The name of the district has been taken 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, Panini's 'Ashtadhyayi' and Buddhist text 'Divyavadan'. It must have been a flourishing city in the 5th century B.C., as it has been mentioned by Panini.

There are a number of legends about the origin of the name of the town. As mentioned earlier, its ancient name was Sairishaka and from that it seems to have been corrupted to Sirsa. According to local tradition, a king named Saras founded the town in 7th century A.D. and built a fort. The material remains of an ancient fort can still be seen in the South-East of the present town. It is about 5 kms. in circuit. Another version cites that the name has its origin from the sacred river Sarasvati that flowed near it. During medieval period, the town was known as Sarsuti. The name Sirsa is also attributed to the abundance of 'siris' trees [Albizia lebbock (Benth)] in the neighbourhood of Sirsa. In ancient times, Sirsa was supposedly known as Sirsapattan.

Location : Sirsa is located 259 kms. from Delhi on the Delhi–Sirsa National Highway No. 10.

Linking Roads: Connected to National Highway No. 64 through Dabwali and Punjab.

Postal Code: 125201 | Longitude: 74° 29' and 75° 18' east | Latitude: 29° 14' and 30° 0' north | Area: 4,276 Sq. K.M. | Altitude: 190 - 210 metres above the mean sea level. | Population: 1,295,114 (census 2011) | Literacy Rate: 70.40% | STD Code: 01666 | Villages: 325 | Language: Hindi, English | Best season to visit: All seasons to visit.