Sirsa

Sirsa सिरसा
City
Sirsa
Sirsa सिरसा Sirsa सिरसा
Coordinates: 29°32′N 75°01′E
Country	India
State	Haryana
District	Sirsa
Division	Hisar
Government
• Deputy Commissioner	Sh. Prabhjot Singh, IAS
Area
• Total	4,277 km2 (1,651 sq mi)
Elevation	673 m (2,208 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	1,295,189
Languages
• Official	Hindi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	125055
UNLOCODE	IN HSS
Telephone code	91-1666 xxx xxx
Vehicle registration	HR-24
Nearest city	New Delhi
Sex ratio	897 ♂/♀
Literacy	68.82
Planning agency	HUDA
Website	sirsa.gov.in

Sirsa (Hindi: सिरसा) (Punjabi: ਸਰਸਾ) is a city and a municipal council in Sirsa district in the westernmost region of the Indian state of Haryana, bordering Punjab and Rajasthan. Its history dates back to the time of Mahabharata. At one time, the Sarasvati River flowed in this area.

History

The District derives its name from its headquarters town Sirsa. It is said to be one of the oldest places of North India and its ancient name was Sairishaka as mentioned in Mahabharata, Panini’s Ashatadhayayi and Divyavadan. From Sairishaka it seems to have been corrupted to Sirsa. According to a local tradition, an unknown king named Saras founded the town in 7th century A. D. and built a fort. During medieval period, the town was known as Sarasuti. It has been mentioned as Sarasuti by a number of medieval historians. The derivation of the name Sirsa, is also attributed to the abundance of Siris (Albizia lebbeck) trees. The earliest phase of the pre-history of the district is gathered from the discovery of Late Siswal Ware at Bani (Rania tahsil). Late Siswal, the rural cultural pattern of the Harappan age in Haryana is characterised by evolved types and austerity in shapes and designs of pottery painted in black or chocolate over red or pinkish surface with linear designs and is signable to a time bracket of 2300—1700 B.C. It has been further pointed out that the close affinities of the culture with north Rajasthan (Kalibangan-I) and its more evolved character in Haryana point to Rajasthan as the source of the culture. These early settlers were perhaps followed in course of time by the Late Harappans (1700-1500 B.C.) whose pottery has been discovered at Jodhkan (24 kilometres east of Sirsa). With the advent of the Painted Grey Ware culture (generally associated with the Aryans) begins a new phase in the history of the district. The absence of structures and the dearth of household objects suggests simple life of the people. The Rig-vedic Sirasvati (The Ghaggar) the holiest of the rivers mentioned in the early Vedic literature passed through the district in its south-westerly course towards the deserts of Rajasthan. The area was included in the Kingdom of the Pandavas as in the Mahabharata special mention is made of Sairishaka in course of Nakula’s conquest of the western region. It perhaps continued to be a part of the realm of the Parikshitas and thereafter had also to suffer devastation of the crops by locusts, droughts, famines and other natural calamities, resulting in migration of the people to other parts of the country. According to the Puranas, the Kuru Janapada was included in the Nanda Empire, the area covered by the district may also have formed a part of it. On the basis of the slender numismatic and epigraphic evidence, few terracotta figurines and the discovery of Hangamahal were of the Kushana period (1st—4th century A.D.) from a number of sites Bajeka, Bhaudin, Moju Khera, Sikenderpur, Sirsa and Suchan, it may safely be said that the region also came under the influence of the Kushanas, the Yaudheyas and the Guptas. During the 9th century, the district came under the hold of the imperial Pratiharas of Kanauj. An inscription of the time of Bhoja (836—890 A. D.) found at Sirsa, is of considerable importance for the religious history of the region. The district lay on the route from Multan to the Ganga-Yamuna-Doab and, therefore, had to bear the brunt of the frequent Muhammadan attacks. Sultan Mahmud’s successor Masud is known to have himself marched to Sirsa where the surrounding areas were found remarkable for the growth of sugarcane which were used by his forces to fill the mote in course of their attack on the fortress. Masud appointed his son Majdud, the governor of this region, from Hansi to Indus including the course of the district of Sirsa which lay in between. Majdud, however, lost his