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Haryana - History - Ancient

Haryana is known as cradle of Indian Civilization. Haryana has a proud history going back to the Vedic Age. The state was the home of the legendary Bharata dynasty, which has given the name Bharat to India. Haryana finds mention in the great epic of Mahabharata. Kurukshetra, the scene of the epic battle between the Kaurvas and the Pandavas, is situated in Haryana.

Regarding the origin of the name as Hariyana (Haryana ), there are diverse interpretations. Hariyana is an ancient name. During the olden period, this region was known as Brahmavarta, Aryavarta and Brahomoupdesa. These names are based on the emergence of Brahama-Lord on the land of Haryana ; the abode of Aryas and home of the preachings of vedic cultures and other rites. According to Professor H.A. Phadke, “with an inter-mingling of various peoples and races, Haryana’s contribution to the making of the composite Indian culture has been remarkable in its own way.

Quite significantly, the region has been hailed as the matrix of creation and the very heaven on earth. Its other names Bahudhanyaka and Hariyanka suggest abundance of food supply and vegetation”. The earliest of the proto historic people who are called pre-Harappans settled at Banawali in the first half of the 3rd millennium B.C. They built their houses of sun dried or kiln-baked bricks displaying a sense of direction and definite town- planning. They were skilled in producing pottery with vide range of decorative shapes, and knew copper smelting. For their decoration they used ornaments of leads or gold, semi precious stones, terracotta, steatite and bangles of clay, shel, faience and copper.

The second phase in the protohistory of the region is marked by the advent of the Harappans (C.2300-1200 BC) whose most prominent settlement were discovered at Banawali and Rakhigarhi. At Banawali, the Harappans supplanted the Pre- Harappans about 2300 B.C. They were versatile in building planned and fortified township laid in the classical chessboard pattern.The striking feature of this culture were streets, defence walls and sanitary arrangements. The next phase called the late Harappan culture (1700 BC-1500 BC) representing the decadent phase of Harappan civilization.

Aryans first settled in the territory of Haryana, particularly on the blanks of Saraswati and Drisavati rivers. The Rigvedic Rishis conceived this world as a fit place for virtuous men to lead a good life under the protection of benevolent gods. The world was not considered as an evil, a place of misery by the Rigvedic Rishis. There was no eagerness to get rid of the body and to escape from the shakles of this world. There was no tinge of pessimism in the Regvedic religion or philosophy. They did not believe that life is a misery which can be ended by eradicating desire or vasna. There was little mention of evil and the fate of evil men. With the advent of the Aryans in the later half of the second millennium BC began a new era in the history of this region. With the growth of extensive kingdoms and large cities, the political and cultural sway of Aryans further extended towards the east and south. By the end of Vedic period the Aryans had throughly conquered and subdued the fertile plains of northern India.

In the later age, sacriface became the all important thing in worship. The sacrifice dominated everything. Gods were subordinated by them. People believed that gods must submit to the sacrifice if properly performed. Hymns were considered as charms or spells to be used in sacrifices. Popular superstitious beliefs in spirits, imps, spells, charms, incantations and witchcraft found a place in the sacred canon.

The Mahabharata is not one poetic production at all, but rather a whole literature, a great compilation exending over centuries. It is now generally accepted that the great battle between the Kauravas and Pandavas was a historical event which occurred some time between 1400 and 1000 B.C. It is equally true that Sutra tradition and narrative literature are of a very early date. With the passage of time, new legend and episodes of kings and various aspects of human life described in its social and political bearing came to be added in the central theme. This process continued for centuries till about early part of Christian era and epic attained its present form in a hundred thousand verses. The transformation of original story into our present compilation took place over the long stretch of years between the 4th century BC and 4th century AD.

The Puranas are a type of mytho-historical literature which has played a unique role in the development of Indian society and culture for many centuries. The Puranas deal with (1) the evolution of the universe, (2) dissolution or recreation of the universe, (3) genealogies of gods and seers, (4) groups of great ages included in an aeon, kalpa and (5) the history of royal families.

Scythians and Persians left an indelible mark on the foods and drinks of the Haryanvis. Besides drinking, eating of flesh of different animals, the consumption of garlic and onion continues to date in many of the Haryanvi homes. The Kushana dominions extended from Varanasi to Central Asia. So Haryana became a part of a Central Asiatic empire without any barrier or frontier. The people of Asia swarmed into Punjab and Haryana in vast multitudes and dominated their culture. Haryana has been the scene of many wars because of it being "The Gateway of North India". As years rolled by, successive streams of Huns, Turks and the Afghans invaded India and decisive battles were fought on this land. After the downfall of the Gupta empire in the middle of 6th century AD north India was again split into several kingdoms. The Huns established their supremacy over the Punjab. It was after this period that one of the greatest King of ancient India, Harshvardhan began his rule. He became the King of Thanesar (Kurukshetra) in 606 AD, and later went on to rule the most of north India. In the 14th century, the Tomar kings led an army through this region to Delhi.

The Huns who entered India as barbaric invaders during the fifth century AD, held sway over north India for less than half a century and soon Indianized. Soon they were recognized as one of the thirty six clans of the Rajputs and the sub-caste Hoon still persists in this region. Social mobility seems to be in the very blood of the Punjabis and Haryanvis.