Haryana

Haryana, India

Haryana, state in north-central India. It is bounded on the northwest by the state of Punjab and the union territory of Chandigarh, on the north and northeast by the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, on the east by the state of Uttar Pradesh and the union territory of Delhi, and on the south and southwest by the state of Rajasthan. The city of Chandigarh, within the Chandigarh union territory, serves as the capital of not only that territory but also of the states of Haryana and Punjab.

Haryana was constituted on November 1, 1966, as a result of the partition of the former state of Punjab into two separate states—Punjabi-speaking Punjab and Hindi-speaking Haryana. Although the reorganization followed demands made by the Sikh community for a Punjabi suba (Punjabi-speaking province), it also substantially met the aspirations of people in the Hindi-speaking region of Punjab for a Vishal Haryana (Greater Haryana). The name Haryana, from Hari (the Hindu god Vishnu) and ayana (home), means “The Abode of God.” Area 17,070 square miles (44,212 square km). Pop. (2011) 25,353,081.