Tosham

Tosham is a town and a Gram Panchayat on the foot of Tosham Hill range in Bhiwani district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is in the foothills of Tosham hill range of Aravali Mountain Range.^{[citation needed]}

Tosham Tusham
Town
Tosham Hill
Tosham Location in Haryana, India Show map of Haryana Tosham Tosham (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 28.88°N 75.92°E / 28.88; 75.92
Country	India
State	Haryana
District	Bhiwani
Elevation	207 m (679 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	15,559
Languages
• Official	Hindi, English
• Regional	Bagri
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	127040
Telephone code	+91-1253-XXXXXX
ISO 3166 code	IN-HR
Vehicle registration	HR-46 to HR-48
Website	haryana.gov.in

History

Early and medieval history

Tosham was under Gupta rule in the 4th Century as per the inscription. The history of Tosham dates back to at least the 4th century, as evident by the Sanskrit language Tosham rock inscription at Tosham hill. Later it came under Tomar during the rule of Anangpal Tomar and then Chauhan Rajput rulers during the rule of Prithviraj Chauhan who built the Baradari, before falling into the hands of Delhi Sultanates, Mughal Empire, Shekhawati and British Raj. Pre-Indus Valley Civilization mine, smelt and houses have been found at Khanak hills of Tosham Hill range^[1]

Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[2] Tosham had a population of 11,271. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Tosham has an average literacy rate of 64%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 54%. In Tosham, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Geography

Main article: Tosham Hill range

Tosham is located at 28.88°N 75.92°E / 28.88; 75.92. It has an average elevation of 207 metres (679 feet).

There are ruins of a medieval fort wall on top of Tosham hill, said to be from the times of Prithviraj Chauhan major part of which was destroyed in 1982 when an aircraft crashed on the fort.^[3][4]

Tosham rock inscription

Main article: Tosham rock inscription

Tosham rock

Tosham rock inscription, dating from 4th to 5th century, is an epigraph documenting the establishment of a monastery.^[5] The Toshām rock inscription is an epigraphic record documenting the establishment of a monastery and the building of water tanks for followers of the Sātvata religion. Found in Tosham, Haryana (India), It is not dated but can be assigned to the early fifth century CE. The inscription records the lineage and building activities of a line of Sātvata religious preceptors (ācārya) dating to the 4th and 5th centuries CE. This is an important record for the history of the Vaiṣṇava faith. The kinship and clan position of the Sātvatas is described in the article on the Yadavas. It does not appear to have been as yet satisfactorily translated. It seems to refer to a Scythian king Tushara who appears to have conquered the Gupta Galotkacha who reigned from about A. D. 50 to A. D. 79 and is referred to in the inscription. There appears to be evidence to show that the Tosham hill was a monastery of Buddhist monks or Bhikshus. The date of the inscription is said to be A. D. 162–224.^[5]

Tosham rock paintings

In 2013, rudimentary rock paintings (supposedly circa 5th century CE) at the site of Tosham rock inscription were discovered. These rock painting included several figures, such as a royal family, a saint, and dinosaur-like creature.^[6]

Vaman statue

Tosham Vaman statue, a 1,000 years old 60 kg carved red stone statue dating back to 8th to 10 century, of Vaman incarnation of Hindu deity Vishnu was found atop Tosham hill in January 2018 while policemen protecting the Haryana Police wireless repeater antennae system were clearing the rubble to clean the water tank there.^{[3] [7]} In March 2018, this statue was relocated to the Jahaj Kothi Zonal Museum at Hisar.^[4]

Sacred Sulphur Ponds of Tosham Hill

There are several ponds on Tosham Hill inside the caves, namely Pandu Teerth Kund, Surya Kund, Kukkar Kund, Gyarasia/Vyas Kund, and a reservoir or a small tank on the summit of the hill to store rainwater. Water in these kunds (ponds) in various caverns contain sulfur which is considered sacred by the devotees and pilgrimages as it heals skin diseases.^[8]

Interesting infrastructure

Police Telecomm Tower

Haryana Police has wireless repeater antennae in three locations, at Tosham Hill range in Bhiwani district, Takdi hill in Rewari district, and at Sarahan hill in Himachal Pradesh. Police HQ uses Sarahan tower to transmit signals to Tosham Hill. Tosham Hill tower boosts and sends the signal to Takdi Hill. Tosham Hill tower covers the area of the signal of Bhiwani, Hisar, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Rohtak, and Jhajjhar District Police Headquarters. Take Hill tower covers the Gurugram, Faridabad, Palwal, Nuh, Rewari, Narnaul and Haryana Bhawan Delhi.^[3]