Social,
Environmental & Economic Sustainability
Our analysis of the rank of the district
Backwardness : 411
Sex Ratio Rank : 204
(Rank one is least sex ratio - Cenus 2001)
HIV Category District : D
(HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2004 - 2006)
Disability : 430 (Census 2001)
Literacy Ratio : 200 (Census 2001)
Minority : Does not figure in MCD
Water : Flouride in Groundwater above permissible limits
Challenges of the district : Our research
with local communities
There is shortage of water supply. The water resources
are not maintained.
Women literacy is very low. They need to be empowered.
Unemployment is the universal problem of India. Even we are affected
by it.
Government should provide us with clean drinking water. They should
make available ample employment opportunities.
Brief About Mahendragarh
District
Ancient Period
Mahendragarh was earlier known as 'Kanaud' because of
its association with Kanaudia group of Brahmans
1. During
the middle of the nineteenth century, it came to be known as Mahendragarh.
How it was known in earlier periods is not known. Possibly it may
have formed a part of the Kurujangala
2, a territorial
designation known to traditional literature.
Although the nomenclature of the district is not
very old, the antiquity of the area it covered can be stretched
to earlier periods also. The Archaeological explorations conducted
in the region have brought to light late- Harappan sites specially
from its Rewari tahsil3. This type of evidence along
with Painted Grey Ware, Northern Black Polished Ware and Early
Historical Ware is gathered from the adjoining districts of Bhiwani
and Gurgaon4. In the absence of archaeological excavations
in the district nothing more can be added to what has been stated
above. So far not a single PGW site has come to light in the district,
perhaps suggesting the north-eastward migrations of the Aryans
from the banks of the Saraswati and the Drisadvati possibly due
to the drying up of their courses. Most of the sites explored
in the district belong to the late-medieval period. The district,
it may further be pointed out, might possibly have remained outside
the main stream of Aryan culture and hence has not been specifically
mentioned in the traditional literature as an independent territorial
unit. In the absence of evidence it also becomes extremely difficult
to trace the successive stages in the historical growth of the
region. However, it has been suggested that some of the present
streams of the district may be identified with those mentioned
in early Vedic literature5. The southeastern Rasa (a
stream mentioned in the Rigveda6 has been recognised
with the Sahibi which passes through the region7, and
the Dohan
Medieval Period
After the death of Shihab-ud-din Ghuri, one
of his generals, Qutb-ud-din Aibak, laid the foundations of the
Turkish rule in India in 1206. The territory now comprising the
Mahendragarh district though formed a part of his newly founded
kingdom, yet he appears to have exercised no effective control
over it. Except for creating an administrative agency to collect
land revenue effectively, he did not interfere in the internal
affairs of the villages. Aibak's successor litutmish is, however,
reported to have made some far reaching changes which had great
impact on the administration. He divided the kingdom into several
Iqtas : the present district was parcelled into lqtas, namely,
Narnaul and Rewari.4 An officer called Mukti controlled
the total affairs of each lqta under the direct supervision and
control of the Sultan.
This arrangement continued upto 1290, when after
the deposition of the last of the Mamiuk rulers, Shamsuddin, the
district came under the control of the Khaljiis. The new masters
exercised greater and far more strict control over the district
than their predecessors. Their economic hold was coercive. As
a result, the suffering people grew restive. But the strong hand
of the rulers made them ineffective. The situation changed, however,
after Ala-ud-Din Khalji's death (1316). The people raised their
heads against the oppressive rule. There was some relief for sometime
but they were again brought under the same type of rule by the
Tugluqs who replaced the Khalijis. The same old story of oppression
and exploitation was repeated during the reigns of the first two
Tughluqs-Ghias and Muhammad, but Firuz (1351-88) who came after
them gave some solace to the suffering masses by reducing taxes
and giving other reliefs.
Modern Period
In 1750's like this Raos of Rewari, Raja Madho Singh
of Jaipur seized a sizeable territory in the district around Narnaul
and Kanaud.7 He placed the territory under the care
of Balwant Singh. In the mid-decade the district passed under
the sway of the Marathas. The Raos of Rewari, as noted above,
opposed them fora while but ultimately accepted the Maratha over
lordship. The Rajput chief accepted this position without any
opposition. Maratha over lordship, of the district proved short-lived,
however, as situation elsewhere compelled them to leave this territory
in 1755.8
