Rania is a town and a municipal committee in

Sirsa district Sirsa district is the largest district by area in Haryana state, India. Sirsa is the district headquarters. It is located on National Highway 9 and from the capital Delhi. On 1 September 1975, Sirsa became a district by taking Sirsa and Dabw ...

located on the upper bank of

Ghaggar 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- ...

in the

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 ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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 ...

. Rania Town is a

grain market The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals such as wheat, barley, maize, rice, and other food grains. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other agri ...

in Sirsa district. Nearby cities to Rania includes

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 ...

and

Ellenabad Ellenabad, previously known as Kharial, is a city with a municipal committee, near Sirsa City in the Sirsa district of the state of Haryana, India. It is located on the south bank of the Ghaggar River in the heart of Bagar tract areas of Punja ...

. It shares its RTO office with Ellenabad which is also has its headquarters in Ellenabad. Earlier it was a part of Ellenabad subdivision but later carved out separately as a subdivision in Sirsa district of Haryana. It is at a distance of 22 km each from Sirsa and Ellenabad in opposite direction on Haryana State Highway 32A i.e. Bhambhoor-Jiwan Nagar Road which connects to Haryana State Highway 32 (Ellenabad-Dabwali Road) in Jiwan Nagar on one end and Haryana State Highway 23 (Sirsa-Ellenabad Road) in Bhambhoor on the other end.

History

Rania, which means "queen", was formerly called Bhattian and ruled by a king known as the Bhatti Raja. It was renamed as a result of '' sati'' by Rania, Queen of Bhattian Riasayat's King after she heard a rumour that the king had been killed in a nearby village. After Nader Shah retreated from India in 1747 CE, Rania was taken over by the

Bhatti Bhatti is a Punjabis, Punjabi and Sindhis, Sindhi caste of Rajputs. They are linked to the Bhatia caste, Bhatias and Bhutto (clan), Bhuttos, all of whom claim to originate from the Hindus, Hindu Bhati Rajputs. They claim descent from the Lun ...

Ranghar Ranghar are a community of Muslim Rajputs in the Indian states of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh; and in Sindh ( Muhajirs) and Punjab in Pakistan. History and origin The Ranghar were classified as an "agricultura ...

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

freebooter Muhammad Hassan Khan took the possession of Rania, Fatehabad and Rania, and he remained in ongoing tussle with

Jat The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in l ...

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 ...

ruler of

Patiala Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubar ...

and

Jind State Jind State (also spelled Jhind State) was a princely state located in the Punjab and Haryana regions of north-western India. The state was in area and its annual income was Rs.3,000,000 in the 1940s. This state was founded and ruled by the Sidh ...

s for the control of this tract. In 1768 CE

Johiya The Johiyas are a social group native to the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent. They have been classified as Rajputs. History Alexander Cunningham derived the term "Johiya" from "Yaudheya", and theorized that the modern Johiyas w ...

ranghars chieftain, Kamruddin, another vassal of Bikaner State, took over Rania, Fatehabad and Sirsa. In 1774 CE, Jat Sikh ruler of Patiala State, Amar Singh, snatched the

paragana Pargana or parganah, also spelt pergunnah, equivalent to Mahallah, Mohallah as a subunit of Subah (province), Subah (Suba), was a type of former administrative division in the Indian subcontinent during the time of the Sultanate of Delhi, Delhi S ...

s of Rania, Fatehabad and Rania from Bhatti Ranghar Rajput chieftain Muhammad Amir Khan, a vassal of

Bikaner State Bikaner State was the princely state, Princely State in the north-western most part of the History of Bikaner, Rajputana province of imperial British India from 1818 to 1947. The founder of the state Rao Bika was a younger son of Rao ...

, who retreated to his

Bhatner fort The Bhatner Fort was built by son of Rao Bhati, about 419 km northwest of Jaipur along the old Multan-Delhi route and 230 km north-east of Bikaner. Another name of Hanumangarh was Bhatner, which means "fortress of the Bhati". Believe ...

(

Hanumangarh Hanumangarh is a city and municipal council in the Indian state of Rajasthan, situated on the banks of the river Ghaggar also identified as ancient Sarasvati river, located about 400 km from Delhi. It is the administrative headquarter o ...

). In 1774 CE, Mughal forces under

Mirza Najaf Khan Mīrzā Najaf Khān Bahādur, simply known as Mirza Najaf Khan (1723 – 26 April 1782) was an adventurer of Safavid lineage who came to Delhi around 1740 from Iran after Nader Shah had displaced the Safavid dynasty in 1736. He became a courtier ...

and Raja Jai Singh signed a treaty with Jat Sikhs and Bikaner state under which

Tosham Tosham is a town and a Gram Panchayat on the foot of Tosham Hill range in Bhiwani district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Haryana. It has been awarded the title of "Adarsh Village". It is situated in the foothill of Tosha ...

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 ...

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 ...

Meham Meham, also spelled Maham, is a small city in Rohtak district of the Indian state of Haryana. It is one of the two sub-divisions in Rohtak district. As a tehsil, it is further divided into two community development blocks, Maham and Lakhan-Majr ...

and

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 ...

were restored to Mughals and Raja Jai Singh became Nazim of Hisar

sirkar Sarkar may refer to: * Sarkar (surname), including a list of people with the name * Sarkar (film series), ''Sarkar'' (film series), a series of Indian political crime thriller films ** Sarkar (2005 film), ''Sarkar'' (2005 film), the first film in ...

