Thanesar (IAST: Sthāṇvīśvara) is a historic city and Hindu pilgrimage centre in the Kurukshetra district of Haryana, India. It is located approximately 160 km northwest of Delhi. The city Kurukshetra's area merges with Thanesar.[
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Thanesar was the capital of the Pushyabhuti dynasty, whose rulers conquered most of Aryavarta following the fall of the Gupta Empire. The Pushyabhuti emperor Prabhakarvardhana was a ruler of Thanesar in the early seventh century CE. He was succeeded by his sons, Rajyavardhana and Harsha.
Demographics
The 2011 census of India noted that Thanesar had a population of 154,962.[ In Thanesar, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
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Geography
Thanesar is located at .
History
Present-day Thanesar is located on an ancient mound. The mound (1km long and 750m wide) is known as Harsh ka Tila (Mound of Harsha). It has ruins of structures built during the reign of Harsha, seventh-century CE. Amongst the archaeological finds from the mound include Painted Grey Ware shards in the pre-Kushana levels and Red Polished Ware from the post-Gupta period.
In the post-Gupta period, Sthanishvara was the capital of the Vardhana dynasty, which ruled over a major part of North India during the late-sixth and early-seventh centuries. Prabhakarvardhana, fourth king of the Vardhana dynasty, had his capital at Thanesar. After his death in 606 CE, his eldest son Rajyavardhana ascended the throne, who was later murdered by a rival, which led to Harsha ascending to the throne at age 16. In the following years, he conquered much of North India, extended to Kamarupa, and eventually made Kannauj his capital, and ruled until 647 CE. His biography Harshacharita ("Deeds of Harsha") describes his association with Thanesar.
Thanesar is listed in the Ain-i-Akbari as a pargana under the sarkar of Sirhind, producing a revenue of 7,850,803 dams for the imperial treasury and supplying a force of 1500 infantries and 50 cavalries. It had a brick fort at the time.
Majority of architectural remains including Caravanserai, cells, and various arched and vaulted structures date from the Mughal Empire. Building remains of a large palatial structure from the pre-Islamic era were also found with two distinct phases of construction which exposed brick covered drains and rooms situated around a central courtyard.
Sack of Sthaneshwar by Mahmud of Gazni
Thanesar was sacked and many of its temples were destroyed by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1011.
Firishta records[ Farishta Vo1. Page 29 Translation by John Briggs.] that
Mahmud, having reached Thanesar before the Hindus, had time to take measures for its defence; the city was plundered, the idols broken, and the idol Jugsoma was sent to Ghazni to be trodden underfoot. According to Haji Mahommed Kandahary, a ruby was found in one of the temples weighing 450 Mithqal. It was allowed by everyone who saw it to be a wonder that had never been heard of. About the attack on Thanesar, Tarikh Yamini wrote "The blood of the infidels flowed so copiously that the stream was discoloured, notwithstanding its purity, and people were unable to drink it."
British era
For their participation in the first war of independence, the and of villages who participated in the rebellion in Haryana were deprived of their land and property. 368 people from Hisar district and Gurugram were hanged or transported for life, and fines were imposed on the people of Thanesar (Indian rupee 235,000), Ambala (Rs. 253,541) and Rohtak (Rs. 63,000 mostly on , Punjabi Shaikh and Qassab).
Tourism
Religious
Thanesar derives its name from the word Sthaneshwar which means "place of god." The Sthaneshwar Mahadev Temple is believed to be the place where the Pandavas and Krishna prayed to Shiva and received his blessings for victory in the battle of Mahabharata.[ Narkatari Kurukshetra district website.]
See also
Bibliography
External links
