According to the history of Sirsa District, the name of the district is derived from its headquarters Sirsa. It is said to be one of the oldest places of North India and its ancient name was `Sairishaka`, which finds mention in Mahabharata. In Mahabharata, Sairishaka is described as being taken by Nakula in his conquest of the western quarter. It must have been a flourishing city in the 5th century BC as it has been mentioned by Panini.
History of Sirsa District as an administrative unit states that Sirsa seems to be in the administrative division of Hisar Feroza during the reign of Firoz Shah Tughlaq. In the time of Akbar, Sirsa was one of the dasturs of Hisar Feroza Sarkar and much of its area lying in the present Sirsa District was covered by Mahals of Fatehabad, Bhattu, Bhangiwal (Darba), Sirsa, Bhatner (or Hanumangarh, Rajasthan) and Paniyana (Rajasthan). With the decline of Mughal Empire, the track comprising Sirsa District came under the control of Marathas. The entire territory of Delhi of which the tract formed a part was ceded by the Marathas to the British in 1810. Sirsa was part of the outlying district of Delhi territory under the charge of an assistant to the Resident. In 1819, Delhi territory was divided into three districts - Central which included Delhi, Southern including Rewari, and North-Western including Panipat, Hansi, Hisar, Sirsa and Rohtak. In 1820, the latter was again sub-divided into Northern and Western and Sirsa along with Hansi, Hisar and Bhiwani formed Western district (Haryana District later known as Hisar District).
In 1837, Sirsa and Rania Parganas were taken out of Haryana District and along with Guda and Malaut Parganas were formed into a separate district called Bhattiana. The Pargana of Darba from Hisar District and the small Pargana of Rori confiscated from erstwhile princely state of Nabha were transferred to Bhattiana in 1838 and 1847 respectively. In 1844, Wattu Pargana running up to Sutlej region was added in Bhattiana district. The whole of Delhi territory along with district of Bhattiana and Hisar was transferred to Punjab in 1858 and the district of Bhattiana was renamed as Sirsa. In 1861, 42 villages of Tibi tract of Rania Pargana were transferred to the then state of Bikaner.
Sirsa District which comprised three tehsils of Sirsa, Mandi Dabwali and Fazilka was abolished in 1884 and Sirsa tehsil (consisting of 199 villages) and 126 villages of Mandi Dabwali tehsil formed one tehsil and the same was merged in the Hisar District and the rest of the portion was transferred to the Ferozepur district (Punjab). There was no change till the independence of the country except that a village was transferred from Sirsa tehsil to the then state of Bikaner in 1906. The entire area of the district was included in the new state of Haryana on November 1st, 1966. In 1968, Sirsa tehsil was bifurcated into Sirsa and Mandi Dabwali tehsils. In 1974, three villages of Mandi Dabwali tehsil were transferred to Sirsa tehsil. On September 1st, 1975, Sirsa and Mandi Dabwali tehsils were constituted into a separate Sirsa District with headquarters at Sirsa.
