The year 1803 is an important year in the history of Haryana. In this year the area of what is now present day Haryana and Delhi came under the control of the East India Company of Great Britain. At that time Delhi was being ruled by the old and week Mughal ruler Shah Alam. But the real power lay in the hands of the Maratha leader Daulat Rao Sindhiya, who acted as his Regent. On 6th September, 1803 the battle between General Lake's British forces and the Marathas took place near village Partapganj, 6 miles south of Delhi. Many people from Haryana fought along with the Marathas against the British. Among them were the Jats, led by Hari Singh, the king of Ballabhgarh, Ahirs, led by Rao Tej Singh of Rewari and 5000 Sikhs. The Marathas fought bravely but lost due to the cowardice of French officers who were assisting them. When the British entered Delhi on 14 September, 1803, the Mughal ruler Shah Alam surrendered. On 30 September, 1803, the Maratha leader Daulat Rao Sindhiya also decided to make peace with the British by signing a treaty with the East India Company. Under this treaty the areas of Haryana and Delhi came under the control of the British.

e treatise written by Manu, the lawgiver in Indian mythology, designated Haryana as Brahmavart from where the Brahmanical religion and social system grew up and spread outwards to the rest of the country. in a sense, therefore, one can say that much of the Hindu religion and society was formed on the flat, dry plains of the present-day Haryana.

the epic of the Mahabharata, it was at Kurukshetra, during a battle between that Kaurava and Pandava princes that Lord Krishna delivered one of his most important messages through the celestial sermon-the Geeta.

The Treatise written by Manu, the lawgiver in Indian mythology, designated Haryana as Brahmavart from where the Brahmanical religion and social system grew up and spread outwards to the rest of the country. In a sense, therefore, one can say that much of the Hindu religion and society was formed on the flat, dry plains of the present-day Haryana.

In the epic of the Mahabharata, it was at Kurukshetra, during a battle between that Kaurava and Pandava princes that Lord Krishna delivered one of his most important messages through the celestial sermon-the Geeta.

With Delhi as the prize awaiting generations of invaders, Haryana served as a sort of a geographical corridor. Over the centuries, waves of invaders poured across the plains of Haryana, sometimes fighting battles there. At the end of the 14th century, Timur led an army through the state towards Delhi. In 1526, the invading Mughals defeated the armies of the ruling Lodi dynasty at the Battle of Panipat and 30 years later, in 1556, the Mughals won yet another decisive battle there.

By the mid-18th century, the Marathas were in control of Haryana, an era that was brought to an end after the Afghans under Ahmed Shah Abdali defeated the Maratha forces in the third battle of Panipat in 1761.

This is the land where the famous Indian epic, the Bhagwad Gita, was spoken; where the Rig Veda, the oldest and foremost Aryan manuscript, was composed; where the Mahabharata, the greatest of all wars, was fought; where Babur routed Ibrahim Lodi to establish the mighty Mughal dynasty; where Muslims were dethroned and Marathas lost the glory of their honour.
Haryana, the land with perhaps the most exciting and gory history in the world, is a forgotten state -- nobody goes there except the people who live there!

Tourist Attraction:

Kurukshetra:
160 km away from Delhi along the national highway NH1, it is the battle ground between the Pandavas and the Kauravas as mentioned in the great Indian epic the Mahabharata. This is where, Lord Krishna inculcated Arjuna, the lessons of Karma and Dharma, which took shape in the Bhagwat Gita.

Panipat:
Three fabled battles of Panipat remain important landmarks in the history of India. The first between Babar and Ibrahim Lodhi paved the way for the great Mughal Empire in India.

Badhkal Lake:
Only 32kms away from Delhi, it offers a charming day out. Manicured gardens and a serene ambience surround the lake.

Dumdama Lake:
The Lake is another attractive day excursion only 56kms away from Delhi. The Aravalli hills provide a picturesque backdrop to the placid lake, which has facilities for canoeing, kayaking & angling.

Panchkula:
8kms away from Chandigarh, Panchkula is home to the temple of Goddess Shakti, consort of Lord Shiva. The temple was built by the Maharaja of Patiala to commemorate his victory in a battle in 1861.

Surajkund:
The Lake, built by a Rajput king Surajpal Tomar, represents the rising sun. The ruins of a Sun temple lie around the lake. The place is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Haryana for its annual fair in February in a bid to promote the traditional handicrafts and handlooms of the state and India.
Apart from the ones mentioned above, other important tourist attractions in Haryana are: Dabchik, Karna Lake, Sultanpur, Sohna to name only a few.