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HISTORY OF JIND DISTRICT
ANCIENT PERIOD :
The area in which the Jind district lies formed an
integral part of Kurukshetra in the traditional geographical account. It derived
its name after Jainti, an ancient tirtha mentioned in the Mahabharata and the
Padma Purana, founded in honor of Jainti, the goddess of victory. According
to a local tradition, the goddess was invoked by the Pandavas for victory in
the battle against the Kauravas. The antiquity of the district is established on the basis
of the discovery of the Pre-Harappan, the Late-Harappan and the Painted Grey
Ware pottery at various places from the district and the mention of its tirthas
in the Puranas corroborates it. The district was first occupied by a pre-Harappan
Chalcolitic agricultural community whose pottery has been recovered from a
number of places such as Anta, Morkhi, Beri Khera (tahsil Safidon); Balu,
Hatho, Rani Ran (Bata), Pahlwan, Dhakal (tahsil Narwana); Birbaraban,
Barsana, Pauli, Karsola (tahsil
Jind), etc. It is not yet possible to state from where these people had moved
here or to throw much light on their socio-economic life. However, on the
basis of the evidence of the nearby pre-Harappan sites like Mitathal (Bhiwani
district), Siswal, Banwali and Rakhigarhi (Hisar district), it may be stated
that these people possibly lived in mud brick and thatched roof houses, used
wheel-made pottery, terracotta and copper-made objects. Ritauli, Birbaraban, Pauli (Jind tahsil), and Balu
(Narwana tahsil) have yielded pottery of the mature Harappan culture. Further the existence of the
classical Harappan site of Rakhigarhi(Hisar District) about 15 kms from Jind
suggests the existence of such sites also in Jind district, but in the
absence of excavations, it is not
possible to go beyond this surmise.
After the Harappans, the region was inhabited by the late-Harappans (1700
B.C.-1300 B.C.) whose pottery has been recovered from many places in the
district. No Late-Harappans site has so far been excavated in the district ,
but on the basis of the evidence from the adjoining areas like Mitahal (
Bhiwani district ) , Bhagwanpur and Mirzpur (near Raja Karna Ka Kila,
Kurukshetra District), etc. it appears that the pepole representing this
culture lived in mud bricks houses , used oval ovens and thick sturdy red-ware, well levigated
and burnt.The discovery of painted and incised terracotta figurines, possibly
indicates their belief in animal worship. About 1000 B.C., with the advent of the painted Grey Ware
people, generally associated with the Aryans, a new era dawned upon this
district. The people representing this new culture settled on the banks of
the holy rivers Sarasvati and Drishadvati, and the region came to be known as
the holy land of Kurukshetra. Thus the district of Jind formed the southern
boundary of Kurukshetra is indicated by a later cultural development in the
form of Yakshas or Dvarapalas at Ram Rai (Jind tahsil) and Barta (Narwana
tahsil). The sacred Drishadavati ,in fact, passed through some places like
Hat, Assan, Brah, Jind, Dhundwa and Ramrai. The mention of various tirthas of
the district in the Mahabharta and the Puranas points to the continuance of
activities of the Aryans, The region came under the sway of the Vedic
Bharatas, Purus and the Kurus and was included in the kingdom of the Pandavas
under whom it touched the hight of glory. King Parikshit, grandson of the
Pandavas had his second capital at Asandivat (Asandh in Karnal district),
very close to the Jind district. Parikshit, however, lost his life in the
struggle against the Nagas of Taxila. This defeat, later avenged by his son
Janamejaya, is symbolised in the epic tradition of the snake sacrifice which
possibly took place at Sarpi Darvi of Safidon. It may safely be inferred that this area was also
included in the kingdom of the Kurus, which was one of the sixteen
Mahajanapadas in the 6th century B.C. mentioned in the Buddhist
literature. It was a part of the Nanda Empire, and its people are included by
Panini among the warrior communities (Ayudha- Jivins) of Punjab. Later on, these people may have possibly assisted
Chandragupta in his war of liberation against the foreign Greeks.
