Hisar also known as Hissar is the administrative headquarters of

Hisar district Hisar district is one of the 22 districts of Haryana, India. Hisar city serves as the district headquarters. Hisar district has four sub-divisions that is, Hisar, Barwala, Hansi and Narnaud, each headed by an SDM. The district is also part of ...

in the state of

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

in northwestern

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is located to the west of

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

's capital, and has been identified as a counter-magnet city for the National Capital Region to develop as an alternative center of growth to Delhi. The city was ruled by several major powers, including the Mauryans in the third century BC, the

Tughlaqs The Tughlaq dynasty (also known as the Tughluq or Tughluk dynasty; ) was the third dynasty to rule over the Delhi Sultanate in medieval India. Its reign started in 1320 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the throne under the title of Ghiyath a ...

in the 14th century, the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

in the 16th century, and the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

in the 19th century. After India achieved independence, it was unified with the state of

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

. When the Punjab was divided in 1966, Hisar became part of Haryana. The current name was given in 1354 AD, as ''Hisar-e-Firoza'' by

Firuz Shah Tughlaq Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309 – 20 September 1388), also known as Firuz III, was Sultan of Delhi from 1351 until his death in 1388. He succeeded his cousin Muhammad bin Tughlaq following the latter's death at Thatta, Sindh. His father was ...

, the

Sultan of Delhi The Sultan of Delhi was the absolute monarch of the Delhi Sultanate which stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent during the period of medieval era, for 320 years (1206–1526).Ghaggar The Ghaggar-Hakra River () is an intermittent river in India and Pakistan that flows only during the monsoon season. The river is known as Ghaggar before the Ottu barrage at , and as Hakra downstream of the barrage in the Thar Desert. In pr ...

and

Drishadvati The Drishadvati River (IAST:, "She with many stones") is a river hypothesized by Indologists to identify the route of the Vedic river Saraswati and the state of '' Brahmavarta''. According to ''Manusmriti'', the ''Brahmavarta'', where the Rishis ...

Rivers once flowed through the city, but they have now changed their course. Hisar has a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

, with very hot summers and relatively cool winters. The most commonly spoken languages are

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

Haryanvi Haryanvi (हरियाणवी or हरयाणवी) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken primarily in the Indian state of Haryana and the territory of Delhi. Haryanvi is considered to be part of the dialect group of Western Hindi, which a ...

, and Bagri.

History

Early history

Archeological excavations at nearby locations of

Rakhigarhi Rakhigarhi or Rakhi Garhi is a village and an archaeological site in the Hisar District of the northern Indian state of Haryana, situated about 150 km northwest of Delhi. It is located in the Ghaggar River plain, some 27 km from the ...

(7000 BCE),

Siswal Siswal is a village in Hisar district, Haryana, India. It located 28 km from Hisar city. It is a site of Chalcolithic age. It is a typesite for ''Siswal culture'', dating from around 3800 BC, also known as Sothi–Siswal culture. Locat ...

(4000 BCE), and

Lohari Ragho Lohari Ragho is a village and Indus Valley civilization archaeological site, located in Hisar district of the Haryana state in India. It has 3 separate mounds, each 1 to 1.5 km apart within the peripheral suburban zone of Rakhigarhi city cite ...

suggest the presence of human habitation from

pre-Harappan Several periodisations are employed for the periodisation of the Indus Valley Civilisation. While the Indus Valley Civilisation was divided into Early, Mature, and Late Harappan by archaeologists like Mortimer Wheeler, newer periodisations incl ...

period. Later,

Aryan ''Aryan'' (), or ''Arya'' (borrowed from Sanskrit ''ārya''), Oxford English Dictionary Online 2024, s.v. ''Aryan'' (adj. & n.); ''Arya'' (n.)''.'' is a term originating from the ethno-cultural self-designation of the Indo-Iranians. It stood ...

people settled around Drsadvati River. The Jain literature Uttaradhayana Sutra ((599/540 - 527/468 BCE) mentions a town Isukara in the Kuru (c. 1200 – c. 900 BCE) country which is believed to be the earlier name of Hisar. The kingdom of Hisar, with its capital at Agroha, possibly assisted

Chandragupta Maurya Chandragupta Maurya (Sanskrit: elp:IPA/Sanskrit, t̪͡ɕɐn̪d̪ɾɐgupt̪ɐ mɐʊɾjɐ (reigned 320 BCE – c. 298 BCE) was the founder and the first emperor of the Maurya Empire, based in Magadha (present-day Bihar) in the Indian ...

(reign: 321–297 BCE) in his war against the

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

. The kingdom was then included in the

Mauryan Empire The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...

, as evidenced by the discovery of Ashokan pillars in the vicinity of the city. The city later came under the

Kushan Empire The Kushan Empire (– CE) was a Syncretism, syncretic empire formed by the Yuezhi in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of what is now Afghanistan, Eastern Iran, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbe ...

(127 - 375 CE) and the

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...