life in the struggle against Maudud, the new ruler of Ghazni. Tomaras held the district after Maudud’s death. They soon lost hold over Haryana to the Chahamanas of Rajasthan. The protection of the area from the Muslim onslaughts now became their sole responsibility, who under Prithviraja II took effective measures in this direction by appointing his maternal uncle Kilhana as guardian of the Hansi fort, who built strong and high gateway there in order to protect the region around from the Muslim incursions. The district along with Agroha, Hisar and Hansi passed on to the Muslim rule after the defeat of Prithviraja III in the second battle of Taraori (A.D. 1192), who was captured in the neighbourhood Sarsuti (Sirsa). The influence of Buddhism in the region is gathered from Divyavadana, while many Jail sculptural pieces and architectural remains recovered from Sirsa and Sikanderpur testify to the growth of Jainism in the area. After the demise of Shihab-ud-din Ghuri, one of his generals Qutb-uddin Aibak laid the foundation of the Turkish rule in India on July 24, 1206. The present Sirsa district formed part of his newly found kingdom alongwith adjacent territories. Aibak is reported to have established a military outpost at Sirsa, which quelled uprisings and collected land revenue. Aibak‘s death in 1210 brought chaos and confusion for a while Nasir-uddin Qubacha, the Governor of Punjab occupied the Sirsa district and began to rule over it independently. But his sway over the district proved short-lived. Taj-ud-din Yalduz, the ruler of Ghazni snatched the district from him along with other territories. But Yalduz‘s hold also proved very short: IItutmish having measured sword with him at Taraori (Karnal district) brought the entire region under his control. It seems that in this battle Qubacha helped Iltutmish, for after the battle at Taraori we find Sirsa being under Qubacha’s control. Qubacha enhanced his power very rapidly, so much so that in 1220 he declared his independence. Iltutmish launched a fierce attack on him. In the fight that ensued, Iltutmish defeated Qubacha and brought the district under his control. After the defeat of Qubacha, Iltutmish made serious changes in administration. He divided the kingdom into several Iqtas, The present district constituted the Iqta of Sirsa. This arrangement continued upto 1290 when after the deposition of the last of the Mamluk rulers, Shams-ud-din, the district came under the control of Khaljis. The situation changed, however, after Ala-ud-din Khalji’s death (1316). The people raised their hands against the oppressive rule. There was relief for sometime. The district, was however, again brought under the same type of rule by the Tughlaqs who replaced the Khaljis. During the reign of Muhammad Tughlaq (1325-51), the district seemed to be a large territory abounding in rice. It was not in as bad a shape as it came to be during the 18th and 19th centuries. Firuz Shah the successor of Muhammad Tughlaq took a keen interest in this district since his mother belonged to it and he had spent his early childhood here. He often went on hunting expedition’s in the forests around this area. He founded the town of Firozabad near Rania in 1360 and had drawn a canal from the Ghaggar river, passing by the walls of Sarsuti (Sirsa) to the city. Timur entered Sirsa in November, 1398 and relaxed for sometime at Kinar-i-Hauz, probably the Annkai Chhamb, a lake near Rania. His first attack was on Firozabad where he met little opposition. Emboldened by this, he attacked Sirsa. Here, too, the story of Firozabad was repeated. The powers did nothing to stop the blood bath and destruction brought by the invaders. The people of the region suffered a great 1oss in men, money and material. In 1450, Bahlol Lodhi, the then Governor of Punjab, brought the district under his thumb which remained under him and his successors for a little over 76 years (1450—1526). In 1526, Babur conquered the district along with other territories from Ibrahim Lodi. Babur and Humayun kept the district under their effective control by keeping it under the Sarkar of Hisar. Humayun was thrown out by an Afghan noble, Sher Shah Suri in 1540, who was an administrative genius. He divided his whole kingdom into sixty six Sarkars and as earlier Sirsa was again placed under Hisar Sarkar. Sher Shah Suri. ruled from 1540 to 1545. There was peace, prosperity and tranquility everywhere during