Karnal ( is a city located in the state of

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land a ...

, India and is the administrative headquarters of

Karnal District Karnal district is one of the 22 districts of Haryana state in North India which constitutes the National Capital Region (NCR) of the country. The city of Karnal is a part of the National Capital Region (NCR) and is the administrative headq ...

. It was used by

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

army as a refuge during the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

. The

Battle of Karnal The Battle of Karnal (24 February 1739), was a decisive victory for Nader Shah, the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran, during his invasion of India. Nader's forces defeated the army of Muhammad Shah within three hours, paving the way fo ...

between Nader Shah of Persia and the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

took place in this city in 1739.

Etymology

The city associates itself with the mythological character

Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic '' Mahābhārata''. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti (mother of the ...

from the Indian epic

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...

.King Karna returns to his land — Karnal. Mythology inspires ambitions, a larger-than-life portrayal of past events in order to add awe, plus a few nickels to the government kitty by way of tourism.
/ref> A tank in the city also bears the name Karna Tal and a city gate is called Karna gate.

History

Ancient

At the end of 6th century A.D., the area was under the rule of the

Vardhanas The Pushyabhuti dynasty (IAST: Puṣyabhūti), also known as the Vardhana dynasty ruled in northern India during 6th and 7th centuries. The dynasty reached its zenith under its last ruler Harsha Vardhana (c. 590–647 CE), and the Empire of Har ...

Thanesar Thanesar city or old Kurukshetra city is a historic town and an important Hindu pilgrimage centre in Kurukshetra district of the state of Haryana in northern India. It is located in Kurukshetra district, approximately 160 km northwest of D ...

. The 7th century was a period of eclecticism in religion, Buddhism was declining and Hinduism was resurging in the Indo-Gangetic plains. The region was under

Kanauj Kannauj ( Hindustani pronunciation: ənːɔːd͡ʒ is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is a corrupted form of the cl ...

rule under the Pala Emperor of Bengal (770-810 A.D.). The authority of

Mihira Bhoja Mihira Bhoja (c. 836–885 CE) or Bhoja I was a king belonging to the Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty. He succeeded his father Ramabhadra. Bhoja was a devotee of Vishnu and adopted the title of ''Ādivarāha'' which is inscribed on some of his co ...

(836-885 A.D.), the

Pratihara The Gurjara-Pratihara was a dynasty that ruled much of Northern India from the mid-8th to the 11th century. They ruled first at Ujjain and later at Kannauj. The Gurjara-Pratiharas were instrumental in containing Arab armies moving east of the ...

ruler of Kanauj penetrated as far as Pehowa, including Karnal.

Medieval

The

Tomaras The Tomara dynasty (also called Tomar in modern vernaculars because of Schwa deletion in Indo-Aryan languages, schwa deletion) dynasty ruled parts of present-day Delhi and Haryana in India during 8th-12th century. Their rule over this region ...

descending from Raja Jaala established themselves as rulers of this region in the middle of the 9th century. About the beginning of the 10th century, as the Pratyahara power began to decline, the Tomaras assumed independence. One of the Tomara rulers, Amanpal Tomar, found the city of Delhi and made it his capital, with the area of Karnal and modern-day Haryana being under his realm. The Tomaras came into conflict with the Chauhan's of Shakambhari, but continued to rule the Haryana country until the middle of 12th century when they were overthrown by the Chaha mana Vighnaraja IV. The country between the Satluj and the Yamuna including Karnal experienced relative peace for a century and a half except the plundering invasions and eventual conquests of Mahmud of Ghazi. The region then came under

Ghurid The Ghurid dynasty (also spelled Ghorids; fa, دودمان غوریان, translit=Dudmân-e Ğurīyân; self-designation: , ''Šansabānī'') was a Persianate dynasty and a clan of presumably eastern Iranian Tajik origin, which ruled from th ...

rule after the Second Battle of Tarani when

Muhammad Ghori Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad ibn Sam ( fa, معز الدین محمد بن سام), also Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad Ghori, also Ghūri ( fa, معز الدین محمد غوری) (1144 – March 15, 1206), commonly known as Muhammad of Ghor, also Gh ...

captured the area. It remained under the Delhi Sultanate until 1526. In 1526 at the First Battle of Panipat, Mughal emperor Babur defeated the Sultan of

, Ibrahim Lodi, and captured India along with Delhi and Panipat. He then established the

. Karnal is listed in the Mughal Ain-i-Akbari as a pargana under Delhi sarkar, producing a revenue of 5,678,242

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

s for the imperial treasury and supplying a force of 800 infantry and 50 cavalry. In A.D. 1739, Nader Shah of Persia invaded the Mughal empire and Karnal was the scene of the famed

in which Nader Shah decisively defeated Mughal Emperor

Muhammad Shah Mirza Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad Shah (born Roshan Akhtar; 7 August 1702 – 26 April 1748) was the 13th Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1719 to 1748. He was son of Khujista Akhtar, the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I. After being chosen by the ...

