A place that has been in continued existence for many centuries and bears vestiges from the past in any form, be it artefacts, remains or ruins of buildings and structures such as tanks, temples, palaces, forts etc. and has been mentioned in historical literature comprising old texts as well as modern literature, can be called an important place to be taken note of. On account of the foregoing, there are many places spread throughout the length and breadth of Haryana that qualify to be historically important. A few are listed below in alphabetical order, district-wise:
- Ambala: Existence of mango groves in the city attests its name as Ambala. Stone-Age tools of Palaeolithic age, Pottery belonging to the late Harappan culture, NBP (Northern Black Polished) ware and Ashokan Stupas were discovered from Ambala district. Towards the end of the 18th Century, Ambala became the headquarters of a district and division formed under the Punjab administration.Hindu temples and memorials at several places in the district such as Sadhaura, Buria, Jagadhari and Ambala contained wall-paintings depicting various religious themes including events from the life of Lord Krishna.
- Bhiwani: The archaeological discoveries at Mitathal suggest that this area was part of the Harappan civilization. Some sculptures and lots of wall-paintings are also found in the area.
- Faridabad: During 2nd Century AD, a sandstone image had been recovered from Sanghel in Faridabad district. This image is named as Ekanamsa depicting Lord Krishna.
- Fatehabad: Ashoka got two pillars installed in Topra that had inscriptions. It is recorded that the pillars were observed by Ferozshah Tughlaq who got them removed to be carried away to Delhi and Hisar. One of the pillars was bifurcated and parts were installed at both Hisar-e-Feroza and fort at Fatehabad.
- Gurgaon: This was a village that is believed to be the one that Yudhisthir,the eldest of the Pandavas, bequeathed to Dronacharya, his Guru. It is also believed that here, Dronacharya delivered spiritual as well as military instructions to Kauravas and Pandavas.
- Gohana: It was earlier called Gavambhavana. A mud-brick fort was built here by Prithviraj Chauhan that he named as Daryapur, after one of his chiefs. Ghori destroyed this fort after he defeated Prithiviraj in 1192 AD in the battlefield at Taraori. An old Jaina temple situated in the main bazaar and constructed in the 1860s, is a noteworthy place that also has a number of wall-paintings depicting the life of Jaina Munis.
- Hisar: Banawali, Rakhigarhi and Siswal belonging to Hisar occupy an important place in the history of Haryana. They were considered as a hub of Harappans. Pillars, inscriptions and forts have all been traced from Hisar district.Feroz Shah Tughlaq had built a fort at this place in 1232 AD in pursuance of his victory over Bengal. The place selected was Shikargah and settled on the site of two villages located on the old track route from Delhi to central Asia via Multan. The ruins of the old fort and several other monuments such as Jama Masjid, including the Buddhist Pillar from Topra,can be seen in Hisar-e-Firoza.During a couple of excavations in Hansi, ancient sculptures were unearthed from the mound. On one these sculptures -a beautifully carved image of Surya -was a chance find and can now be seen installed in a temple house adjacent to Barsi Gate in the main bazaar street. The image has been carved out of black granite stone and polished.Hansi fort has its own special features which is pictorial representation of Chauhan’s power also. Mohammad Gauri had special attraction towards this place. The Char Qutub graves, Farid’s Sufi vision and invaluable idols of Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna can be found from this place. Siswal lies in Hisar district. The preserved remains of artefacts made of bone and other articles such as ceramics found at this place during excavations indicate a contact between the pre-Harappan and Harrapan culture.
- Jhajjar: This place of royal elegance has a historical reference of mosques in Mughal era and a very famous gurukul known for spreading Vedic knowledge. A museum of Jhajjar containing some rare artefacts, inscriptions, coins and other items is also of historical importance.Bahadurgarh in Jhajjar district was formerly known as Sharafabad. Bahadur Khan and Tej Khan, Baluchis of Farrukhanagar had built here a small fortress, the structure of which resembles a huge gate.
- Jind: Jind has a famous temple known as Bhuteshwar temple which is situated in the middle of a lake and looks like a lotus in a pond. This religious town is a historical place with a rich history and tradition. The historical temples in Kalayat are fine examples in vastu kala. One rare thing about these temples is that the walls were made only of bricks without the usage of cement.
- Kaithal: The place has a mention in Vayu Purana and is said to be the birth place of Sri Hanuman, the Monkey-God and a dedicated disciple of Lord Rama of Ayodhaya. This place is also known for old historic buildings of the Sikh importance. The presence of Razia Sultana can also be felt here.
- Karnal: This city belongs to patron Karna as well as the proud kshatriya community. Till date, the place is enlightened with the source of power and devotion.