Archaeological remains of pre-Mauryan and Mauryan times have been recovered
from a number of places in the district. Furthermore, the discovery of an
Ashokan Edict at Topra, pillars at Hisar and Fatehabad and stupas at Chaneti
and Thanesar in the adjoining districts suggests inclusion of the Jind area
in the Mauryan empire. After the fall of the Mauryas, the region witnessed the
rise of several important republican people. Among these the most important
were of course the Yaudheyas who spread over an extensive area from Ludhiana
to Bharatpur in Rajasthan. The Yaudheyas later submitted to the superior
power of the Kushanas whose coins have been found throughout Kashmir, Punjab,
Haryana, Mathura and other regions. An Athsho (an Iranian fire deity) type
coin of Kanishka was recovered from village Anta (Safidon tahsil). The
Sonipat hoard of Kushana coins, their coin moulds from Narangabad (Bhiwani
district) and crude imitation of coin types of Vasudeva I from other places
including those form this district, and also the discovery of typical pottery
of Kushana times from the district suggest that the Kushanas ruled here. With
the decline of the Kushanas power after Havishaka (138 A.D.) the Yaudheyas
again asserted their independence some time during the third century A.D.
Their coins belonging to this period have been found throughout Haryana,
e.g., Sonipat, Rohtak, Raia, Anawali, Karontha, Narangabad, Hansi, Sirsa,
Hisar, Assan, Jaijaiwanti and Anta. In the fourth century A.D., the region
alongwith the Yaudheyas submitted to Samudra-Gupta and after the fall of the
imperial Guptas, to the Hunas. In the seventh century A.D. it formed part of
the region called Srikantha and was under the Pushpabhutis of Thanesar. Under
the Pushpahautis, the region attained the pinnacle of glory but after the
death of Harsha what became of the region is not precisely known. Towards the
end of seventh century A.D., the army of Yasovarman, the king of Kanauj
passed through this region. In the ninth and tenth centuries, the district
formed part of the Partihara empire whose inscriptions have been found at
Sirsa, Pehowa and Delhi. Later on, the Tomaras, the feudatories of the
Pratiharas came to power here. As indicated in the Palam Boali and Delhi Museum
inscriptions, the Tomaras ruled the Haryana country from their capital
Dhillika, modern Delhi till the middle of Twelth century when they were over
thrown by the Chahamana Vigraharaja IV (Visaladeva). Hansi, Sirsa, Pinjore,
and Bhatinda were the chief centres of political activity during this period.
The Chahamana supremacy in this region, however, could not last long. The
defeat of the forces of Prithyiraja by Shihab-ud-din (Muizz-ud-din) Gauri in
the decisive battle of Tarai (1192 A.D.) and the fight of Prithviraj towards
Sirsa, his capture and subsequent death , gave a definite turn to the
political fortune of the region. With almost the whole of the north west of
India, It passed on to the Muslim rule for centuries to come. MEDIEVAL PERIOD :
After the demise of Shihab-ud-din Gauri, Qutb-ud-din
Aibak, his favorite general
established Turkish rule in northern India in 1206. The Haryana
territory, including the present Jind district, formed a part of the
Sultanate of Aibak who placed the district under the Iqta of Hansi. Officers
mostly belonging to the army, were put incharge of the administration to
preserve law and order and collect taxes, in the towns of Jind, Dhatrat and
Safidon. The villages were left to themselves; none interfered in their
affairs if they paid their revenue in time. This position continued throughout the reign of Aibak and
his successors, up to A.D. 1283. But the Khaljis under Ala-ud-din, the
greatest of the kings of this dynasty made definite changes. He took the
region in his tight grip by placing it under direct control of the central
government. The change was for the worse. Ala-ud-din squeezed the people of
their incomes in such a ruthless manner
that they literally became paupers. Unfortunately the two Tughluqs
Ghiyas-ud-din (A.D.1320-1325) and Muhammad Tughluq (A.D. 1325-1351) who came
after him were in no way better than him. However the third Tughluq Firoz (A.D. 1351-1388) behaved
differently; he undid what his predecessors had done. He reduced the land
revenue, exempted the peasants of several taxes and provided them with many
facilities. In 1355-56 he brought water to the thirsty soil of the district.
