Hisar

Hisar, in western Haryana, is a historic city whose modern form dates to the 14th century, though the surrounding region has far older roots in the Indus–Saraswati civilisation at sites like Rakhigarhi and Agroha. The present city was founded in 1354 CE by Delhi Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq, who built a massive walled fort and palace complex here and named the town “Hisar-e-Firoza” – “Fort of Firoz” in Persian/Arabic. Over time, the name shortened to Hisar, literally meaning “fort”. Within the fort stood structures such as the Firoz Shah Palace, Lat ki Masjid and royal gateways, many of which survive as protected monuments. The city was repeatedly contested: it was plundered during Timur’s invasion in 1398, passed to later Delhi dynasties, then to the Mughals, and eventually became part of British Punjab. In the 19th century Hisar grew as a municipal town and administrative centre (district HQ from 1832; municipality from 1867). After Independence it was included in Punjab, then became part of the new state of Haryana in 1966. Today Hisar is known as India’s “City of Steel” and a major education and agricultural research hub, yet its core still encircles the medieval fort of Hisar-e-Firoza.