| Voice of Karnal : Vijay
Bhaskar
Karnal District
Area, Population & Sex Ratio
Geographical Area : 2520.0 Km2
Population in Karnal (Census 2011)
Total Population
Total : 1506323
Male : 798840
Female : 798840
Disabled population
Total disabled population : 27411
In seeing : 11109
In speech : 1431
In hearing : 1550
In movement : 10102
Mental : 3219
Rank ( VoiceOfBharat.org Analysis
)
Backwardness : 421
Sex Ratio Rank : 70
(Rank one is least sex ratio - Cenus 2001)
HIV Category District : C
(HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2004 -2006)
Disability : 344 (Census 2001)
Literacy Ratio : 234 (Census 2001)
Minority : Does not figure in MCD
Brief About Karnal District
The city of Karnal, said to have been founded by Raja Karna,
of the Mahabharta fame, spring into prominence in 1739 when Nadir
Shah defeated Muhammad Shah at Karnal. Raja Gopal Singh of Jind
seized Karnal in 1863, and the Marhattas established themselves
at Karnal in 1785. Skirmishes however, followed between the Marhattas
and the Sikhs. In 1795 the Marhattas finally wrested it from Raja
Bhag Singh of Jind and made it over to the George Thomas, who took
part in the fight. Meanwhile Raja Gurdit Singh of Ladwa obtained
possession of Karnal. It was captured by the British in 1805 and
made over to Muhamdi Khan (Mandal). Karnal, on being formed into
a British cantonment, 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 Mohd. Khan Amir of Kabul. The fort was used
as a jail,as quarters for native cavalry and as poor house. In 1862,
it was made over to the Education Department, when the district
school was moved into it from the city.
Kalander Shah's Tomb
Kalander Shah's tomb is situated just outside the
town. The grave is made of marble and decorated with sculpture.
The tomb was built by Ghias-ud-din, Emperor of Delhi, to the memory
of Bo-Ali-Qualander Shah, a famous Muslim Savant and Sage, who influenced
the thinking of his age and was very widely revered by all communities.
Within the enclosure are mosque and a reservoir with fountains built
by Emperor Alamgir and outside a Kettle Drum balcony.
Devi Temple
A temple dedicated to a goddess exists on the bank
of a large tank. A Shiva temple believed to have been built by Mubark
Khan also exists there. An old Indian gun, some 8 feet long made
of bars of iron bound together by iron hoops, and with its namke
of ganj shikan or fort breaker cast on it stood in the fort but
was later on removed and destroyed.
Cantonment Church Tower :
This is a big old massive tower and can be seen
from a distance of several miles as it is 100 feet in height. The
tower is surrounded by a large ornamental cross. The church itself
named after St.James, was dismantled with the shifting of the Cantonment
to Ambala in 1841 A.D.
Bhara Mal's Sarai :
Constructed by Bhara Mal, it is presently occupied
by the office of the Deputy Assistant Director General (Medical
Store), Govt. of India.
Old Fort :
Constructed by Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind in about 1764 A.D., it
now provides accommodation for the office and residence of the Tehsildar.
Miran Sahib's Tomb:
This tomb stands to the memory of a saint, Sayad
Mohd. alias Miran Sahib who died in 899 A.D. He was responsible
for rescuing a Brahmin girl from the clutches of a Raja in a pitched
battle. The tomb is situated towards the extreme south of the town
and alongside it stand a small mosque and a cemetery of many members
of the Mandal family.
Gurdwara Manji Sahib:
This Gurdwara commemorates Guru Nanak's meeting
with Bo Ali Shah Qalandar. It was also visited by Guru Tegh Bahadur
on his way to Delhi where he was beheaded.
<>Dargah Nuri
There is a Dargah Nuri at village Newal on Karnal-
Kunjpura road. This Dargah was built in memory of Hazrat Sufi Shah
Alama Nur Mohd. of.Delhi, and is managed by Managing Committee,
village Newal.
The Karna Tank:
The Karna Tank, named after Raja Karna,son of Surya,
ace archer, unrivalled warrior, terror of the Pandwas, an ardent
supporter of the king Duryodhana in the Mahabharta war, donor par
excellence and the founder of the city of Karnal, is now being renovated
and converted into a tourist spot by Karnal municipality. It is
said that Raja Karna, who was very philanthropic used to givegold
in alms to the needy at the spot.
