| Karnal | |
| — city — | |
|
|
|
| Coordinates | |
| Country | India |
| State | Haryana |
| District(s) | Karnal |
| Population | 210,476 (2001[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area |
• 228 metres (748 ft) |
| Website | karnal.nic.in |
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 and a key figure in the epic tale. It is midway between Delhi and Chandigarh, being 123 km (76 mi) north of Delhi and 126 km (78 mi) 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. Karnal is also famous for manufacture of agricultural implements and its spares as more than 40% of country agricultural implements and spares are manufactured here. One of the bigger units involved in the manufacture of spares is Karnal Agricultural Industries Ltd. having largest manufacturing base in the country.
Contents |
Karnal is located at .[1] It has an elevation of 235 to 252 meters (748 feet). Karnal is known for its lush greenery. It is roughly equidistant from New Delhi and Chandigarh and lies on the G.T. road and 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 Uttar 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 network of western Yamuna canal. Its geographical area has been divided in to three agro climatic 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.
The city of Karnal is said to have been founded by Raja Karna, a central character in the Mahabharata war. The original name is Karnalaya (home of Karna). 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 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.
First Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, was born on October 1, 1895 in Karnal. His family belonged to the Nausherwan Pathan clan. Liaquat Ali Khan was nabob of Kunjpura, presently a part of the Karnal district, Haryana. The 25th Chief of Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor did his schooling from Sainik School, Kunjpura, Karnal.[2]
Late Dr.Kalpana Chawla , an Indian-American scientist and NASA astronaut, was born in a Punjabi Hindu family at Model Town, Karnal. She completed her schooling at Tagore Baal Niketan, Karnal.
As of the 2001 India census,[3] Karnal had a population of 12,74,183. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. 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 Haryanvi, Punjabi.
The predominant religion here is Hinduism (87%) with a sizable Sikh (13%) minority.
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,[4] 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.
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.
I.D. Swami is a former Union Minister of the State for home in Third Vajpayee Ministry. He was elected to Lok Sabha from Karnal in Haryana.
'Shanti Devi one of the earliest educated among the women of karnal.Hailing from jatton mohalla and daughter of late Ch Singh ram.she completed her post graduation from Lahore.She was also elected as an MLA from karnal.She was known more for her modesty and simplicity and as founder of Manav Seva Sangh a famous center of philanthropy in the district of karnal.
Madhuban has a Haryana police training complex and it is at a distance of 10 km (6 mi) from Karnal on the NH-1 in the direction of Delhi. It recruits students not only from Haryana but also from other Indian states and partner countries.[5] The Forensic Science Laboratory, Haryana is also located in Madhuban.[6] 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
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. Nishan Public School, St. Theresa's Convent Sr. Sec. School, D P S Karnal, Tagore Baal Niketan Sr. Sec. School, Kanhiya Public Shool, Prakash Public Sr. Sec.School. Guru Harkrishan Public School, Partap Public School and Dyal Singh Public School among others are well established institutes. Meanwhile, NDRI also offers degrees in Agricultural & Dairy Research. A medical college in the name of Kalpna Chawla is under construction. The first engineering college of the city is Doon Valley Institute of Engineering and Technology.
S.B.S Sr. sec. school [railway road]
Pratap Public School (Sector 6)
S.D.Sr.Sec. School(bus stand)
S.D.Adarsh Public School (Kunjpura Road)
S.D.Model.Sr.Sec.School (Railway road)
Kanhiya Public School (Barota)
Kendriya Vidyalaya Karnal (Mall Road)
Nishan Public School
Sainik School Kunjpura - Karnal
Delhi public School
Dyal Singh Pubilc School (Sector 7)
Dyal Singh Public School
Baba Ram Das Vidyapeeth
Rising Sun Public School,Madhuban
Prakash Public School
St. Theresa's Convent School
St. Kabir Public School
Himalaya Public School
Tagore Baal Niketan Sr. Secondary School
R S Senior Secondary Public School
Adarsh Public Sr. Sec. School (Kunjpura Road)
DAV Sr. Sec. School For Boys (Mall Road)
D.A.V. Girls Sr. Sec. School (Near Karan Tal), Sadar Bazar, Karnal (formerly known as Dayanand Arya Girls Sr. Sec. School (Jhelum), Karnal)
Maharishi Dayanand Public School
Doon Public School
OPS International Public School
OPS Vidya Mandir School (Sector 13)
Vidyotma Public School (Ramesh Nagar)
Vivekananda Vidya Niketan, Kaithal Road, Assandh
Guru Nanak Sr. Sec. Girl School (Link Road)
Guru Teg Bahadur Public School (Model Town)
Green Wood Polytechnic (Ranwar)
RP Inderaprastha Institute of Technology (RPIIT) (Madhuban)
National Dairy Research Institute
Gandhi College Of Pharmacy
Arya Kanya Gurukul College of Education
Mangalmay Institute of Engineering and Technology (Indri Road)
Naraini Educational and Charitable Societys Group of Institutions (Chirao)
Dyal Singh college karnal
Govt. P.G. College, Sec. 14
Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Railway Road
D.A.V. P.G. College
D.A.V. College for Women
Govt. college, Gharunda (Gian Pura)
Currently, there are two main FM stations in Karnal, namely :
Ror for the community in Karnal Rajputs
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||