. Axworthy, Michael (2009) Muhammad Shah along with an enormous army occupied a strongly fortified camp at Karnal, but he yielded to the invader as his supplies were cut off from the open country by Shah and was starved into submission. The tactical defeat drastically weakened the

, while the Persian Empire prospered and subsequently hastened the establishment of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

in India. The region then came under

Afghan Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...

rule. Sikhs appeared on the scene in the 18th century. The importance of Karnal grew in the time of Raja Gajpat Singh of

Jind State Jind State (also spelled Jhind State) was a princely state located in the Punjab region of north-western India. The state was in area and its annual income was Rs.3,000,000 in the 1940s. Jind was founded and ruled by Jat Sikh rulers of Sidhu c ...

who after its capture in A.D. 1763 built the boundary wall and a fort and under whose rule the town increased considerably in size. On 14 January 1764, Sikh Chiefs defeated and killed

Zain Khan Sirhindi Zain-ud-Din Khan known as Zain Khan Sirhindi (died 1764) was the Mughal Faujdar of Sirhind, he was a serviceman of Shah Alam II, an ally of Najib-ud-Daula and Ahmad Shah Durrani. Zain Khan Sirhindi fought during the Third Battle of Panipat a ...

, the Durrani Governor, and took possession of the whole of Sirhind province as far south as Panipat including Karnal.

Modern

During the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

, a district political conference was organized at Karnal with

Lala Lajpat Rai Lala Lajpat Rai (28 January 1865 - 17 November 1928) was an Indian author, freedom fighter, and politician. He played a vital role in the Indian Independence movement. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari. He was one of the three members of ...

as its chairman.

Climate

Demographics

The population of the city as of 2011, is 357,334 DiwaliKarnal

Politics

The city is part of the Karnal Assembly constituency and

Manohar Lal Khattar Manohar Lal Khattar (born 05 May 1954) is an Indian politician serving as the 10th and current chief minister of Haryana. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a former RSS pracharak. He represents Karnal constituency in Haryana ...

is the MLA from Karnal constituency.

Sanjay Bhatia Sanjay Bhatia (born 29 July 1967) is a Bharatiya Janata Party politician from Haryana. He is currently an elected Member of Parliament from Karnal constituency of Haryana in 2019 Lok sabha polls and State general secretary at Bhartiya Janata Pa ...

is the current elected MP from the Karnal Lok Sabha constituency.

Facilities

Karnal was ranked 24th (1st in Haryana) among 4000+ cities in the list of the cleanest cities of India under the government survey named '' Swachh Survekshan 2019''. Karnal was selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a ''smart city'' under the Union government's plan

Smart Cities Mission National Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with the mission to develop smart cities across the country, making them citizen friendly and sustainable. The Union Ministry of Urban Devel ...

Places of interest

Victoria Memorial Hall The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall is a performing arts centre in the Central Area of Singapore, situated along Empress Place. It is a complex of two buildings and a clock tower joined together by a common corridor; the oldest part of the ...

built in 19th century AD, is a fine example of Indo-British

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

constructed on the occasion of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

’s visit to Karnal. *

Cantonment Church Tower The Cantonment Church Tower is a church tower in Karnal city of Haryana, India. It is a historical religious shrine in Karnal. It stands near National Highway 1 of India. It has been declared as a historical monument by Indian National Trust fo ...

was constructed in AD 1806 by the British. *

Karnal Railway station Karnal railway station (station code: KUN), at an altitude of above mean sea level, is a class "A" station on Delhi–Kalka line, located in Karnal district of Haryana state of India. Built in 1892 by the British Raj, it is one of the oldest s ...

this was constructed in year 1892 A.D. by the British. * Karna Lake is a major tourist attraction in the Karnal district of Haryana. * Mehmadpur, is a village on the banks of the

Yamuna River The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Ba ...

