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Monday (September 22) was marked as Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti to commemorate the life of the king who is believed to have founded the Aggarwal community. The day is a gazetted holiday in Punjab, Haryana and a few other states, and the community celebrates by distributing sweets and organising langars, medical camps and other social welfare activities.
Former Bathinda MLA Sarup Chand Singla, the president of the Punjab Aggarwal Mahasabha, said, “There are Maharaja Agrasen chowks in almost every district of Punjab, as well as Maharaja Agrasen Bhawans where the Aggarwal community organises several programs on the day”.
Maharaja Agrasen is believed to have been a legendary king who ruled over Agroha, an ancient city likely in the present-day Hisar district of Haryana. He is regarded as the founder of the Aggarwal community, a prominent trading and business social group in India.
According to Agroha’s Maharaja Agrasen Medical College website, he was a Vaish King of the Solar Dynasty who adopted Vanika Dharma for the benefit of his people. The website further mentions an account by 19th-century poet Bharatendu Harishchandra, who wrote, “Maharaja Agrasen was a Suryavanshi Kshatriya king, born during the last stages of Dwapar Yuga in the Mahabharata epic era, he was contemporaneous to Lord Krishna”.
“He was son of King Vallabha Dev, who was descendant of Kush (Lord Rama’s son),” adds the website. Historians, however, often place him closer to the early centuries CE.
Agrasen is remembered for his progressive principles of non-violence, equality, and social welfare. He discouraged animal sacrifices in yajnas and promoted peace and harmony in society.
The king introduced a system of cooperative living in his kingdom, where every family contributed one brick and one coin to help newcomers build their homes and start businesses, laying the foundations for a self-reliant and prosperous community. His vision is said to have helped Agroha flourish as an inclusive and progressive state.
In March this year, the Archaeological Survey of India (AS) and the Haryana State Archaeology Department undertook excavations at Agroha. An official earlier told The Indian Express that the previous excavation at the site had taken place between 1978 to 1981, and evidence of a civilisation was found beneath the mound at the Agroha archaeological site.
The officials also noted the discovery of coins during previous excavations, along with references to its ancient name ‘Agradoka’ that was found in literature like the Mahabharata.
“The city of Agroha was strategically positioned on the ancient trade route connecting Taxila and Mathura, making it a crucial commercial hub and political activity. Previous excavations have underscored the site’s potential, revealing evidence of five distinct cultural periods spanning from approximately the 4th century to the 14th century AD,” the state government stated earlier.
Agrasen Jayanti is observed annually on the fourth day of the Hindu month of Ashwin (Shukla Paksha Pratipada), which usually falls in late September or early October in the Gregorian calendar.
Honouring his legacy, a commemorative postage stamp was released on his 5100th birth anniversary in 1976 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Further, the Maharaja Agrasen Chair was established at Punjabi University, Patiala, in 2017 under the then Congress government. Its purpose is to promote research and awareness on the life, ideals, and contributions of Maharaja Agrasen.
Punjab has a sizable Aggarwal community, particularly in districts such as Bathinda, Mansa, Barnala, Sangrur, Ludhiana, and Patiala. A large share is involved in the business of rice shelling and cotton ginning, and as arhtiyas or commission agents in the agricultural sector, apart from the manufacturing and service sectors. Many have also contested elections and are active in state politics.
