Hisar

Clockwise from the top: District Administrative Complex, St. Thomas Church, Fort of Firoz Shah, Sheela Mata Temple and observatory at OP Jindal Gyan Kendra.

Hisar, previously spelled Hissar, is the administrative headquarters of Hisar district in the state of Haryana in northwestern India. It is located 164 kilometers to the west of New Delhi, India's capital, and has been identified as a counter-magnet city for the National Capital Region to attract migrants and develop as an alternative centre of growth to Delhi. As of June 2012, Hisar is India's largest galvanized iron manufacturing city. Due to presence of a large steel industry, it is also known as "The City of Steel".

Hisar was founded in 1354 AD, as Hisar-e-Firoza by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, who reigned over the Sultanate of Delhi from 1351 to 1388. Firoz Shah also brought the waters of the Yamuna river to the city by means of a canal. The Ghaggar and Drsadvati rivers once flowed through the city but they have now changed their course. The city was ruled by several major powers, including the Mauryans in the 3rd century BC, the Tughlaqs in the 14th century, the Mughals in the 16th century and the British in the 19th century. It has been ruled by the princely family of the Bansals the last 178 years, with the administration in the hands of the Indian Government.

Sourced

• Hisar has always been a strategic location right from the time of Firoz Shah and now political outfits want to win this parliamentary constituency to gain an upper edge in the state.
  • M.M. Juneja (Historian), Political parties vie to 'grab' Hisar fort (2011)[1]