Also spelled as Sonipat, Sonepat is a renowned city of Haryana, India. Founded as Swarnaprastha, it is an ancient town & a municipal council in the Sonepat District.
It is around 20 km away from Delhi and comes under the NCR (National Capital Region). With Yamuna River flowing along the eastern boundary, the city has 5 district borders - Delhi as a union territory in the South, Jind District in the North-West, Uttar Pradesh in the East, Panipat District in the North and Rohtak District in the West. On 22 December 1972, it was carved out of Rohtak and became a full-fledged district.
History of SonepatThe city originates in the epic Mahabharata and was founded as Swarnaprastha by the five Pandava brothers. Demanded by Yudhisthira as the price of peace from Duryodhana along with in lieu of the kingdom of Hastinapur, it was one of the five towns or prasthas. The other four villages were Tilprastha (Tilat), Indraprastha, Baghprastha (Baghpat) and Panprastha (Panipat).
Places of Interest in Sonepat
Khwaja Khizr TombThe Khwaja Khizr, a famous tomb was built between 1522 and 1525 AD. It was established by Darya Khan, who lived during Ibrahim Lodhi ruling. It stands on an elevated platform. It is one of the few monuments built by using red sandstone along with ‘kankar’ blocks. As far as its ceiling is concerned, it is ornate and made of multicolor floral designs.
Yamuna RiverYamuna River is the main source of water and also the great tourist attraction.
It flows besides the rural belt in the eastern side of Sonepat district. It acts as a natural boundary between two states namely Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Mughal BuildingsOn the outskirts of the Sonepat city, there are several Mughal buildings including the Mosque of Abdullah Nasir-ud-din. It is one of the popular tourist places where people can have great pleasure in exploring the beauty of heritage.
Climate of SonepatThe climate of this Haryana city is usually dry with hot summers and cold winters. The weather becomes pleasant during monsoon period starting July and ending in September. The post-monsoon months October and November constitute a transition period prior to the onset of winters. As the winters starts in December, both day and night temperatures start falling rapidly. January is recognized as the coldest month when the minimum temperature hovers between 6 and 7 degrees Celsius. And the June is recognized as the hottest month when maximum temperature hovers around 45 degrees Celsius. Thus, the perfect time to visit this city is between August and November.
Food of SonepatSonepat is famous for its monsoon time sweet dish, Ghevar.
This cuisine is also used during festivities. Also, there are many restaurants or dhabas at Murthal on Grand Trunk Road where one can feel delighted to eat yummy meals.
Quick Facts of Sonepat District
- Sonepat district originated on December 22, 1972 after carved out of Rohtak district
- By taking 69 villages from Sonepat tehsil, Ganaur became sub-tahsil in February, 1980
- With 38 villages, Kharkhauda was created as a sub-tahsil on March 30, 1982
- Gohana, sub-division of Sonepat was included in Rohtak district
- As per 2011 data, the population of Sonepat was 1,450,001
- Average literacy rate of the city was 79.12 in 2011
- Sex ratio was 856 per 1000 male in 2011
Sonepat district has become a well-known city of Haryana where you would not only get the chance of exploring the beauty of agriculture and river but also taking pleasure of experiencing yummy food and visiting several tourist places. So when are you visiting this place??