(250 - 550 CE). The area was sacked by

Mahmud of Ghazni Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Sabuktigin (; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi (), was Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire, ruling from 998 to 1030. During his reign and in medieval sources, he is usuall ...

during his campaigns. In the 12th century, the Chauhan king

Prithviraj Chauhan Prithviraja III (IAST: Pṛthvī-rāja; 22 May 1166 – February 1192), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora, was a king from the Chahamanas of Shakambhari, Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled the territory of Sapadalaksha, w ...

made

Hansi Hansi, is a city and municipal council in Hisar district in the Indian state of Haryana. It appears that at one time Hansi was larger, more prosperous and more important than Hisar. The town has several important buildings of archeological impor ...

, located in the present day Hisar district, his capital and built a fort. It remained a strategic place for Chauhan Empire until Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated in the

Second Battle of Tarain The Second Battle of Tarain was fought in 1192 between the Ghurid forces of Muhammad Ghuri and the Rajput Confederacy of Prithviraj Chauhan. It took place near Tarain (modern Taraori), which is , north of Delhi. The battle ended in a deci ...

by the invading

Ghurid The Ghurid dynasty (also spelled Ghorids; ; self-designation: , ''Šansabānī'') was a Persianate dynasty of eastern Iranian peoples, Iranian Tajik people, Tajik origin, which ruled from the 8th-century in the region of Ghor, and became an Emp ...

ruler Muhammad Ghori.

Tughlaq era

Hisar was founded in 1354 AD, as 'Hisar-e-Firoza' by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, who reigned over the

Sultanate of Delhi The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

from 1351 to 1388. He built a walled fort with four gates, the Delhi Gate and Mori Gate to the east, the Nagori Gate to the south, and the Talaqi Gate to the west. The construction of the fort started in 1354 AD and was completed in 1356 AD. In the middle of the fort stood the Firoz Shah Palace. Apart from its several underground apartments, the complex had different buildings such as Baradari, Lat ki Masjid, Diwan-e-Aam, and Shahi Darwaza. Near the palace was the Gujri Mahal built by the emperor for his wife name Gujri. The city was named as Hisar-e-Firoza, which means Fort of Firoz in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...

invaded the city in 1398 AD and his soldiers set fire to the fort. The city later came under the rule of

Sayyid dynasty The Sayyid dynasty was the fourth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, with four rulers ruling from 1414 to 1451 for 37 years.See: * M. Reza Pirbha, Reconsidering Islam in a South Asian Context, , Brill * The Islamic frontier in the east: Expansion ...

and

Lodi dynasty The Lodi dynasty was an Afghan royal family that ruled Sultanate of Delhi from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Lodi when he replaced the Sayyid dynasty. Bahlul Lodi Followin ...

before

Babur Babur (; 14 February 148326 December 1530; born Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad) was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his father and mother respectively. He was also ...

defeated

Ibrahim Lodi Ibrahim Khan Lodi (; 1480 – 21 April 1526) was the last Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, who became Sultan in 1517 after the death of his father Sikandar Khan. He was the last ruler of the Lodi dynasty, reigning for nine years until 1526, whe ...

in the

first battle of Panipat The First Battle of Panipat, on 21 April 1526 was fought between the invading forces of Babur against Ibrahim Khan Lodi, the List of sultans of Delhi, Sultan of Delhi, in North India. Babur's forces, em ...

Mughal era

When Babur invaded India in 1524–1526, Hisar was part of Ibrahim Lodi's empire. In the battle of Panipat in 1526, Babur sent prince

Humayun Nasir al-Din Muhammad (6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), commonly known by his regnal name Humayun (), was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from ...

, who succeeded in defeating the army of Ibrahim Lodi. Babur handed over the city of Hisar to

as a reward for his success on his first military expedition. In 1540, Hisar came under the control of

Sher Shah Suri Sher Shah Suri (born Farid al-Din Khan; 1472 or 1486 – 22 May 1545), also known by his title Sultan Adil (), was the ruler of Bihar from 1530 to 1540, and Sultan of Hindustan from 1540 until his death in 1545. He defeated the Mughal Empire, ...

when he defeated Humayun but Humayun took it back in 1555 and assigned it to

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

. During

's reign (1556–1605), Hisar once again became a place of considerable importance. The city remained under the rule of

until 1760.

British era

Hisar was occupied by George Thomas, an Irish adventurer, in 1798. The arrangement continued until 1801 when Thomas was driven out by the

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

Maratha The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-A ...

