Haryana

Capital : Chandigarh

Geography :

Enclosed by Himachal Pradesh to the north, Uttar Pradesh to the east, Rajasthan to the south, and Punjab to the west, the landlocked state of Haryana also surrounds the territory of New Delhi on three sides. Surprisingly, Haryana has very fertile land for the most part, despite not having a perennial river. The moderately elevated land gently slopes from the north to the south. Unlike much of the state, the far southwestern portion of Haryana is dry and sandy.

Important Cities - Towns and Religious - Tourist Place :

Ambal Bhiwani, Faridabad, Kurukshetra, Mahendragarh, Narnaul, Panipat, Rewari, Rohtak, Sirsa, Sonepat. There are 46 tourist complexes in Haryana, majority of them named after birds. Some of the tourist complexes are - Badkhal Lake, Dabchick (Hodal), Jungle Babble (Dharuhera), Karna Lake (Uchana), Kela Teetar (Abushehr), Kingfisher (Ambala), Parakeet (Piplikurukshetra), Magpic (Faridabad), Rajhans (Surajkund), Rosy Pelican (Sultanpur), Skylark (Panipat), Sohna, Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary (Sultanpur), Surajkund, Uchana (Karnal), Yaduvindra Garden (Pinjore).

Climate :

Haryana experiences some of the most brutal summers, with temperatures reaching as high as 117 F (47 C). The Haryanvi summer stretches from April to June and keeps temperatures typically above 104 F (40 C) all day. The monsoon season from July to September helps to cool down the state somewhat, but an average of 22.8 inches (58 cm) of rainfall per year can only cool down the weather so much. The November to February winter finally brings significant relief from the brutal summer, but it also brings temperatures of a different extreme. During the winter, temperatures typically stay right around 40 F (5 C).

History :

Haryana has a legendary history going back to the Vedic Age. Kurukshetra was the epic battle field between the Kauravas and the Pandavas in Mahabharata. During medieval ages, many historic battles were fought in the modern Haryana. The region played a prominent role in the First Was of Indian Independence. Nearly 20 years after Independence, the State of Haryana, was formed on November 1, 1966 under the Punjab Reorgansation Act, 1966, from the Hindi-speaking parts of the State of Punjab comprising of the districts of Hissar, Mahendragarh, Gurgaon, Rohtak and Karnal; parts of Sangrur and Ambala districts; and part of Kharar tehsil.

Culture :

One of the most noticeable characteristics of the people of Haryana is their affinity for brightly colored clothing, especially in dance celebrations. Festive female attire frequently includes tinsel and men often wear bright pink and read turbans for performances. Another signature of the Haryanvi culture is the craftwork. Unlike other parts of India, women in Haryana typically work in the fields with men. As a result, handicrafts are not as developed. The state has a strong handloom tradition, and is famous for rugs, woven furniture, pottery, and woodcarving.

Reflective of the fairly simple and old world lives that people in Haryana continue to lead, the cuisine of the state is fairly simple and old world. Among the signatures of traditional food are lassie (buttermilk) and angakda (small thick rotis made of barley flour that are cooked directly on a fire). The angakda is typically served with butter, onions, and chutney. To put it simply, the food of Haryana is simple.

Economy :

Agriculture is the main profession for over 80 percent of the people of Haryana. Over 51 percent of the total cultivable area is under irrigation. The important crops are cotton, rice, wheat, maize and bajra. Haryana is not only self-sufficient in food grains production but also among the top contributors of food grains to the Central pool. Limestone, slate, dolomite, building stone, road metals, china clay and marble are some of the important minerals found in Haryana. Graphite and quartzites have also been found at several places in the State. Cement, sugar, paper, cotton textiles, glassware, brassware, cycle, tractors, motorcycle. Time-pieces, automobiles, tyres and tubes, sanitaryware, television sets, steel tubes, hand tools, cotton yarn, refrigerators, vanaspati ghee and canvas shoes are some of the major industries of Haryana. Panipat is known as 'Weavers City' of India for its exquisite hand tufted woollen carpets of colourful handloom products. Haryana shares the multipurpose project on Sutlej and Beas with Punjab.The major irrigation projects are - Western Yamuna Canal, Bhakra Canal System and Gurgaon Canal System.

States and Union Territories of India