History
Narnaul is a city, a Municipal council and headquarters of Mohindergarh District in the Indian State of Haryana. It is one of the very few Districts in India with the name of the District different from the name of the main town in the District. It is a Yadav dominated region. The Distance from Gurgaon and Narnaul is only 120 Km and it takes only 2 hour 30 minutes to reach by road.
Geography
Narnaul is located at 28.04°N 76.11°E. It has an average elevation of 298 meters (977 feet). The District is rich in mineral resources such as iron one, copper one, beryl, tourmaline, Muschovite mica, Biotile mica, albie calcite and quartz in winters the temperature can lower down to -3°Celcis.
History
In the beginning, the town was controlled by Jogis. Till the consequent of Mohammedan, Rathor Rajputs rules the town and the adjoining areas. Narnaul was also closely associated with the Sur-Afgans, Sher Shah’s grandfather, Ibrahim Khan, came here first. He got the town of Narnaul and surrounding villages from the then administrator of Firoze-i-Hisar to meet the expenses of the forty horseman miltia be provided. After his death Hasan Khan, father of Sher Shah Suri, the supplanter of Humayun, became the Jagirdar of Narnaul. After the Second Battle of Panipat, Akbar gifted the Jagir to Shah Quli Khan Mahram who arrested Hemu, the famous warrior general of Rewari.
At Akbar’s time Narnaul had a mint (Taksal). To effect reforms in the mint, Akbar visited Narnaul along with Raja Todar Mal and Khawaja Shah Mansur. The Jalali coin was issued by Akbar from Narnaul Birbal also used to visit this town. Birbal’s Chatta stands to this day reminding the visits of Birbal, one of the nine jewels (Navratans) of the Great Mughal, Akbar. During the time of tyrant Aurangzeb, the Satnami Sadhus revolted against the suppression caused by the Muslim Jagirdar. The revolt took the form of a serious communal riot. Satnamis, after killing the Muslim Faujdar, occupied the town. The imperial forces stationed here took to their heels. To quell this riot Aurangzeb himself had to come with a large contingent.
Some time later, the Nawab of Narnaul, Taherbeg, kidnapped a Hindu Satnami girl. The Satnamis then fought with Nawab Taherbeg and killed him.
“Satnamis Sat se lare, Lekar hath me Teg, Narnaul ka gorve, mara diya Teherbeg.”
With the disintegration of Mughal empire after the death of tyrant Aurangzeb. 4 Thakur of Jaipur annexed Narnaul, but soon he lost it to the French General, Do-Boigne, Later Murtza Khan Bharaich got the Jagirdari of Narnaul. In his lineage Abdur Rahman, Nawab of Jhajjar raised a banner of revolt against the British in 1857. After the Battle of Narnaul during the First War of Indian Independence in 1857, he along with some co-patriots were hanged.
The main town of the district of Mohindergarh, Narnaul dates back to the Mahabharata era as Nar Rashtra according to legend. Another legend puts it to be about 900 years old where lions roamed free in the jungles surrounding the town. These lions gave the town the name Naharnaul (Fear of Lions). According to yet another legend, Raja Launkaran named it Narlaun after his wife.
Transport
Road: Narnaul is connect by road to Delhi, Gurgaon, Rohtak, Rewari, Mohindergarh and other towns in Haryana and nearby towns Jhunjhune, Behror, Jaipur etc. of Rajasthan. Buses depart from the main bus interchange junction in Narnaul to these and other town of Haryana & Rajasthan.
Railway: Narnaul is located on the Delhi-Ringa-Abu Road-Ahmedabad-Mumbai railway track. Only seven trains runs on this section. The rack will become a part of Western Dedicated Freight Corridor by 2015.
Airport: Delhi is the nearest international and domestic airport 130 km away, the second nearest international and Domestic airport is Jaipur which is 160 km away. There is an airstrip located at Bhilwara village 10 km from Narnaul used as a flying club.
Distance to cities: Mahendergarh 25 km, Rewari 54 km, Behror 25 km, Bhiwani 85 km, Alwar 80 km, Jhunjhunu 90 km, Gurgaon 120 km, Delhi 140 km, Jaipur 160 km, Hisar 155 km, Chandigarh 375 km.
Tourist Attractions
Major tourist attractions in this town include:
Jal Mahal – The Jal Mahal is a building which is surrounded on all sides by water. It was built by Shah Quli Khan, an officer of Akbar and the ruler of Narnaul, in 1591. It represents a synthesis of Persian and Indian architechure and stands at the center of a large water tank, which is now dry. The approach through the water tank was via a causeway from the north, which opens through an arched entrance. The main building is surrounded by four minarets which have stairways leading right to the top. However, the lower chambers have by now disintegrated and no trace of them can be found.
Dhosi Hill – Dhosi Hill is an important site located 5 Kilo Metres from Narnaul. Apart from being an extinct volcano and the ashram of revered Vedic period Chayvan Rishi, for whome the herbal prepration of ‘Chayvanprash’ was prepared on the hill, it has a beautiful water reservoir on the hill crater. The hill has mentions in several holy Sanskrit books.
Chor Gumbad – The Chor Gumbad is affectionately called the ‘signboard’ of the town. It is built separately from the other buildings in the town, standing upon a large rock locted in the north of the town. The Gumbad is a well planned square building with a large chamber within and four minarets outside at each corner. Constructed by the Afghan Jamal Khan (as his tomb) during the reign of Feroz Shah Tughlaq, it became a hideout for robbers and thieves, thus earning its name (Chor means thief). The Chor Gumbad was recently repaired to ensure the structural stability of the buildings.
Chatta Rai Bal Mukund Das – The ‘Chatta Rai Bal Mukund Das’ is a large palace built by Rai Bal Mukund Das, the Diwan (Prime Minister) of Narnaul During Emperor Shah Jahan’s reign. This five-storey building has several halls, rooms and pavilions and the Diwan-e-Khas (inner chambers) flaunts marble floors and pillars. Fountains and springs were made to keep the building and the surrounding area cool in summer, with the water being sucked in from a well in the southwest. The Persian wheel was used to lift water into reservoirs at various levels from this well so that water could flow down at great speed. However, these fountains are no longer working anymore. The underground chambers (now eaten away) are believed to have had three layers where light streamed in throughout the day and had tunnels which lead directly to Delhi, Jaipur and Mahendergarh. Only a basement remains today.
Chamunda Devi Mandir – It is believed that Raja Naun Karan, the ruler of the area was a devout devotee of the Goddess Chamunda. He constructed a temple of the Devi at the bottom of a hill. This Temple is located in the heart of the city. After the fall of the regime of Raja Naun Karan, this area came under the control of the Mughals. They built a mosque named Jama Masjid (Mosque) at Narnaul on the temple of Chamunda Devi. After its independence, the people of this town started digging and found the temple in a dilapidated condition. This temple is now one of the most important temples in the area, and is often visited by the people of the town. A big fair is held on the occasion of Ramnavmi (The day on which Lord Rama was born) at this temple. This temple is famous among devotees for fulfilling their wishes, with the people of Narnaul saying that the wishes made here are always fulfilled.