- French confederacy. The region came under the rule of

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

in 1803 and remained a part until the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

when Muhammad Azim and

Rao Tula Ram Rao Tularam Singh (''circa'' 9 December 1825 – 23 September 1863) was a King or chieftain of Rewari. He was one of the leaders of the Indian rebellion of 1857 in Haryana, where he is considered a state hero. Personal life He was born on 9 ...

conquered it away for a short period. The company sent forces under General Van Cortlandt, who defeated Azim and Tula Ram on 16 November 1857. Between 1803 and 1879, the British constructed a 4,000-km-long Great Hedge of India, for levying the customs duty on salt and sugar, that ran through Hisar and

. Hisar became a municipality in 1867. For their participation in First War of Independence, the Chaudharys and

Lambardar Numbardar or Lambardar (, , , ) was the village headman responsible for tax collection in the village during the British Raj. They were appointed under the Mahalwari system. Etymology The compound word ''numberdar'' is composed of the English wo ...

s of villages involved in the rebellion were deprived of their land and property. This included 368 people from

Hisar Hissar () means fort or castle in Arabic, with variants adopted into Persian (hesar, hessar) and Turkish (hisar). Hissar, Hisar and Hesar may refer to: Places Asia (South and Central) India *Hisar (city), a city in Haryana **Hisar Airport in Hi ...

and

Gurugram Gurgaon (), officially named Gurugram (), is a satellite city of Delhi and administrative headquarters of Gurgaon district, located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest o ...

who were either hanged or transported for life. The city remained as a major centre of the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

from the rebellion of 1857 until the independence, as many national leaders visited the city during the movement such as

Lala Lajpat Rai Lala Lajpat Rai (28 January 1865 — 17 November 1928) was an Indian revolutionary, politician, and author, popularly known as ''Punjab Kesari (Lion of Punjab).'' He was one of the three members of the Lal Bal Pal trio. He died of severe tra ...

in 1886,

Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose (23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945) was an Indian independence movement, Indian nationalist whose defiance of British raj, British authority in India made him a hero among many Indians, but his wartime alliances with ...

in 1938, and

Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...

in 1946.

After independence

After independence, the city became a part of

and later

in 1966.

Geography

Hisar is located at in western Haryana. It has an average elevation of above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. The region is part of the

alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

Ghaggar-

Yamuna The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Bandarpunch peaks of the Low ...

plain and its southern and western portions mark a gradual transition to the desert. The Ghaggar and the Drishadvati rivers once flowed through the city. According to

tectonic Tectonics ( via Latin ) are the processes that result in the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. The field of ''planetary tectonics'' extends the concept to other planets and moons. These processes ...

map, the district lies on

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Ridge which is bounded by thrusts and no earthquake of any significance has originated in the zone in the past. Only one instance has been recorded of a famine occurring in the city in 1837–38.

Climate

Hisar has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

, with very hot summers and mild winters. The main characteristics of climate in Hisar are dryness, extremes of temperature, and scanty rainfall. The maximum daytime temperature during the summer varies between . During winter, its ranges between 1.5 °C and 4 °C. Maximum temperature recorded is in May 2024, whereas the minimum temperature recorded is in January 1929. Annual average maximum and minimum temperature is and , respectively. Relative humidity varies from 5 to 100%. Hisar is located on the outer margins of the

south-west monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscill ...

region. The average annual rainfall is around , most of which occurs during July and August. The annual highest rainfall of was recorded in 1976 and the lowest of in 2000.

Dew Dew is water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening due to condensation. As the exposed surface cools by thermal radiation, radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate grea ...

is observed in December and January. Hot winds, locally known as ''loo'', are strong and frequent from May to July. Occasionally, dust storms are experienced during summer and hail storms during February to April.

Fog Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus and is heavily influenc ...

prevails generally in December and January. Thunderstorms also occur during the post-monsoon season and summer.

Civic administration

Hisar became a municipality in 1867. It was made the headquarters of the

in 1832. The Municipal Corporation of Hisar, consisting of 20 wards, is headed by a mayor. Law and order in the city are maintained by

Haryana Police The Haryana Police Department is the law enforcement agency for the state of Haryana, India. Present DGP of Haryana Police is Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor since August 16, 2023. He is an IPS officer of 1990 batch. History The Haryana Police were ...

, which is headed by

Superintendent of Police Superintendent (Supt) is a rank in the British police and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries, the full version is superintendent of police (SP). The rank is also used in most British Overseas Territori ...

. The city also serves as headquarters of the Hisar Range of

which covers

Sirsa Sirsa is a city and a municipal council in Sirsa district in the westernmost region of the Indian state of Haryana, bordering Punjab and Rajasthan. It is located near the Thar Desert, 250 kilometres north-west of New Delhi and 260 kilometers s ...

Jind Jind is one of the largest and oldest cities in Jind district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is the administrative headquarter of Jind district. Rani Talab is the main destination for tourists while Pandu Pindara and Ramrai are the ma ...

Bhiwani Bhiwani is a city and a municipal council in Bhiwani district in the state of Haryana. Besides being a seat of spiritual learning, the city is at the centre of regional politics and hometown of three former Haryana chief ministers: Bansi Lal ...

, and

and is headed by

Inspector General of Police An inspector-general of police is a senior police officer in the police force or police service of several nations. The rank usually refers to the head of a large regional command within a police service, and in many countries refers to the most ...

