Rewari has a long history since Vedic Period. During Mahabharata period also the place was important because of activities of Lord Krishna in the area.
Medieval
Hemu, also known as Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, the last Hindu emperor of India and winner of 22 battles from Punjab to Bengal, had lived in and was educated and brought up in Rewari. His Haveli (house) still stands in the Qutabpur area of the city. Hemu became Chief of the Army and Prime Minister of Adil Shah in 1553, and defeated the army of Akbar, a Moghul emperor, at Delhi on 6 October 1556 in Battle for Delhi to become the emperor of North India independently. He was defeated by Akbar's army at the Second Battle of Panipat on 5 November 1556 and died in the battlefield.
Hemu had developed the cannon industry in Rewari, laying the foundation of a metalwork industry in brass, copper sheets and utensils manufacture for which Rewari is still known.
Modern
Rewari formed a part of the Gurgaon district of Punjab, in which it was placed by the administrators of the British Raj following the unsuccessful Indian Rebellion of 1857, in which a local leader, Rao Tula Ram, played a significant role. It remained a part of Gurgaon district until reorganisation in 1972 saw it transferred to Mahendragarh district. Further changes, in 1989, led to the creation of the eponymous Rewari district
