thumb|[[Kos Minar near Ambala along Grand Trunk Road in Haryana]]
Ambala () is a city and municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border of the Indian states Punjab and Haryana and is in proximity to both states' capital, Chandigarh.
Politically, Ambala has two sub-areas: Ambala Cantonment (also known as Ambala Cantt) and Ambala City, which are eight kilometers apart. They are also known as "Twin Cities." Ambala has a large Indian Army and Indian Air Force presence within its cantonment area. It is located 200 km (124 mi) to the north of New Delhi, India's capital, and has been identified as a counter-magnet city for the National Capital Region to develop as an alternative centre of growth to Delhi.
Ambala separates the Ganges river network from the Indus river network and is surrounded by two rivers – Ghaggar and Tangri – to the north and south. Due to its geographical location, the Ambala district plays an important role in local tourism, located just south of Chandigarh, north of Kurukshetra, southwest of Shimla, north of New Delhi and southeast of Amritsar.
History
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
thumb|right|The [[Grand Trunk Road, 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 2 km southeast of Ambala Cantonment Junction railway station. The complex has a 63m-tall lotus-shaped 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.
Formation of Ambala district
Ambala was given the status of a district in 1847, formed by the merging of the jagir estates of hitherto independent chieftains whose territories had lapsed or had been confiscated by the British Indian Government. In its 160 years of existence as a district, Ambala has witnessed many changes in its boundaries. Previously, it extended across tehsils of Ambala, Chandigarh, Jagadhri, Pipli, Kharar, Ropar, and Nalagarh. Kalka-cum-Kurari State, Pinjore, Mani Majra, Kasauli, and Sanawar were also merged later into the district at different times.
Post-independence
Hanging of Nathuram Godse
In November 1949, Mahatma Gandhi's alleged assassin Nathuram Godse was hanged at Ambala Central Jail along with Narayan Apte, a co-conspirator.
Geography
Climate
The climate is a humid subtropical climate (Koppen: Cwa), with the monsoon season being noticeably rainier than the rest of the year, along with being much hotter and more humid than the winter, which is mild/cold and dry.
Demographics
India census, Ambala UA had a population of 207,934, consisting of 112,840 males and 95,094 females, a ratio of 843. There were 20,687 children ages 0–6, and Ambala had an average literacy rate of 89.31%, with 91.76% of males and 86.41% of females literate.
{| class="wikitable collapsible sortable"
|+ Religious groups in Ambala City (1868−2011)