Karnal (pronunciation) is a city located in the state of Haryana, India and is the administrative headquarters of Karnal District. The city is well connected as it lies on National Highway 01, in the south of the city lies the cities of Panipat and Sonipat and in the north lies Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar city while in the east lies the river Yamuna, on the other end of which lies Saharanpur and Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh on the eastern bank. Karnal was used by the East India Company army as a refuge during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in Delhi. The Battle of Karnal between Nader Shah of Persia and the Mughal Empire took place in this city in 1739.[8]

Karnal
Clockwise from top right; K3C Mall, Agro Mall, Sector 12 road, Shrimad Bhagwad Gita Dwar, Super Mall, Cantonment Church Tower.
Karnal is located in Haryana
Karnal
Karnal
Location in Haryana, India
Karnal is located in India
Karnal
Karnal
Karnal (India)
Coordinates: 29°41′10″N 76°59′20″E / 29.686°N 76.989°E / 29.686; 76.989
Country India
StateHaryana
DistrictKarnal
RegionNorth India
Founded byRaja Karna
Named forKarna
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyKarnal Municipal Corporation[2]
 • MayorRenu Bala Gupta
 • Municipal CommissionerAbhishek Meena, IAS[3]
Area
 • Total
87 km2 (34 sq mi)
Elevation
252 m (827 ft)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total
357,334[1]
Languages[4][5]
 • OfficialHindi
 • RegionalHaryanvi[6]
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
132001
Area code0184
Vehicle registrationHR-05
literacy rate84.60%[7]
Sex ratio996/1000 Female/Male
Websitekarnal.gov.in

Etymology

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The city associates itself with the character Karna from the Indian epic Mahabharata.[9]

History

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Ancient

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At the end of 6th century A.D., the area was under the rule of the Vardhanas of Thanesar.[10] The 7th century was a period of religious eclecticism, as Buddhism was declining and Hinduism was resurging in the Indo-Gangetic plains. The region was under Kanauji rule under the Pala Emperors of Bengal from 770 to 810 AD. The authority of Mihira Bhoja, the Pratihara ruler of Kanauj from 836 to 885 AD, penetrated as far as Pehowa, including Karnal.[11]

Medieval

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The Tomaras, established themselves as rulers of this region in the middle of the 9th century.[11] About the beginning of the 10th century, as the Pratihara power began to decline, the Tomaras assumed independence. One of the Tomara rulers, Anangpal 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 Chauhans of Ajmer, but continued to rule the Haryana country until the middle of 12th century when they were overthrown by the Chaha mana Vighnaraja IV.[12] 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 rule after the Second Battle of Tarain when Muhammad Ghori captured the area. It remained under the Delhi Sultanate until 1526.[citation needed]

In 1526 at the First Battle of Panipat, Mughal emperor Babur defeated the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi, and captured parts of North India, along with Delhi and Panipat. He then established the Mughal Empire in North India.[citation needed]

Karnal is listed in the Mughal Ain-i-Akbari as a pargana under Delhi sarkar, producing a revenue of 5,678,242 dams for the imperial treasury and supplying a force of 800 infantry and 50 cavalry.[13]

 
Daria-i-Noor diamond was seized by Persia's Nader Shah from the Mughal dynasty following the Battle of Karnal and subsequent sack of Delhi (1739)

In A.D. 1739, Nader Shah of Persia invaded the Mughal empire and Karnal was the scene of the famed Battle of Karnal, in which Nader Shah decisively defeated the Mughal Emperor, Muhammad Shah.[14] 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.[14] The tactical defeat drastically weakened the Mughal Empire, while the Persian Empire prospered and subsequently hastened the establishment of the British Empire in India. The region then came under Afghan rule. On 24 Feb1739, the Iranian ruler Nadir Shah attacked India. Rao Bal Kishan, with his army and with the forces of Delhi, fought Nadir Shah. His army included 5000 infantry and 2000 cavalry. In February 1739, Nader Shah captured Sirhind and moved towards the field of Karnal, a battle destined to be fateful to the Mughal rulers. Every year on 24 Feb, Rao Bal Kishan Shaurya Diwas celebrated in Rewari.[15][16]

Sikhs appeared on the scene in the 18th century. The importance of Karnal grew in the time of Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind State 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.[17] On 14 January 1764, Sikh Chiefs defeated and killed Zain Khan Sirhindi, the Durrani Governor, and took possession of the whole of Sirhind province as far south as Panipat including Karnal.[citation needed]

Modern

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During the Indian independence movement, a district political conference was organized at Karnal with Lala Lajpat Rai as its chairman.

