Sirsa | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Sirsa  Sirsa | |
| Coordinates:29°32′N75°01′E / 29.533°N 75.017°E /29.533; 75.017 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Haryana |
| Division | Hisar |
| District | Sirsa |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal Council |
| • Body | Sirsa Municipal Council |
| • Municipal Commissioner | Surender Singh[2] |
| Elevation | 200.55 m (658.0 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 200,034[1] |
| • Density | 303/km2 (780/sq mi) |
| Languages[4][5] | |
| • Official | Hindi,Haryanvi |
| • Additional official | Bagri |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 125055 |
| UNLOCODE | IN HSS |
| Telephone code | 91-1666 xxx xxx |
| Vehicle registration | HR-24, HR-57 |
| Sex ratio | 897♂/♀[3] |
| Literacy | 72.1[3] |
| Planning agency | HUDA |
| Website | sirsa mcsirsa |
Sirsa is acity and amunicipal council inSirsa district in the westernmost region of theIndianstate ofHaryana, borderingPunjab andRajasthan. It is located near theThar Desert, 250 kilometres north-west ofNew Delhi and 260 kilometers south-west of the state capitalChandigarh. Sirsa's nearest cities includeHisar,Fatehabad,Ellenabad,Bhadra,Nohar,Mandi Dabwali andHanumangarh. Its history dates back to the time of theMahabharata. At one time, theSarasvati River flowed in this area.[6]
Sirsa has been identified with two earlier names:Sarsūti in medieval sources andŚairīṣaka in ancient literature.[7]: 1 [8]Sarsūti appears to come from the name of theSarasvati River, which once flowed near Sirsa. Ancient texts mentioningŚairīṣaka include theMahābhārata, where it is mentioned as one of the places conquered byNakula; theAṣṭādhyāyī ofPāṇini; and theDivyāvadāna. The nameŚairīṣaka may be derived from the siris tree,Albizia lebbeck, which is common in the area.[7]: 1
A fewfolk etymologies also exist for the name. The name is derived from that of a mystic named Baba Sarsain Nath; however, there is no historical evidence to support this claim.[9]: 4 Another local tradition holds that the town and its fort were founded by a 7th-century king named Saras and subsequently named after him.[7]: 1
There are two adjacent archaeological mounds on the southwest side of present-day Sirsa, but archaeologists have not excavated them; therefore, the origins of the settlement at Sirsa remain unknown. However, some isolated discoveries have been made at the Sirsa mounds. The oldest find is a terracotta toy wheel, discovered in 1988, that archaeologists believe dates back to the Iron AgePainted Grey Ware culture (c. 1200-600 BCE). Four terracotta figures, including three depicting women and one depicting a tree (possibly akalpataru motif), are dated to roughly the time of theMaurya andShunga dynasties. Numerous copper coins of theYaudheya andKushan periods have been found at Sirsa, along with various terracotta objects. These include a statue of the Buddha, a 0.6-m-tall sculpture of the goddessGanga onher mount, amukhalinga depictingShiva, a figure of an elephant with a man and woman riding on top, and various others. Three gold coins from theGupta Empire (one depictingSamudragupta and an unnamed queen consort, one depictingChandragupta II, and one ofKumaragupta I) have also been found at Sirsa, along with numerous terracotta objects.[9]: 17–22
Another discovery from Sirsa is a stone slab inscribed in Sanskrit with a eulogy to a king. The king's name, along with most of the composition, is lost. This inscription is dated to the 5th or 6th century.[7]: 26
Another stone inscription found at the Sirsa mound dates back to the 9th century, during the reign ofMihira Bhoja. Although a large part is missing,[10]: 294 the surviving part records the construction of a brick temple to Shiva by aPāśupataacharya named Nīlakaṇṭha.[7]: 26
According to theTarikh-i-Firishta, theGhaznavid sultanMas'ud I captured Sirsa during his campaign to conquerHansi in 1037. His troops apparently encountered an abundance ofsugar cane growing at Sirsa, which they used to fill the moat around the town's fortress to attack it.[7]: 26 [9]: 28 However, subsequent Ghaznavid infighting seems to have enabled theTomara dynasty to recapture Sirsa, since coins of Tomara rulers both before and after 1037 have been found at Sirsa.[7]: 26–7
The historianHasan Nizami mentioned Sirsa (asSarsuti) as the place wherePrithviraj Chauhan was captured after theSecond Battle of Tarain in 1192. From this point on, Sirsa came under Muslim control. It constituted aniqta, in this context meaning an administrative division, under theDelhi Sultanate.Ibn Battuta visited Sirsa in 1341, during the reign of the Delhi sultanMuhammad bin Tughlaq; he mentioned that it produced a large amount of rice, some of which was exported to Delhi.[7]: 27–9 Also during the 1300s, the Iranian historianWassaf mentioned Sirsa (asSarsuti) as one of the major cities of northern India.[9]: 5
Sirsa is listed in theAin-i-Akbari as apargana under thesarkar ofHisar, producing a revenue of 4,361,368dams for the imperial treasury and supplying a force of 5000 infantry and 500 cavalry.[11][6]
Sirsa is located at29°32′N75°01′E / 29.53°N 75.02°E /29.53; 75.02.[12] It has an average elevation of 205 metres (672 feet).
As of the2011 Indian Census, Sirsa had a total population of 200,034, comprising 105,378 males and 94,656 females. The population within the 0 to 6-year age group is 22,804. The total number of literates in Sirsa was 144,225, which constituted 72.1% of the population, with a male literacy rate of 76.0% and a female literacy rate of 67.7%. The effective literacy rate of the 7+ population in Sirsa was 81.4%, with a male literacy rate of 86.2% and a female literacy rate of 76.0%. TheScheduled Castes population was 42,967. Sirsa had 39,689 households in 2011.[1]
| Religion | Population (1911)[13] | Percentage (1911) | Population (1941)[14]: 30 | Percentage (1941) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hinduism | 9,323 | 63.73% | 13,083 | 63.15% |
Islam | 4,614 | 31.54% | 6,368 | 30.74% |
Sikhism | 392 | 2.68% | 831 | 4.01% |
Christianity | 123 | 0.84% | 72 | 0.35% |
| Others[a] | 177 | 1.21% | 364 | 1.76% |
| Total Population | 14,629 | 100% | 20,718 | 100% |
| Religion | Population (1941)[14]: 58 | Percentage (1941) |
|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 98,161 | 45.78% |
| Islam | 78,048 | 36.4% |
| Sikhism | 36,657 | 17.1% |
| Christianity | 420 | 0.2% |
| Others[b] | 1,118 | 0.52% |
| Total Population | 214,404 | 100% |
Sirsa has an air base of theIndian Air Force namedSirsa Air Force Station, and this is one of the most important Air Force Stations in India, located near thePakistan border.[citation needed]
The non-governmental organizationDera Sacha Sauda, established in 1948 by asceticMastana Balochistani, has its headquarters in Sirsa.[15][16]
Shri Tara Baba Kutiya, also known asTarakeswar Dham,[clarification needed] was constructed in the year 2003 with help from Sirsa MLAGopal Goyal Kanda.[17] It is near Ramnagarian village on Haryana State Highway 23 (Sirsa-Ellenabad Road). It features a statue ofShiva and an idol ofNandi.[18]
Abubshahar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Sirsa district, which is the largest wildlife sanctuary of Haryana. Abubshaher Wildlife Sanctuary is also the birthplace of the black pheasant.
Yakuza Electric Vehicles is one of the largest electric vehicle manufacturing facilities in Sirsa, Haryana.
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