Charkhi Dadri was previously in Bhiwani district, and it became part of the new Charkhi Dadri district in 16 Nov 2016
Dadri town was founded around the 14th century by a Chauhan Rajput Bilhan Singh.
According to the oral tradition, he saw a cow and lion drinking water side by side at dadur lake. Intrigued by the sight, he went to a nearby cottage where a Mahatma named Swami Dayal lived. Bilhan Singh sought Mahatma's blessings and was told that if he made the place his home, his family would be blessed and would rule over it in the future.
During the medieval times, Dadri was also a pargana (district) and riyasat (state). Mughal emperors Akbar and Farrukhsiyar both issued firmans (housed in Red Fort Archaeological Museum and "Rao Harnarian Singh Dhan Collection of Charkhi Dadri" respectively) to grant land to zamindars as "madad-i-mash" (subsistence allowance). In 1780 CE, mughal emperor Shah Alam II bestwowed the title of Rao of some Brahmins of the town.
In 1806, British raj gave Charkhi Dadri to Nawab of Jhajjhar, the ruler of a princely state who stayed in power till 1857. Charkhi Dadri tract had an area of 575sq miles and revenue of Rs 10,3000 annually. In 1857 war, the Nawab of Dadri, Bahadur Jung Khan who had given token allegiance to Emperor ˞BahadurShah Zafar, surrendered to British and tried by military court-martial in Delhi on 27 Nov. 1857. He was removed to Lahore. Dadri was awarded to Raja Sarup Singh of Jind for his services to EIC in the 1857 war. In May 1864, some fifty villages revolted against his descendant Raja Raghbir Singh but the rebellion was crushed. Three principal villages which took part in the rebellion, Charkhi, Mankinas and Jhanjhu, were burned down. Notable Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian scholars lived here as evident by the collection of Sanskrit and Persian manuscripts by Rao Uttam Singh, a teacher to the King of Jind State.
