Karnal is a city and the headquarters of Karnal District in the state of Haryana. Karnal is governed by a municipal corporation that comes under the Karnal Metropolitan Region. Historically, Karnal is said to have been founded during ancient times by the Kauravas in the Mahabharata era for the king Karna, a mythological hero and a key figure in the epic tale. Karnal is one of Historical Districts of Haryana. It is also known as a city of ‘Daanveer Karn’. It is known all over the world for production of Rice, Wheat and Milk. It is also known for agriculture research Institutions like NDRI, CSSRI, Wheat Research Directorate, National Bureau of Animal Genetics Resources, Sugarcane Breeding Institute etc.
Karnal is 35 Kms from Panipat, 90 Kms from Ambala, 110 Kms from Patiala, 124 Kms from Chandigarh, 125 Kms from Delhi, 240 Kms from Shimla, 463 Kms from Jaipur and 555 Kms from Kanpur. Buses frequently ply from these cities to Karnal. It is well connected with cities like New Delhi, Gurgaon, Panipat, Chandigarh, Ludhiana by Haryana State Road Transport Corporation (HSRTC) and some private travel services.
It has its own Railway Station named as Karnal Railway Station which is connected to the major cities of Haryana. Being situated on the New Delhi- Chandigarh railway line, it is linked with the cities like New Delhi, Panipat, Ambala, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Pune, Puri, Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Patna and Gaya through Shane Punjab Express, Ndlsasr Express and Jhelum Express.
The nearest Airport from Karnal is Chandigarh Airport, roughly three and half hour drive from Karnal. Chandigarh Airport is well connected to the major cities like Amritsar, New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Goa, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Leh. The nearest International Airport is Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, roughly four hour drive from Karnal. It is well connected to a spectrum of cities in the country and worldwide.