History & Panipat Battles
Haryana GK · इतिहास और पानीपत युद्ध · 18 facts
The First Battle of Panipat (1526) was fought between Babur (Mughal) and Ibrahim Lodi (Delhi Sultanate); Babur's victory established the Mughal Empire in India.
Babur used artillery and gunpowder effectively for the first time in India at the First Battle of Panipat, giving him a decisive advantage.
The Second Battle of Panipat (1556) was fought between Akbar's forces (led by Bairam Khan) and Hemu (Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya); Mughal victory consolidated their rule.
Hemu (Hemu Chandra Vikramaditya) was a Hindu ruler who briefly controlled Delhi and declared himself emperor before being defeated at the Second Battle of Panipat.
The Third Battle of Panipat (1761) was fought between Ahmad Shah Durrani (Afghan) and the Maratha Confederacy; Maratha defeat ended their bid for pan-Indian dominance.
Panipat is nicknamed the 'City of Weavers' and 'Cast-off Capital of the World'; historically, all three Panipat battles determined India's political future.
Kurukshetra in Haryana is the legendary battlefield of the Mahabharata where the 18-day Kurukshetra War was fought between Pandavas and Kauravas.
Thanesar (Kurukshetra district) was the capital of Emperor Harsha (Harshavardhana) in the 7th century AD, one of India's greatest post-Gupta rulers.
Prithviraj Chauhan, the last Hindu emperor of Delhi, controlled much of Haryana before his defeat at the Second Battle of Tarain (1192) against Muhammad Ghori.
The Battle of Tarain (1191 & 1192) near Thanesar, Haryana, was fought between Prithviraj Chauhan and Muhammad Ghori; the 1192 defeat ended Rajput power in north India.
Haryana was carved out of the Punjab State on November 1, 1966, as part of the States Reorganization based on the Punjabi-Hindi linguistic divide.
The Shah Commission recommended the creation of Haryana; it was the 17th state of India at formation and Chandigarh became the shared capital with Punjab.
The region of Haryana was historically part of the ancient Kuru Kingdom, described in the Vedas and Mahabharata as a culturally advanced civilization.
Rakhigarhi in Hisar district, Haryana, is one of the largest Harappan sites in India, even larger than Mohenjo-Daro; it is a UNESCO tentative World Heritage Site.
The ancient city of Indraprastha (Pandavas' capital), believed to be in present-day Delhi and surrounding Haryana, was central to the Mahabharata narrative.
Hisar city in Haryana was founded by Firuz Shah Tughlaq in 1354 AD; the name derives from 'Hisar-e-Firoza' meaning Firuz's fort.
George Thomas, an Irish adventurer, established his kingdom at Hansi, Haryana in the late 18th century and was one of the last foreign rulers in the region.
The 1857 revolt saw significant participation from Haryana, especially from Hisar, Rohtak, and Gurugram; the British retook control after suppressing the uprising.