History
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. This citadel still exists in the form of Kot Mohalla, with the word Kot meaning a fort as in Amarkot, which is a famous fort in Sindh. Kot Mohalla is almost exclusively inhabited by Ror clans of Hurda and Gheed, the builders of the fort that marked the founding of the modern city of Karnal.
Karnal sprang into prominence in 1739 when Persian emperor Nadir Shah defeated and captured the Mughal ruler Muhammad Shah in theBattle 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.
Karan lake
Karna Lake is located about 5 km north of Karnal on the Delhi-Amritsar highway. Karna Lake is beautifull landscaped with tourist facilities designed along the water front. The resort is popular among highway travellers and the people of Karnal, who love to stop for picnics in the lawns by the lake.
Facilities
Motel, Family huts, Restaurant, Bar, Conference Hall, Lake for boating, gift shop and dormitory.
Karna Lake, run by Haryana Tourism, located just off the highway has deluxe huts, a restaurant and boating.
