Rohtak Town
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Rohtak Town
Head-quarteis of the District and tahsil of the same name, Punjab, situated in 28 54' N and 76 35' E., on the Southern Punjab Railway, 44 miles noith-west of Delhi, distant by rail from Calcutta 1,000 miles, from Bombay 1,026, and from Karachi 863. Population (1901), 20,323, including 10,404 Hindus and 9,916 Muhammadans. It is plausibly identified with the Rauhitaka or Rauhita of the Rajataranginl and of Albiruni; but tradition aveis that its ancient name was Rohtasgarh 01 'the fort of Rohtas,' a Ponwar Raja, and points to the mound called the Khokia Kot as the site of the old town It is also said that Muhammad of Ghor destroyed the town soon after it had been rebuilt by Prithw! Raj m 1160, but it is not mentioned by the earlier Muhammadan historians, A colony of Shaikhs from Yemen are said to have built a foit ; and the Afghans of Birahma, an ancient site close by, also settled in the town, which became the capital of a fief of the Delhi kingdom Kai Khusru, the grandson and heir of Balban, was enticed from Multan by Kaikubad and put to death here about 1286, and in 1410 Khizr Khan, the Saiyid, besieged Idrls Khan in Rohtak fort, and took it after a six months' siege. After the decline of the Mughal power Rohtak, situated on the border line between the Sikh and Maratha powers, passed through many vicissitudes, falling into the hands of one chieftain after another. It became the head-quarters of Rohtak District in 1824, and was plundered in the Mutiny of 1857.
The municipality was created in 1867. The income during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged Rs 24,900, and the expenditure Rs, 24,400 In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 25,000, chiefly duuved from octroi,, and the expenditure was Rs, 23,600. The town is an important trade centre ; and four factories for ginning cotton and one for ginning and pressing have recently been established, The nuinbei of factory hands in 1904 was 279. Muslin turbans mtei woven with gold and silver thread and a form of muslin known as tanzeb aie pro- duced. The Anglo-vernacular high school is managed by the Educa- tional department.
