HISTORY OF JIND
JIND, a district headquarter of Haryana, is situated in the north-west of
Delhi at a distance of 128 km from Delhi on Delhi-Firozpur Railway Line.
JIND, thought not very famous on the national level at present, has nevertheless,
historical, cultural and mythological importance. Archaeological remains found here reveal
that Lord Vishnu in the incarnation of varah at this place made the mother-earth a
beautiful, virtuous and worth-living place. The presiding deity of Jind is Lord Shiva and
the relics of a temple dedicated to Him are still available in the Mohalla Aprahi. The
Shivling found here was not installed and consecrated by human hands. It is thought to be
divine appearance which even today baffles human wisdom and imagination.
How the City Jind came to be known as such has not been established beyond doubt even
today. Mythologically speaking, the son of Lord Inder, Jayant named the City after his
name. As per another mythological story, the city derives its name from Jainti, the
goddess of victory, in whose dedication a temple was erected by the Pandavas. They offered
prayers to the goddess to seek her blessing for success before launching the Battle of
Mahabharata. The authenticity of the fact can be ascertained from the Mahabharata and the
Padam Purana, Jind forms part of the Kurukshetra Bhumi i.e. divine land of 48 Kosa. That
is why, unlike in other cities, the mortal remains of those who die in Jind are not taken
to Haridwar for immersion in the Holy Ganges but are immersed in Jind itself in some holy
pond or canal.
The other religious places of interest in Jind city include The Bhuteshwar temple, Somnath
Mahadev temple, Mansa Devi temple, Bankhandi Mahadev, Jwalmaleshwar Mahadev etc. Jind is
flanked by a number of religious places or tirthas in its close vicinity. Prominent among
them are Ramharid teerth, Ramrai; Pind-TarakTeerth, Pandu-Pindara; Chayavan Teerth in the
village Assan; Dhundu Teerth in the village Ikkas etc. At Ramrai, Maharishi Parshuram, the
fifth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, waged a war against the cruelty and injustice of the
Kshatriyas, killed them en masse and filled five ponds with their blood, which after the
intervention of his ancestors, were converted into water ponds. It is believed that a
person who takes a bath here and makes offerings to his ancestors gets his cherished
desires fulfilled. At Pandu-Pindara, 5 Kilometers from Jind, the Pandavs made offerings
and ablutions i.e. performed 'Pind-dana' to their forefathers who had lost their lives in
the battle of Mahabharata. Today, people from far & wide come here on Amavasya and pay
obeisance and make offerings. It is also believed that at Pandu-Pindara, Parjapati Daksha
cursed his son-in-law, the god Moon, with the terrible disease, tuberculosis, because of
his partial behaviour towards his other wives. Rohini, one of the daughters of Daksha, was
the most beloved to Chandradeva because of her incomparable beauty. It is believed that
the god Moon had a bath in the Som Teerth at Pindara & got cured of his tuberculosis.
It is also believed that any person who takes a holy dip in the pond dedicated to Rishi
Chayanvan at the village Assan is rewarded with beauty and grace. The Dhundu Teerth
dedicated to Bhima is situated in the village Ikkas. According to a legend, Duryodhan,
running away from Bhima hid himsel in a pond here. However, Bhima found out him and out
and and killed him.
Jind has not only mythological importance,a but historical also. The antiquity of the
district is established on the basis of the discovery of the Pre-Harappan, the Harappan,
the late Harappan relics such as the painted grey ware pottery at various places from the
district. A mention of its teerthas in the 'Puranas' corroborates it.
The excavations made at Anta, Morkhi, Beri Khera, Pahlwan, Barsana, Pauli, Karsola etc
reveal the lineage of Jind with the pre-Harappan, the Harappan and the late Harappan,
periods about 1000 B. C. With the advent of the Aryans, the region came to be known as
Holy land of Kurukshetra and Jind formed its southern boundary. From a Mahajanpada in the
kingdom of the Kurus in the 6th Century B. C., Jind also formed a part of the Maurayan
Empire, the Yaudeys dynasty, the Kushanas, the Guptas, the Hunas, the Pushabhutis of
Thanesar in the 7th Century A. D.00 In 1192, the defeat of Prithivraj in the battle of
Torain at the hands of Mohammad Gauri gave a definite turn to the political fortunes of
the region. From Qutbuddin Aibak, the district passed in to the hands of Killjis. Their
inhuman exploitation of the people of this area steeled their nerves and they faced the
fierce attack of Timur bravely. He couldn't dare enter the city and touched only the
outskirts of the district. The district fell in the kingdom of Lodhis who ruled from 1451
A. D. to 1526 A. D., when Babur, the founder of Mughal Empire in India, snatched it from
the weak hands of the last of their rulers, Ibrahim Lodi.
The history of Jind as a separate state as given in the imperial Gazette dates back to
1763. The Raja of Jind, Gajpat Singh descends from Sukhchain, a grandson or Phul, the
ancestor of all the Phulkian families, who had previously been a mere rural notable.
Gajpat's kingdom included Jind, Safidon, Panipat, Karnal. In 1766, Gajpat's Singh made
Jind town his capital Nevertheless he remained a vassal of the Delhi Empire and continued
to pay tribute, obtaining in return, in 1772, an imperial farman which gave him the title
of Raja. In 1774, he defeated the Raja of Nabha and included Sangrur in Jind. He was
succeeded on his death by his son. Bhag Singh in 1789. His son Fateh Singh succeeded to
the throne in 1819 and died in 1822. The next ruler Sangat Singh died childless in 1834;
his second cousin, Sarup Singh was coronated as the ruler of the state in 1837 who ruled
till his death in 1864. He was succeeded by his son, Raghubir Singh, who ruled upto 1887.
His grandson, Ranbir Singh, a boy of only 8 years succeeded him. Since he was a minor, a
council or Regency was appointed to carry on the administration until he attained
maturity. Full powers were given to him in November 1899. He was still ruling the state
when India became free in 1947. On 5th May, 1948 Jind was made a part of PEPSU and became
part of Sangrur district. Jind got the district status.
- Prof M.R. Sethi
Visit Jayanti Devi Mandir, Jind