Other Antiques :
Minars, which mark the course of the old trunk
road are still standing at intervals of about 2 miles. And the ruins
of the hostelries (Serais) at Taroari, Gharaunda and Samalkha are
still in existence, that at Gharaunda being a very fine and striking
specimen of early Mugal architecture. It was built by Khan Firoz
in the reign of Shah Jahan about 1632 A.D.
Sita Mai Temple
Situated at a distance of 19 kilometers from Nilokheri,
is a small village known as Sitamai. There is an old shrine of Sita
Mai built in the ordinary form of a Hindu temple. It is made of
bricks, but the feature is the elaborate ornamentation which covers
the whole shrine, the pattern of which is formed by deep lines in
the individual bricks which seems to have been made before the bricks
were burnt, so that the forms they were to take must have been separately
fixed for each brick. A large part of the shrine was pulled down
and thrown into the tank by some Muslim Emperor but the bricks have
been put together without any regard to the original pattern. The
shrine is said to mark the spot where the earth swallowed Sita in
answer to her appeal in proof of her purity.
Kunjpura :
Kunjpura, situated at a distance of six miles north
east of Karnal was founded by a Pathan named Nijabat Khan, who had
migrated from Kandhar and served as Risaldar under Wazir Khawaja
Nasiruddin of Radaur, with headquarters at Taraori. He got the biswedari
of Kunjpura from a Zamindar of Bidauli, in reward for his military
assistance. After a clash with Rajputs, he settled at Kunjpura and
built a fort in 1729 A.D. The fort was first called Nijabatnagar.
On the incursion of Nadir Shah, Nijabat Khan supplied him with provisions
and tendered his obeissance. The Marthatta Bhao plundered Kunjpura
and killed Nijabat khan in 1758 A.D. Ahmed Shah repulsed the
Marhattas and entrusted Kunjpura to Daler Khan, Nijabat Khan's eldest
son. The family in due course expanded their territorial jurisdiction
to a major portion of Indri pargana. The palace of the Nawab now
houses the Sainik School, Kunjpura. Kunjpura village now has a population
of 5;811, a grain market and a High School. It has a Notified Area
Committee.
Naraina:
The invading army of Mohd. Bin Sam was defeated
at village Naraina, seven miles from Karnal and three from Taraori,
in 1191 A.D. by united Hindu armies under Prithvi Raj, the Chauhan
king of Delhi. Although in the following year, this defeat was reversed
and turned into a victory for the Muslim invaders and the ruin of
Rajput Supremacy for ever.
Taraori:
The village of historic interest is eleven miles
north of Karnal. Prince Azam of Aurangzeb was born here and the
place was renamed as Azamabad. Aurangzeb constructed a wall around
the town, a mosque and a tank which exist to this day. The village
being on the main highway of the Moghul times, also has a serai.
The old royal serai appears to have been used by the Sikhs as a
fort, now lying in a dilapidated condition. Because of the railway
station nearby, the place has developed as an important assembling
market chiefly for paddy grown in the surrounding area, and has
some rice husking mills. Basmati rice grown here is the finest in
the country and is exported to foreign countries.
Basthali:
It was at the village of Basthali 27 kilometers
from Karnal that the sage vias lived who wrote the Vedas. The village
bears his name; and legend has it that the sacred Ganges flowed
underground into his well to save him the trouble of going to the
river to bathe bringing with it his lota and loin cloth which he
had left in the river to convince him that the water was really
Ganges water.
Gondar (Gautam Rishi):
At Gondar 26 kilometers from Karnal Gautam Rishi
is said to have caused the spots in the moon and give Indra his
1000 eyes.
Bahlolpur:(Prashir tank)
It was in the Parasir tank at Bahlolpur that the
warrior Duryodhana hide till Krishna's jeers brought him out to
fight, and this is still the most celebrated of tirathas of this
part.
Anjanthali:
There is a temple dedicated to Anjana, mother of Hanuman.
Shamgarh:
One Kirpal Singh got shamgarh from Raja Gurdit
Singh of Ladwa in reward for the services rendered to the confederacy
of Sikhs. The Sikh chief of Shamgarh exercised sovereign powers
and had exclusive jurisdiction over their own subjects even for
offences committed in British territory until the British assumed
criminal and police jurisdiction in 1833 A.D.