. * Noor Mahal, is a five-star deluxe hotel in Karnal, renowned its

palatial A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whic ...

architecture. * Karnal Fort was built in the mid eighteenth century by Raja Ganpat Singh. The fort now houses an important office of the city. * Kalendar Shah's Tomb is a

Dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

built by Ghiyas-ud-din, the Emperor of Delhi which holds the memory of the Muslim sage Bo-Ali-Qalandar Shah. * Babur's Masjid, built-in 1528 by the Mughal emperor Babur to commemorate his victory over

Ibrahim Lodhi Ibrahim Khan Lodi (or Lodhi) (Pashto: ابراهیم خان لودي), (1480 – 21 April 1526) was the last Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, who became Sultan in 1517 after the death of his father Sikandar Khan Lodi. He was the last ruler of th ...

, this mosque stands as an architectural marvel that is a must-visit in Karnal. * Atal Park Karnal, located in the Sector-8 area of the city is a massive park which spreads over an area of 55 acres. It includes a lake spread over 4 acres as well. It houses open-air gyms, a lily pond, swings, walking routes, a few fountains and a large statue of former Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the eponym of the park. * Karan Tal Park is also a prominent park in the city. It has all amenities such as an open air gym, pond, swings and walking routes. The main attraction of this park is the 18-ft statue of Raja

Karan Karan may refer to: People * Karan (given name), an Indian given name * Karan (caste), an Indian caste * Karan Kayastha, a community of Kayastha in Bihar, India * Karan (surname) Places * Karan, Iran (disambiguation), a name for various vi ...

in whose honor the park as well as the city is named.

Sports

* Karnal Golf Course is situated on the banks of West Yamuna Canal.

Education

* R.S. Public Sr. Sec. School, Karnal * Delhi Public School, Karnal * National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal. *

Kendriya Vidyalaya The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan () is a system of central government schools in India that are instituted under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. , it has a total of 1,248 schools in India, and three abroad in Moscow ...

, Kachhwa Road. * St. Theresa's Convent Sr. Sec. School.
official website. *

Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC) is a co-educational medical college located in Karnal, Haryana. It was established in 2017 and is named in the honor of Indian-American Astronaut Kalpana Chawla. KCGMC is affiliated to� ...

.Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College
/ref> * Pratap Public School.
official website. *

Maharana Pratap Horticultural University Maharana Pratap Horticultural University, Karnal (MHU) was established by the Government of Haryana at Anjanthali village of Karnal district of India.Maharana Pratap Horticultural University, Karnal
official website. *

Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhayaya University of Health Sciences Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhayaya University of Health Sciences, Karnal is a university specialised in health sciences in Karnal, Haryana, India. It was established by Haryana Act No. 27 of 2016 and named University of Health Sciences, Karnal which ...

. *

Sainik School The Sainik Schools are a system of schools in India established and managed by the Sainik Schools Society under Ministry of Defence (MoD). They were conceived in 1961 by V. K. Krishna Menon, the then Defence Minister of India, to rectify the reg ...

in Kunjpura. * Babu Moolchand Jain Industrial Training Institute, Karnal. ( Also known as

Govt A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

ITI) * Dyal Singh College, Karnal * Haryana Institute of Civil Aviation (HICA) ( Also known as Karnal Flying Club) *ICAR- Central Soil Salinity Research Institute. *

Horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

Training Institute

Notable people

Kalpana Chawla Kalpana Chawla (17 March 1962 – 1 February 2003) was an Indian-born American astronaut and mechanical engineer who was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space. She first flew on Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' in 1997 as a mission speciali ...

, first Indo-American woman astronaut. In 2003, Chawla was one of the seven crew members that died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster *

Mool Chand Jain Babu Mool Chand Jain (20 August 1915 – 12 September 1997), often referred to as "Gandhi of Haryana", - a Gandhian who was a member of the Congress Party, Vishal Haryana Party, Janata Party, Lok Dal and then Haryana Vikas Party at different ti ...

, a leader of the Indian Independence movement. * Anish Bhanwala, Indian

shooter Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles can ...

. He was brought up in Karnal,

and competes in the 25 meter rapid fire pistol, 25 meter pistol, and 25 meter standard pistol events. *

Navdeep Saini Navdeep Amarjeet Saini (born 23 November 1992) is an Indian cricketer. He has played for Delhi since 2013. He made his international debut for the India cricket team in August 2019. Early life Navdeep Saini was born on 23 November 1992 in Karnal ...