Nuh district

The earliest records of this region and its surroundings can be found in the Mahabharata. The Bhadanakas are clearly related to the ancient Bhadras mentioned in the Sanskrit epic as a republic or oligarchy that Karna conquered during his expeditions. These Bhadanakas are located in the Rewari-Bhiwani area, and Bhadavasa, a present-day village located nearby confirms their historic presence.[4]

After the fall of Maurya Empire, this place has seen foreign invaders like Bactrians, Greeks, Parthians, Scythians and Kushanas. Samudragupta and Yashovarman had also ruled the area. The Mewat region was also part of the Harsha Empire during the first half of the century 7th century, then Gurjara-Pratiharas. The Tomaras, who were once the Pratiharas' feudatories but eventually gained independence, established the foundation of Delhi, then known as Dhillika, in A.D. 736. The Gurgaon-Mewat region was ruled by the Tomaras until Visaladeva (Chahamana) captured Delhi around the year 1156.[4]

One of the most dominant Meo chiefs in the region was Sambhar Pal, popularly known as Bahadur Nahar during the rule of Firuz Shah Tughlaq whose tomb still stands at Alwar.[4] Bahadur Nahar had helped Abu Bakr Shah, grandson of the late Emperor Firuz Shah Tughlaq, in expelling from Dehli Abu Bakr's uncle Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq and in establishing the former on the throne.

Ghias-ud-din Balban, who was once the prime minister of Nasir-ud-din Mahmud is known to have punished people of Mewat to an extent where around two thousand Meos were killed. The local population is believed to have gone through bad times due to the oppression during the early Muslim invasion of 13th century. Their determination of preserving their old way of life despite converting to Delhi's ruling faith is evident.[4]

The Meo Muslims who inhabited this region were syncretic in past rituals.

"The Meos (Muhammadans) of the eastern Punjab still participate in the observance of the Holi and Diwali festivals. On the latter occasion they paint the horns, hoofs, etc.,of their bullocks and join in the general rejoicings".[5]^: 174

— Excerpt from the Census of India (Punjab Province), 1911 AD

During the independence, there was a surge in Communal tension when Jinnah demanded for a separate nation as a result of which Partition of India was proposed by the British rulers. A branch of the All India Muslim League was established in the area, which had proposed a separate province for Meos and a significant number of Meos became members of the organization.[4]^: 12

In the 1920s the grassroots Islamic movement Tablighi Jamaat arose from this region under Muhammad Ilyas as a reformist movement.[6] This Muslim region was heavily inflicted by partition violence of 1947, which in turn naturally altered the syncretic life style of people in the region.[7] During partition some Meo Muslim villages were attacked; when the Meos retaliated they were attacked by the Hindu princely state maharajas. The violence has been remembered by the Meo Muslims and lead them to embrace a more Islamic identity.[8] The Meos' Islamic identity has also been enhanced due to better education, communication and transportation. As secular schools have increase in the area, so have the religious madrassas. Many Meos have traveled to Delhi to attend religious gatherings, or visited their relatives in Pakistan.[8]

The district was created on 4 April 2005, by taking areas from Gurgaon district and the Hathin Block of Faridabad district. However, in 2008, Hathin sub-division was reorganized in the new district of Palwal. Mewat district was renamed Nuh in 2016, because Mewat is a cultural region which spans the state of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.[9][10]

The district comprises Nuh, Taoru, Nagina, Ferozepur Jhirka, Indri, Punhana and Pinangwan blocks, 431 villages and 297 panchayats. There had been 512 villages and 365 panchayats in district before Hathin Block was transferred to Palwal district.

The soil of the district is light in texture, composed of sandy soil, sandy loam and clay loam. The upper hills are mostly barren. The total area of Nuh district is 1,507 square kilometres (582 sq mi).

The Nuh district is headed by a Deputy Commissioner (DC), who is an officer from Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of Haryana cadre and is appointed by the State Government of Haryana. The Deputy Commissioner serves as the chief executive officer of the district and holds the position of District Magistrate as well. The district is divided into 4 sub-divisions, each headed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM): Nuh, Ferozepur Jhirka, Punahana and Taoru.

