Sirsa, Haryana

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

History

Origin of name

There are a number of legends about the origin of the name of the town. Sirsa is said to be one of the oldest places of North India and its ancient name was Sairishaka, which finds mention in the Mahabharata, Panini's Ashatadhayayi and Divyavadan. In the Mahabharata, Sairishaka is described as being taken by Nakula in his conquest of the western quarter. It must have been a flourishing city in the 5th century BC, as it has been mentioned by Pāṇini.

Later, tt seems to have been corrupted to Sirsats from its ancient name Sairishaka.

Fort of King Saras, Sirsa

According to local tradition, an unknown king named Saras founded the town in the 7th century AD and built a fort. The remains of an ancient fort can still be seen in the South-East of the present town. It is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) in circumference. According to another tradition, the name has its origin from the sacred river Sarasvati which one flowed near it. During the medieval period, the town was known as Sarsuti as noted by a number of medieval historians. In the ancient period, Sirsa was also known as Sirsapattan.

Haryana

Haryana is a state in North India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 November 1966 on the basis of language distribution. The name Haryana is found in the works of the 12th century AD Apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar (VS 1189–1230). It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south. The river Yamuna defines its eastern border with Uttar Pradesh. Haryana surrounds the country's capital Delhi on three sides, forming the northern, western and southern borders of Delhi. Consequently, a large area of south Haryana is included in the National Capital Region for purposes of planning for development.

Haryana is one of the wealthier states of India and had the second highest per capita income in the country at ₹119158 (US$1,800) in the year 2012–13 (See List of Indian states by GDP) and ₹132089 (US$1,900) in the year 2013–14 including the largest number of rural crorepatis in India. Haryana is also one of the most economically developed regions in South Asia and its agricultural and manufacturing industry has experienced sustained growth since the 1970s.