He took out a canal from the Yamuna which entered the district at Anta, and
thence flowing through the present Jind tahsil from east to west in the line
of the old Chutang nadi past the town of Safidon and Jind, reached up to
Hisar. Firoz also made some administrative changes here. He
created a separate Iqta of Safidon; and placed the entire area of the present
district under its Mukta, Yalkhan, a trusted noble. He also changed the name
of Safidon to Tughluqpur. After Firoz’s death (A.D. 1388), the district felt the
full force of those deadly discords which rent the Delhi Sultanate. Along
with the other territories in Haryana, Jind slipped out of the hands of the
Tughluqs. The people became quite assertive and accepted only the local
authority. There is one important event of this time which needs to
be mentioned. Timur launched a fierce attack on northern India in A.D. 1398.
He entered Haryana from Punjab side and overran the districts of Sirsa and
Hisar. Fortunately, the district of Jind did not suffer much at his hands;
during his march from Tohana to Kaithal and then from Kaithal to Panipat he
touched only the outskirts of the district except for a short distance of a
few kilometers from Moana (a small village near the Karnal-Jind border) to
Safidon and a little beyond. The inhabitants of these places
ran away before his advent and the invader could not lay his hands on any
thing except for burning the fort of Safidon. After Timur’s return from India, the same old situation
again arose. There was no king and no government for the people of Jind for
quite some time. The Sayyids could not effect any improvement in the
situation, but their successors, the Lodis brought the distrcit under their
control in A.D. 1451 and retained it until 1526 when Babur, the founder of
the Mughal empire in India snatched it from the weak hands of the last of
their rulers, Ibrahim Lodi. Babur gave the entire Hisar division including the Jind
district to Humayun as a reward for his meritorious services during the last
campaign. Humayun retained it until 1530 when Babur died and he himself
became the king of Hindustan. Subsequently, the Faujdar of Hisar controlled
the district until 1540, when Humayun was driven out of his empire by Sher
Shah Suri. Sher Shah was an administrative genius. He divided his
whole kingdom into sixty six sarkars. Jind came, as in the earlier time, under
the Sarkar of Hisar. Its administration was carried out by two officials,
namely, Shiqdar-i-Shiqdaran and Munsif-Munsifan. Unfortunately there is no
direct evidence to give the exact number of parganas into which the district
was then divided, but it is surmised that they were three. The parganas were
controlled by Shiqdars, Munsifs and junior officials, like Qanungos,
Khazanchis, etc. The smallest unit of administration was the village which
was administered by the Muqaddams, and Panchayats; Patwaris and Chaukidars
helped in discharging their work. Sher Shah ruled for only five years
(1540-45). There was peace, prosperity and tranquility every where during his
short rule, but not after him. The Mughal Emperor Humayun took advantage of
the new situation and wrested his lost kingdom from them. Jind district again
came under the Mughal sway (1555). Humayun’s death within a year threw confusion all around.
