Rohtak

Rohtak, located in central Haryana, is an ancient city whose origins likely date back to the Indus–Saraswati or early historic period. The name is traditionally linked either to Rohitak—a site mentioned in ancient texts associated with the Mahabharata region—or to the Rohitaka forest of the Vedic age. Over time, Rohitak / Rohatak evolved linguistically into Rohtak. During the early historic and classical periods, this area was part of various North Indian empires, including the Mauryas and Guptas, benefiting from fertile land and its position near important trade routes leading to Delhi and the Ganga–Yamuna plains. In the medieval era, Rohtak came under the Tomar and Chauhan Rajputs and later fell under the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire, serving mainly as an agrarian and administrative tract attached to Delhi. In the 18th–19th centuries, the region saw frequent conflicts among Marathas, Sikhs, local chieftains and the British, before being firmly incorporated into British Punjab. After Independence in 1947, Rohtak functioned as a district town of Punjab until 1966, when the state of Haryana was created and Rohtak became an important political and educational centre. Today, the city is known for institutions like Maharshi Dayanand University and Pt. B.D. Sharma University of Health Sciences.