his reign. He was succeeded by pigmies who brought chaos and confusion all round. Humayun again brought the district under his control in 1555 but with his death, there was chaos all over again. In 1556, Humayun’s son Akbar controlled the situation and brought the district under his tight control. Sirsa mahal was again placed under the Sarkar of Hisar in Suba of Delhi. This administrative set up remained intact during the reigns of Akbar’s successors Jehangir (1606—1627), Shahjahan (1627—1658), and Aurangzeb (1658— 1707). There was peace and tranquility all around. After the death of Aurangzeb (1707), the position changed drastically. There was confusion and chaos all around, which made the people adamant to pay the revenue to their masters as they could not defeat the local inhabitants who had made their villages little fortresses, which could not be destroyed without huge forces and artillery. The situation deteriorated further with the attack of Nadir Shah on India in 1739. In the troubled times, after Nadir’s retreat, a local tribe of the Bhattis who had settled in the district in the eighth century came to have some political control, their chiefMohammad Hasan Khan occupied Rania, Sirsa and Fatehabad. The chiefs of Bikaner were engaged in incessant struggle with the Bhattis for the possession of the district. The annals of Patiala are also full of raids and counter-raids between the Sikhs and their hereditary foes, the Bhattis. In the end, Ala Singh’s son, the founder of Patiala State succeeded in taking the district from Amin Khan in 1774. The great famine of 1783 laid the whole country waste and Sirsa was no exception. The survivors fled to more favoured retreats. Amar Singh and his troops left the district. Some ten or twelve of the larger villages held out and for a time almost the whole of the Sirsa district must have been a desert. Mohammad Amin Khan reoccupied the district and tried his best to rehabilitate the deserted tract. Unfortunately he died in 1790. Nawab Qamarud-din and his successor Zabita Khan strifed hard in connivance with an Irish adventurer George Thomas against the Rajputs of Rajasthan and Sikhs of Punjab, but were defeated by the Marathas. Consequently, the whole of the tract including Sirsa district came under the control of the Marathas. But the Maratha hold proved to be very short-lived; after the defeat in the second Anglo-Maratha war, their chief Daulat Rao Sindhia gave the district along with the Delhi territory to the British vide treaty of Surji Arjangaon on 30th December, 1803. Although the Marathas surrendered the district to the British East India Company, Nawab Zabita Khan did not accept the sway of the new masters. Mirza Ilias Beg who was placed nazim to look after George Thomas territory with headquarters at Hansi, was assigned the job of controlling the Bhattis. He proved failure. In consequence, reinforcements were sent from Delhi. In the struggle that ensued, the Bhattis proved their worth. They killed Mirza llias Beg and shattered his force. The British sent their own force under Colonel Browing. But, he too got a befitting reply at Sirsa. The British lost a number of their soldiers in the battle, the Colonel being one of them. The British troops had to retreat leaving Bhattis as they were. The Britishers were unable to stop the repeated invasions of Bhattis in the British territory till 1810, when they launched a fierce attack on Sirsa and Rania on December 19 and 21 respectively. Colonel Adam, the British Commander found his work very easy as Nawab chose to surrender without fighting. The British treated the defeated Bhatti chief sympathetically. The Nawab was allowed to keep the jagir of Sirsa and Rania. In spite of this, the Nawab kept on sending plundering expeditions to the British territory quite frequently. In 1817, William Frazer, the Resident at Delhi, sent a message to Nawab to give up his jagir in return for a pension or face serious consequences. The Nawab accepted to surrender his jagir and was allowed only a meagre pension alongwith a small jagir comprising 5 to 6 villages and Rania town. The British rule of about half a century from 1803 to 1857 produced a great deal of discontent and disaffection among almost every section of the people throughout Haryana. The ground for a general uprising against the British lay prepared in the district. On hearing the news of revolt at Ambala and Meerut in May, 1857 