Climate

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Climate data for Karnal (1991–2020, extremes 1949–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 31.2
(88.2)
33.2
(91.8)
37.5
(99.5)
45.2
(113.4)
46.0
(114.8)
46.0
(114.8)
43.9
(111.0)
42.0
(107.6)
38.3
(100.9)
39.3
(102.7)
34.4
(93.9)
28.8
(83.8)
46.0
(114.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 18.2
(64.8)
22.2
(72.0)
27.7
(81.9)
35.5
(95.9)
38.6
(101.5)
37.6
(99.7)
33.8
(92.8)
32.6
(90.7)
32.3
(90.1)
31.8
(89.2)
27.3
(81.1)
21.5
(70.7)
30.0
(86.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 6.4
(43.5)
8.9
(48.0)
12.9
(55.2)
18.3
(64.9)
23.1
(73.6)
25.4
(77.7)
26.0
(78.8)
25.3
(77.5)
23.2
(73.8)
17.3
(63.1)
11.5
(52.7)
7.4
(45.3)
17.2
(63.0)
Record low °C (°F) −0.3
(31.5)
0.1
(32.2)
3.5
(38.3)
9.0
(48.2)
14.5
(58.1)
18.0
(64.4)
19.5
(67.1)
18.4
(65.1)
16.0
(60.8)
9.4
(48.9)
3.0
(37.4)
−0.4
(31.3)
−0.4
(31.3)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 32.5
(1.28)
28.9
(1.14)
21.1
(0.83)
13.3
(0.52)
27.6
(1.09)
98.4
(3.87)
172.8
(6.80)
160.2
(6.31)
128.4
(5.06)
4.3
(0.17)
2.0
(0.08)
6.0
(0.24)
695.4
(27.38)
Average rainy days 1.7 2.1 1.5 1.2 1.7 5.1 7.8 8.0 5.0 0.3 0.2 0.6 35.4
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) 70 63 52 29 29 45 70 76 71 55 53 63 56
Source: India Meteorological Department[18][19][20]

Demographics

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The population of the city as of 2011, is 302,140.[21]

 
Houses During Diwali in Karnal
Religion in Karnal City
Religion Population
(1911)[22]: 20 
Percentage
(1911)
Population
(1941)[23]: 30 
Percentage
(1941)
Population
(2011)[24]: 30 
Percentage
(2011)
Hinduism  [a] 12,772 58.16% 20,462 54.65% 274,498 90.85%
Islam   8,667 39.47% 15,844 42.31% 3,938 1.3%
Sikhism   130 0.59% 647 1.73% 21,033 6.96%
Christianity   210 0.96% 125 0.33% 776 0.26%
Others [b] 182 0.83% 366 0.98% 1,895 0.63%
Total Population 21,961 100% 37,444 100% 302,140 100%

The sex ratio in Karnal stood at 915 females per 1000 males in 2011, compared to the 2001 census figure of 862.[21]

Government

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Karnal Municipal Corporation is the municipal corporation governing Indian city of Karnal. The mayor of the city currently is Renu Bala Gupta and the municipal commissioner is Naresh Narwal, IAS.

Politics

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The city is part of the Karnal Assembly constituency and jagmohan anand of BJP is the current MLA from Karnal constituency.[25]

Manohar Lal Khattar of BJP is the current elected MP from the Karnal Lok Sabha constituency.

Facilities

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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.[26]

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.[27]

Education

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Research Institutes

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National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) has been complementing country’s massive dairy development programmes through its multifaceted activities in the areas of Dairy Research. NDRI is fully supported by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and functions as one of the National Institutes under its aegis. The institute also interacts with various National and International Institutes in Dairying and allied fields for exchange of information and advancing new knowledge both in basic and applied fields of dairy science. The contributions of the Institute in conducting, collating and co-ordinating research in Dairying have received worldwide recognition. The Institute was conferred Deemed University status by the University Grants commission in March, 1989. For transfer of technology and dissemination of knowhow developed at the Institute, the Operational Research Project, a programme of integrated crop and milk production improvement, links the Institute with farming community of 40 villages around Karnal.[32]

