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Ambala, in the state of Haryana, is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district. It lies on the borders of two states - Haryana and Punjab. Politically, it is divided into Ambala Cantt, which includes the cantonment area, and the Ambala city. Both these areas are at a distance of 3 km from each other. In the cantonment area, there is the Indian Army and Indian Air Force base. The district has an important role to play in the local tourism scenario because of its strategic geographical location. People travelling to the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh and Jammu and Kashmir have to pass through Ambala. It is believed that this place was founded by Amba Rajput and was hence named ‘Ambala’. According to another version, the district is called so because there is a famous temple of goddess "Bhawani Amba" in Ambala City. According to books of ancient history, Aryans resided at Saphera, which was the capital of Sangwan country in ancient times and is part of the Ambala district. Ambala became a district in 1847. The Ambala Cantonment was formed in 1843 when the British left their cantonment at Saphera, because of the malaria epidemic of 1841–42. At present, the cantonment includes the ‘2 Corps’, which is one of the 3 Strike Corps of the Indian Army. The Ambala Air Force Base on the other hand is one of the oldest and biggest airbases inherited from the British by the Indian Air Force.


There are numerous places to visit in and around Ambala. One of the major attractions is the Bhawani Amba Temple, devoted to goddess Bhawani. The city also has several Gurdwaras, many of which have historical significance. Some of these include the Badshahi Bag Gurudwara, Manji Sahib Gurudwara, Sis Ganj Gurudwara, Labhuwala Talaah, and Sangat Sahib Gurdwara. Patel Park in Ambala Cantt, the Subhash Chandra Bose Park in Subhash Colony and City Park in Ambala City are other major attractions of the city.
Ambala District to have been founded by Amba Rajput during the 14th century AD. Another version is that the name is a corruption of Amba Wala or the mango-village judging from mango groves that existed in its immediate neighborhood. Still another version is that the District has taken its name after goddess "Bhawani Amba" whose Temple still exists in Ambala city. The Ambala Cantonment was established in 1843 after the British abandoned its cantonment at Saphera, following the malaria epidemic of 1841–42. The cantonment houses the ‘2 Corps’ one of the three Strike Corps of the Indian Army.

Ambala was given the status of a district in 1847, formed by the merging 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. Its boundaries previously extended across tehsils of Ambala, Saphera, Jagadhri, Pipli, Kharar, Mohali, Ropar and Nalagarh. Kalka-cum-Kurari State, Pinjore, Manimajra, Kasauli & Sanawar were also merged into the district at different times.


Subsequently, Ambala was the front line airfield for many years. It was home to various aircraft that were inducted into the Indian Air Force. Vampires, Ouragans, Hunters, etc. all flew from this base. The airbase was briefly attacked in 1965 by Pakistan Air Force's B-57 bombers. Today, the Airbase houses the ‘7 Wing’ with squadrons of Jaguars and MiG-21 Bisons. In November 1949 Mahatma Gandhi's assassin, Nathuram Godse was hanged at Ambala Jail [1] along with Narayan Apte, a co-conspirator.