Sonipat is a city, municipal corporation and administrative headquarter in

Sonipat district Sonipat district is one of the 22 districts of Haryana state in North India. Sonipat town is the district headquarters. It is a part of National Capital Region. It is bordered by Delhi, Panipat, Rohtak, Jind, Jhajjar and Baghpat (Uttar Pr ...

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 ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. It comes under the National Capital Region and is around from

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the NCT Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati B ...

. It is also around 214 km (128 miles) southwest of

Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which ...

, the state capital. The Yamuna River runs along the eastern boundary. On 22 December 1972, Sonipat was created a full-fledged district. Sonipat Junction railway station is the main railway junction on Delhi-Kalka line. It lies on Delhi Western Peripheral Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway (NE II) and

Grand Trunk Road The Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sarak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sarak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent ...

(NH 44) as well as the planned Delhi–Sonipat–Panipat Regional Rapid Transit System.

Etymology

According to legend, Sonipat was earlier known as Sonprastha, which later on became Swarnprastha (lit. 'Golden City'). Later, the name Swarnprastha changed into Swarnpath, and then to its current form, Sonipat.

History

Reference to the city comes in the epic ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

'' as Swarnprastha. It was one of the five Prastha demanded by

Pandavas 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 acknowl ...

as the price of peace from Duryodhan in lieu of the kingdom

Hastinapur Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain texts ...

. The other four Prastha were Vanprastha ( Panipat), Vyaghraprastha ( Baghpat), Tilprastha (

Faridabad Faridabad is the most populous city in the Indian state of Haryana and a part of Delhi National Capital Region. It is one of the major satellite cities around Delhi and is located 284 kilometres south of the state capital Chandigarh. The ...

) and Indraprastha (

Delhi 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 wi ...

). Sonipat is listed in the

Ain-i-Akbari The ''Ain-i-Akbari'' ( fa, ) or the "Administration of Akbar", is a 16th-century detailed document recording the administration of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, written by his court historian, Abu'l Fazl in the Persian language. It for ...

as a

pargana Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...

under Delhi sarkar, producing a revenue of 7,727,323 dams for the imperial treasury and supplying a force of 1000 infantry and 70 cavalry. It had a brick fort at the time, which was also mentioned. Sonipat came under Islamic rule after the Second Battle of Tarain in 1193. The

Sikhs Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

under Banda Singh Bahadur fought the Battle of Sonipat against the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

in 1709. Khanda, Sonipat village witnessed the Battle of Sonipat and won the battle against

under the military leadership of Banda Singh Bahadur

Battle of Sonipat

The one and only battle fought in Sonipat was Battle of Sonipat. After taking blessings from

Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708), born Gobind Das or Gobind Rai the tenth Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. When his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed by Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind ...

, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur first camped at Khanda, Sonipat and assembled a fighting force with Dahiya Jats. Khanda, Sonipat village witnessed the Battle of Sonipat against

and won the battle under the military leadership of Banda Singh Bahadur.

Geography and topography

Sonipat is located at .

Climate

Demographics

As of

2011 Indian Census The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...

, Sonipat city had a total population of 278,149, of which 148,364 were males and 129,785 were females. The population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 32,333. The total number of literates in Sonipat was 210,112, which constituted 75.5% of the population with male literacy of 79.7% and female literacy of 70.8%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Sonipat was 85.5%, of which the male literacy rate was 90.8% and the female literacy rate was 79.5%. The

Scheduled Castes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

population was 42,013. Sonipat had 55,599 households in 2011. The

urban agglomeration An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, ...

, which includes suburbs outside of the city's jurisdiction, had a total population of 289,333.

Religion

City

Tehsil

Places of interest

It is place of hatred and betrayal.

Mughal architecture

There are several Mughal buildings on the outskirts of the city, including the Mosque of Abdullah Nasir-ud-din, who was a descendant from Mushid of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

Yamuna River

The main water system in the district is the Yamuna River and the irrigation canals flowing out of it. The river flows besides the rural belt in the eastern side of district. It also acts as a natural boundary between the states of Haryana and

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

Economy

Industrial estates

There are six HSIIDC industrial estates namely Sonepat city, Barhi, Kundli, Murthal and Rai. The development of Sonepat Industrial area in the city started in the 1950s with Atlas Cycle. Since then, many small and big industries have been established here. Atlas, E.C.E. or the Birla Factory, OSRAM India (formerly part of E.C.E., but in October 1998 it was acquired by OSRAM).

Education

Colleges

* Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology

Universities

Indian Institute of Information Technology, Sonepat Indian Institute of Information Technology Sonepat (IIIT Sonepat) is an Indian Institutes of Information Technology located at Sonipat, Haryana. The academic session of IIIT Sonepat started from its temporary campus at National Institute of Te ...

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Law University, Sonipat Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Law University (DBRANLU) is a National Law University located at Rajiv Gandhi Education City, Sonipat, Haryana, India. It is the 23rd National Law University established in India by the Government of Haryana, State G ...

