Karnal

Karnal
Clockwise from top right; K3C Mall, Agro Mall, Sector 12 road, Shrimad Bhagwad Gita Dwar, Super Mall, Cantonment Church Tower.
Karnal
Location in Haryana, India
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
Named afterKarna
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyKarnal Municipal Corporation
 • MayorRenu Bala Gupta (BJP)
 • Lok Sabha MPManohar Lal Khattar (BJP)
 • MLAJagmohan Anand (BJP)
 • Municipal CommissionerVaishali Sharma (IAS)
Area
 • Total
87 km2 (34 sq mi)
Elevation
252 m (827 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
302,140
Languages
 • OfficialHindi
 • RegionalHaryanvi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
132001
Area code0184
Vehicle registrationHR-05
literacy rate84.60%
Sex ratio915/1000 Female/Male
Websitekarnal.gov.in

Karnal (Punjabi pronunciation: [ˌkʌ̯ˈɾ.ˈnɐː˩˥l]) is a city located in the Indian state of Haryana and serves as the administrative headquarters of the Karnal district. The city lies on National Highway 44, which connects it to the national capital, New Delhi, and the state capital, Chandigarh, placing Karnal almost midway between the two. To the south of Karnal is the city of Panipat, while Kurukshetra and Kaithal lie to its north. The Yamuna River flows along its eastern edge, separating Karnal from the Saharanpur and Shamli districts of Uttar Pradesh. According to local tradition, the city is believed to have been named after Karna, a prominent figure in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The Battle of Karnal between Nader Shah of Persia and the Mughal Empire took place in the city in 1739. Karnal was used as a refuge by the forces of the East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in Delhi.