But his son, Akbar, not yet 14, effected improvement in the situation after
his victory over Hemu in the second battle of Panipat, 1556. The Ain-i-Akbari does not give the number of
villages in the different mahals or in the aggregate. It, however, makes
reference to a brick fort at Dhatrat. Jind had, interestingly, no fort at
that time. The administrative machinery that controlled the villages, mahals
and sarkars was of the same type as was found in this region in the time of
Sher Shah. The above administrative set-up remained intact during
the reign of Akbar’s
successors-Jahangir (1605-1627), Shah Jahan (1627-1658), and Aurangzeb
(1658-1707). The situation however, underwent drastic changes after
the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 which ushered in an era of chaos and
confusion. The imperial authority ceased to carry any awe with it and people
stopped caring for it. In Jind, the sturdy Jats, Rajputs, Ranghars and Ahirs
became disorderly and would not pay land revenue to their old masters or
accept their authority. Their villages surrounded by mud walls were like
fortresses which could only be reduced by artillery and a large force which
the local haqims could not always muster. JIND STATE :
One Gajpat Singh, a great
grandson of Phul, the founder of the Phulkian Misl, one of the 12
confederacies of the Sikhs in the 18th century took advantage of
the above situation. He took part in the attack of the Sikhs on the province
of Sirhind in 1763 in which Zain Khan, The Afghan governor of the province
was killed. Gajpat Singh occupied a large tract of the country including Jind
and Safidon as his share of the spoil. He made Jind his headquarters and
built a large brick fort there. In 1772, Emperor Shah Alam conferred upon Gajpat Singh
the title of Raja. From this time onward, the Sikh chief ruled as an independent
prince and coined money in his own name The Delhi authority failed several
times to bring him under its control. In 1774 a serious quarrel arose between
Gajpat Singh and Himir Singh , the then ruler of Nabha . Gajpat singh used
force and took possession of Amloh Bhadson and Sangrur ,by the intervention
of the ruler of Patiala and other friends . The first two places were
restored to Nabha but Sangrur then a village was retained. Raja Gajpat Singh’s Daughter Bibi Kaur married Sardar
Mahan Singh Sukrachakla and became the mother of famous Maharaja Ranjit
Singh. This must have enhanced Gajpat Singh’s prestige. Moreover his
strategic position in the North-Western corner of the Rohtak region made it
easy for him to have his hold over some parts of Haryana –Gohana, Hisar etc.
which he and his successors held until the beginning of the last century. Raja Gajpat Singh died in 1786 and was succeeded by his
son Bhag Singh at a very tough time. But he overcame this serious menace with
the help of his brother chief of the Cis-Satluj tract and the Marathas. Bhag Singh was a shrewd man. He was the first of all the
Cis-Satluj princes to seek an alliance with the British . In 1803 he assisted
Lord Lake in his way against the Marathas and received confirmation of the
Gohana estste. He also prevented his nephew Maharaja Ranjit Singh from
espousing the cause of Jaswant Rao Holkar,.The British recognised in him a
great friend and ally and showed him many marks of favour and regard. Raja Bhag Singh suffered a severe paralytic attack in
March 1813. Unfit to run the administration of his state, the ailing chief
wished to appoint Prince Pratap Singh the ablest and wisest of all his sons
as his regent to do his work . But
the British government to whom the anti-British bearing of the prince was
known stood in his way and got Rani Sobrahi appointed in place of the price
in 1814. This was unbearable for Paratap Singh and he raised the standard of
revolt on June 23, 1814. He being a popular figure the state forces also revolted
and joined him forth with. With their help the prince lost no time in
occupying the Jind fort and established his government after putting the Rani
the puppet of the British government to the sword. This alarmed the British authorities very much and the
British resident at Delhi sent his force against Pratap Singh , the prince
thinking that he would not be able to
give a fight to this force from the
Jind fort, retired to a relatively stronger position at Balanwati , a fort in
the wild country about Bhatinda. The
British attacked him with full force and after a fierce fighting for some time Pratap Singh had to leave
this fort and take his position in the country on the other bank of the
Satluj after crossing it at Makhowal . Here he was joined by Phaula Singh
Akali. Pratap singh remained with
Phaula Singh at Nanpur Mokhowal for two months and persuaded the latter to
assist him actively at Balanwali. When the British came to know that Phula
Singh had crossed the Satluj, they directed Nabha and Malerkotla rulers to
attack him. Balanwali was then invaded by Patiala troops and was almost
prepared to surrender when its defenders heard the approach of Phula Singh.
