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How Gurgaon Got Its Name

Do you know how the city of Gurgaon in Haryana got its name?

Legend says that King Dhritarashtra gifted the region of modern-day Gurugram to Dronacharya. It was a token of the king’s gratitude to the respected teacher for taking on the task of training the Kuru princes in the art of warfare. Dronacharya opened his school in the village, eventually settling here. Thus, the place was called ‘guru ka gaon’ meaning the teacher’s village. Over time, the name got shortened to Gurgaon, and in 2016, it was officially renamed Gurugram by the Haryana government. 

As per one story, the city of Gurgaon was the region gifted by King Dhritarashtra to Drona for agreeing to become the princes’ teacher.

Another legend attributes the gifting to the Pandavas and not their uncle, the region serving as their gurudakshina to their teacher. The Dronacharya tank still stands in the city today, a water reservoir that is no longer in use. It is believed to be the same tank where the Pandavas and the Kauravas once lost their ball while playing.

You can read the full story in Amar Chitra Katha’s Drona or the ACK Junior ‘Drona and the Ball Game’

Buy them here:

Matsya

One Word Many Meanings

The word ‘matsya’ has many references in the Puranic scripts. Here are some of them.

  1. The first and foremost incarnation of Vishnu.
  2. An ancient country of Puranic fame. The people of this country were called Matsyas.
  3. An ancient King’s name: King Matsya was the brother of Satyavati, the mother of Vyasa. Satyavati and Matsya were both found in a fish by the same fisherman.

The Sailoda River

The Sailoda River finds mention in both the great epics; the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

In the Ramayana’s Kishkindha Kand, when Sugreeva sends troops to the north in search of Sita, he informs them of the divine province of Uttara Kuru. This region was known for its beautiful mountains, two of them being Meru and Mandara. A graceful river, Sailoda, flows between them. Kichaka, a variety of bamboo, grows on the banks of this river. 

Kichaka bamboo is a special variety of the plant, used specifically to make transverse flutes in India. The diameter and wall thickness of each bamboo stick is analyzed to check if it produces a desired pitch and tone. The term ‘kichaka‘ itself means ‘whistling sound made as the wind passes through’. 

#LegendSays that this river was so difficult to cross, only ‘siddhas’ or truly accomplished souls could do so, that too with the help of the bamboos. 

Read Amar Chitra Katha’s Kishkinda Kand

Illustration: Ritoparna Hazra
Script: Harini Srinivasan