Sohna is a town and a

municipal committee Municipal or local governance refers to the third tier of governance in India, at the level of the municipality or urban local body. History Municipal governance in India in its current form has existed since the year 1664. In 1664, Fort Ko ...

in the

Gurgaon district Gurgaon district, officially known as Gurugram district, is one of the 22 districts of Haryana in northern India. The city of Gurgaon is the administrative headquarters of the district. The population is 1,514,432. It is one of the southern distr ...

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...

, India. A popular tourist weekend and conference retreat, it is on the highway from

Gurgaon Gurgaon (pronunciation: �ʊɽɡãːw, officially named Gurugram (pronunciation: �ʊɾʊɡɾaːm, is a city located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest of the nationa ...

Alwar Alwar (Pronunciation: �lʋəɾ is a city located in India's National Capital Region and the administrative headquarters of Alwar District in the state of Rajasthan. It is located 150 km south of Delhi and 150 km north of Jaipur. ...

near a vertical rock. Sohna is known for its

hot springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...

and

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

temple. Sohna tehsil is part of

Ahirwal Ahirwal is a region spanning parts of southern Haryana , north-eastern Rajasthan, and South-Western Delhi The region was once a small principality based from the town of Rewari and controlled by members of the Yaduvanshi Ahir community fro ...

Region. Major communities in Sohna are

Rajputs Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

Ahirs Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...

, Gujars,

Jats The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and su ...

, and Muslim Gujjar . Gurgaon district is divided into 4 sub-divisions each headed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM): Gurgaon, Sohna, Pataudi and Badshahpur.

History

Founding of the city

Sohna, which, according to historical records, traces its origin from 11th century onward, was occupied by three races in succession: namely the Kambhos, the Khanzadas and the Rajputs. Gazetteers mention that Nawab Qutb Khan Khanzada defeated the Hindu Kambhos and took over the town in 1570. The Khanzadas were expelled in 1620 by the Sisodia Rajputs. The Rajputs migrated to Sohna, obeying the orders their patron saint who appeared in their dream indicating Sohna as their place of settlement.

Monuments

Sohna hotspring

Sohna hotsprings, in the foothills of the

Aravali The Aravalli Range (also spelled ''Aravali'') is a mountain range in Northern-Western India, running approximately in a south-west direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana, Rajasthan, and ending in Ahmedabad Gujarat. T ...

s, also has an ancient

temple. The temple was built by the Baba lakhi shah Banjara

Banjara The Banjara (also known as ,Vanzara,Lambadi,Gour Rajput,Labana) are a historically nomadic trading caste who may have origins in the Mewar region of what is now Rajasthan. Etymology The Banjaras usually refer to themselves as ''Gor'' and out ...

. A Gangasnan ''mela'' (fair) is held each November at the temple, and a fair is held each July and August to celebrate

Teej Teej ( ne, तीज, Tīja, translit-std=ISO) is the generic name for a number of Hindu festivals that are celebrated by women and girls. and welcome the monsoon season and are celebrated primarily by girls and women, with singing, dancing, ...

. The hot springs in the temple are strongly sulphurous, and their temperature varies from . According to legend, Arjun (one of the five

Pandav The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledged ...

brothers) dug the wells when he was thirsty. Sohna is believed to have been the abode of hermits and the main ''kund'' (tank), Shiva Kund, is said to have medicinal properties. Devotees consider it sacred, and during eclipses and Somavati Amavasya they gather here to bathe in the water. The hilltop Barbet Resort, operated by

Haryana Tourism Haryana Tourism Corporation (HTC) was constituted as a Public Limited Company under the Companies Act, 1956 on 1 May 1974. As an agent of the Government of Haryana, ''Haryana Tourism Corporation'' runs and maintains 44 Tourist Complexes spre ...

, has sauna and steam-bath facilities, a small swimming pool, a park, lodging and a restaurant overlooking the town.Haryana Tourism - Barbet Resort
/ref>

Lake

Damdama Lake Damda reservoir in Sohna, near Gurugram city in Gurugram district in the Indian state of Haryana.Rajiv Tiwari"Delhi A Travel Guide" . Damdama Lake is a small lake in Haryana and was formed when a stone and earthen dam constructed by the Briti ...

, known for its boating and picturesque surroundings, was created by building a

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

on the South Delhi Ridge between Gurugram and Sohna. It lies in the Northern Aravalli leopard and wildlife corridor.