as well as Delhi, the people of Sirsa rose up in revolt. A sizable number of sepoys stationed at Sirsa also revolted. The sepoys obliterated all the vestiges of the British rule from Sirsa. They occupied the tahsil treasury and seized Rs. 8,000 from there. After this they went to Hansi and then advanced to Delhi via Rohtak. By the first week of June the entire district had slipped off the British hold. After a short while General Van Courtlandt, the Deputy Commissioner of Ferozepur, attacked the district, starting his operation with the pargana of Sirsa, where he encountered opposition from Nur Samad Khan the Na wab of Rania. A pitched battle was fought at Odhan, a small village near Rania on June 17. The Nawab’s men fought but proved no match for the British firearms. On June 18, the village of Chhatrian where Capt. Hillard and his brother-in-law were killed, was attacked. The assault was so sudden that the villagers could neither come out to fight nor flee away to save their lives. They were ruthlessly butchered and their houses were burnt to ashes. Next day, the British attacked Kharian village. Unlike the residents of Chhatrian, the villagers here were on guard and offered a tough battle to the enemy but as ill luck would have it, were defeated. Ultimately on June 20, General Courtlandt went to Sirsa, where he took almost a fortnight to reduce the pargana of Sirsa. The rebellious elements thus crushed, General Van Courtlandt established order throughout the district. The work of persecution also went side by side. For quite some time after the uprising, the people of Sirsa suffered a great deal. Obviously, the spirit of vengeance on the part of the victors was working there. They were denied almost all the benefits of the raj as a consequence of which they became backward in all respects. The Arya Samajis brought political awakening to the people of the district. The first Arya Samaj was established at Sirsa in 1892. Urban middle class people joined Indian National Congress. During the First World War, the people of Sirsa helped the Government by men, money and material. The working classes and the poor people suffered on account of economic depression and aftermath of war, resulting in discontent and disaffection all around. Masses of the district took part in the Rowlatt Bill Agitation in 1919. Protest meetings were held at Sirsa in which resolutions were passed against the bill. The Criminal Emergency Powers Act was passed in March, 1919. After the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi at Palwal (April 10) and then Jallianwala Bag Tragedy (April 13), the movement reached a high pitch. The government tried to create a rift among the people. They got hold of some Muslims, though only a few at Sirsa, who took a vow to remain faithful to the government. The Congress Committee was organised at Sirsa with Prabhu Dayal as its President, and Jai Narain as its, General Secretary. After August1,1920, when Gandhiji launched the Non-Cooperation Movement, the struggle became still more intense. On the whole, the movement progressed well, through it was weak in Sirsa as compared to other districts of the State. Civil Disobedience Movement was launched on April 6, 1930 when the Sirsa Congress Committee organized a large meeting and made salt openly. In 1933, Gandhiji withdrew the movement and turned it into an Individual Satyagraha, which was also withdrawn later on. In 1939, there came the World War II. The Congress men of the area opposed the war efforts of the Government. There was no big show by the district in the Individual Satyagraha Movement, 1940-41. Situation changed by 1942, however, everything warmed up, when the Britishers were asked to Quit India at once. As a result of the arrest of leaders and repressive measures adopted by the government, the movement failed. By 1944, it was as dead as a door mail’. The people of the district made sacrifices for the cause of National Freedom at home as well as outside India. A good number of soldiers from here joined the Indian National Army (INA) and fought against the British forces under the leadership of Subhash Chandra Bose. Though the INA lost the war, its soldiers, when came to the villages after their release, gave great boost to the Congress activities and the National Movement. As a result, the social base of the freedom struggle increased a great deal and there came Independence on August 15, 1947.