District court District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy. These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...

was set up at Hisar in 1832 and was upgraded as a Sessions Division in 1915. It is headed by Chief Judicial Magistrate. The district court has a bar association which was founded in 1870. Hisar elects its member to the legislative assembly for

Hisar (Vidhan Sabha constituency) Hisar Assembly constituency is one of the 90 Vidhan Sabha constituencies in Haryana state in northern India. Overview Hisar, constituency number 52, is one of the seven Assembly constituencies located in Hisar district. This constituency cover ...

and a member to the parliament for Hisar Lok Sabha constituency. It serves as the headquarters of 33rd Battalion of

Border Security Force The Border Security Force (BSF) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was formed in the wake of the Indo-Pak War of 196 ...

and 3rd Battalion of Haryana Armed Police. The 33rd Armoured Division of

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

is stationed at Hisar and is a part of I Corps. In 1996,

Brigade of the Guards The Brigade of The Guards is a mechanised infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised as the first "all India", "all class" infantry unit of the Army where troops from all parts of India serve together, as opposed to other regiments that ...

arrived here for conversion to mechanized profile and the unit is now a fully mechanized battalion.

Economy

Naveen Jindal at the India Economic Summit 2010 cropped

The city has a large

steel industry Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high elastic modulus, yield strength, fracture strength and low raw material cost, steel is one of the ...

and is known as the 'City of Steel'. As of June 2012, Hisar is India's largest manufacturer of

galvanized iron Galvanization ( also spelled galvanisation) is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot-dip galvanizing, in which the parts are coated by submerging them in a bath of ...

Textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

"DCM Limited Annual Report"
,

The Economic Times ''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. Owned by The Times Group, ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961 and it is sold in all major cities in India. As of 2012, it is the world's secon ...

, 31 March 2016."DCM has survived splits and a hostile takeover bid"

Business Today India
, 28 June 2011.DCM Textiles info
and automobile industry is also a major contributor to the economy of the city. It also has a large number of livestock farms with the Central Livestock Farm, established in 1809 being one of the Asia's largest cattle farms. The Jindal Group headed by

Savitri Jindal Savitri Devi Jindal (born 20 March 1950) is an Indian businesswoman and politician. She is the chairperson emeritus of the O.P. Jindal Group. She is also the president of Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha. As of June 2024, the Jindal fa ...

is the world's largest producer of

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

strips for razor blades and India's largest producer of coin blanks. The city has been identified as a counter-magnet city for the National Capital Region to attract migrants and develop as an alternative center of growth to Delhi.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census of India, Hisar has a population of 301,249 and is currently the 141st-most populated city in India. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%, with 844 females per thousand males. Hisar has an average literacy rate of 81.04%, higher than the national average: male literacy is 86.13% and female literacy is 75.00%. In Hisar, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age and the child sex ratio is 860 girls per thousand boys. Although Hisar city has population of 301,249, its urban population is 306,893, of which 166,623 are males and 140,270 are females. The decadal growth rate was 27.06%. Historically, Hisar had an estimated population of 7,000 people in 1843.

Religion

Over 97% of the city's population are followers of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. The remaining 3% are followers of

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. The city had a major Muslim population before Indian Independence in 1947, following which most Muslims migrated to Pakistan during the

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

. It was also a major centre of learning for Digambara Jains and was once the seat of

Bhattaraka A Bhaṭṭāraka (; ) heads traditional Digambara Jain institutions. He is responsible for training scholars, maintenance of libraries, managing endowments, presiding over installation ceremonies and running Jain institutions. Overview The ...

, head of Digambara Jain institutions.

Culture

Most of the popular Indian festivals are celebrated in the city including

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

Dussehra Vijayadashami (), more commonly known as Dassahra in Hindi, and also known as Dashāhra or Dashain in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Nepali, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navarahtri. It is observed o ...

Ram Navami Rama Navami () is a Hindus, Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Ram, Rama, one of the most popularly revered deities in Hinduism, also known as the seventh avatar of Vishnu. He is often held as an emblem within Hinduism for being a ...

, Janamashtami,

Shivratri Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually to worship the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is observed on the fourteenth day of the first half (night start with darkness - ...

Lohri Lohri is a midwinter folk and harvest festival that marks the passing of the winter solstice and the end of winter. It is a traditional welcome of longer days and the sun's journey to the Northern Hemisphere. It is one of the Indian harvest fes ...

, Gugga Navami,

Holi Holi () is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...".Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World ...

, Basant Panchami,

Teej Tīja, , literally meaning "third"—denoting the third day after the new moon when the monsoon begins as per the Hindu calendar—is a collective term for three Hindu List of Hindu festivals, festivals primarily dedicated to the mother goddess ...

and

Makar Sankranti Makar(a) Sankrānti (), () also referred to as Uttarāyana, Makara, or simply Sankrānti, is a Hinduism, Hindu observance and a mid-winter harvest festival in India and Nepal. It is typically celebrated on 14 January annually (15 January on a ...

. The festivals of Jains, Christians, Sikhs and Muslims are also celebrated. Sweets are popular, with

Peda Peda () or Pera is an Indian sweet that originated in the city of Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India. Traditionally prepared as thick, semi-soft round balls, its main ingredients are khoa, sugar and traditional flavourings including cardamom seeds. ...

being the most popular amongst them.

