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Karnal (Hindi: करनाल) is an
important city and the headquarters of Karnal District in
the Indian state of Haryana. Karnal is said to have been
founded by the Kauravas in the Mahabharata era for the king
Karna, a mythological hero & a key figure in the epic tale.
It is midway between Delhi and Chandigarh, being 123 km
north of Delhi and 126 km south of Chandigarh, on the
National Highway NH-1, which is famous as the Grand Trunk
Road. Delhi and Chandigarh can be reached from Karnal within
2 hours using the very high frequency bus service provided
by the Haryana Roadways. Karnal is famous for lush green
pastures, Liberty shoes, the production of high-quality
basmati rice and for its many agricultural and dairy
research institutions. Liberty shoes was started from Karnal
and has its largest manufacturing facility in the city.
History
The city of Karnal is said to have been founded by Raja
Karna, a central character in the Mahabharata war. This is
the same Karna, who was the eldest son of Kunti and thus
Karnal is called the city of Daanvir Karna. It has been a
walled town as far as its history can be traced and it may
have had a citadel at one time.
Karnal sprang into prominence in 1739 when Persian emperor
Nadir Shah defeated and captured the Mughal ruler Muhammad
Shah in the Battle of Karnal. Raja Gopal Singh of Jind
seized Karnal in 1763, and the Marathas established
themselves at Karnal in 1785. Skirmishes followed between
the Marathas and the Sikhs and in 1795, the Marathas finally
wrested the city from Raja Bhag Singh of Jind and made it
over to the British-Irish military commander George Thomas,
who took part in the fight. The British established a
cantonment in 1811 but abandoned it after 30 years due to an
outbreak of malaria. The fort which had been built by Raja
Gajpat Singh of Jind, was taken over by the British and
converted into a residence for Dost Mohammad Khan, Amir of
Kabul. The fort was used as a jail, as quarters for native
cavalry and as a poorhouse. In 1862, it was made over to the
Education Department, when the district school was moved
into it from the city.
There is an interesting story that links Karnal with the
birth and early history of Pakistan. History suggests that
the person who dragged back Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
into politics was from Karnal and lived in Kalandri Gate.
The district of Karnal has given a lot of big political
figures to Pakistan and Nawab Liaqat Ali Khan, the first
Prime Minister of Pakistan, ranks foremost amongst them.
Liaqat Ali Khan was the Nawab of Kunjpura and his palace has
now been converted into a Sainik School, Kunjpura and it is
situated at a distance of 10 kilometres from the city of
Karnal. The former President of Pakistan, General Pervez
Musharraf also belongs basically from Karnal, his Haveli in
ruins is still in Karnal city.
Geography
Karnal is located at 29.68°N 76.98°E. It has an elevation of
235 to 252 metres (748 feet). Karnal is known for its lush
greenery. It is roughly equidistant from New Delhi and
Chandigarh and lies not only on the G.T. road but also on
the Delhi - Ambala railway line. The Karnal Distt. is
surrounded by Kurukshetra District on its north-west, jind &
Kaithal Distt. on its west, Panipat Distt. on its south and
Utter Pradesh on east. Yamuna River forms eastern boundary
of the district and flows from north to south. The district
is a part of the Ganga-Sindus (Indo-Gangestic) plains and
has a well spread net work of western Yamuna canal. Its
geographical area has been divided in to three agroclimatic
regions, Khadar, Bhangar and Nardak belt. Khadar starts from
Indri-Karnal road one mile away from Karnal covering the
area in between Yamuna river and National Highway Road No.1
up to Patti-Kalyana village. Bhangar area starts from west
of Khadar area covering Gharaunda, development block. The
nardak area lies in Nissing, Nilokheri and Assandh
development block. However, its water is saline and not fit
for irrigation. The city is divided into several sectors,
colonies and mohallas. Due to its strategic location,
several big-brand builders like Sahara, Narsi Village, Palm
Residency, Alpha City and Ansal Royale have built new luxury
apartments and villas in the city. Mohit arora used too live
here
Famous Natives
Liaquat Ali Khan (Pakistan's first prime minister)
Demographics
As of the 2001 India census, Karnal had a population of
12,74,183. Males constitute 53% of the population and
females 47%. Karnal has an average literacy rate of 72%,
which is higher than the national average of 59.5%: male
literacy is 76%, and female literacy is 68%. In Karnal, 12%
of the population is under 6 years of age.
The primary language spoken here is Hindi, the national
language. Other languages which may be heard here are
Punjabi,Haryanvi and Urdu.
The predominant religion here is Hinduism (87%), and Sikhism
(13%).
Agricultural research
Karnal is a major centre of agricultural and dairy research
with the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Indian
Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Regional Station,
Central Soil and Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI),
Directorate of Wheat Research (DWR), National Bureau of
Animal Genetics Research (NBAGR), Regional Research Station
of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University
and Regional Station of Sugarcane Breeding Institute having
major research facilities and centers in and around the
town. Karnal Bunt, a major disease of wheat was first
discovered in 1931 in IARI, Regional Station Karnal and that
is how it got that name. Now it is one of the premier center
for producing and distribution of high quality seeds of
various cereal crops (basmati rice and wheat) and
vegetables.
Kalpana Chawla
It was at the Karnal Flying Club that Kalpana Chawla, a
native of the city, first became interested in flying. She
did her schooling from Tagore Baal Niketan Sr. Sec. School,
Karnal in 1976 and completed her Bachelor of Science in
Aeronautical Engineering in 1982 from Punjab Engineering
College, Chandigarh and Master of Science in Aerospace
Engineering from University of Texas in 1984. She completed
her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from University of
Colorado in 1988. She was the first Indian origin woman to
go on a voyage in space. She died in the Space Shuttle
Columbia disaster on February 1, 2003.
Karnal is an excellent center of school education and it
boasts of a number of good schools. The Himalaya Public
School was the first 10+2 school in Karnal. Delhi Public
School , St. Theresa's Convent Sr. Sec. School , Tagore Baal
Niketan Sr. Sec. School, Pratap Public School, Guru
Harkrishan Public School and Dyal Singh Public School among
others are well established institutes.Doon Valley Institute
of Engineering and Technology is a leading engineering
college many others have recently been established in Karnal
and they offer various courses of engineering along with a
few courses in management like MBA as well. Meanwhile, NDRI
also offers degrees in Agricultural & Dairy Research. A
proposal to develop a medical college in Karnal is being
considered by the State government.
Madhuban Police Training College
Madhuban has a Haryana police training complex and it is at
a distance of 10 km from Karnal on the NH-1 in the direction
of Delhi. It recruits students not only from Haryana but
also from other states The Forensic Science Laboratory,
Haryana is also located in Madhuban. Madhuban has excellent
sports facilities and has been declared a sports district.
The annual police sports meets draw police personnel not
only from the state but also from across the nation.
Click to Enlarge
Places of interest
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Karna Lake
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Hotel Jewel's
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Karnal Haveli (A theme resort)
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Oasis Tourist Resort
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Golf Club,
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Atal Park,
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Rose Garden,
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Karna Taal
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Devi Temple
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Cantonment Church Tower
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Old Fort
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Gurdwara Manji Sahib
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Karan Gate market
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Savoy Green (Food Court)
old city
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Namestey Chowk
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Sandhu Colony, sec-33
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Global Spaces-a integrated tounship
developed by global reality venture, sector-32 &
sector-33
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Smt. Sumita Singh
M.L.A.,
Karnal
STD Code
0184
Pin Code
132 001
Telephone Directory
Karnal Property Bazar
College Ranking
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