Rohtak district General information
Rohtak district is one of the districts of the state of Haryana with headquarters at Rohtak town. It is bound by Jind and Sonipat districts on the north, Jhajjar district on the south, Jhajjar and Sonipat district on the east and Hisar and Bhiwani districts on the west side. The district is having an area of 1668.47 square Kms. There are 146 villages and 151 Panchayats on the district. The Rohtak district is also known as the political capital of Haryana. The region surrounding Rohtak occupies the central place in the Bangru speaking zone of the state of Haryana. The town (28°.54'W & 35'E) lies 75 kms West of Delhi on the Ferozepur railway line
'Rohtak' is said to be a corruption of Rohtasgarh, a name applied to the ruined Khokrakot sites of two cities, one lying north of Rohtak and the other about 4 km to the east. It is thought that it was named after Raja Rohtas, in whose days the city was built. It is also claimed that the town derives its name from the Roherra tree called Rohtika in Sanskrit. It is said that the town was build by clearing a forest of Rohtika trees, and hence its name Rohtak.
Another version connects Rohtak with Rohitaka, mentioned in the Mahabharat. It was possibly the capital of Bahudhanyaka. In the Vinaya of Mulasarvasti-vadins, Jivaka is shown as undertaking a journey from Taxila to Bhadramkara, Udumbra, Rohitaka and Mathura in the Ganga Doab. The ancient road carried the trade of the Ganga valley to Taxila, passing through Rohitaka to Sakala. The ruins of the ancient town are found at Khokrakot or Rohtasgarh. Some experts hold that the town is as old as the Indus Valley Civilization. Some minor finds at Khokrakot are typical of the Indus Valley sites. Clay moulds of coins discovered here have thrown an important light of the process of casting coins in ancient India.
HISTORY
The existence of the town during the rule of the Kushanas is testified by the recent recovery of a Kushana pillar, decorated with carvings of winged lions and riders. An example of a lion of the 1st/2nd century AD, it resembles the lion in the British museum at London, famous for its inscriptions. The riders on it are similar to the riders on elephants at Karle Cave and figures at the Sanchi gateway. It is a significant example of sculptural art of Haryana towards the beginning of Christian era. The coin moulds of the later Yaudheyas of 3rd/4th century AD have been discovered by the Archaeological Survey of India in large numbers. Of the same and subsequent dates are several clay seals. A Gupta period terracotta plaque and a head of a later date have also been discovered. The town continued to flourish till the 10th century AD, as coins of Samanta Deva, the Hindu king of Kabul, have been found here.
The town is said to have been rebuilt in the time of Prithviraj Chauhan. In 1828, General Mundy wrote about the 'ancient and consequently ruinous town' of Rohtak.
Rohtak became a frontier between Sikh and Maratha powers after the disintegration of the Mughal Empire in the 1700s. In 1824 the British took over the area, and Rohtak became a district capital. Rohtak was officially designated a city in 1867.
PLACES OF INTEREST
ROHTAK: Rohtak city is the headquarter of Rohtak Tehsil and Distt. It is situated on Delhi Hisar N.H.10. The ruins of the ancient town at Khokrakot prove that perhaps the town is as old as Indus valley Civilization as the Minar finds at Khokhrakot are typical of Indus Valley sites.
ASTHAL BOHAR: Asthal bohar is stuated 6-7 Km east of Rohtak city on Rohtak-Delhi N.H.10. the place is know for its math and ancient finds sculptured stone idols. According to a legend, Pooran Bhagat of Sialkot and disciple of Guru Gorakhnath, came hare and founded this nplace. after being neglected, the Math was revided in 1791 or so,when Baba Mast Nath came here. Now here are Ayurvedic Degree College, Free Hospital, Business Management Institute, Engineering College and other institutions being run by Math.
Meham: Meham town is situated 30 km.west of Rohtak city on Rohtak Hisar N.H.No.10. Tradition assigns the settement of the town to Mahabharta period when it was a site of big fort. Later it was re-founded by Rai Ballu, a Power Rajput, before the reign of prithi Raj Chauhan. It is said to have been destroyed by Mohammad Gauri. But this place of antiquity is not historically recovered before the reign of Akbar, when he gave it in Jagir to Shahbaz Khan, an Afgan. later in the reign of Aurangzeb, it was santched from Afgans by the Rajputs Ancient monuments in the town includs a bain or baoli(well with steps leading to it) and two mosques i.e. jama Masjid and Pirzada Masjid. The baoli is having 101 steps and has suits of rooms neer the well. An inscription on a marble slab records the fact that it was made by Sidu, a chobdar in A.D.1656-57. It is made of Kankar ( Gravel) and sand stone. It is ,however, not the oldest baoli of the town, having been built to replace another one which had fallen into disuse due to change in the alignment of Delhi Hisar Road. The new baoli is towards the south of the town, while the old one is towards east. the jama Masjid,was constructed in the time of Humayu in A.D.1531, as seen from the inscription under the pulpit stairs. Outside and over the south arch is another scription of the time of Aurangazeb, A.D. 1667-68, stating that the mosque has built by Khawaja Rahmet Ullah. Two Arabic inscriptions also show that a mosque existed there even before the rein of Humayu. The pirzada Masjid is a small Masjid towards south of Jama Masjid built in the reign ofd Babar by Sheikh Yasaf of Hisar as per inscription.