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Sonipat Sonepat
Municipal Corporation
Sonipat Location in Haryana, India Show map of Haryana Sonipat Sonipat (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 28°59′24″N 77°01′19″E / 28.990°N 77.022°E / 28.990; 77.022Coordinates: 28°59′24″N 77°01′19″E / 28.990°N 77.022°E / 28.990; 77.022
Country	India
Region	North India
State	Haryana
District	Sonipat
Named for	Mahabharata
Government
• M.P.	Ramesh Chander Kaushik (BJP)
• M.L.A.	Kavita Jain (BJP)
Elevation	224.15 m (735.40 ft)
Population [1]
• Total	458,149
Languages
• Official	Hindi, Haryanvi
• Second Official	Haryanvi, Punjabi
Time zone	UTC+5.30 (Indian Standard Time)
PIN	131001
Telephone Code	+91-130
ISO 3166 code	IN-HR
Vehicle registration	HR-10, HR-69(Commercial Vehicles), HR-99(Temporary)
Sex Ratio	1.19 ♂/♀
Literacy	73%
Website	www.sonipat.nic.in

Kos Minar at Sonepat bus stand along Grand Trunk Road in Haryana

Sonipat, anciently named Swarnprastha, is a city and a Municipal Corporation in Haryana state of India. It comes under the National Capital Region and is around 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Delhi. It is also around 214 km(128 miles) southwest of Chandigarh, the state capital. The Yamuna River runs along the eastern boundary.

On 22 December 1972, Sonipat was carved out of Rohtak and made a full-fledged district.

Etymology

According to legend, Sonipat was earlier known as Sonprastha, which later on became Swarnprastha (lit. 'Golden City').^[2][3] Later, the name Swarnprastha changed into Swarnpath, and then to its current form, Sonipat.^[4]

Ancient history

Reference to the city comes in the epic Mahabharata as Swarnprastha. It was one of the five Prastha demanded by Pandavas as the price of peace from Duryodhan in lieu of the kingdom Hastinapur. The other four Prastha were Panprastha (Panipat), Baghprastha (Baghpat), Tilprastha (Tilpat) and Indraprastha (Delhi).^{[5][page needed]}

Geography and topography

Sonipat is located at 28°59′N 77°01′E / 28.98°N 77.02°E / 28.98; 77.02.^[6] It has an average elevation of 224.15 meters above sea level (735.4 feet). Sonipat borders Delhi, the national capital, to the south, Panipat district to the north, Uttar Pradesh state to the east and Rohtak And Jind district to the west. The total area of Sonipat district is 2,260 km².The location is going to be very good in future as two expressways: The Eastern Peripheral Expressway & The Western Peripheral Expressway are going to meet on the outskirts of the city.

Topographically, Sonipat district is divided into three regions, the Khadar, Upland Plain and Sandy Region. Sonipat city lies on the upland plains, which are covered with old alluvium, which, if properly irrigated, is highly productive. Broadly speaking, the district is a continuous part of the Haryana-Punjab Plain, but the area is not level in some parts. Sonipat District has fine loamy soil with a rich color. However, some areas have sandy soil. Khanda village is Famous for Brick Factories there are 100+ Bhattas ( Kiln ) in this village.

Blocks in Sonipat

There are 7 Blocks in Sonipat District

• 
  Sonipat Block


• 
  Ganaur Block


• 
  Gohana Block


• 
  Kathura Block


• 
  Kharkhoda Block


• 
  Mundlana Block


• 
  Rai Block

Climate

The climate of Sonipat is composite, dry with a hot summer and a cold winter. The weather becomes milder during the Monsoon period (July to September). The post-monsoon months of October and November constitute a transition period prior to the onset of winter.

The winter starts in December when day and night temperatures fall rapidly. January is the coldest month when the mean daily minimum temperature is 6–7 °C (43–45 °F). During cold waves, the minimum temperature may go down to the freezing point of water, and frosts can occur. During the summer months of May and June, the maximum temperature sometimes reaches 47 °C (117 °F). The temperature drops considerably with the advancement of the monsoon in June. However, the night temperature during this period continues to be high.

The annual rainfall varies considerably from year to year. However, the maximum rainfall is experienced during the monsoon season, which reaches its peak in the month of July. In fact, the monsoon period accounts for 75% of the annual rainfall in the district. On average there are 24 days in a year with rainfall of at least 2.5 mm. Humidity is low during the greater part of the year. The district experiences high humidity only during the monsoon period. The period of minimum humidity (less than 20%) is between April and May. During the monsoon, the sky is heavily clouded, and winds are strong. Winds are generally light during the post-monsoon and winter months.^[7]

Demographics

As of 2011^[update] the population of Sonipat, within the city limits, was 278,149. The urban agglomeration, which includes suburbs outside of the city's jurisdiction, had a total population of 289,333.^[1]

Places of interest

Khwaja Khizar Tomb

The prophet Khizr Khan Khwaja

Khwaja Khizr Tomb

The Khwaja Khizr Tomb situated in Jatwara houses the remains of the saint and son of Darya Khan who lived during the rule of Ibrahim Lodhi. The structure was built between 1522 and 1525 AD. The tomb stands on an elevated platform and is one of the few monuments where red sandstone along with ‘kankar’ blocks have been used. The ceiling is decorative and made of multicolor floral designs. The cenotaph chamber is surrounded by a dome-shaped structure which rests on a small drum of octagonal shape. Now the site is under the protection of Archaeological Survey of India and surrounded by four acres (1.6 ha) of gardens.