There are 3 Haryana Vidhan Sabha constituencies located in this district: Nuh, Ferozepur Jhirka and Punahana. All 3 are part of the Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency. Taoru Sub-division of Nuh district comes under Sohna (Vidhan Sabha constituency) of Gurugram district.

• Ferozepur Jhirka
• Khanpur Ghati
• Nagina (Nuh) – An important town of Ferozepur Jhirka Tehsil, located at the centre of the district. It is the sub-tehsil and block of the district. An industrial training institute is also located here.
• Nuh - It has a medical college established in August 2012 by government of haryana named SHKM GMC Nalhar.
• Pinangwan
• Punahana
• Tauru - An important town is a sub division of Mewat district this town's border touches with Gurgaon district and Bhiwadi district. Alwar, (Rajasthan) is the only town in Mewat with a Hindu majority. One ITI and one college affiliated to MDU University

According to the 2011 census, Nuh district had a population of 1,089,263.[12] By population, it ranks 420th among the 640 districts of India.[12] The district had a population density of 729 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,890/sq mi).[12] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 37.94%.[12] It had a sex ratio of 906 females for every 1000 males,[12] and a literacy rate of 56.1%. Scheduled Castes make up 6.91% of the population.

It is the only Muslim majority district in Haryana, and has the highest proportion of Muslims outside Kashmir in North India.[14]

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 36.17% of the population in the district spoke Hindi, 34.75% Mewati, 25.76% Urdu and 2.84% Haryanvi as their first language.[15]

The main occupation in the district is agriculture, followed by allied and agro-based activities. The Meos are the predominant population group and are all agriculturists.[16] Agriculture is mostly rain-fed except in small pockets where canal irrigation is available, and crop yield per hectare is low compared with the rest of the state. Animal husbandry, particularly dairy, is the secondary source of income for the people; those who live closer to the hilly ranges of Aravali also keep sheep and goats. The heavy indebtedness of most of the farmers requires them to sell milk to their lenders at below-market price, which drastically reduces their income.

Towns such as Punhana, Pinangwan, Ferozepur Jhirka, Taoru and Nuh are major hubs of retail shopping and act as backbones of day-to-day life in the area. The district also has a MMTC–PAMP factory located in the Rojka–Meo industrial estate.

The district falls under the sub-tropical semi-arid climatic zone with extremely hot temperatures in summer. January is the coldest month with temperature ranging between 2 and 25 °C (36 and 77 °F). May and June are the hottest months of the year with the temperature ranging from 30 to 40 °C (86 to 104 °F).

The annual rainfall varies considerably, from 336 to 440 mm (13.2 to 17.3 in). About 80% of the annual rainfall is received during the monsoon season, from June to September with a peak in July. Dryness of air is a standard feature in Mewat district, with high humidity only during the monsoon period. During the monsoon, the sky is heavily clouded, and winds are strong. Winds are generally light during the post-monsoon and winter months. The dry season of minimum humidity (less than 20%) is between April and May, when strong dusty winds are conspicuous.

Nuh district experiences a high incidence of thunderstorms and dust storms, often accompanied by violent squalls (Bengali: andhar ) from April to June. The thunderstorms may be accompanied by heavy rain and occasionally by hail. In the winter months, fog may appear in the district.

Nuh town is on National Highway 248A (NH 248A) (previously known as the Gurgaon–Sohna–Alwar road),[17] connecting the district to Gurugram and Alwar. The Kundli–Manesar–Palwal (KMP) Expressway provides high-speed access to the district from Palwal and Manesar. Major District Roads 131 and 135 connect to the Delhi–Agra Highway. The nearest railway station is Hodal which is around 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Punahana town. The closest railway station to the district headquarters, Nuh town, is 37 kilometres (23 mi) away in Palwal.

The planned route of the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway will pass west of Pinangwan town and is expected to boost connectivity to cities.

• Mewat State
• Hodal

• Official website of district Nuh

28°06′N 77°00′E