Haryana

Haryana, state in northwestern India, bordered on the north by Himachal Pradesh state, on the east by Uttar Pradesh state, on the south and southwest by Rajasthan state, and on the northwest by Punjab state.The name Haryana means the abode of God. The region was the birthplace of the Hindu religion.

In the southwest of the state the plain gives way to the sandy border of the Thar Desert.The Yamuna (Jumna) is the only significant river that flows.On the battlefield at Kurukshetra, the Lord Krishna is said to have delivered to the warrior Arjuna the teachings contained in the Bhagavadgita, venerated by Hindus as the highest code of ethics.

The state is a major producer of wheat and rice. Other important crops include oilseeds, sugarcane, cotton, potatoes, pulses. Haryana's economy is mainly agricultural, and it has received substantial investment in irrigation and fertilization.

Major industrial towns are Hisar, Panipat, Yamunanagar, Faridabad, Bhiwani.

Area 17,070 square miles (44,212 square km). Population. (1991) 16,317,715.