What are the Famous Historical Places of Haryana?

The state of Haryana is believed to be the birthplace of the first anecdotes of history. According to a legend, nature came into being at this place because of the boon given by Brahma. The first ever dynasty (of Kurus) was established here. The great war of Mahabharata was fought here.

Besides, several civilisations were born here. They faded into the oblivion with the passage of time. But nevertheless, they left their indelible marks on the culture, soil and moments of the state. Several artifacts and ancient monuments have been discovered (or unearthed) in the state.

These discoveries show that several towns and villages of the state were cradles of ancient human settlements during the pre-historic and historic periods. In this chapter, we shall discuss some towns and places of Haryana where the ancient civilisation had developed and reached their respective pinnacles. Some historic towns have also been discussed in this chapter, which narrate the tales of some famous communities of India.

Naurangabap mound :

It is near the village of Naurangabad, at a distance of about 10 kilometres from the Bhiwani town in Bhiwani district, Haryana. This mound came to the notice of the Government in the early eighties when children playing there found old coins after rains washed away the top soil.

Some of these coins were thought to be of Kushan and Gupta periods; the same have been displayed in a museum in the Jhajjar Gurukul. In 1985, this mound was taken over by the government and handed over to the Archaeological Department. The total area of the mound taken over by the government is 58 acres. The mound is now maintained by a sub-office of the Archaeological Department situated in Hissar.

Digging was started on the mound in February, 2001; it continued for about three months.

In this preliminary digging, artifacts of ages up to 2500 years have been found. Among the artifacts found, are coins, tools, sieves, toys, statues and pots. According to the archaeologists, the presence of coins, coin moulds, statues and design of the houses suggests that a town existed here during the Kushan, Gupta and Youdheya periods till 300 BC. During the Youdheya period, the coins had seals of religious figures and these coins were cast in moulds.

Remains of houses made of mud bricks as well as baked bricks have been found. The walls have thickness varying from 18 inches to 24 inches. The floor is lined with baked bricks and the size of the bricks is approximately 18 inches by 9 inches by 3 inches.

People from the nearby village have been using these bricks for constructing their own houses. JThis practice was stopped after the mound was declared as reserved in 1985. Kunal Mound is a small rural site; a village is compared to towns like Lothal and Kalibangan and cities like Rakhi Garhi. It is located on the bank of the dried river, Saraswati, in Fatehabad district earlier.

Kunal:

The artifacts unearthed at Kunal were not seen earlier at a pre- Harappan site. These include seals, terracotta cakes, scripts and natural motifs. Kunal’s pottery depicts Harappan letters. Natural motifs with both monochrome and bio-chrome have also been found. This implies a transition from the pre-Harappan culture to the fully mature Harappan culture.

Some archaeologist’s think that the pre-Harappan culture of Kunal and the ‘Vedic culture are one and the same. They give the example of the triangle shaped terracotta cakes, which, they say, are the symbol of fertility in Rig Veda. Paintings with a horse and pipal motif, found in Kunal, are also associated with the Vedic culture. Further, Kunal is situated on the banks of the dried Saraswati River which has been mentioned in the Rig Veda.

Kunal has three distinctive phases of pre-Harappan culture. During the earliest phase people used to live in pits. During the second, moulded mud bricks were used to line the dwellings. During the third phase bricks were used to make square-shaped and rectangular houses.

Two silver crowns have also been found at Kunal-one a little smaller than the other. They may have been used by the king or an elected headman and his consort. Other jewellery found there includes two tiaras, an armlet, a necklace, copper bangles, six disc-shaped gold beads and more than 10,000 beads of semi-precious stones, like carnelian, agate, steatite and lapis lazuli.

Agroha mound is situated in Hissar district of Haryana. The remains of the Capital of the Agroha state, consisting of 18 state units, are buried here. The residents of these states were known as Yodhya and Agraya. Some of the writings on the coins that have been excavated from the site of ancient Agroha read as Yodhyanam Bahu Dhanya Kanam, Yodhya Ganasya Jaya and Yodhyanam Jaimantra Shalinam.

According to Dr. Satyaketu Vidyalankar, the ancient Agroha town existed nearly 100 years before the Kushan dynasty. The Agroha state was renowed for its prosperity. However over time, it could not bear the brunt of invasions of Hunas, Greeks and Yavanas, who invaded northern India. Their attacks led to disintegration of various kingdoms of Punjab.

The disintegration of Agroha state led to the migration of the residents of Agroha to other parts of the country, like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Malwa. However they got a common name, Aggarwals, which means Agrohawale. It is quite apparent from the excavations that below the mounds existed a big, well planned and progressive town. The excavation was restarted in the year 1938-39, though this could not be carried out for a long time period due to World War II. However provided major input about Agroha’s existence.

In 1978-79 the Archaeological Department of Haryana Government began excavation work under the guidance and supervision of M-. J.S. Khatri and Mr. Acharya. The Agroha mound now has the Agroha Temple Complex on one side and the Sheela Mata Temple on the other. The Agroha Medical College faces it across the road.

Some of the materials collected from the excavated site are as follows:

(A) Coins:

Large numbers of coins have been found at the excavated site. The coins are mostly made from silver and bronze in different shapes and sizes. The script and signs on these coins depict that they belong to different periods. The bronze coins have Agadke, Agach, and Janpads in Prakrit language inscribed on them. A coin dated 200 BD (called die struck or counter struck) has been found besides coins Roman, Kushana, Yodhaya and Gupta dynasties.

(B) Seals:

The seals that have been found at Agroha have been inscribed with words like of Pitradutt, Sadhu Virdhasya, Shaker Malasya, Madrsya, etc.

