History of Haryana - History from 1858 to 1885

After the 1857 revolt, the British in February 1858, removed Haryana from the North Western Province and merged it with Punjab. The region of Haryana was divided into two divisions that of Hissar and Delhi. Delhi division consisted of the districts of Delhi, Gurgaon and Panipat while the Hissar division consisted of the districts of Hissar, Sirsa and Rohtak. The districts were further divided into tehsils, tehsils into Zails and Zails into villages. The Punjab government in 1871 ordered setting up of district committees or 'Zila Samiti'. The 1883 Punjab District Board Act gave more power to these Zila Samitis.

The formation of Arya Samaj on 10 April, 1875 was to play a very important role in the history of Haryana region. The founder of Aryan Samaj, Swami Dayanand (1824-1883) was a great Sanskrit and Vedic scholar. Swami Dayanand came to Haryana in 1880. He stayed in Rewari for some time to preach against superstition and illiteracy. He also established a branch of Arya Samaj in Rewari. Later another branch was established in Rohtak. Later still, Lala Lajpat Rai played an important part in popularizing Arya Samaj in Haryana villages. Arya Samaj played a great role in removing backwardness in the farming community of Haryana, especially the Jats.

The formation of Congress party in 1885 speeded up the political activities in the Haryana region.