of availability of milk per capita per day, ranks at number two in the country as against the national average of 232 grams. There is a vast network of milk societies that support the dairy industry. The National Dairy Research Institute at Karnal, and the Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes at Hisar are instrumental in development of new breeds of cattle and propagation of these breeds through embryo transfer technology. The Murrah breed of water buffalo from Haryana is world-famous for its milk production.
People
Haryana is a State which astonishingly combines both-antiquity and plenty. It has been a cradle of Indian culture and civilization. The people of Haryana are simple, straight-forward, enterprising and hard-working. They are still conservative and continue to follow old practices as a matter of routine and custom. They celebrate festivals with great enthusiasm and traditional fervour. The region has its popular folklores, folksongs and musical instruments. The popular folklore of this area reflects the beliefs and piety of the people. Their culture and popular art are expressed through mimes, dramas, ballads and songs in which they take great delight. Harayan's population, are divided into a number of castes (jatis). The main classes of people in Haryana are the Brahmins, the Rajputs, the Jats, the Ahirs and the allied agricultural communities. The women are devoted and diligent and assist their men-folk on the farms. The dress of the people is generally simple. It consists of a dhoti, shirt, turban and a pair of shoes. A blanket or chaddar serves as wrapper. A duppata or overcloth, kamiz or skirt, pajamas, salwar or ghagra with differences in make and colour is generally the female dress. Among the educated classes in the villages women are taking to saris of different colours. The dresses worn by women display more variety than male attires. People are very fond of ornaments here. The ornaments are usually made of gold and silver. The main items include haar (necklace), hansli (heavy bangles) made of silver, jhalra (long hanging string of gold mohars or silver rupees) Karanphul and bujni of gold and dandle of silver for the ears. Some new types of ornaments are tops (balian) for the ears, churis for the wrists and pandels for the neck. The people have simple food habits. They are known for their love for cattle and the abudance of milk and curd in their diet. Haryana has always remained a rendezvous for diverse races, cultures and faiths.
Climate
Geographically Haryana has four main features:
- Shivalik Hills in the north
- Yamuna in the east and Ghaggar (Saraswati) plain in the west
- Semi-desert sandy plain
- Aravalli Range in the south western part which run through southern Delhi and the Gurgaon district upto Alwar. There are some high ridges running from the north-west to south-east with numerous spurs branching out in all directions. These hills are known as the Morni and Tipra ranges. They belong to the outer ranges of the Himalayas. Haryana has no perennial rivers. The important rivers are Yamuna, the Saraswati and the Ghaggar. Several small streams flows through the state they are the Markanda, the Sahibi and Indori. Yamuna is the most important river in the state. It has its source in the hills at Kalesar and is the source of irrigation for large tracts in the districts of Ambala, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Hissar and Rohtak through the western Yamuna canals. The river Saraswati begins in the large depression at Kalawar in the north of the Mustafabad Pargana of Jagadhri. The Ghaggar rises in the outer Himalayan ranges between the Yamuna and the Sutlej. The climate of Haryana over most of the year is of a pronounced continental character. It is very hot in summer and markedly cold in winter. The rainfall in the region is low and erratic except in parts of the Karnal and Ambala districts. The rainfall is unevenly distributed during the year except for two well marked seasons. One is the monsoon period lasting from the middle of June to the end of September on which autumn crop and spring sowing depend and the other is the winter rains which occur from December to February, benefiting rabi crop. Rainfall is meager, particularly in the districts of Mahendragarh and Hissar. The hottest months are May and June and the coldest being December and January. Best time to visit is October to March.
It is very hot in summer (up to a high of 50 deg Celsius) and cold in winters (down to a low of 1 deg Celsius). The hottest months are May and June and the coldest being December and January. Rainfall is varied, with the Shivalik Hills region being the wettest and the Aravali Hills region being the driest. About 80% of the rainfall occurs in the monsoon season (July-September) and sometimes causes local flooding.
Festivals
Like its neighbors, Delhi and Punjab, Haryana too celebrates festivals with loads of fun, colour and zeal. People come out in the streets to celebrate various festivals of all communities. Diwali, Dusshrea, Teej, Holi are some of the important festivals celebrated in Haryana.
List of Festivals in Haryana:
* Lohri
* Basant Panchami
* Baisakhi
* Diwali
* Dussera
* Holi
* Gugga Naumi
* Navratri
* Bathing at Sohna
* Kurukshetra Festival
* Pinjore Heritage Festival
* Festival of Gardens
* Teej Festival
* Pinjore Heritage Festival
* Geeta Jayanti Samaroh
* Kurukshetra Festival
* Surajkund Crafts Mela
Districts of Haryana
Ambala
Bhiwani
Faridabad
Fatehabad
Gurgaon
Hisar
Jhajjar
Jind
Kaithal
Karnal
Kurukshetra
Mahendragarh
Panchkula
Panipat
Rewari
Rohtak
Sirsa
Sonipat
Yamunanagar
How to reach
By Air
Nearest airport is in the capital Chandigarh. Indian Airlines connect Chandigarh with Delhi, Jammu, Shrinagar and Leh. Vayudoot Services connect Chandigarh with Delhi, Kulu and Gaggad.
By Train
Chandigarh, the terminus of Northern Railway, is connected with Bombay, Delhi, Kalka and other major cities in India.
By Road
Chandigarh is connected by good motorable roads to all the major destinations of the state.