; Rania-Fathebad-Sirsa tract was restorrd to Bhatti chiefs under Bikaner state; and Jat Sikhs kept the rest of their territory annexed by them in North Haryana (

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 ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

). After the death of Najaf Ali Khan, the weak Mughal empire under

Shah Alam II Shah Alam II (; 25 June 1728 – 19 November 1806), also known by his birth name Ali Gohar, or Ali Gauhar, was the seventeenth Mughal emperor and the son of Alamgir II. Shah Alam II became the emperor of a crumbling Mughal Empire. His power w ...

invited

maratha empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

's who took over the whole of Haryana by 1792 CE under Mahadaji Sindhia. George Thomas who held this area under Marathas, became independent ruler of this tract in 1798 Ce, but in 1801 marathas empire ruled by

Daulat Rao Sindhia Daulat Rao Scindia (1779 – 21 March 1827) also conferred with the title "''The defender of Delhi"'' was the Maratha Maharaja of Gwalior state in central India from 1794 until his death in 1827. His reign coincided with struggles for supremac ...

, led by their French-origin general

Pierre Cuillier-Perron Pierre Cuillier-Perron (1753 to 1755–1834) was a French mercenary active in India. Born Pierre Cuillier (or Cuellier) at Luceau near Château-du-Loir was the son of a cloth merchant. In India, he changed his name to Perron (a diminutive of Pi ...

who allied with Jat Sikhs ruler of Jind, expelled George Thomas from Haryana. Ongoing feud among Bhattis, Johiyas, Jats, Skihs, Marathas and Mughals, weakened them all and this tract came under

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 ...

in 1803. A

baoli Stepwells (also known as vav or baori) are Water well, wells, cisterns or ponds with a long corridor of steps that descend to the water level. Stepwells played a significant role in defining subterranean architecture in western India from the ...

built in early 1st century in the mixed style of Turkish hammam and Indian well was buried during 1975-77 emergency to build a market. During

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 ...

, ''"the village of Rania was home to Amiban, main mistress to

William Fraser William Fraser may refer to: Military people *William W. Fraser (1844–1915), American Civil War soldier and Medal of Honor recipient *William Archibald Kenneth Fraser (1886–1969), British army officer *William Fraser (British Army officer) ( ...

, a brother of

James Baillie Fraser James Baillie Fraser (11 June 1783 – 23 January 1856) was a Scotland, Scottish travel writer, and artist who illustrated and wrote about Anatolia, Asia Minor, Iran, Kurdistan and India. Some of his Watercolor painting, watercolours made in the ...

, and his two Anglo-Indian sons and daughter."''

William Dalrymple William Benedict Hamilton-Dalrymple (born 20 March 1965) is a Delhi-based Scottish people, Scottish historian and art historian, as well as a curator, broadcaster and critic. He spends nine months of each year on his goat farm in India. He i ...

The forgotten masterpieces of Indian art
Spectator UK, 18 December 2019. During the first war of independence in 1857,

Raja Nahar Singh Raja Nahar Singh (died 1858) was the Raja of the princely state of Ballabhgarh in Faridabad District of Haryana, India. He fought against The East India Company in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The small kingdom of Ballabhgarh is only 20 mile ...

the

ruler of Ballabhgarh,

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 ...

ruler of

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 DelhiHaryana Samvad
Jan 2018. There were significant number Muslims who left during Indo-Pakistan partition in 1947. There are many old buildings in the town including mosques and a

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

which is still in use as the police station. Rania town was a part of the old

Punjab Region 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 ...

and became part of

in 1966.

Geography

Rania is situated in the far west of Haryana on the Bhambhoor-Jeewan Nagar Road. The nearest airports are in

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 ...

and

Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...

, both around away while the nearest railway stations are at

and

. Sirsa city is approximately to the east. Other nearby cities are

(),

Mandi Dabwali Mandi Dabwali is the hometown of Kanwal Kishore Khetarpal and a town and municipal committee and a Police district in Sirsa district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is located on the border of Haryana and Punjab. It is at a distance of 60&n ...

() and Mandi

Kalanwali Kalanwali is a town with a municipal committee in Sirsa district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Haryana. Being very near the Punjab border, most of the people in this area have Haryanvi language, Haryanvi, Hindi and Punj ...

(). The borders 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 ...

are around away and those of

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 ...

distant. Some other villages and places near to the town are Jiwan Nagar, Kariwala, SantNagar (Jagmalera), Balasar Farm, Sultan Puria and the Ottu Dam, Tetarwal Farm House, Mohamad Puria.

Demographics

As of 2011 Indian Census, Rania had a total population of 25,123, of which 13,281 were males and 11,842 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 3,361. The total number of literates in Rania was 15,299, which constituted 60.9% of the population with male literacy of 66.2% and female literacy of 54.9%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Rania was 70.3%, of which male literacy rate was 77.1% and female literacy rate was 62.8%. The Scheduled Castes population was 6,474. Rania had 4874 households in 2011.

Languages

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 ...

is the official language with

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

as additional official. Hindi and Punjabi are the most spoken languages of Rania.

Economy

Rania has a population of about 25,000 and a municipality system that runs the town, which is divided into 15 wards. As of 2009, Rania became a separate

Vidhan Sabha The State Legislative Assembly, also known as the Vidhan Sabha or the Saasana Sabha, is a legislative body in each of the states and certain union territories of India. Members of the legislative assembly are often directly elected to serve fiv ...

assembly constituency 44of

earlier a part of Ellenabad Vidhan Sabha Constituency. The town has its own shopping areas,

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

, police station, hospital, private nursing homes along with government and private schools. A privately run bus system connects with nearby towns and villages. The main employment is in agriculture and retail. Wheat, vegetables, rice, and cotton are the main crops in the region.

References

{{reflist Cities and towns in Sirsa district