National Institute of Animal Genetics, Karnal

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National Burea of Animal genetic Resources and National Institute of animal Genetics were set up on 21 September 1984. These Institutes were initially located in the Campus of Southern Regional Station of NDRI, Bangalore. Since 19 July 1985 the Bureau and Animal Genetics Institute are in Karnal.
The broad aims of the Institutes are to conduct systematic surveys on animal and poultry genetic resources; to develop methodologies for the conservation of animal genetic resources in-situ through cryo-preservation and by developing transgenic forces; to establish data respository; to design methodologies for proper management and optimal utilisation of animal genetic resources; etc.

Directorate of Wheat Research, Karnal

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Wheat Project Directorate (WPO) was made independent of Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi w.e.f. Ist September, 1990 and redesignated as Directorate of Wheat Research (DWR) with headquarters at Karnal.

Centre Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), Karnal

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It was established in March 1969, under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Regional Station, Karnal

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Notable people

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Notes

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  1. ^ 1941 census: Including Ad-Dharmis
  2. ^ Including Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, others, or not stated

References

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  1. ^ a b "Karnal City". Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Municipal Corporation Karnal". 16 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Administration : Municipal Corporation Karnal". 16 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Report of the Commissioner Aman for linguistic minorities: 52nd report (July 2014 to June 2015)" (PDF). Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India. pp. 85–86. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  5. ^ IANS (28 January 2010). "Haryana grants second language status to Punjabi". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Haryanvi". Ethnologue. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Karnal (M Cl)". censusindia.gov.in. Government of India. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  8. ^ "History about the city of Karnal". Government of Karnal. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  9. ^ 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.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ D. C. Ganguly (1981). "Western India in the Sixth Century A.D.". In R. C. Majumdar (ed.). A Comprehensive History of India. Vol. 3, Part I: A.D. 300-985. Indian History Congress / People's Publishing House. OCLC 34008529.
  11. ^ a b H. A. Phadke (1990). Haryana, Ancient and Medieval. Harman. ISBN 978-81-85151-34-2.
  12. ^ R. B. Singh (1964). History of the Chāhamānas. N. Kishore. OCLC 11038728.
  13. ^ Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak; Jarrett, Henry Sullivan (translator) (1891). The Ain-i-Akbari. Calcutta: Asiatic Society of Bengal. p. 286. Retrieved 21 January 2021. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ a b Axworthy, Michael (2009)
  15. ^ Haryana State Gazetteer. Haryana Gazetteers Organisation, Revenue Department. 2001.
  16. ^ "शहीदी दिवस: नांगल पठानी में मनाया वीर अमर शहीद राव बालकिशन का शहीदी दिवस". Dainik Bhaskar. 22 February 2021.
  17. ^ D. C. Miglani (1993). Politics and Rural Power Struggle: Emerging Trends. Deep and Deep Publications. ISBN 81-7100-578-0.
  18. ^ "Climatological Tables of Observatories in India 1991-2020" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Station: Karnal Climatological Table 1981–2010" (PDF). Climatological Normals 1981–2010. India Meteorological Department. January 2015. pp. 395–396. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  20. ^ "Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. December 2016. p. M65. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  21. ^ a b "Historical Census of India". Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Census of India 1911. Vol. 14, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables". Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  23. ^ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME VI PUNJAB PROVINCE". Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Karnal City Census 2011 data". Census2011. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Manohar Lal Khattar in Karnal Election Results 2019: Manohar Lal Khattar of BJP Wins". News18. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  26. ^ "Cleanliness survey: Karnal city needs toilets to improve rank". The Tribune. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  27. ^ "Khattar's Karnal tops list of smart cities". Tribune. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  28. ^ [1], official website.
  29. ^ Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College
  30. ^ [2], official website.
  31. ^ Maharana Pratap Horticultural University, Karnal, official website.
  32. ^ "Education – NDRI-National Dairy Research Institute (Deemed University)". Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  33. ^ "Only 98 cities instead of 100 announced: All questions answered about the smart cities project". Firstpost. 28 August 2015.
  34. ^ "Anish wins India's third individual gold in Jr. World Cup". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 26 March 2018.
  35. ^ "Babu Mool Chand Jain Comprehensive Archives".
  36. ^ "Liaquat Ali Khan prime minister of Pakistan". 24 November 2023.
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