They at once broke the negotiations while Pratap Singh went in advance and
with a few men threw himself into the fort. The Patiala troops marched to
intercept Phula Singh who was unable to relieve the fort and retired towards
the Satluj. The British directed Nabha and Kaithal chiefs to help Patiala
troops. Balanwali Surrendered and Pratap Singh was taken a prisoner and was
placed under merely a nominal restraint. Pratap Singh later fled to Lohore.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh refused to give a shelter to Pratap Singh and gave him
up to the British who placed him in confinement at Delhi where he died in
1816. The administration of Jind was entrusted to prince Fateh
Singh. Though Raja Bhag Singh did not like the arrangement, yet he did not
oppose it. In fact, he had neither the will nor the means to do it. Bhag
Singh died in 1819, and Fateh Singh succeeded him. He ruled for a short time
only and died three years later (1822). Now Sangat Singh, (11 years old)
succeeded him. He hated the authority of the British which the latter noted
with grave concern. But, before they could think of dealing with him he died
a sudden death on November 2, 1834. Annoyed as the British Government was
with the deceased Raja, they forfeited a number of his estates in Ludhiana,
Mudki, etc. (about 150 villages) and in the trans-Satluj region (Halwara,
Talwandi, etc.). The latter estates were given to Ranjit singh. Since the deceased Raja left no male heir behind him,
Sarup Singh, his cousin succeeded him. He was very friendly and loyal to
British, but not to his people, especially of Balanwali. They did not relish
the change and organised themselves to oppose him. Gulab Singh Gill, formerly
a Risaldar in Jind army and Dal Singh, brother-in-law of Prince Pratap Singh,
were their leaders. The rebels got a good deal of inspiration from Mai Sul
Rai, the widow of Prince Pratap Singh. A British force was dispatched against
the rebels in early 1835. By March the ranks of the rebels had swelled a good
deal. The people of the neighboring villages like Bhai Chakian, etc. and the
Akalis of Gurusar, a place of pilgrimage had joined hands with them. The
villagers fought well, but being inferior to their enemy in military
knowledge, strategy and tactics, arms and ammunitions, they lost the day.
Their casualties in the action were quite heavy, Gulab Singh being one of
them. Dal Singh and Mai Rai were apprehended and put behind the bars, along
with their supporters. And thus ended a popular revolt after much bloodshed
and cruelty on the part of the British government. Raja Sarup Singh gave great help to the British
government for his selfish motives. In 1857, immediately on learning of the
outbreak, he conducted his troops to Karnal by forced marches and undertook
the defence of the city and cantonment. He then sent a detachment of his
troops to north of Delhi, thus enabling the Meerut force to cross the Yamuna
and join Sir H. Barnard’s column. The
Jind forces marched in advance of the British army recovering Samalkha
and Rai, securing the road and collecting supplies for the army. They were
complimented on the field by the Commander-in-Chief, who sent one of the
captured guns to the Raja as a present. In the assault of Delhi also the Jind
troops took a prominent part. Resultingly Dadri and Kularan were made over to
the Raja, privileges of full sovereignty were granted to him and his
successors in perpetuity and honorary titles were conferred on him Raja Sarup Singh died in 1864. He was succeeded by his son Raghbir Singh. Immediately
after his installation, Raghbir Singh was faced with a serious revolt of the
peasantry in the newly acquired territory of Dadri. In May 1874, the poor
exploited peasants of about 50 villages in this tract led by their local
Chaudharis and Hakim and Kasim Ali rose en- masse captured police station
arrested Thanedar and proclaimed the end of the Raja’s rule. This was a big
challenge to Raja who immediately marched in person at the head of a big
army. His first attack was on Charkhi (14 May), where 1500-2000 persons of
the rebellious villages had collected and entrenched themselves. They
resisted the Raja to the last but ultimately they were defeated and their
village was burnt. Next, Mankawas was attacked, captured and destroyed.
