Nuh (city)

At the time of invasion of Timur in 1398 CE,Bahadur Nahar formerly known as Sonpar Pal, of Hindu Jadu clan was the prominent king of the area, who constructed the fort called Kotla Bahadur Nahar near Kotla lake at Kotla village of Nuh. Sonpar Pal converted to Islam in 1355 and was given a new name of Raja Nahar Khan (not to be confused with Jat king Nahar Singh) by Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq. He became founder of Khanzada Rajputs. After the fall of Tughlaq dynasty in 1398, Nahar Khan reconciled with Timur. In 1420, during the era of Nahar Khan's grandson, Khanzada Feroz Khan, Mewat was attacked by Sultan Khizr Khan of Delhi Sayyid dynasty .The Mewati army fortified themselves for one year in Kotla Fort, after which the Delhi army retreated. In 1425, great grandsons of Bahadur Nahar named Khanzada Jalal Khan and Khanzada Abdul Qadir Khan (Jallu and Qaddu) revolted against Dehli Sultanate, they were defeated by Delhi Sultan Mubarak Shah ( 1421– 1434 CE) who overran Mewat and killed Qaddu. Jallu continued the native Mewati rebellion against the Delhi sultanate,in 1427, the Mewati army fortified themselves for one year in the hills of Tijara, after which the Delhi army retreated.In 1527, Hasan Khan Mewati, a descendant of Raja Nahar Khan, sided with Rajput king Rana Sanga and they were defeated by Babur at Battle of Khanwa where Hassan Khan Mewati was killed by Mughals and his son Naher Khan II ruled Mewat as a vassal of Mughals.

Aurangzeb sent Jai Singh I to crush the revolting Khanzada chief Ikram Khan,Jagirdar of Tijara a descendant of Raja Nahar Khan(through his son Malik Alaudin Khan). After the death of Aurangzeb, Bahadurgarh and Farrukhnagar in the north were under the Baloch nawabs who were granted jagir in 1713 CE by Mughal king Farrukhsiyar, central area of Badshapur was under Hindu Badgurjar king Hathi Singh and south including Nuh were under the great Jat king of Bharatpur State, Maharaja Suraj Mal. During Maratha Empire the area was conquered by their French generals in late 18th century and they granted Farukhnagar to George Thomas and Jharsa (Badshahpur) to Begum Sumro and south area including Nuh stayed under the Bharatpur Jat Kings and their vassal relatives, one of whom was Nahar Singh.[2][3][4]

The ruined Ghasera Fort, a state protected monument,[8] lies at Ghasera village 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Nuh city on Nun-Sohna road.[9] that was ruled by Bahadur Singh Bargujar, a Rajput chief of 11 villages, he was killed in 1753 by the famous Jat king Surajmal of Bharatpur State after Jats besieged and ran over the Ghasera fort, after which Jats turned to Delhi by defeating Mughal king Ahmad Shah Bahadur and occupied the Red Fort there in 1754 CE.[10][11]

Chuhi Mal Ka Talaab (literally "Chuhi Mal's water tank"), is a rectangular ancient water tank built by a rich salt trader and Nagarseth (city chief) "Seth Chuhi Mal" in the 18th-19th century, comprises a covered and arcaded gateway, four ghats on all four flanks with steps leading to the waterbody, 8 single-story octagonal-shaped chhatris of red sandstone built on burjis (pylon or bastion), and two historic temples on its bank. The tank is fed by a channel from Agra Canal flowing nearby.[12][13] near Nalhar road behind Yasin degree college on the outskirts of Nuh city. The pond has an ancient cenotaph (chhatri) of red stone and having beautiful carvings.[14]

Temple houses the idols of Shiva, Hanuman and Durga. The larger double-storied cenotap made of Bharatpur stone with inscriptions of floral and animal motifs and arches in mixed style of Mughal and Rajput architecture was built by his son "Hukum Chand" in his memory after his death, which has been painted with the rare pictures.[15][12]

The complex is maintained by the descendants of Chui Mal who still live in Nuh.[12]

There are 3 monuments at Meoli village is in Nuh tehsil, two chhatris and a water well which have been notified by the Haryana government as the protected state monuments. This village, established by the Mewa Singh who was the head of 52 khorei (settlements) in Kala Pahad (Aravalli hill range in Nuh), is the traditional seat of Deharwal Meos.[7]