Ghoomar Ghoomar or ghumar is a traditional folk dance of Rajasthan. It was the Bhil tribe who performed it to worship Goddess Saraswati which was later embraced by Rajputs. The dance is chiefly performed by veiled women who wear flowing dresses called ...

is the primary folk dance performed by people during festivals and other occasions and

Saang Saang, also known as Swang (meaning "imitation") or Svang, is a popular folk dance–theatre form and a traditional style of storytelling in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. Swang incorporates suitable t ...

is the folk-theatre of the region. Classical Indian vocalist

Jasraj Pandit Jasraj (28 January 1930 – 17 August 2020) was an Indian classical vocalist, belonging to the ''Mewati gharana'' (musical apprenticeship lineage). His musical career spanned 75 years resulting in national and international fame, ...

and poet Vishnu Prabhakar belong to Hisar.

Architecture

Signs of

settlements have been found at

and

. One of the four pre-Harappan phases has been named Sothi-Siswal period (3200–2600 BC) on this site.

Harappa Harappa () is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about west of Sahiwal, that takes its name from a modern village near the former course of the Ravi River, which now runs to the north. Harappa is the type site of the Bronze Age Indus ...

settlements can be found as well in

. The site covers 2180 hectares, making it the largest Harappan site known in India and the second-biggest overall after

Mohenjodaro Mohenjo-daro (; , ; ) is an archaeological site in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan. Built 2500 BCE, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation, and one of the world's earliest major cities, contemporane ...

. All the sites are maintained by

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

. Agroha is another place of historical importance. It is situated about 24 km from the city and was once the capital of king

Agrasena Agrasen, most commonly known as Maharaja (literally, ''great king'') Agrasen, was a legendary Indian king of Agroha, a city of traders in the district of Hisar, Haryana. He is a descendant of the Hindu deity, Shri Ramchandra's elder son, Kush ...

, who is believed to have lived during the last stages of

Dvapara Yuga ''Dvapara Yuga'' (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Dvāpara-yuga'') (Devanagari: द्वापर युग), in Hinduism, is the third and third-best of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded b ...

in the

Mahabharat The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succes ...

era. Remains of his capital have been excavated, known as

Agroha Mound Agroha, locally known as ''Ther'', is an archaeological site located in Agroha, in the Hisar district of India. Location The mounds are located about 1.5 km from the town of Agroha, 20 km from Hisar city and 190 km from Ne ...

or locally as ''Ther'', and belong to around 3000 BC. The city was also a major centre during the

Mauryan The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...

period as Buddhist and Jain temples have also been revealed in the excavations. Firoz Shah Palace Complex is another prominent historical site located inside the city. It was built by

in 1354.

Asigarh Fort Asigarh Fort, also called Hansi Fort, is located on the eastern bank of ''Amti lake'' in Hansi city of Haryana, India, about 135 km from Delhi on National Highway 9 (India), NH9. Spread over 30 acres, in its prime days this fort used to be ...

, a centrally protected monument, was built in 1304–1305. Historical places from the British era include St. Thomas Church and Jahaj Kothi Museum, a Jain temple converted to a museum.

Places of interest

Balsamand Balsamnd, is a village in Hisar-II block of Hisar District of Hisar Division and Hisar (Lok Sabha constituency) in the Haryana state of India. Facilities Industrial training institute and Grain Mandi market were opened here in 2006. There is ...

Banawali Banawali is an archaeological site belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization period in Fatehabad district, Haryana, India and is located about 120 km northeast of Kalibangan and 16 km from Fatehabad. Banawali, which is earlier call ...

Kanwari Kanwari, also spelled Kunwari, or Kwari, is a village of 7,000 population, in Hansi-I Tehsil, Hisar-1 Rural Development Block, Hansi (Vidhan Sabha constituency) and Hisar (Lok Sabha constituency) of Hisar District of Hisar Division in the ...

, and

are some of the sites of

Indus Valley civilisation The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation, was a Bronze Age civilisation in the Northwestern South Asia, northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 Common Era, BCE to 1300 BCE, and in i ...

of now lost ancient Drishadvati river flowing through Hisar, Drishadvati river was a tributary of ancient

Sarasvati River The Sarasvati River () is a Apotheosis, deified myth, mythological Rigvedic rivers, river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedas, Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Historical Vedic religion, Vedic religio ...

which still flows as remnant

Ghaggar-Hakra River The Ghaggar-Hakra River () is an intermittent river in India and Pakistan that flows only during the monsoon season. The river is known as Ghaggar before the Ottu barrage at , and as Hakra downstream of the barrage in the Thar Desert. In pre-Ha ...

. Historic

and

Agroha Dham Agroha is a Hindu temple complex in Agroha (town), Agroha of Hisar District, Haryana, India. Construction started in 1976 and was completed in 1984. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Mahalakshmi. History and development Agroha is t ...

is a prominent religious place located on the outskirts of the city about 22 km away on Fatehabad-Sirsa-Bhatinda road. A local deity Banbhori is worshipped by local people.