Assandh:
The village lying 27 miles to the south-west of
Karnal on the Karnal-Jind road, is said to be the capital of the
kingdom of Jarsangha, one of the warriors mentioned in the Mahabharta.
A Shahidi Smarak (martyrdom-memorial) commemorates the part
played by the villagers of this place and of the surrounding area
during the 1857 uprising when they revolted and were heavily punished
by the Britishers.
Indri Shish Mahal:
Indri Pargana was first included in Kaithal district
but was transferred to karnal district in 1862. Some of its villages
had, however, formed part of the Ladwa state ruled by a Sikh Raja
Gurdit Singh. It consisted of 36 jagirs out of which 12 major ones
included those of Shamgarh, Saga, Sikri, Barthal etc. In ancient
times Indri (then known as Indergarh) was an independent fortress,
" Shish Mahal" the ruins of which still stand today. The place is
mythologically connected with the episode of Nihalde and Sultan,
the two immortal lovers, their love having consummated in marriage
but ended in tragedy. The palace contains ruins of a Naulakha Bagh
which is reported to have once had nine lakh varieties of plants.
Moghul Bridge Saiyads
The Sayad's shrine built at Moghul Bridge about
7 kilometers from Karnal city is the scene of a big mela every Thursday.
Lamps are lit. Superstitious people from far and near come to make
offering at the shrine and ask for boons varying from diseases cure
to elimination of ghosts from their bodies and prayers for material
prosperity.
GogriPur: Bawa Farid:
It has a shrine at Ghogripur. Crowd of people offer
prayers to him after the spring harvest. Bu-Ali -Kalandar; a contemporary
of Bawa Farid, Bu-Ali-Kalandar was a celebrated local saint. He
had settled at Panipat, during prayers he stood in the Jamuna to
avoid the labour of washing his hands and feet every time. After
standing there for seven years, the fishes had gnawed his legs,
and he was so stiff that he could hardly move. So he asked the Jamuna
river to step back seven paces. She, in her hurry to oblige the
saint, went back seven miles and there she is now. He gave the Panipat
people a charm which dispelled all the flies from the city, but
they grumbled so he brought them back a thousand fold. After death
he was buried at karnal but the Panipat people claimed his body.
They took some bricks from the grave for the foundation of a shrine
at Panipat, but when they opened the box, they found his body in
it, so he now lies buried at both Panipat and at Karnal.
Guga Pir:
Guga is supposed to be the greatest of the snake-kings.
He is worshipped throughout the district on the 9th of Bhadon. His
shrine known as Mari is usually a cubical building with a minaret
on each corner and a grave inside. It is marked by a long bamboo
with peacock plumes,a coconut, some coloured threads and some hand
pankhas (bijna) and a blue flag on the top. This is called his chhari
or fly flap. On the 9th of Bhadon the jogis take it round the village
with the sound of drums, and people salute it and offer 'churmas'.
He is not malevolent as the saying goes "Guga Beta na
dega, tan Kuchh na chhin lega"- If Guga does not give
me a son, at least he will take nothing away from me." By race a
Chauhan Rajput, Guga was born at Garhdera near Sirsa. His mother
Bachal who was barren, had served saint Gorakhnath, the founder
of the community of Kanphata jogis for twelve years to beget him.
Guga is said to have possessed supernatural powers and could cure
snake bitten person within no time.
On the other hand, if a man was bitten by a snake
people thought he had been neglecting Guga. The singers of devotional
songs about Guga are found in villages Assan Kalan, Richhpur, Matlauda
and Samalkha . Maris (his temples) are, of course, to be found in
a large number of villages.
LOCATION
Karnal is important city on Delhi Ambala Rail Line & Sher Shah
Suri Marg (G.T.Road), connected with all important places in the
country. It is 123 Kilometer from Delhi & 130 Kilometer from
Chandigarh.
Karnal District lies on the western Bank of river
Yamuna which once flows about 11 Kilometer. to the east forming
eastern boundary of the district. The river Yamuna separates Haryana
from Utter Pardesh. The Karnal Distt. including Panipat lies between
29'09'50" and 29'50' North latitude and 76 31' 15" and 77 12'45"
East longitude, its height from sea level is between 235 and 252
meters. 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.
GEOGRAPHICAL / PHYSICAL ASPECTS
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 upto 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.
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