BHIWANI

also called Bhawani city, western Haryana state, northwestern India. The city is located on a tributary of the Ganges River, northeast of the Great Indian (Thar) Desert. Selected by the British in 1817 as a free-market site, it was incorporated as a municipality in 1867. A road and rail junction, it is a major centre for trade with Rajasthan state. Industries include cotton milling, ginning, and pressing and light manufacturing. Several colleges and one technological institute are affiliated with Kurukshetra University. The surrounding region includes outlying hills of the Aravalli Range. Products include grain, cotton, sugarcane, and oilseed, but agriculture has been hindered by poor water resources. Pop. (1981) 101,277.