Mosque

Gora Barak Mosque has a

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

(''khamba'' in Hindi). The Quto Khan ki Masjid, built from local red sandstone, is in ruins. The Shah Nazam al haq Tomb was built over a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temple. The tomb has an inscription dating it to 1461, during the reign of

Bahlul Khan Lodi Bahlul Khan Lodi (12 July 1489) was the chief of the Pashtun Lodi tribe. Founder of the Lodi dynasty from the Delhi Sultanate upon the abdication of the last claimant from the previous Sayyid rule. Bahlul became sultan of the dynasty on 19 Apr ...

of the

Lodi dynasty The Lodi dynasty ( ps, لودي سلسله; fa, سلسله لودی) was an Afghan dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Khan Lodi when he ...

of the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

. Material from the

temple was used to build the tomb. It stands on a high platform with stone steps on one side leading to the entrance, inside which is a pillared hall. Decorative features include inscriptions in Arabic, pointed Islamic arches and floral patterns.Times of India: decaying Shah Nazam al Haq tomb
/ref> Educator

Syed Ahmad Khan Sir Syed Ahmad Khan KCSI (17 October 1817 – 27 March 1898; also Sayyid Ahmad Khan) was an Indian Muslim reformer, philosopher, and educationist in nineteenth-century British India. Though initially espousing Hindu-Muslim unity, h ...

's grandfather is buried here, and notable Muslims were buried in the tomb complex of their favorite Sufi ''pirs''.

Gumbaz

Lal Gumbaz of Sohna (Red Dome) and Kala Gumbaz of Sohna (Black dome) are west of the town. The 400-year-old tomb called Lal Gumbad is located in the vicinity of Ansal's Orchid Estate. It is made entirely of stone, the structure has a 12-pillared (barakhamba) hall in the entrance arcade that is made of red sandstone crowned with a dome. Attached behind this is the main tomb in stone masonry with a larger dome, exhibiting hybrid architectural styles from

Tughlaq The Tughlaq dynasty ( fa, ), also referred to as Tughluq or Tughluk dynasty, was a Muslim dynasty of Indo- Turkic origin which ruled over the Delhi sultanate in medieval India. Its reign started in 1320 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the ...

and Lodhi periods.

Dargah

Nazam-ul-Haq dargah was built in 1461 during

rule of

Bahlul Lodi Bahlul Khan Lodi (12 July 1489) was the chief of the Pashtun Lodi tribe. Founder of the Lodi dynasty from the Delhi Sultanate upon the abdication of the last claimant from the previous Sayyid rule. Bahlul became sultan of the dynasty on 19 A ...

,Gurugram heritage
fridaygurgaon.com. likely by Khanzada Rajputs.

Demographics

Sarus Crane (Grus antigone) at Sultanpur I Picture 151

In the 2001 India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

, Sohna had a population of 27,571. Males were 53 percent of the population, and females 47 percent. Sohna has a literacy rate of 63 percent, higher than the national average of 59.5 percent. Male literacy is 70 percent, and female literacy 54 percent. Seventeen percent of the population is under age six. Kunwar Sanjay Singh of the (BJP) Bharatiya Janata Party is the MLA for Sohna.

Economy

Roz-ka-Meo industrial estate

Roz-ka-Meo industrial area in Raisika village to the south of Sohna, is a industrial area with 379 plots.2000
National Capital Region Directory
Page 472. It falls on

Delhi Mumbai Expressway Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

in the influence zone of

Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

Amritsar Delhi Kolkata Industrial Corridor Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha ...

Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor or Eastern DFC is an under-construction broad gauge freight corridor in India. The railway will run between Ludhiana in Punjab and Dankuni (near Kolkata) in West Bengal via Khurja in Uttar Pradesh. This railwa ...

Western Dedicated Freight Corridor The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor or Western DFC is a 1,506 km long, under-construction broad gauge freight corridor in India. It will connect Dadri in Uttar Pradesh (near Delhi) with Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. ...

and

Delhi Western Peripheral Expressway The Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE) or Kundli–Manesar–Palwal Expressway (KMP Expressway), is an operational 6-lane (3 lanes in each direction),NCR region.

Infrastructure

The stretch of the six-lane Sohna (South Gurgaon) road from Rajiv Chowk to Badshahpur is damaged due to faulty design, according to experts from the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI); its design is inadequate for the traffic load. The Haryana government has drawn up a South Gurgaon Master Plan 2031, which will regulate housing.

Real estate development

A master plan for the town was introduced in 2012. Divided into 38 sectors, the plan covers residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, transport, communications, utilities, public and semi-public use, open spaces and agricultural and conservation zones.

References

{{Hindu temples in Haryana Cities and towns in Gurgaon district Forts in Haryana Hindu temples in Haryana Tourism in Haryana Tehsils in Haryana