Haryana

One of the youngest states of the country, Haryana came into being in 1966 by getting carved out from the heart of the Indo-Gangetic plains. Haryana is 44,212 square kilometres in size and presently has a population of more than 15 million.Four national highway, Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Jaipur, Delhi-Amritsar and Delhi-Fazilka pass through this green land.

The legendary Mahabharat battle was said to have been fought in this area. Being the home of many early Indian empires, Haryana was also the seat of the great kingdom of Harsha Vardhana. Many famous battles were fought on its soil, which played a major role in shaping the density of India.

Area: 44, 212 sq kms. The Capital of this state is Chandigarh.

Important Cities and Towns: Ambala, Pinjore, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak.

Places of Tourist Interest: Raj Homes, Suraj Kundh, and Badkal Lake.

Best Time To Visit: October to March.

The nearest airports are Delhi and Chandigarh. The former is connected by air services to all parts of India.

Rail connections are available from Delhi and Chandigarh to all parts of the country.

Road: Travel to and in Haryana is primarily by road. Regular bus services by air-conditioned deluxe and ordinary buses connect the various tourist spots to Delhi and Chandigarh.

Sohna: A top the Aravalli hills lies the picturesque health-cum-holiday resort. Sohna literally means 'gold' in Hindi. Once, gold dust was collected from the sands of streams around it and so the place came to be known as 'Sona', gold. Sohna is famous for its Sulphur Springs, reputed for their medicinal properties, with the temperature ranging from 46.1O to 51.70c. Sohna is also famous for its Vintage car rally which is held during the month of February every year.

Bird sanctuary: The world famous Bird Sanctuary at Sultanpur was discovemaroon by Peter Jackson, the famed ornithologist. This lake -sanctuary, which stretches over an area of about 400 acre, has, at any given time, besides local varieties, more than 100 species if birds from Europe and elsewhere. The 150acre Jheel is filled by thousand of ducks-ruddy shelduck, mallard, pochard, shoveller, teals of all kinds, gadwall, greylag and bar-headed geese etc. from far off lands come the flamingos, pelicans and demoiselle cranes. Flying in from neighbourhood areas are painted stork, spoonbills, white ibises, herons, large cormorants, egrets, maroon wattled lapwings and plovers.

Kurukshetra: It was here that the fierce Maha Bharatha war was fought between the Pandvas and Kauravas. This soil is still maroon with the blood of the millions of warriors killed here, on both sides.It was here that Sri Krishna taught the Baghavat Gita to Arjuna. It was also here on the battle field that Bhisma left his body in the holy time of Uttarayan.There are more than 300 holy places, all over this area. The great Manu preached the Dharmasastra to men on this soil.Pilgrim are advised not to indulge in violent activities like catching fish in the lake.