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

era Firoz Shah Palace Complex and Pranpir Badshah tomb are located in the city. The oldest park located in the city is the Krantiman Park, located across the historic St. Thomas Church. The park was built in the 19th century and was then known as

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

Bagh. Other parks include Madhuban Park, Town Park, and

O. P. Jindal Om Prakash Jindal (7 August 1930 – 31 March 2005), also known as O. P. Jindal, was an Indian people, Indian industrialist and politician. He was the founder of the OP Jindal Group, a major steel and power conglomerate. Early life and educa ...

Knowledge Center. The O. P. Jindal Knowledge Centre, inaugurated in 2009 a museum, library, park and houses a 25-storied, 282-ft- high steel tower modeled on the

Space Needle The Space Needle is an observation tower in Seattle, Washington, United States. Considered to be an icon of the city, it has been designated a List of Seattle landmarks, Seattle landmark. Located in the Lower Queen Anne, Seattle, Lower Queen An ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Haryana Rural Antique Museum The Dr. Mangal Sain Museum (earlier, Haryana Rural Antique Museum) in Hisar, Haryana, India is located inside the ''Gandhi Bhawan'' building of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University. History The museum construction started in ...

, which is maintained by CCS HAU in its Gandhi Bhawan, exhibits evolution of agriculture and vanishing antiques. Jahaj Kothi Museum, named after George Thomas, is located inside Firoz Shah Palace Complex and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Rakhigarhi Indus Valley Civilisation Museum The Rakhigarhi Indus Valley civilisation museum, with a research center and hostel for researchers, is a proposed museum to be built in Rakhigarhi village in Hisar district of Haryana state in India. As of February 2021, the museum was still u ...

is located at

, which is an Indus Valley Civilisation site 60 km away.

Blue Bird Lake Blue Bird Lake, Hisar is a resident and endangered migratory bird wetland habitat, lake and recreation area in the town of Hisar, in the Hisar district of Haryana State, India.artificial lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

and tourist complex maintained by the

Haryana Tourism Haryana Tourism Corporation (HTC) is an agency of the Government of Haryana, India established in 1974. The organisation operates 44 tourist facilities spread across the state of Haryana. These facilities offer visitors lodging, dining, and r ...

, offers boating and watersports, birding, picnicking, and recreation. The deer park and Shatavar Vatika Herbal Park are located at the outskirts of the city and maintained by the Haryana State Forest Department. It was established in 1971 and

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

such as

blackbuck The blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''), also known as the Indian antelope, is a medium-sized antelope native to India and Nepal. It inhabits grassy plains and lightly forested areas with perennial water sources. It stands up to high at the sh ...

chital The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also called spotted deer, chital deer and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. A moderate-sized deer, mal ...

, sambar, and

nilgai The nilgai (''Boselaphus tragocamelus'') (, literally meaning "blue cow") is the largest antelope of Asia, and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. It is the sole member of the genus (biology), genus ''Boselaphus'', which was ...

can be found here. Hisar Police Lines Golf Course is located near the Hisar Airport.

Media

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

Kendra was set up in 2002. Besides Doordarshan, local cable operators broadcast channels in the city. An

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

station is located at Hisar. Private FM stations operating in Hisar are BIG FM, My FM, Radio Mantra, Radio Dhamaal and Radio Tarang. CCS HAU

community radio station Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popul ...

was started in 2011.

Facilities

Utility services

Before

independence of India The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and Pore space in soil, soil pore spaces and in the fractures of stratum, rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available fresh water in the world is groundwater. A unit ...

were the main sources of

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

. The main source of water now is Balsamand branch of

Western Yamuna Canal Western Yamuna Canal is canal in river Yamuna that was dug out and renovated in 1335 CE by Firoz Shah Tughlaq. In 1750 CE, excessive silting caused it to stop flowing. The British raj undertook a three-year renovation in 1817 by Captain GR Bla ...

. Municipal Corporation of Hisar supplies potable water to the city. The city first got electricity in 1936. Power is distributed by Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) provides

landline A landline is a physical telephone connection that uses metal wires or optical fiber from the subscriber's premises to the network, allowing multiple phones to operate simultaneously on the same phone number. It is also referred to as plain old ...

and

broadband In telecommunications, broadband or high speed is the wide-bandwidth (signal processing), bandwidth data transmission that exploits signals at a wide spread of frequencies or several different simultaneous frequencies, and is used in fast Inter ...

services. Cell phone coverage is extensive, and the main service providers are Vodafone Essar,

Airtel Bharti Airtel Limited is an Indian multinational telecommunications company based in New Delhi. It operates in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa, as well as the Channel Islands. Currently, Airtel provides 5G, 4G and LTE Advanced ...

BSNL Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (commonly known as BSNL) () is an Indian central public sector undertaking, under the ownership of Department of Telecommunications, which is part of the Ministry of Communications, Government of India with its he ...

Reliance Communications Reliance Communications Limited (RCOM) was an Indian mobile network provider headquartered in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra that offered voice and 2G and 3G and 4G data services. In February 2019, the company filed for bankruptcy as it was unabl ...

