Sonipat

Sonipat Also spelled as Sonepat, is an ancient town and a municipal council in Sonipat District in the state of Haryana, India. It is believed that it was founded as Suvarnaprastha by the five Pandava brothers during the times of Mahabharata. Another legend ascribed it to Raja Soni, the thirteenth descendent of Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers. Sonipat district is a part of the Eastern Haryana Plain. The name of the district is derived after its headquarters town, Sonipat. It is often believed that Sonepat (now spelt as Sonipat) was one of the five Preasthas or towns demanded by Yudhisthira from Duryodhana as the price of peace. Another tradition ascribes its foundation to Raja Soni, thirteenth in descent from Arjuna, a brother of Yudhishthira. Both the traditions are without substance. There is no mention of Sonipat in the Mahabharata, although it has been noted much earlier by the great grammerian Panini in his celebrated Ashtadhyayi.

It is also supposed to be one of the five Prasths or towns, as mentioned in Mahabharata. The number of sub-divisions of Sonipat is three. They are Sonipat, Ganaur and Gohana. Among which Sonipat is the largest Tehsil. The town of Sonipat acts as the district headquarter. It is also believed that the earliest reference of this city comes in the epic Mahabharata and this was one of the five villages demanded by the Pandavas instead of the kingdom of Hastinapur. The other four villages were Panprastha (Panipat), Baghprastha (Baghpat), Indraprastha and Tilprastha (Tilpat).

Sonipat is said to be formerly named as “Swarnaprastha” which roughly translates into “golden city”. It was said to be built by the five Pandava brothers during the time of the Mahabharata. Legend has it that the city belongs to Raja Soni who was a descendant of Arjuna. Having a lot of historical value, Sonipat is bustling city which was carved out of Rohtak. There is evidence that the city has been in existence since around 600 BC, as it finds a mention in Ashtadhyayi