Etymology The town is said to derive its name from Amba
Rajput, who supposedly founded it during the 14th century CE. According to another version, it is named after the goddess "Bhawani Amba," whose Temple still exists in Ambala city. The English spelling Umballa has sometimes been used; this spelling was used by
Rudyard Kipling in his 1901 novel
Kim.
Classical era Archaeological surveyor C.J Rodgers found
Indo-Parthian Kingdom coins as well as coins of
Hunas,
Mihirakula, and
Toramana, which indicated that after the disintegration of the
Mauryan empire, the area was taken over by Indo-Parthians and later incorporated into the domain of the Hunas. It was under the rule of Gill
Jats from 1748 to 1825. It was also the capital of
Nishanwalia Misl. For some time, it had been under the rule of
Jawahir Singh of
Mustafabad, a descendant of Desu Singh Randhawa.
British colonial era The Ambala Cantonment , at Ambala Cantonment, during the
British Raj Ambala Army Base Ambala Army Cantonment was established in 1843 after the British were forced to leave its
Karnal Cantonment following the
malaria epidemic of 1841–42, as there were no known effective means to control malaria epidemics in those days. The cantonment houses the '2 Corps', one of the three Strike Corps of the
Indian Army.
Ambala Air Force Base Ambala Air Force Base is one of the oldest and largest airbases that were inherited from the British by the
Indian Air Force. It was from this airbase that
Spitfires and
Harvards flown by Instructors of the Advanced Flying Training School took part in the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948. Subsequently, Ambala was the front line airfield for many years. This base was home to various aircraft that were inducted into the Indian Air Force like Harvards,
Vampires,
Ouragans,
Hunters,
Liberators, Spitfire,
Canberra, and
MiG-21. The airbase was briefly attacked in 1965 by
B-57 bombers of the
Pakistan Air Force. Today, the Airbase houses the '7 Wing', with 2 squadrons of
Jaguars and 1 squadron of
Dassault Rafale.
European Cemetery Ambala Cantonment is the location of the historic
European Cemetery. It is 200 km north of Delhi and 55 km southwest of
Chandigarh.
1857 War Memorial First War of Independence Memorial, Ambala, also
1857 War Memorial, Ambala,
Shaheed Smarak Ambala, costing Rs300 crore in the honour of Indian rebels of
1857 First War of Independence against British Colonial
company raj in India, is spread over 22 acres on
NH-44. The complex has a 63m-tall memorial tower at the center. The museum showcases the First War of Indian Independence in 1857 in 22 galleries across three sections: outbreak of war at Ambala, expansion of war in Haryana, and the martyrs across the country. Short films and light-and-sound shows will be displayed on five screens to elaborate the valor of martyrs and the circumstances of the revolution. Before the war, 50 to 60 major movements across India had taken place against the British Colonial rule in India. The war started at Ambala on 10 May 1857, For their participation in
first war of independence, the
Chaudharys and
Lambardars of villages who participated in rebellion were also deprived of their land and property, including 368 people of
Hisar and
Gurugram who were hanged or transported for life, and a fine was imposed on the people of
Thanesar (Rs 235,000), Ambala (Rs. 253,541) and
Rohtak (Rs. 63,000 mostly on
Ranghars,
Shaikhs and
Muslim Kasai). The museum commemorates the valor and sacrifice of the Indian martyrs and the brutality of British Colonial rulers. along with
Narayan Apte, a co-conspirator. ==Geography==