However the two defeats did not dishearten the brave villagers who gave a
tough battle to the Raja at Jhauju (16 May). But here also they shared the
same fate and defeat quelled the rebellion once for all. The Raja punished
the leaders but permitted the Zamindar to return and rebuild their ruined villages. The Raja also took side of the British Government on the
occasion of the Kuka outbreak in 1872. Again when the second Afghan war broke
out six years later he gave help to
the British with man, money, and material. The British government conferred
the title of Raja-i-Rajgan on Raghbir Singh. Raghbir Singh died in 1887. His only son Balbir singh had
died during his own lifetime and therefore his grandson, Ranbir Singh, Then
only 8 years of age, succeeded him. During the period of his minority, a
council of regency administered the state, during this regime the state
troops took part in the Tirah campaign of 1897. He was interested in full
ruling powers in November 1899. During the first world war, Jind maintained its loyal
tradition by placing all the resources of his state at the disposal of the
government .The Jind Imperial Service Regiment was on active service for
about three and half years in East Africa; States war gift amounted to over
24 lacs ; while the total loan raised in the state amounted to eleven and
half lacs.The British Government thanked the Maharaja very heartily after the
war . PRAJA MANDAL MOVEMENT :
The Raja as indicated above was very loyal to the
British but indifferent toward the prosperity of his subjects. Instead of looking after their welfare, he effected
their economic exploitation. The poor and ignorant masses groaned under the
exploitation by the Raja. In the first quarter of the present century when winds of
political awakening and enlightenment reached even the remotest corners of
the country , the pepole of Jind were also affected . They became conscious
of their pitiable conditions and began to ponder over has to how to get over
these difficulties . The formation of all India state pepole’s conference in
1927 at the Punjab state Riyasti Paraja Mandal the following years showed
them the way . They too , established the Jind state Parja Mandal however in the condition
which were then in vogue , No open memberhip drive of the Mandal was possible
. Members were recruited secretly . Parja Mandal would appear to have been
established at Narwana . and other places in sport of National movement The
Sikh peasants joined the Paraja Mandal Movement and they launched the stir
against the Raja . The agitators as they were called then led their main attack
on the enhanced revenue rates., corruption and high- handedness of the Chief Minister of the State Raja
Ranbir Singh took a stiff attitude and the stir does not seem to
have achieved any big success but this did not dishearten the people. In the
late Thirties the Parja Mandal Movement sepread to almost all parts of the
state, the branches of Parja Mandal were opened at Sangrur, Dadri, Jind and at several big villages in the region. The Praja Mandalist waged a long
stubborn struggle for the reduction of taxes, abolition of begar and popular
representation in the Government. Their efforts bore fruits, through belated
and the Raja accepted their demand for an elected assembly and formed a
representative government on 18th January, 1947 with five ministers; two
Praja Mandalists, two Akalies, and one Muslim. The Raja had power to veto any
decision of his cabinet. This arrangement did not satisfy the
people especially in the Dadri region, where they rose in revolt in February,
1947. They courted arrests in large number and formed a parallel government
of their own. This compelled the Jind authorities to invite the president of
the All India State Peoples Conference for negotiations. On his advice the
people withdrew the movement. The state authorities promised to look into
their grievances and released all the Praja Mandalists who had been arrested. When India got independence (August,
1947), a non-official poll was taken by the Jind State Praja Mandal in Jind
and Dadri to ascertain the views of the people about their future whether
they wanted to merge with Punjab or stood for a separate state. The majority
of people voted for the former proposal . But the government merged the state
with the newly- created state of Patiala and East Punjab State Union(PEPSU)
on July 15, 1948 With the formation of the Patiala and East
Punjab States Union (PEPSU) in 1948, the state was grouped into eight districts namely, Patiala, Barnala,
Bhatinda, Kapurthala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur, Mahendragarh and Kohistan(Kandaghat).
In 1953, the number of districts was reduced to five, by merging Barnala with
Sangrur and Kandaghat and Fatehgarh
Sahib with Patiala. Thus the Sangrur
district comprised five tahsils, namely, Barnala, Malerkotla, Sangrur,
Narwana and Jind. During the reorganization of the Punjab in 1966, the Sangrur district was bifurcated and
Jind and Narwana tahsils were allocated to Haryana and were constituted into
Jind district. The Jind tahsil was bifurcated into two tahsils of Jind and
Safidon in 1967. In January 1973, 54
villages of Kaithal tahsil were transferred to Jind district, 43 going to
Jind tahsil, 5 to Safidon tahsil and 6 to Narwana tahsil. One village namely,
Barsola was transferred to Jind tahsil from Hansi tahsil of Hisar district in
1974. Last Revised on 07/02/2001 Top
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