Administrative set up

Sirsa area finds mention as administrative unit in Ain-i-Akbari as part of Hisar-e-Feroza, Sarkar of Delhi Subha. Present Sirsa district was covered by mahals of Bhangiwal (Darba), Sirsa, Bhatner and Puniyana. With the decline of Mughal Empire this tract came under the control of Marathas but was ceded by them to the British in 1810 and became part of outlying district of Delhi Territory. In 1819 Delhi territory was divided into three districts, namely, Central, Southern and North-Western. North-Western included Panipat, Hansi, Hisar, Sirsa and Rohtak. Again, this district was divided into Northern and Western. Sirsa, Hisar, Hansi and Bhiwani formed part of Western district or Hisar district. In 1837 Sirsa and Rania parganas were taken out of Western district and alongwith Guda and Malout parganas formed a new district called Bhattiana. Parganas of Darba and Rori were transferred to it in 1838 and 1847 respectively. In 1858, Bhattiana alongwith Delhi territory was transferred to Punjab and renamed as Sirsa. In 1861, 42 villages of Rania pargana were transferred to the then State of Bikaner. Sirsa district comprising tahsils of Dabwali, Sirsa and Fazilka was abolished in 1884 and Sirsa and Dabwali tahsils clubbed into one forming Sirsa tahsil and merged with Hisar district. Since then upto the formation of Sirsa district in September, 1975 minor changes in areas were recorded. In 1968 Sirsa tahsil was bifurcated into Sirsa and Dabwali tahsils and both the tahsils were carved out of Hisar district to form a separate district of Sirsa. Ellenabad tahsil was created out of Sirsa tahsil and Rania sub-tahsil was upgraded to become full fledged tahsil in November, 1989. In 1991 Census, Sirsa district contained four tahsils, namely, Dabwali (70 villages and Mandi Dabwali town), Sirsa tahsil (171 villages and two towns Kalanwali and Sirsa), Rania (51 villages only) and Ellenabad (31 villages and Ellenabad town). The State has been experiencing inter-district and inter-tahsil jurisdictional transfers ever since its formation on 1st November, 1966. There were 7 districts at the 1971 Census which increased to 12 in 1981, 16 in 1991, 19 in 2001 and 21 in 2011. Likewise the number of tahsils has increased from 32 to 74 and towns from 65 to154 in 1971and 2011 respectively. Haryana State is divided into four administrative Divisions, namely Ambala, Rohtak, Hisar and Gurgaon, each headed by Divisional Commissioner. Ambala Division covered Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra and Kaithal districts; Rohtak Division extended over Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Rohtak and Jhajjar districts; Hisar Division is spread over Jind, Bhiwani, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts; Gurgaon Division is spread over Mahendragarh, Rewari, Gurgaon, Mewat, Faridabad and Palwal districts. During 2011 Census two newly created districts, namely, Mewat (17th December 2004) out of district Gurgaon and Palwal (13th August, 2008) out of district Faridabad have been added in Gurgaon Division. The district lies in Hisar Division having three sub-divisional offices located at Dabwali, Sirsa and Ellenabad controlling tahsils of the same name except Sirsa sub-divisional office which controls Sirsa and Rania tahsils. Seven Community Development Blocks, namely Dabwali, Odhan, Baragudha, Sirsa, Nathusari Chopta, Rania and Ellenabad have been set up for the development of rural areas. During 1991, 2001 and 2011 Censuses, no major reshuffle of areas took place except minor changes within the district. Position in 2011 Census is that there are four tahsils, namely, tahsil Dabwali (71 villages and Mandi Dabwali town), tahsil Sirsa (183 villages and Kalanwali and Sirsa towns), tahsil Rania (46 villages and Rania town) and tahsil Ellenabad (30 villages and Ellenabad town). Administratively, the Deputy Commissioner is the overall incharge of the general administration in the district and performs the duties of the District Magistrate and the District Collector. Below the Deputy Commissioner is the Additional Deputy Commissioner who assists the Deputy Commissioner in the work relating to general administration, rural development, etc.The Deputy Commissioner along with ADC, Chief Executive Officer of Zila Parishad, Superintendent of Police and other senior officers of the district looks after the development and regulatory functions in the district.vided into three sub-divisions Sirsa, Dabwali and Ellenabad. Sub-divisions are not necessarily co-terminus with the name of their respective tahsils. However, in Sirsa district all the tahsils have sub-division status also except Rania tahsil which is under the administrative control of Sirsa subdivision.Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samitis correspond to the district and C.D. Block boundaries except that the municipal areas are not covered by them.The Zila Parishad, elects its President and Vice-President from amongst the elected members. The term of office of members is five years. An officer in the senior scale of I.A.S. is deputed by the State government as the Chief Executive Officer to the Zila Parishad. The Parishad is also assisted by various departments of the district. At the community Development Block level, each Panchayat Samiti has an elected Chairman and Vice Chairman.The Block Development and Panchayat Officer works as Executive Officer of the Panchayat Samiti. The executive authority for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the Haryana Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samitis (C.D. Blocks) Act vests in the Chief Executive Officer and the Block Development and Panchayat Officer respectively. The statutory urban local bodies are municipal councils, municipal committees, etc.The urban local bodies elect councilors from each of the ward and their term is five years. Process of governance at the lowest level is Gram Panchayat which makes adequate arrangements for developmentin various fields in rural areas.