(C) Artifacts:

From the excavation site, many statues made of stone and sand have been unearthed. Masks, terracotta, animals and toys have been also been found. Utensils belonging to the second century B.C. and having black, brown and red polish, have also been discovered.

Agroha :

Agroha was the prosperous and illustrious kingdom of Maharaja Agrasen about 3,000 years back. The Agroha Mound or Ther, as it is locally called, is about 1.5 km away from the present Agroha village. Buried under this mound, are the remains of an ancient town; its excavation was started in the year 1888-89. It was at that time people came to know about this great kingdom. Agroha is located at a distance of 20 km from Hissar city in Hissar district and is 190 km away from Delhi on the Delhi-Fazilka national highway.

The development process at Agroha after the excavation was slow. It was only in 1976 that a need for a concerted group effort was felt at the convention of All India Aggarwal Representatives. This realization led to the establishment of Agroha Vikas Trust in 1976. These efforts were supplemented by the Late Master Laxmi Narain Gupta who donated 27 acres of land to Agroha Vikas Trust.

Since then, all the development process at Agroha has been planned and implemented by Agroha Vikas Trust. The developments at Agroha received a major boost from 1985 onwards. The Agroha Dham construction was planned again, with special emphasis on the temple complex and the Shakti, Sarovar. Functionally, Agroha Dham has been planned as a centre of learning, philosophy and spirituality. It will also have a Vridh Ashram (Old Age Home), a health centre and a research centre.

The total area under the trust for the development of Agroha Dham is 27 acres. The developments have taken place in the form of a temple complex, dedicated to goddess Mahalaxmi and Saraswati. It also hosts the memorial temple of Maharaja Agrasen. The beauty of the place is exemplified by Shakti Sarovar and the well maintained lawns.

Just opposite to the trust compound is Agrasen Medical College and Research Centre. This medical college is one of the most prestigious education centres for medical studies. It is gearing up to become one of the biggest medical research centres. Less than a kilometre away from the trust compound is the ancient Temple of Sheela Mata, which has become a major tourist attraction.

Just opposite to Agroha Medical College, stands the temple complex. The temple complex consists of three wings; section is graced with the presence of Kuldevi Mahalaxmi. The temple complex is one side of the Agroha mound while Sheela Mata Temple is situated on its other side.

Mahalaxmi Shakti peeth was resurrected on 30th October, 84. The dome of the temple is very big and is at a height of 180 ft. from the ground. The main Kalash of the temple is gold-plated. The idol of the goddess, seated on a lotus flower, has both aesthetic and spiritual appeals. It is believed that since the time Maharaja Agrasen was bestowed boon from Devi Mahalaxmi, the wish of every person is fulfilled at this place.

On the north-western end of the temple complex, is Saraswati Temple. Saraswati Ji is the goddess of knowledge and patience. Knowledge and adequate patience are the keys to wealth generation and business acumen with which, Aggarwals are synonymous. The eastern wing of the temple complex hosts the memorial temple of Maharaja Agrasen.

In the main hall, beautiful scenes have been sculpted out which represent the ideals of Maharaja Agrasen and important events of his life. One of the scenes shows how a newcomer to the state of Agroha was given a one rupee coin and brick to give a new start to his life. Besides, there are some scenes depicting the myths from our Vedas and Puranas.

In front of the main temple, is a big Satsang Hall of area 120 x 160 SQ. ft? It can accommodate approximately 5,000 people at a time. This hall, built with concrete, is the biggest hall in India, without the support of any pillars. It is an architectural wonder. At the main gate of the temple complex, are two beautifully sculpted elephants.

A big chariot depicting the scene from the great epic Mahabharata, where Sri Krishna gives sermons to Arjuna in the battle field of Kurukshetra, has been built on the canopy over the main gate of the temple complex. This is the reflection of the belief of Aggarwals in the philosophy of Karmyoga. The ramps adjacent to the stairs leading out of the main hall (Satsang Bhawan) have white statues of Ganga and Yamuna stationed on them (with coloured fountains).

Located at the back of the temple complex is a big sarovar (pond) called Shakti Sarovar. The sarovar is spread over an area of 4 acres and is surrounded by a two-storey rest house comprising of 136 rooms. On 23rd Jan. 1988, the sarovar was filled with water brought from 41 prominent rivers of India. People can have a dip in the pond, which is cleaned regularly.

A platform has been built from the north-western end of the sarovar; it extends up to the middle of the sarovar on which, Samudra Manthan scene has been sculpted along with the arrangement of coloured fountains around it. An amusement park, spread over an area of 2 acres, has been developed on the eastern end of the trust compound.

The park has many swings and joy rides for children and adults alike. There are more fun waiting children at the boating site where they can paddle around in a lake spread over an area of 1.5 acres.

A Bhojanalya (restaurant) is located on the eastern end of the trust compound in between the administrative block and amusement park. The bhojanalya serves free food (Bhandara) everyday to all the visitors.

Agroha has a naturopathy centre, which operates in the building surrounding Shakti Sarovar. Naturopathy is a treatment that is done with the help of five basic elements of nature i.e., sky, air, fire, water and earth.

Through these elements and in accordance with the rules of nature viz. the diet, environment, control over five senses and rest, an individual attains a healthy body, based on his physical and mental faculties. Yoga is one of the ways for the treatment of ailments. It believes in treatment of the person through five elements of nature.

Sheela Mata Temple is located on one side of the excavated Agroha Mound while the, Agroha Temple Complex is situated on the other side. The temple has been built over the ancient Madhi of Sheela Mata. Agroha Medical College is situated right across the road.