Mahendragarh district General information

Mahendragarh district is one of the districts of the state of Haryana with its headquarters at Narnaul town. Mahendergarh district was formed in 1948 by grouping different tracts of erstwhile princely states; Narnaul and Mahendergarh tehsils from Patiala State, Dadri (Charkhi Dadri) from Jind State and a part of Bawal nizamat from Nabha State. The headquarters of the district are at Narnaul.

The district lies between north latitude 270 47 to 280 26 and east longitude 750 56’ to 760 51’. It is bounded on the north by Bhiwani and Rohtak districts, on the east by Rewari district and Alwar district of Rajasthan, on the south by Alwar, Jaipur and Sikar districts of Rajasthan, and on the west by Sikar and Jhunjhunu districts of Rajasthan. It has 2 tehsils of Narnaul and MahenderGarh.

This town and its surrounding villages are said to have their origin in the days of Raja Anangpal, ruler of Ajmer and the grandfather of Prithviraj Chauhan. Other parts of the district came into being during the Mughal time. Later this area came successively under the control of the Marathas, The Nawab of Jhajjar and the British. Recently its Dadri Tehsil has gone to Bhiwani but Rewari from Gurgaon has been added to it.

PLACES OF INTEREST

Jal Mahal: This art and Mughal style of structure was constructed by Shah Quli 'Khan in 1591 A.D. This is stated in an epigraph set up there. Standing in the centre of a large tank, now dried up, and approached through a causeway, this 'pleasure house' like a small palace in a tank is surmounted by five kiosks, the larger being in the centre and the remaining at the corners.

Chor Gumbad: It is, therefore, called the 'signboard of Narnaul’. It was constructed by Jamal Khan, an Afghan, as his tomb, Though the date of the construction is not known, the pointed archs with the S-curves as well as other details of construction, put it coeval with the tomb complex of Shah Wilayat. Today, there are graves inside. It is said that for long it remained a hide out for thieves and highwaymen and that may account for its present name, Chor gumbad.

Birbal Ka Chhatta: This spacious building, built by Ray-i-Rayan Mukand Dass, the Diwan of Narnaul, during the reign of Shah Jahan (1628-58 A.D.) is dexterously planned and embellished, though its exterior is unostentatious and drab. It is a five storeyed structure with several halls, rooms and pavilions. Legend has it that the building is equipped with four underground tunnels leading to Jaipur, Mahendragarh, Delhi and Dhosi. People believe that a marriage party once went down the tunnel leading to Delhi and was not heard of again. It said that Akbar and Birbal visited this town and that is why Chhatta Rai Mukand Das is also popularly known as Chhatta of Birbal.

Tomb of Shah Wilayat: The tomb of Shah Wilayat stands beside the mausoleum of Ibrahim Khan. It is a big tomb-cum-collegiate complex, which incorporates within it a long tradition of architecture ranging from the Tughluq to the British period. Much of its originality is marred by later constructions. Originally the tomb and the adjoining complex were constructed during the reign of Feroz Shah Tughluq. The author of Gulzar says that the eastern colonnades and the dome were erected by Alam Khan Mewari (in A.H. 760, A.D. 1357), and part of the enclosure was also erected by him.

Mausoleum of Ibrahim Khan: Sher Shah Suri (1538-46 A.D) had his tomb built in honour of his able grandfather, Ibrahim Khan, who served as an officer of the Lodhis at Narnaul. The monument was constructed under the supervision of Sheikh Ahmed Niyazi. There are two small graves along with. the grave of Ibrahim Khan inside the building. The tomb is a perfect example of the square tomb of the Pathan style characterised by its massive outlines, exquisite details, and pleasing interplay of colours.

Nasibpur: The place is situated at a distance of 3 kilometres from Narnaul. This is the place where freedom fighters sacrificed their lives against Britishers for the sake of the country. There is a historic park laid out in the memory of freedom fighters. It is believed that the land of this place became red due to the blood of the freedom fighters.