District Highlights – 2011 Census

• Sirsa district occupies 8th position in population size during 2011.
• In terms of density Sirsa ranks at last position with a density of 303 and

possessed the status of least densed district. Whereas during 2001 the density was 261.

• The general Sex Ratio of the district which was 882 in 2001 has

increased to 897 in 2011. The district stands at 4th place amongst the 21 districts of the State. The Sex Ratio in rural is 898 and it is better than the urban Sex Ratio which is 896 during 2011 Census.

• In terms of Child Sex Ratio (0-6 years age group) the district stands at 4th

place with a Child Sex Ratio of 862. In 2001 the district Child Sex Ratio was 817.

• The proportion of Child Population (0-6 years) is 12.17 per cent in Sirsa

district.

• The percentage of Scheduled Caste Population to Total Population in the

district is 29.9 per cent and it ranks at 2nd position after Fatehabad.

• In terms of literacy Sirsa stands at 19th place. The literacy rate in 2011 is

68.8 per cent whereas it was 60.6 per cent during 2001 Census.

• The literacy rate amongst Male population which was 70.1 per cent

during 2001 has increased to 76.4 per cent and in urban area it is 84.4 per cent.

• The literacy rate has also shown an increase amongst female population.

During 2001 it was 49.9 per cent and it reached 60.4 per cent during 2011.

• The Work Participation Rate (WPR) of Sirsa district is 38.8 per cent in

comparison to 35.2 per cent of the State.

• The Work Participation Rate of Males in Sirsa is 54.1 per cent, whereas

the Female work Participation Rate is 21.6 per cent.

• The percentage of Cultivators to Total Workers in 2011 in the district is

32.7 per cent whereas during 2001 it was 37.4 per cent.

• The percentage of Agricultural labourers to Total Workers in 2011 in the

district is 29.3 per cent whereas during 2001 it was 23.8 per cent.

• The percentage of Household Industry Workers to Total Workers in Sirsa

district is 2.4 per cent in comparison to 2.9 per cent of Haryana.

• The percentage of other Workers to Total Workers in the district is 35.6

per cent in comparison to 52.1 per cent of Haryana.

Geography

Sirsa is located at 29.53°N 75.02°E / 29.53; 75.02. It has an average elevation of 205 metres (672 feet).

Demographics

As of the 2001 Indian census, Sirsa had a population of 160,129. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Sirsa has an average literacy rate of 68%, lower than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 62%. In Sirsa, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. There is a big population of the Sikh community in Sirsa. There are also two historical Gurudwaras (Sikh temples) in the city.

Notable people from Sirsa District

• Chaudhary Devi Lal - Former Deputy Prime Minister of India, Former Chief Minister of Haryana.
• Om Prakash Chautala - Former Chief Minister of Haryana
• Manmohan Singh - Bollywood Cinematographer & Punjabi Movies Director
• Sardara Singh - International Hockey Player
• Barinder Sran - International Cricket Player
• Rupinder Handa - Renowned Punjabi Singer
• Sunil Grover - Famous Comedian & Actor
• Jaswinder Brar - Famous Punjabi Folk Singer
• Hari Singh Dilbar - Veteran Punjabi Poet
• Arjun Singh Gurjar

External links

• Official website