Heritage

Agroha — Our Heritage

Ancient Agroha in Hisar district: its excavations, the coins bearing the name 'Agrodaka', and the city's place in Agarwal tradition.

Reading time: 2 minLast reviewed: 8 October 2026

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For the Agarwal community, Agroha is not just a place but a memory. The memory lives in our very name — 'Agarwal' is generally understood to mean 'of Agroha'.1 This article first sets out what archaeology has revealed, and then what tradition has handed down to us.

Where Agroha is

A history of excavation

The Agroha mound has been excavated in several phases over roughly a century and a half:

Published reports describe Agroha as a fortified settlement inhabited from about the 4th century BCE to the 14th century CE.7 The new excavation is expected to add to this picture, and we will update this article as findings are published.

What the coins tell us

Finding a city's name struck on its own coinage is solid evidence that it was an organised and prosperous centre. According to the Hisar district administration, Agroha was also a trading centre on the ancient Taxila–Mathura route.8

Agroha in tradition

It is worth noting that archaeology confirms Agroha as an ancient and prosperous city, but excavation has not produced evidence linking any particular named king to the site. Here tradition and archaeology complement each other — but they are not the same thing.

Agroha today

For Agarwal families across the country, Agroha is a place of faith and belonging. Though we live far away in Jaipur, the families of Manglam Aananda share in this common memory.

Key statements in this article

1Documented historyBased on a single source
The name 'Agrawal' is generally understood to mean 'of Agroha'.
Sources & references: S3 S5 · Reviewer note: Etymology supported by the 'Agrotaka' inscription (C10).
2Documented historyConfirmed by several sources
Agroha lies in Hisar district, Haryana.
Sources & references: S2 S6 · Reviewer note: Uncontroversial geography.
3Documented historyConfirmed by several sources
The first recorded excavation of the Agroha mound was carried out in 1888–89 under C. J. Rogers of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Sources & references: S6 S7 · Reviewer note: Both sources agree.
4Documented historyConfirmed by several sources
In 1938–39, H. L. Srivastava's excavation recovered a hoard of 51 coins bearing the name Agodaka/Agrodaka (identified with Agroha), found with Indo-Greek silver coins and a punch-marked coin.
Sources & references: S6 S7 · Reviewer note: Depth reported as 12 ft (S6) and 3.65 m (S7) — consistent. Legend spelling varies between Agodaka and Agrodaka; both given.
5Documented historySources disagree
Excavations from 1978 by the Haryana archaeology department with the ASI revealed remains interpreted as a Buddhist stupa and a Hindu temple.
Sources & references: S6 S7 · Reviewer note: End year conflicts: S6 says 1978–81, S7 says 1978–84. Site copy says 'from 1978' only.
6Documented historyConfirmed by several sources
The Archaeological Survey of India resumed excavation at Agroha in March 2025, after about four decades.
Sources & references: S6 S7 · Reviewer note: S7 gives 27 March 2025. Revisit as new findings are published.
7Documented historyConfirmed by several sources
Published reports describe Agroha as a fortified settlement inhabited from about the 4th century BCE to the 14th century CE.
Sources & references: S6 S7 · Reviewer note: Attributed to published reports, not stated as our own finding.
8Documented historyBased on a single source
According to the Hisar district administration, Agroha was a trading centre on the ancient Taxila–Mathura route.
Sources & references: S2 · Reviewer note: Attributed to its source; seek an archaeological reference.
9According to traditionTraditional narrative
According to tradition, Maharaja Agrasen founded a kingdom with Agroha as its capital.
Sources & references: S1 S3 S8 · Reviewer note: No archaeological evidence links a named ruler to the site.
10According to traditionTraditional narrative
According to tradition, each household in Agroha gave one brick and one coin to a family settling in the city (in some accounts, also to a resident fallen on hard times).
Sources & references: S1 S3 S8 · Reviewer note: A cherished ideal; no documentary evidence of the practice.
11Documented historyBased on a single source
The Agroha Dham temple complex, dedicated to Goddess Mahalakshmi and Maharaja Agrasen, was built between 1976 and 1984.
Sources & references: S2 · Reviewer note: Government source; seek a second confirmation.

Sources & references

S3Our History — Agarwal Samaj, Madras
Labels legends as legends; cites Bulakhichand's Vachanakosha (1680) and the 1885 Bombay Presidency Gazetteer. (accessed 2026-10-08; reliability: low-medium)
S5Agrawal — Wikipedia
Secondary, cited. Treats Agrasen as legendary; records the 1983 standardised gotra list and dated literary references. (accessed 2026-10-08; reliability: medium)
S2Agroha Dham — District Administration, Hisar (Government of Haryana)
Mixes tradition with dated facts. Used for Agroha Dham construction dates and location. (accessed 2026-10-08; reliability: medium)
S6Agroha Mound — Wikipedia
Secondary, cited. Excavation chronology and finds. (accessed 2026-10-08; reliability: medium)
S7Digging into history: excavation restarts at Agroha after 4 decades — The Tribune
Report of the 2025 ASI excavation restart, with a summary of earlier excavations. (accessed 2026-10-08; reliability: medium-high)
S1About Maharaja Agrasen — Maharaja Agrasen Medical College, Agroha
Presents the traditional narrative as fact; no citations. Used only to record the tradition. (accessed 2026-10-08; reliability: low)
S8महाराजा अग्रसेन — भारतकोश (bharatdiscovery.org)
Hindi encyclopedia. Hindi spellings of the 18 gotras; tithi of Agrasen Jayanti. (accessed 2026-10-08; reliability: low-medium)