Geographical of Haryana

Geography

Haryana is a landlocked state in northern India. It is located between 27°39' to 30°35' N latitude and between 74°28' and 77°36' E longitude. The altitude of Haryana varies between 700 to 3600 ft (200 metres to 1200 metres) above sea level. An area of 1,553 km² is covered by forest. Haryana has four main geographical features.

• The Yamuna-Ghaggar plain forming the largest part of the state
• The Shivalik Hills to the northeast
• Semi-desert sandy plain to the southwest
• The Aravalli Range in the south

1. Rivers of Haryana

The river Yamuna flows along its eastern boundary. The ancient Sarasvati River is said to have flowed from Yamuna Nagar, but it has now disappeared.

The river Ghaggar is Haryana's main seasonal river. The Ghaggar rises in the outer Himalayas, between the Yamuna and the Sutlej and enters Haryana near Pinjore, Panchkula district. Passing through Ambala and Hissar, it reaches Bikaner in Rajasthan and runs a course of 290 miles before disappearing into the deserts of Rajasthan.

The Markanda river's ancient name was Aruna. A seasonal stream like the Ghaggar, it originates from the lower Sivalik Hills and enters Haryana near Ambala. During monsoons, this stream swells into a raging torrent notorious for its devastating power. The surplus water is carried on to the Sanisa lake where the Markanda joins the Sarasvati.

An important tributary is the Tangri. The Sahibi originates in the Mewat hills near Jitgarh and Manoharpur in Rajasthan. Gathering volume from about a hundred tributaries, it reaches voluminous proportions, forming a broad stream around Alwar and Patan. On reaching Rohtak it branches off into two smaller streams, finally reaching the outskirts of Delhi and flowing into the Yamuna. There are three other rivulets in and around the Mewat hills – Indori, Dohan and Kasavati and they all flow northwards from the south.^[16]

2. Climate

The climate of Haryana is similar to other states of India lying in the northern plains. It is very hot in summer (up to a high of 50 deg Celsius) and cold in winters (down to a low of 1 deg Celsius). The hottest months are May and June and the coldest being December and January. Rainfall is varied, with the Shivalik Hills region being the wettest and the Aravali Hills region being the driest. About 80% of the rainfall occurs in the monsoon season (July–September) and sometimes causes local flooding.^[16]

3. Flora and fauna

Thorny, dry, deciduous forest and thorny shrubs can be found all over the state. During the monsoon, a carpet of grass covers the hills. Mulberry, eucalyptus, pine, kikar, shisham and babul are some of the trees found here. The species of fauna found in the state of Haryana include black buck, nilgai, panther, fox, mongoose, jackal and wild dog. More than 300 species of birds are found here.

4. Demographics

Religion in Haryana
Religion			Percent
Hinduism			89.7%
Sikhism			6.2%
Islam			4%
Others			0.10%
Distribution of religions

Hindus are majority in Haryana and are about 90% of the population, Sikhs 6.2%, Muslims 4.05% (mainly Meos) and Christians 0.10%.^[17] In 2001 Hindus made up 18,655,925 of the population, Sikhs 1,170,662, Muslims 1,222,196, Jains 57,167, Christians 27,185, and Buddhists 7,140.^[18] Muslims are mainly in the Mewat district and Yamuna Nagar district, while Sikhs are mostly in the districts adjoining Punjab, Hisar, Sirsa, Jind, Fatehabad, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Ambala, and Panchkula. Agriculture and related industries have been the backbone of the local economy. These days the state is seeing a massive influx of immigrants from across the nation, primarily from Bihar, Bengal, Uttrakhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Nepal.

4.Government and politics

Like in all other states of India, Haryana is governed through a governor, a largely ceremonial position who is appointed by the President of India. The Chief Minister is the head of the Haryana state government and is vested with most of the executive and legislative powers. Haryana’s legislature is unicameral; its one house, the Haryana Legislative Assembly, consists of 90 members. Haryana has five seats in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's national parliament, and ten in the Lok Sabha, the lower house. The largest political parties in Haryana are the Indian National Lok Dal,[CPI(M)], Haryana Janhit Congress, Bhartiya Janata Party, Bahujan Samaj Party^[19] and Indian National Congress. The present political scenario of the state is clear and it has a stable government under Bhupinder Singh Hooda who is presently the Chief Minister of the state. During his presidency American president Jimmy Carter visited Carterpuri village in Gurgaon.^[20]

5. Culture

Haryana means Hari Ka Ana or the Land of arrival of God. Haryana has a rich cultural heritage that goes way back to the Vedic times. The last Hindu Emperor of India who belonged to Rewari in Haryana, Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, also called Hemu, taking a cue from Vedic times declared himself a 'Vikramaditya' king after defeating Akbar's forces in Delhi in 1556. It amounted to establishing a vedic 'Hindu Raj' in North India during medieval period after a gap of more than 350 years. The state is rich in folklore with the oldest extant romance of Sorath and Dhaj, Ror Kumar.^[21] The people of Haryana have their own traditions. The age old customs of meditation, Yoga and chanting of Vedic Mantras, are still observed by the masses. Famous yoga guru Swami Ramdev is from Mahendragarh in Haryana.^[22] Seasonal and religious festivals glorify the culture of this region. Haryana has a variety of folk dances.

The people of Haryana have preserved their old religious and social traditions. They celebrate festivals with great enthusiasm and traditional fervor. Their culture and popular art are Saangs, dramas, ballads and songs in which they take great delight. Regarding eating habits, there is an idiom that says, Hara-Bhara Haryana, Jit Doodh-Dahi ka Khana (meaning a lush-green state where milk and curd are the food).

6. Languages

Haryanavi and Hindi traditionally been the dominant language spoken by the martial people of Haryana. Post-1947, Punjabi is also spoken by a lot of people in Haryana especially by those Hindus and Sikhs who came over from older Punjab region at the time of partition. Sanskrit is also taught in most of the schools in Haryana. In towns and cities, English is still to be adopted as the household lingo, but is spoken in a hazy mixture of Haryanvi. Other language is Ahirwati, it is an Indo-Aryan language, classified as a Rajasthani language,^[23] and is spoken in the Mahendragarh, Rewari and Gurgaon districts of Haryana. According to famous historian Robert Vane Russell Ahirwati language is spoken in Rohtak and Gurgaon Districts of Punjab (now Haryana) and Delhi. This is akin to Mewati, one of the forms of Rajasthani or the language of Rajputana.^[24] The most striking feature of Haryana is its language itself; or rather, the manner in which it is spoken. Popularly known as Haryanavi, with Bangaru being the most widely spoken dialect, it is perhaps a bit crude, but full of earthy humor and straightforwardness. With rapid urbanization, and due to Haryana's close proximity to Delhi, the cultural aspects are now taking a more modern hue.