Haryana Profile

 

Haryana is proud of a rich cultural heritage. The state is rich in folklore. The people have their own traditions. The age old customs are still observed by the masses. The seasonal and religious festivals glorify the culture of this region. The dance is said to be the mother of all arts. Music and poetry exist in tune, painting and architecture in space. The dance is just not a form of recreation but something needed to release the physical and emotional energy. Folk dances, like any other creative art, helps in sublimating the performer's worries and cares.

Haryana has a total of 81 cities and towns. It has 6759 villages. For administrative purpose the whole state is divided into four divisions - Ambala, Rohtak, Gurgaon and Hissar. There are a total of 19 districts, 47 sub-divisions, 67 tehsils, 45 sub-tehsils and 116 blocks. Haryana is situated in the north between 27 deg 37' to 30 deg 35' latitude and between 74 deg 28' to 77 deg 36' longitude. Haryana has Uttar Pradesh on its eastern border, Panjab on its western border, Himachal Pradesh and Shivalik Hills on its northern border and Delhi, Rajasthan and Aravali Hills on its southern border. The altitude of Haryana varies between 700 ft to 900 ft above the sea level. An area of 1,553 sq kms is covered by forest. Haryana has four main geographical features.

Shivalik Hills: altitude varying between 900 to 2300 meters. These hills are the source of the rivers like Saraswati, Ghaggar, Tangri and Markanda. Parts of Panchkula, Ambala and Yamunanagar districts.

Ghaggar Yamuna Plain: It is divided into 2 parts - the higher one is called 'Bangar' while the lower one is called 'Khadar'. This alluvium plain is made up of sand, clay, silt and hard calcareous balls like gravel the size of nuts known locally as kankar.

The semi-desert sandy plain: This area borders the state of Rajasthan and includes the districts of Sirsa and parts of Fatehbad, Hissar, Bhiwani and MahenderGarh district.

Aravali hills: This is a dry area with uneven, irregular landscape.

 

Weather & Climate of Haryana is similar to other states of India lying in the northern plains. 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 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.

Rivers of Haryana:

The river Yamuna flows along its eastern boundary. The ancient Saraswati river was thought to have flowed throw Haryana but it has now disappeared. The river Ghaggar is its main seasonal river. It rises up in the outer Himalayas between the Yamuna and the Sutluj and enters Haryana near Pinjore, district Panchkula. Passing through Ambala and Hissar it reaches Bikaner in Rajasthan and runs a course of 290 miles before finally disintegrating in the deserts of Rajasthan. The Markanda river's ancient name was Aruna. A seasonal stream like the Ghaggar, it originates from the lower Shivalik hills and enters Haryana near Ambala. During monsoons, this stream swells up into a raging torrent notorious for its devastating power. The surplus water is carried on to the Sanisa lake where the Markanda joins the Saraswati. An important tributary is the Tangri. The Sahibi originates in the Mewat hills near Jitgarh and Manoharpur in Rajasthan. Gathering volume from about a hundred tributaries, it reaches voluminous proportions, forming a broad stream around Alwar and Patan. On reaching Rohtak it branches off into two smaller streams, finally passing reaching the outskirts of Delhi and flowing into the Yamuna. There are three other rivulets in and around the Mewat hills – Indori, Dohan and Kasavati and they all flow northwards from the south.

Haryana has always been a state of diverse races, cultures and faiths. It is on this soil that they met and fused into something truly India. The people of Haryana have preserved their old religious and social traditions. They celebrate festivals with great enthusiasm and traditional fervor. Their culture and popular art are Saangs, dramas, ballads and songs in which they take great delight.

Tourist Spots
Haryana has set up many tourist complexes, motels and camping sites in landscaped gardens to promote tourism. A total of 65 lakh tourists visited Haryana in the year 2001-2002. Haryana has one of the most successful tourist development programs led by Haryana Tourism department. The tourist complexes are named after birds found in Haryana. Some of these places have dormitories and all of them have restaurants. Hotel Rajhans (Surajkund) and Badkal Lake are on the Delhi Agra highway. Karna Lake (Karnal), Skylark, Parakeet and Kingfisher (Ambala) are on Delhi Chandigarh. Yadavindra Gardens at Pinjore, on the Chandigarh Shimla road are a must see. Surkhab (Sirsa) and Flamingo (Hissar) complexes are on the Delhi-Fazilka national highway.

Kurukshetra is a great pilgrimage for Hindus and tourists from all over the country who visit the venue of the Mahabharat war and the birth place of the Bhagvad Gita, for its holy places. Building on its, historical and cultural traditions, Kurukshetra has developed in to a modern city having the Brahmsarovar, Sri Krishna Museum and the Science Museum (Panorama). Kurukshetra district is a tourist delight, and there are about 360 Tirthas of religious and historic importance. Out of these about 134 tirthas are being maintained by Kurukshetra Development Board, Kurukshetra.

Attractions

The Delhi-Alwar highway boasts of a unique hilly attraction Sohna, in Gurgaon district. Standing on the Aravali Hills, Sohna looks out at a wide panoramic view of the plains below it. Sohna has been provided with landscaped gardens and an exclusive Barbet Hut complete with its own sitting area and an attached kitchen. A motel wing has been built here, where air-conditioned rooms are available for stay. In February the Statesman Vintage Car Rally vends it way to the Sohna hill and Haryana Tourism celebrates the day with a Mela event.

Panchkula district has the Morni Hills - the only hill station of Haryana. A charming and peaceful place to rest and savor the nature. During the monsoons a carpet of grass covers the hills which makes them excellent grazing ground for black buck and Neelgai (blue bull). A lone tiger or panther can be spotted on occasion, while foxes, mongooses, jackals and wild dogs are aplenty.