Nalhar Pandava Reservoir and Nalhshwar Mahadev temple Temple (Nalhar Shiv temple) are located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Nuh city within the U-shaped Nalhar valley surrounded by several picturesque peaks near Nalhar village in the foothills of Nalhar hills of Aravalli range. It can be reached by the Nalhar road from Nuh city through a large ceremonial Hindu religious gate short distance from the temple. There is also a natural reservoir at base of Kadamb tree higher up in the Nalhar hill, which can be reached by climbing 250 paved and iron stairsteps behind the Nalhar Shiva Temple. According to the popular oral tradition, Pandavas stayed here, prayed to the lord Shiva and drank water from this reservoir during a visit in their 14 years long exile. Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College is located nearby.[16][17] View from the top of Nalhar hill is the best.

Swami Gyan Giri found the temple in ruins. He restored it with the help of the local villagers and installed a natural lingam here which has the images of Aum, Shiva, Ganesha, Ganges, Janau and Naga. The temple is now managed by the "Shri Shiv Rudra Jan Kalyan Sanstha" headquartered in Mojowal near Nangal Dam. A large fair and bhandara (langar) is held on Maha Shivaratri.[16]

The old tehsil building, on the city's main road, was notified as a state protected monument in June 2018. In 1861, Nuh was made one of the 5 tehsils of then Gurgaon district during the british raj. In 1872-73, the single-storey tehsil building with 30 rooms was built with bricks on 14 Kanal 8 Marla land within the revenue estate of Nuh.[8][7]

The ruins of Temple of Hathor (not to be confused with Hathor temple in the Dendera Temple complex in Egypt) along with the Tomb of Sheikh Musa are located on a small hillock next to the Mewat Engineering College 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) from Nuh city on Nuh-Taoru road (state highway 132).[18]

The Tomb of Sheikh Musa is a 14th-century structure also has as the Shaking Minarets of Sheikh Musa and the adjacent Temple of Hathor are located on a small hillock next to the Mewat Engineering College 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) from Nuh city.

The Tomb and mosque were built in Hijri era 1142 (14th century CE) in Tughlaq style architecture.[18] Sheikh Musa was the grandson of Mohammed Farid, and he came to Nuh looking for solitude and salvation. The tomb was built in his memory and the complex grew over time, with his dargah (tomb), mosque, madarsa, surrounding defensive wall with 12 arched gateways, one of the gateways around the dargah has shaking minarets that vibrate synchronously.[18]

The shaking arches and gateways were built in late Mughal-Rajput architectural style in 18th to early 19th century.[18] These minarets are one of its kind in India, as these can vibrate/shake. If a person shakes the pillars of one minar, the person standing inside the adjacent minar will automatically feel vibrations.[19] The condition of these minars are not good due to lack of maintenance by concerned authorities and immediate action required otherwise within next 2–3 years we may lose this example of ancient engineering.[18]

The Kotla Fort and Tomb of Raja Nahar Khan in the Kotla Mosque are 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) from Nuh city in the Kotla village. Square-shaped Kotla mosque (dating back to 1392-1400 CE) on a plinth, with grey quartzite tomb and red carved sandstone jalis has inscription on the ruined gateway, was notified as a state protected monument in June 2018.[8][20]

Nuh System of Lakes, a collection of several lakes lying in each other's vicinity, includes the permanent swamp of Khalilpur lake 1,500 acres (610 ha) in size which gets flooded during rains lies north-west of Nuh around Khalilpur and Indari villages on Delhi Western Peripheral Expressway, permanent swamp with standing water of Chandaini lake 1,500 acres (610 ha) in size which lies 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Khalilpur village, Sangil-Ujina lake is not a clearly defined basin of lake as it carried only the overflow water in the rainy season from Khalilpur lake and other lakes, and Kotla Dahar lake at the foothills of Aravalli Range is the largest lake which is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) broad and 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) long and lies across Nuh and Ferozpur Jhirka tehsils. Through a system of bunds and artificial drains the lakes of Khalilpur, Chandaini and Kotla Dahar are drained by November to make the land available for cultivation.[2]

In 2018, Haryana govt release INR82 crore (820 million) to rejuvenate Kotla Lake and other lakes in NUh system of lakes, which will recharge the ground water and irrigate 27,000 acre farm land.[21]

A.M.U.EDUCATIONAL COLLEGE BICHHORE (NUH)

Mewat Engineering college Palla NUH(WAKF)