Idea Cellular Idea Cellular was an Indian telecommunications company based at Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was an integrated GSM operator and had 220.00 million subscribers as of June 2018. In 2018 Idea Cellular merged with Vodafone India into Vodafone ...

and

Tata Indicom Tata Teleservices Limited along with its subsidiary Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited is an Indian internet services provider and IT services company headquartered in Mumbai, India. It is listed on BSE and NSE in India. History On 13 ...

. The

planning Planning is the process of thinking regarding the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning is based on foresight, the fundamental capacity for mental time travel. Some researchers regard the evolution of forethought - the cap ...

of the city is done by

Haryana Urban Development Authority Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), formerly Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), is the urban planning agency of the state of Haryana in India except Gurugram and Faridabad which has Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority an ...

Healthcare

People from Punjab and

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

come to Hisar for medical treatment. The district

Red Cross Society The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the world's largest group of non-governmental organizations working on humanitarian aid, is composed of the following bodies: *The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), is an indep ...

caters to specially abled people.

Transport

Road

The city lies on National Highway 9 and National Highway 52. National Highway 9 from Pithoragarh to

Malout Malout is a town, just outside of Sri Muktsar Sahib, Muktsar Sahib city in the Muktsar district of the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It is in the southern Punjab "cotton belt", where production per kilometer is one of the highest in Ind ...

connects it to

Rohtak Rohtak () is a city and the administrative headquarters of the Rohtak district in the Indian state of Haryana. It lies north-west of New Delhi and south of the state capital Chandigarh on NH 9 (old NH 10). Rohtak forms a part of the Nationa ...

and

and National Highway 52 from

Sangrur Sangrur is a city in the Indian state of Punjab, India. It is the headquarters of Sangrur District. Geography Sangrur is located at . It has an average elevation of 237 metres (778 feet). Climate Health services City has PGIM ...

Ankola Ankola is a town municipal council and taluka in the Uttara Kannada district of the Indian state of Karnataka. The town is approximately from district headquarters Karwar. Ankola is a small town surrounded by temples, schools, paddy fields ...

connects it to

Narwana Narwana is a town and a municipal council, just 36 km from Jind city in Jind district in the Indian state of Haryana. History and etymology According to historical references and the ancestors, there are several myths related to the exist ...

and

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

and connected to

Kaithal Kaithal () is a city and municipal council in the Kaithal district of the Indian state of Haryana. Kaithal was previously a part of Karnal district and later, Kurukshetra district until 1 November 1989, when it became the headquarters of the ...

. The state highways of Haryana that pass through Hisar are State Highways 10, 13, and 20. Besides, there are district roads, village link roads and canal inspection roads. In 1947, the total metalled road length in the city was which increased to in 1978. Bus service is the major means of transport in the town. Bus services are provided by Haryana Roadways and other private operators. Hisar bus depot was established on 11 August 1969 and has a sub depot at

. As of 2012, the depot has a total of 198 buses with daily ridership of 73,500. All the 290 villages of Hisar district are connected to the city through either public transport provided by Haryana Roadways or through private buses.

Auto rickshaw An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many other terms in various countries, including three-wheeler, Adaidaita Sahu, Keke-napep, Maruwa, auto, ...

s are a major means of transport for travelling within the city. In August 2012, city bus service was started in the city. The city is a part of Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project which aims at developing strong road and rail connections between the cities lying on it and develop them as an industrial area.

Rail

Hisar is a railway

junction station ''Junction station'' usually refers to a railway station situated either on or close to a rail junction, where lines to two or more destinations diverge. Many junction stations have multiple platform faces to enable trains for multiple destinatio ...

, and it falls under

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. It is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Fo ...

division of

North Western Railway Zone The North Western Railway (abbreviated NWR) is one of 19 railway zones in India. It is headquartered at Jaipur. It has a route length of more than across the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana. NWR operates international rail s ...

. The first railway line to the city was laid down in 1883 when Delhi

Rewari Rewari is a city and a municipal council in Rewari district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is the district headquarters of Rewari district. It is located in south-west Haryana around 82 km from DelhiRailway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

was extended to

Bhatinda Bathinda is a city and municipal corporation in Punjab, India, Punjab, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Bathinda district. It is located in northwestern India in the Malwa (Punjab), Malwa Region, west of the capital city o ...

. Currently, four

broad gauge A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries ...

railway lines are at the station. The railway station is a part of Western Dedicated Rail Freight Corridor according to which the city is to be developed as an export-oriented industrial unit. The city is well connected to the neighboring states through rail links.

Air

Hisar Airport is located on the outskirts of the city and is currently under re-development. In August 2012, the DGCA approved the Haryana state government's plan to develop the airport to operate domestic passenger services. Its runway will be extended to to accommodate air service.

Education

Before the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, indigenous schools provided elementary education. Till 1892, the city had only one

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

. The first private school, CAV High School, was set up by

Arya Samaj Arya Samaj () is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda Saraswati founded the samaj in the 1870s. Arya Samaj was the first Hindu ...

in 1918.

Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University is a Public university, public funded List of agricultural universities and colleges, agricultural university located at Hisar (city), Hisar in the Indian state of Haryana. It is the bigges ...

, one of Asia's biggest agricultural universities was the first university established in Hisar, in 1971. Other universities located in the city are

Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, was founded in 1995. The jurisdiction of the university extends to the courses being run in the areas of science, technology, engineering, pharmacy and management. Guru Jambheshwa ...

Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences (LUVAS) is a university located in Hisar, Haryana. It is named after the freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai. History The College of Veterinary Sciences was shifted to Hisar from Lah ...

and Shanti Niketan Vidyapeeth, Hisar. Commercial and private pilot license training is provided by the Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation (HICA) from Hisar Airport built in 1965. A few agricultural and veterinary research centers are also situated in the city such as National Research Centre on Equines,

Central Sheep Breeding Farm Central Sheep Breeding Farm, Hisar is a public funded agricultural research, breeding and education institute located at Hisar in the Indian state of Haryana that offers educational courses in Shearing Training and Sheep Management & Productio ...

Government Livestock Farm, Hisar Government Livestock Farm, Hisar, Asia's largest livestock breeding, research and training institute,I. E. N. Chauhan, 1979District Census Handbook: Hisar Director of Census Operations, Government of Haryana. is a public funded institute locat ...

Northern Region Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institute, Regional Fodder Station, Hisar and Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes. In 1988, the city hosted the 2nd World Buffalo Congress. The major library in the city is Nehru Library. It also has a Government Polytechnic with courses in Textiles, Fashion, Mechanical Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Electrical Engineering and computer science.

Sports

Mahabir Stadium,

Haryana Agricultural University Stadium Giri Centre, or Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University Sports Complex, is a multi-sports complex in the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University at Hisar, Haryana. It houses several SAI centres of excellence, sta ...

and HAU Giri Centre host state sponsored sports academies. Hisar hosted the 51st National Boxing Championship in 2004, 22nd Haryana State Women Sports Festival in 2008, and the 9th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship in 2019. It has a sports center run by

Sports Authority of India The Sports Authority of India, SAI, was set up in 1984 to carry forward the legacy of the 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi under the Department of Sports. SAl has been entrusted with promoting sport in India and achieving sporting excellen ...

which has a synthetic track of international standard apart from other facilities. Other major sporting venue in Hisar is Mahabir Stadium for multiple sports which was completed in the year 1972, run by District Olympic Association. Sports persons from Hisar include

Manvinder Bisla Manvinder Sultansingh Bisla (born 27 December 1984) is an Indian cricketer. He is a wicket-keeper and right-handed batsman who currently plays for Goa. Bisla is one of the lesser known of the wicketkeeper batsman that Indian cricket unearthed ...

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

Saina Nehwal Saina Nehwal (; born 17 March 1990) is an Indian badminton player. A former world no. 1, she has won 24 international titles, which includes ten Superseries titles. Although she reached the world's 2nd in 2009, it was only in 2015 that she was ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

, Pinki Jangra in

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

and Manandeep Singh in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

. In April 2012, Ajay Kumar from Hisar qualified for

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

Notable people

* Dr. Israr Ahmed, Pakistani religious scholar *

Dushyant Chautala Dushyant Singh Chautala (born 3 April 1988) is an Indian politician who served as the 6th Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana from 2019 to 2024. He represented the Uchana Kalan constituency in Haryana Legislative Assembly from 2019 until 2024 ...

, Indian politician *

Kamal Gupta Kamal Gupta is an Indian politician. He was elected to the Haryana Legislative Assembly from Hisar in the 2014 and 2019 Haryana Legislative Assembly election as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ...

, Indian politician *

, Hindustani classical vocalist *

Om Prakash Jindal Om Prakash Jindal (7 August 1930 – 31 March 2005), also known as O. P. Jindal, was an Indian industrialist and politician. He was the founder of the OP Jindal Group, a major steel and power conglomerate. Early life and education Jindal ...

, Indian businessman *

, Indian badminton player *

Shivangi Pathak Shivangi Pathak is an Indian mountaineer born in Hisar, Haryana in August 2002. At age 16, she became India's youngest person to climb the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, on 16 May 2018 from the Nepal side. She climbed Russia's highest pea ...

, Indian mountaineer * Yashpal Sharma, actor *

Mallika Sherawat Reema Lamba (born 24 October 1976), better known as Mallika Sherawat, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi language films. Known for her bold onscreen portrayal in films like '' Khwahish'' (2003) and ''Murder'' (2004), Sheraw ...

, Indian Actress

References

External links

Official website of Hisar Municipal Corporation
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Hisar district Populated places established in the 1350s

History

Early history

Tughlaq era

Mughal era

British era

After independence

Geography

Climate

Civic administration

Economy

Demographics

Religion

Culture

Architecture

Places of interest

Media

Facilities

Utility services

Healthcare

Transport

Road

Rail

Air

Education

Sports

Notable people

References

Further reading

External links