Rohtak
The district derives its name from its headquarter's town
Rohtak which is
said to be a correction of Rohtashgarh,a name still applied to the ruined
sites(also called khokhrakot) of two older sites, one lying immediately
north of the present town and other about 5 Kms.towards the east. Traditionally,
it is named after Raja Rohtash in whose days city is said to have been built.
It is also claimed that the town derives its name from the Roherra (Tacoma
undulate) tree called Rohitaka in Sanskrit. It is said that before the town
came into existance,it was the site of a forest of Rohitaka trees and hence
ita name became Rohtak.Another version connects Rohtak with Rohitaka, which
is mentioned in Mahabharta in connection with campaign of Nakula, the Pandva
warrior. History of the district as an Administrative unit.
The areas of Rohtak district under went many changes, extending over hundreds
of years before the administrative unit emerged in its present from. Under
the Mughal Emperor Akbar, when his Minister Todar Mal divided North India
into administrative circles, the areas of Rohtak(as a part of Suba of Delhi)
fell within the Sarkars of Delhi and Hisar firuqa. Lying close to the imperial
city of Delhi, the tract which now comprises the Rohtak district,was often
granted in military Jagir by the Sultan and Mughal emperors to the Nobles
of the court. For this reason Rajput, Brahman, Afgan,& Baluch chiefs
have at different times enjoyed its revenues. On the death of Bahadur-Shah-I(1707-12),the
successor of Aurangzeb, the Mugal empire began to decline rapidly. The areas
of Rohtak frequently experienced a change of masters. The claims of Imperials
were contested sometimes by the Rajputs,Jats & Sikhs and often by the
Marathas. George Thomas, the protage of a Maratha leader, Appa Kandirao,
established his authority at Hansi and extended it to Meham and Rohtak for
a number of years, until Sindhia and various other regional forces combined
to derive him away. Sindhia was, however, not destined to hold for long
his conquests to the west of the Yamuna. By the treaty of Surjit Arjungaon,
signed on Dec. 30,1803, the Rohtak area alongwith the other possessions
of Sindhia situtated to the west of Yamuna passed to the British and came
under the administration of the North-west provinces.
The British had no intention at that time to hold large territories beyound
the Yamuna. Accordingly, a number of Chiefs and leaders who had done good
military service against the Marathas or had atleast remained neuthural,
were settled in this tract to form a barrier of independent outposts between
the British border and the Cis-Sutlej Sikh estates as well as the trans-sutlej
rising kingdom of Ranjit Singh. Accordingly, the Jhajjar territory was given
to Nawab Nijabat Ali Khan and the Baluch possessions at B.Garh to his brother,
Nawab Ismail Khan. Gohana & Kharkhoda-Mandothi tehsils were given to
Raja Bagh Singh of Jind & Bhai Lal Singh of Kaithal as life jagirs.
The villages Lohari, Patudha and Kheri Sultan in the south east corner of
Jhajjar tehsil were given as a seprate Jagir to Mohmad Khan son & Nawab
Nijabat Ali Khan. The estates of Hassngarh, Kirhauli, Pyladgarh(Pehladpur)
and Khurampur in Sampla area were also granted to him for life. Rohtak,Beri
and Meham tehsils of the present distt. were given to the Nawab of Dujana
who resigned the major portion of the gift in A.D.1809 because it was beyond
his power to manage it.
The formation of present Rohtak district began when the gift was abandoned
by the Dujana Chief. The Gohana and Kharkhoda-Mandothi estates lapsed to
the British Govt. after of the death of Bhai Lal Singh in A.D.1818 and Bhagh
Singh in 1820. When the Hissar district was created in the latter year,
the Beri and Meham-Bhiwani tehsils were included in Hisar and the other
portions of the present northern tehsils in Panipat. In 1824 the Rohtak
distt. was formed as a separate unit consisting of Gohana, Kharkhoda-Mandothi,
Rohtak, Beri and Meham -Bhiwani tehsils. The Bahadurgarh territory formed
its estern and Jhajjar its southern boundary. Until A.D.1832, the whole
area, including Rohtak, was under the resident of Delhi, but when in that
year it was brought under the same regulations as the rest of North indian,
the resident became commissioner. The Distt. Was abolised in A.D. 1841 Gohana
going to Panipat and rest of tehsil to Delhi but in the very next year it
was created again. Two Distt. of Rohtak and Jhajjar togather with rest of
Delhi and Hisar divisions were deatched from North-western provinces after
1857 and passed to the Punjab by the Govt. of India on 13th April ,1858.
The Rohtak distt. remained a part of the Hisar division until 1884.
After its transfer to the Punjab , the Rohtak Distt. Experienced several
changes before assuming its present form. Bahadurgarh estate was added to
the Sampla tehsil, five detached village to the east, going to Delhi. Jhajjar
including some areas of Narnaul, Kanaudh and Dahari was at first created
as a new distt. but was abolished shorthly afterwards in 1860, when large
parts of it were assigned to the phulkian chief as a rewards for their loyal
services. While the Jhajjar tehsil itself was added to Rohtak several Badali
villages were transferred either to Delhi or Gurgoan and two deatched Jhajjar
estates were given to the Raja of Jind. In the following year , The Meham
tehsil was abolished and after making necessary territirial adjustments
in favour of Hisar and Delhi, the rest of the area was added to Rohtak tehsil.
All these changer were completeded by 1st July, 1861.
On the abolition of Hisar Division in 1884, the Rohtak Distt. Was transferred
to Delhi division. It consisted of four tehsils-Rohtak, Gohana, Jhajjar
& Sampla, But in April, 1910, Sampla tehsil was abolised for reasons
of administrative economy and its area was divided between the Rohtak and
Jhajjar tehsils which had reminded attached to the Delhi distt. since the
year 1861 and was added to the Rohtak distt. in sept,1912,on the seperation
of Delhi Territory from the Punjab. The distt. Was then attached to Ambala
division .In 1948,Dujana state was merged in Jhajjar tehsil and a new sub-tehsil
of Nahar was created.
Thus, Rohtak distt. was given a shae with four Tehsils i.e. Rohtak, Sonipat,
Jhajjar & Gohana with Nahar & Meham as sub-tehsil of Jhajjar and
Gohana tehsils respectively. Tehsil of B.Garh was created in 1973 from Jhajjar
tehsil. In 1973 Meham sub-tehsil was upgraded as tehsil .Sonipat tehsil
was created by bifurcating Rohtak distt, and Gohana and Sonipat tehsils
were alloted to Sonipat district. One more tehsil ,Kosli was created out
of Jhajjar tehsil and Nahar sub-tehsil was abolised and the bifurcated Rohtak
distt., compresed of five tehsils, namely Rohtak, B.garh ,Jhajjar, Meham
and kosli and one sub-tehsil M.hail was also created. In Nov.,1989 reorganisation
of distt. took place and Gohana tehsil was again attached with Rohtak distt.
Of Rewari. Three sub-tehsils of Badli ,M.hail and Beri were created again
in July ,92,Gohana tehsil was again transferred to Sonipat distt. and Badli
sub-tehsil was abolised later on.
Rohtak Tourism Reservation Form