Mughal architecture

There are several Mughal buildings on the outskirts of the city, including the Mosque of Abdullah Nasir-ud-din, who was a descendant from Mushid of Iran.

Yamuna River

The main water system in the district is the Yamuna River and the irrigation canals flowing out of it. The river flows besides the rural belt in the eastern side of district. It also acts as a natural boundary between the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Food

A cake of ghevar

Sonipat is famous for its monsoon time sweet dish ghevar which has its roots of origin here. Also its Dhabas (local restaurants) at Murthal on Grand Trunk Road, Pyarelal ke Pede and Lala Matu Ram ki Jaleba from Gohana are very much popular.

Economy

Industrial estates

There are two HSIIDC industrial estates, one each at Sonepat city and Kundli. The development of Sonepat Industrial area in the city started in the 1950s with Atlas Cycle.^[10] Since then, many small and big industries have been established here. Sonipat has four industrial areas (Sonipat, Kundli, Rai, Bari) which contain numerous small- and medium-scale industries. Atlas, E.C.E.^[11] or the Birla Factory, OSRAM India (formerly part of E.C.E., but in October 1998 it was acquired by OSRAM^[12]) were few large scale industries name which were in city (now they have been re-located to Rai/Kundli/bari industrial areas).

Agriculture

An agricultural area

Despite recent industrial development, Haryana is primarily an agricultural state. The main crops are wheat, rice, sugarcane, cotton, oilseeds, pulses, barley, maize, millet, etc. Presently, rice and sugarcane cultivation is undertaken in the Khadar area and oilseeds, horticultural plants, vegetables and flowers, is cultivated in the upland plains of district. The main sources of irrigation are tube wells and canals. There are two main types of crops: Rabi and Kharif. The major Kharif crops of Haryana are rice, jowar, bajra, maize, cotton, jute, sugarcane, Baby corn, Sweet corn, sesame and groundnuts. For these crops the ground is prepared in April and May and the seeds are sown at the commencement of rains in June. The crops are ready for harvesting by the beginning of November. The major Rabi crops are wheat, tobacco, pulses, linseed, rapeseed and mustard. The ground is prepared by the end of October or the beginning of November and the crops are harvested by March. Dairy farming forms an essential part of the rural economy. Animal husbandry has been taken up as an integral component of diversified agriculture.

Education

Rajiv Gandhi Education City

The Rajiv Gandhi Education City, Sonipat (RGEC) at Kundli is project by Government of Haryana to develop a hub of higher education institutes. Indian Institute of Technology Sonipat has already taken possession of 50 acres of land offered for the extension of its Delhi campus. Many Universities have started their projects to establish their campus.^{[citation needed]}

Universities

• Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University Of Science and Technology


• Ashoka University


• O. P. Jindal Global University


• Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya


• National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management


• SRM University, Haryana

Colleges

• Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology, Murthal


• Indian Institute of Information Technology, Sonipat

The Sonipat Hindu Educational & Charitable Society has been active since 1914 and has established 17 institutions offering programmes at secondary, senior secondary, graduate and post graduate levels in the fields of science, arts, commerce, pharmacy, education, architecture, engineering and technology.^[13]

Shri Sanatan Dharam Sabha is another charitable trust which isactive in the field of education in the city. It runs the Gita Vidya Mandir College of Pharmacy and Gita Vidya Mandir Girls College.^{[citation needed]}

There are many colleges in the fields of arts, commerce, hospitality, pharmacy, education, architecture, engineering, technology and management.

Sports

The Sports Authority of India has established the Northern Regional Center (the SAI, Ch. Devi Lal Regional Center) at Sonipat to provide world-class facilities for athletes (especially wrestlers).

In July 1973 the government established the Motilal Nehru School of Sports, Rai, Sonipat^[14] to provide education facilities with extra emphasis on sports. It trains athletes in hockey, basketball, lawn tennis, horse riding, gymnastics, swimming, rifle shooting, volleyball, boxing, cricket and football.

Notable people

• 
  Amit Kumar Dahiya (wrestler)


• 
  Seema Antil (discus thrower)


• 
  Yogeshwar Dutt (wrestler)


• 
  Padam Singh Dahiya (Politician)


• 
  Sushil Kumar (wrestler)


• 
  Vinod Kumar Dahiya (wrestler)


• 
  Pardeep Narwal (Kabbadi)


• 
  Manushi Chhillar (Model, Winner of Miss World 2017)


• 
  Rohit Dahiya (Cricketer)


• 
  Vikas Dahiya (Indian Hockey)


• 
  Sakshi Malik (Wrestler)


• 
  Dip Chand Bahman (Saang Artist)


• 
  Himanshu Malik (Bollywood Actor)


• 
  Aakash Dahiya (Bollywood Actor)


• 
  Vivek Dahiya (Actor)

See also

• Battle of Sonipat


• Bahadurgarh


• Rohtak


• Gurgaon


• Delhi NCR


• Khanda

References

External links

• Official Website


• National Tangsoodo Federation, India


• Sports Tangsoodo Association, Haryana