(NLU) *

National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management - Kundli (NIFTEM-K) is a higher education institute operating under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MOFPI). It offers academic curriculum in food technology and ...

* Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University Of Science and Technology *

Ashoka University Ashoka University is a philanthropy-driven private university located in the National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region (NCR), India, focusing on a liberal education in the Humanities, the Social Sciences, and the Science and tech ...

* O. P. Jindal Global University *

Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, also known as Bhagat Phool Singh Women's University, is the first women's only state university of North India established by the Government of Haryana in August 2006 at Village Khanpur Kalan, of Goha ...

* SRM University, Haryana * World University of Design *

Rishihood University Rishihood University is an Indian Private University located in Sonipat, Haryana. It was established in 2020 by the ''Haryana Private Universities (Amendment) Act, 2020'' of Haryana Legislative Assembly. Schools The University consists of five sc ...

Sports

In July 1973 the government established the Motilal Nehru School of Sports, Rai, Sonipat to provide education facilities with extra emphasis on sports. It trains athletes in hockey, basketball, lawn tennis, horse riding, gymnastics, swimming, rifle shooting, volleyball, boxing, cricket and football.

Bus Port

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is a ministry of the Government of India, that is the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules, regulations and laws relating to road transport, transport research and in als ...

proposed first Bus Port in the pattern of

Airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

on GT Road in Sector 7, Sonipat. It will be the joint venture of

Government of Haryana The Government of Haryana, also known as the State Government of Haryana, or locally as the State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Haryana and its 22 districts. It consists of an executive, ceremonially le ...

and NHAI. * In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Union ministry of road transport and highways has decided to set up a bus port on the pattern of an airport in Sonipat. * The proposed bus stand will be an ultra-modern ‘bus port’, with infrastructure at par with an international airport. * To be constructed under design, built, finance, operate and transfer model, new bus ports will have digital display, variable message signboards, CCTV camera, surveillance system, deluxe waiting room, tourist information center, clock room, restaurant, food court, plaza, budget hotel, multiplex, administrative office, parcel room, maintenance workshop, fuel station, etc. facilities.

Municipal corporation

Sonipat Municipal Corporation is the governing civic body of the

Urban Area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, ...

in Sonipat. The Municipal Committee Sonipat was establishment in the year 1933.

Sonipat Lok Sabha

Sonipat (Lok Sabha constituency) is one of the 10 Lok Sabha (Parliamentary) constituencies in Haryana state in northern India.* Ramesh Chander Kaushik is Member of Parliament from Sonipat Seat

Notable people

Bajrang Punia Bajrang Punia (born 26 February 1994) is an Indian freestyle wrestler, who competes in the 65-kg weight category. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Punia won a bronze medal by defeating Kazakhstan's Daulet Niyazbekov with a wide 8-0 margin. Puni ...

(Wrestler bronze medal in olympics ) * Seema Antil (discus thrower) * Sanchit Balhara (Bollywood score composer) * Preeti Bose (cricketer) * Manushi Chhillar, (actress, model and the winner of Miss World 2017) *

Aakash Dahiya Aakash Dahiya (born 20 September 1986) is a Mumbai-based actor and casting director, who is known for his work in Bollywood films. Career Born in New Delhi, Dahiya started acting in the New Delhi Theater. He then started working as associa ...

(Bollywood actor) * Amit Kumar Dahiya (wrestler) *

Jai Tirath Dahiya Ch. Jai Tirath (born 20 May 1952) is an Indian politician and a member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly from the Indian National Congress, representing the Rai Vidhan Sabha constituency in Haryana. He is a two-term member of the Haryana Legisl ...

(leader) *

Padam Singh Dahiya Padam Singh Dahiya belongs to Khanda village in Sonipat district. He was Member of Haryana Legislative Assembly in Sonipat from Indian National Lok Dal Party. In January 2019, Padam Singh left INLD and joined Jannayak Janata Party in the presenc ...

(politician) * Rohit Dahiya (cricketer) *

Vikas Dahiya Vikas Dahiya ( hi, विकास दहिया) is an Indian field hockey player and plays as a goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) i ...

(Indian hockey player) * Vinod Kumar Dahiya (wrestler) * Vivek Dahiya (actor) * Yogeshwar Dutt (wrestler) * Himanshu Malik (Bollywood actor) * Jitender Malik (politician) * Meghna Malik (actress) * Pardeep Narwal (kabbadi player) *

Sanjay Pahal Sanjay Pahal (born 29 June 1993) is an Indian first-class cricketer who plays for Haryana. He made his Twenty20 debut for Haryana in the 2016–17 Inter State Twenty-20 Tournament on 29 January 2017. He made his List A debut for Haryana in the 20 ...

(cricketer) * Rajat Paliwal (cricketer) * Nisha Warsi (hockey player)

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Sonipat district Satellite cities Satellite Cities in India