Tomb and Tripolia of Shah Quli Khan: The Ain-i-Akbari and travelogue of Latif, tell us that. Shah Quli Khan1 had erected splended buildings, and large tanks dug and laid out beautiful gardens at Narnaul. Later, he had built for himself a fine mausoleum. He laid out a beautiful garden and named it Aram-i-Kauser, of which today only the enclosure walls, a well and the gateway complex stand. Inside this garden, which is currently under cultivation, stands his tomb built in 1578 A.D. It is a small but a fine monument, constructed in bluish grey and, red stones, on An octagonal plan, which was another variation of the tomb style of the Pathans. The Tripolia Darwaza was constructed in 1589 A.D. as main entrance to his garden by Shah Quli Khan.

Mandir Chamunda Devi: It is believed that Raja Naun Karan the ruler of the area was a devotee of Chamunda Devi. He constructed a temple of the Devi at the bottom of a hill. This temple is in the heart of the city. After the fall of the regime of Raja Naun Karan, this area came under the control of the Mughals. They built a mosque named as Jama Masjid, the biggest masjid at Narnaul on the temple of Chamunda Devi.

Modawala Mandir: The temple of Lord Shiva is situated at Narnaul-Rewari road near New Bus Stand. A big fair is held here on the occasion of Raksha Bandan.

Dhosi Hill: About eight kilomteres west of Narnaul town, the hill is located near the villages Thana and Kultajpur. This hill has acquired a country wide fame as it is believed that Chavan Rishi practised penance here for many years. On the top of this hill a saucer shaped plain surface is strewn with its ruins of a hill fortress, probably built by King Naunkaran of Bikaner. A temple dedicated to Chavan Rishi decorates the hill. In the memory of Chavan Rishi, a big fair is held on the occasion of Somavati Amavas. Born in Bbirgu dynasty, Chavan is said to be the founder of Bhargava community. The Bhargavas of Haryana are also known as Dhosar. The celebrated warrior-general, Hemu, was a Dhosar (Brahman).

This place is considered most sacred and is regarded as Tirtha. A Shiva temple, tank and a well exist on the hill. The water of the tank and the well is regarded sacred as that of the Ganga and the Yamuna.

Bagot: It is situated at a distance of 25 kilometres from Mahendragarh. There is a famous Shiva temple here. A big fair is held on the eve of Shiva-Ratri in the month of Sawan.

Bamanwas: The village is situated at a distance of 25 kilometres from Narnaul in south-west direction on Haryana-Rajasthan border. It is famous mainly for the temple of Baba Rameshwar Dass. This temple has been built on the land of village Bamanwas where as the main wall of the temple makes the border of the village Tibba Basai of Rajasthan.

Kamania: This is a small village. It is at a distance of 10 kilometres from Narnaul. Due to its Ram Mandir, it carries a special religious significance. Shiv Ratri fair is held here every year.

Kanti: Two great saints named as Baba Narsingh Dass and Baba Ganesh Dass were born in this village. It is said that there was no child of Raja Hari Singh of Nabha. The Raja was blessed with a son and a daughter by the grace of Baba Narsingh Dass. The son was named Tikla by the saint who later became the ruler of Nabha named as Tika Singh. Raja Hari Singh built a temple of this Baba with a smadh of marble stone and one tank, at the bottom of the hill for the benefit of villagers.

Mahasar: Jawala Devi fair is held in March-April when devotees and other persons worship the goddess Jawala. It is said that offerings of wine are made by the devotees to the image of the goddess.

Mandola: Due to saint, Baba Kesria, this place is religiously very important. The saint is worshipped by local people with great reverence. A fair is also held in his memory on first September every year. It is said that a visit to this place cures a person of snake-bite.

Sehlong:A mela (fair) is held in January-February in memory of Khimag Devta. Popular belief is that any one suffering from leprosy gets cured by lighting a jot at the shrine.