Panipat is the 52nd largest Hindi speaking city of India with a total population of 2.9 Lakh. Major employment in Panipat district is in Textile, Food and Beverage and in Agriculture industry. Panipat has 63% Industry and other workers, 33% Agriculture workers and 4% Household workers. Panipat is a good agricultural belt because it is a part of Indo Gangetic plain and lies in Yamuna Sub basin of the Ganges basin. The main crops cultivated in the district are paddy, maize, wheat, gram and sugarcane. According to the Mahabharata legend, Panipat was one of the five cities (prasthas) founded by the Pandava brothers during the times of the Mahabharata; its historic name being Panduprastha. Panipat was the scene of three pivotal battles in Indian history. The First Battle of Panipat was fought on 21 April 1526 between Ibrahim Lodhi, Sultan of Delhi, and the Timurid warlord Zaheeruddin Babur. The Second Battle of Panipat was fought on 5 November 1556 between the forces of Akbar and Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, The Third Battle of Panipat was fought on 14 January 1761 between the Maratha Empire and the Afghan and Baloch invaders. Panipat district first came into existence on November 1, 1989. It was carved out of Karnal district but was merged again with Karnal district in the year 1991.