- Kurukshetra: Kurukshetra is one of the most sacred places of India. Description about its importance and mention of all the 360 tirathas located within the holy land were enumerated in Kurukshetra Mahatamya. On the road to Pehwa is located Narkatari –the exact location where Bhishma Pitamaha was laid to rest on the bed of arrows. Not far from this place is Jyotisar at which site Lord Krishna delivered the sermon of the Gita to Arjuna. Brahmasarovar, the vast water body and the small ancient tank called Sannihit sarovar add to the spiritual significnace of the place.This place was a centre for Aryans and had been visited by a number of known people in the history, like Ved-Vays, Vashisht and Saint Vishwamitra, to name a few.King Kuru established this place after cutting forests and started farming here. The biggest historical event here was the historic war between the Kauravs and Pandavs, for which this place is known as the land of Mahabharata. This place was also termed as Dharamkshetra because of the plenty of religions prevailing here.Braham Sarovar is another famous place in Kurukshetra which has a temple built in the centre of a lake. During the Solar eclipse, millions of devotees visit this place for a holy bath. Lakshmi Narayana temple is an excellent specimen of the ancient temple art of India –though built with
lakhauri bricks fixed in lime mortar. An example of excellence of architecture can be seen in a Mosque and tomb of Sheikh Chehli, both located adjacent to each other on the eastern corner of Harsh ka Tila at Thanesar (in Kurukshetra). Sri Krishna Museum and several beautiful ancient temples in the town and nearby villages contain fine images of Lord Krishna.
- Pehowa, situated 25 kilometres west of Thanesar, is known to be a centre of pilgrimage for ages. An inscription found in this township in the 9th Century tells that at that time, this town was famous for trade of horses.This is a place where Pind daan is done in the belief that the doing so makes it possible for the dead to go to heaven.
- Mahendragarh: The historically important Narnaul town forms a prominent part of Mahendaergarh district. In the Mugal era, this city was part of the Jaipur State. There are many places of historical significance, namely, Chaata Birbal, Shoba Sagar Talab, Gumbad Chanderpuri and Jal Mahal etc. In the 18th Century, this city was taken over by Thakur of Jaipur. Thereafter, the British captured it and handed it over to the Nawab of Jhhajar. In 1857, it was made part of the Patiala State. There is a Dhosi hill near Narnaul where Saint Chywan had meditated and a fair is held on the Somwati Amavsaya.There is also a Chanderkoop pond which has 457 Steps and a large number of people go there to take a bath.
- Panchkula: The Pinjore Gardens in this district lie near Kalka. It is a beautiful garden of the terraced style of the Mughals. It attracts a number of tourists. Broken pieces of ancient stone sculptures and architectural fragments are lying scattered all over the place. Many pieces can also be seen studded in the walls.
- Panipat: Panipat is known from the times of Mahabharata. It is one of the five ‘Pats’ that Pandavas had demanded from the Kauravas. It was this place where three battles were fought. There is a mosque and tomb of Shah Qalandar in the city near the old-fort mound. In addition, Kabuli Bagh was also established here by Babar as memorial to the victory over the throne of Hindustan. A mosque and other structures still exist on its premises.
- Rewari: This twon was established in the year 1000 by King Karmpal. There was a large fort at Golkulgarh, 2 km from Rewari. In 1857,Rao Tula Ram stood against the British from here. This city has two famous Sarabagi temples and a Mosque known as Mosque Barah Hazari. This was built by Rao Teja Singh.
- Rohtak: There is an ancient site known as Khokrakot located on the northern fringe of the town. It is the place from where many coins and other historically important artefacts of Yaudheyas were found. Gaukarna tank, considered as a tiratha and an ancient Lingam of Lord Mahadeva, besides a fine image of Varah, made of buff sand stone, is installed in a temple here. The archaeological remains unearthed from Khokrakot indicate that Indus Valley Civilization flourished here a long time ago. There are many fine havelis, Temples and Churches in the town. Rohtak was also known for its well-carved doors and chaukhats. In this district, the custom of the carpenter’s trade was to employ boys from a very early age. Asthal Bohar is situated near Rohtak town. The importance of this place is a Mutth of Nath Sampradaye that originated as one of the Mahayana forms of Buddhism. Guru Gorakh Nath is believed to be its founder. Images of stone, some of them of Jain deities and wall-paintings in the memorial chhatris are worth seeing.
- Sirsa: This well-built place established on the banks of River Saraswati was abode of Buddhist and Jainist monks. Dera of Sarsai Nath, memorial of Yogiraj, temples, Gurudwaras and Sufis’ graves exist in this town.
- Sonepat: In the Mahabharata, Sonepat is mentioned as one of five ‘Pats’ or ‘Prasthas’ that were demanded by Yudhisthir from Duryodhana. Yaudheya coins and sculptures have been found from this place. The town also has the tomb of Khwaza Khir and Dargah of Mamu-Bhanja. A fine Jaina and a Vaishnava Temples are also located in the old town.
- Yamunanagar: Bilaspur, located in the north of Yamunanagar town near Ambala, was earlier called Vyaspur. It was named after sage Vedvyas,compiler of Mahabharata. Among various archaeological findings, Indo-Sassanian coins of 3rd Century A.D., an image of Uma-Maheshvara of the 9th–10th century A.D., of Lord Ganesha belonging to the 11th–12th century A.D. in addition to two stone inscriptions found from here are noteworthy.
Besides this, there are a number of tirthas in and around Bilaspur. The most famous of these is Kapal Mochan.