Sonipat

Sonipat, in eastern Haryana near Delhi, is an ancient city with roots in the Mahabharata period. It is traditionally identified with Swarnprastha (“golden place”), one of the five towns the Pandavas demanded from Duryodhana in lieu of the kingdom of Hastinapur. Over time, the name Swarnprastha evolved linguistically into Sonprastha, Svarnpat and finally Sonipat/Sonepat. Archaeological and textual evidence shows that the region was an important urban centre in the Vedic and later Mahajanapada eras, benefiting from its position on routes linking the Indus–Yamuna region with the Ganga plains. During the medieval period, Sonipat fell under successive North Indian empires. After the Second Battle of Tarain (1192–93), it came under Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal rule. The Battle of Sonipat (1709) saw Banda Singh Bahadur’s Sikh forces defeat Mughal troops near Khanda village, a key early victory in his anti-Mughal campaign. Under the Mughals and later the British, Sonipat was a pargana linked to Delhi. After Independence, it remained part of Rohtak district until 22 December 1972, when Sonipat became a separate district headquarters. Today, while it is a fast-growing industrial and educational hub, the city still carries the legacy of its epic-age identity as Swarnprastha.