Rohnat
Rohnat, nicknamed village of rebels,[1] is a village in the Bawani Khera tehsil of the Bhiwani district in the Indian state of Haryana. It lies approximately 31 kilometres (19 mi) north west of the district headquarters town of Bhiwani. It is 12 km from Hansi on the MDR 108 Kanwari-Hansi road, 25 km from Hisar, 160 km from Delhi and 220 km from Chandigarh.
Rohnat | |
---|---|
Nickname(s): Village of rebels | |
Coordinates: 29.0093°N 75.9153°E | |
Country | India |
State | Haryana |
District | Bhiwani |
Tehsil | Bawani Khera |
Government | |
• Body | Village panchayat |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 3,785 |
Languages | |
• Official | Hindi |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Geography
Nearby villages include Kanwari, Muzadpur and Nalwa. The village of Balali, the home village of the Phogat sisters is also close. The village, which lies in the basin of the Saraswati River and the Yamuna, is irrigated by the Sunder distributory of the Western Yamuna Canal.
History
Due to its participation in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the village was nicknamed by the British Raj as the village of rebels. All the land of zamindars was taken away and freedom fighters wre crushed under the road roller.[2]
General Courtland attacked the village for their prolific role in the rebellion and the villagers fought back bravely. Courtland ordered the destruction of the village by bombarding it with cannon shells. Birhad Bairagi (बिरहड़ बैरागी) was tied to the mouth of a canon and blasted. Among the villagers who were caught, some were hanged by the still-extant banyan tree [dying and in the need of revival] on the banks of "Dhab Johad" (ढ़ाब जोहड़) wetland, others were crushed in Hansi town under the road roller on the "Lal Sadak" (लाल सड़क, literally "Red Road" which denotes the "Blood Road"). Naunda Jat (नौंदा जाट) and Rupa Khati (रुपा खाती) were among the martyrs. Surviving villagers refused to apologise, as required by the British colonials, for their part in the 1857 war of independence. Consequently, the land of the freedom fighters was confiscated and auctioned off as a punishment. Their land rights have not been restored to them to this day. Due to this, since the Independence of India, villagers neither celebrated the Independence Day nor unfurled the national flag as the freedom for them had not yet arrived. On Martyrs Day on 23 March 2018, on the death anniversary of the Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru, Chief Minister Manoharlal for the first time got an elder of the village to unfurl the flag in the village in his presence.[1]
Demographics
As of the 2011 Census of India, the village had 711 households with a population of 3,785, of which 1,970 were male and 1,815 female.[3] All residents are Hindus.
Culture
The major temple is Jakhli dham. Hindu festivals are celebrated every year. Teej is a popular Haryanvi festival observed with the music of Haryana.
Tourism
The village lies on the Golden Trinagle of West Haryana tourism i.e. the Hisar (Firoz Shah Palace Complex, Agroha Mound, Rakhi Garhi) - Hansi (Asigarh Fort) - Tosham (Tosham fort & rock inscription and Tosham Hill range) tourism circuit.
The BJP Government is developing the Rohnat Ahutatma Smarak (martyr's memorial) under the Rohnat Freedom Trust on 4 acres of land to commemorate the valour and sacrifice during the revolt of 1857.[2] The installation of the tallest Indian flag is also planned, as well as the renovation on well martyrs and the revival of the dying tree on which martyrs were hanged. The Indian flag was hoisted in this village for the first time on 26 January 2018 by the Chief Minister of Haryana Manoharlal Khattar as earlier villagers had decided to delay hosting it until their land taken during British Raj is restored to them.
References
- गौरवशाली है रोहनात का इतिहास, 1857 में अंग्रेजों के छुडाए थे छक्के Dainik Jagran, 8 Dec 2018.
- Saga of 'Village of Rebels' to be included in Haryana school curriculum, Business Standard, 7 Dec 2018.
- "Rohnat village". Census of India. Retrieved 21 July 2015.