karnal

Karnal is a small city located in the north Indian state of Haryana. It is known for having been used by British East India Company’s army as a refuge during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in Delhi.

Karnal was ranked 24th among over 4000 cities in the list of the cleanest cities of India in 2019. It has also been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under the Indian Prime minister’s flagship “Smart Cities Mission”.

Karnal is close to lands that have rivers running by in Haryana. And thus, gets a good supply of fresh water fishes regularly. Due to this, delicacies prepared with fish are quite famous here. Some specialities include (many variations of) –

• Fish Kebab
• Fish Tikka

Other popular dishes to try in the city include –

• Aloo ke Paranthe – An unleavened wheat dough flatbread stuffed with mashed boiled potatoes.
• Aloo Samosa – A spicy potato and peas stuffed fried snack.
• Sarson ka Saag – A curry made of mustard greens, which is popular across the states (Haryana and Punjab – usually served with maize flour dough flatbreads (Makki di Roti).

Following are some good restaurants in the city to get the aforementioned dishes and other delicacies and meals –

• Karnal Haveli Restaurant
• Jhilmil Restaurant
• Neelkanth Star Dhaba
• Puran Singh ka Mashoor Vishal Dhaba
• Frontier Mail Restaurant
• CHD Daana Paani

Karnal has many good hotels for a comfortable stay. Here are some of the best places to stay at in Karnal –

• Noormahal Karnal
• The Vivaan
• Leela Grande Hotel
• Gopinath the Grand Hotel
• Savoy Greens
• Hotel Dreamz Residency
• Hotel Invogue

• Gym Khaana Club Karnal
• Vatika Bar & restaurant
• The Royal Peg
• 60 Tons Weighbridge

• Sahid Smark Karnal – A space history museum

Karnal has many historic attractions, as well as lakes and parks for tourists to spend time at leisure. Here are some of the best spots to check out in the city -

• Karnal Lake – The city’s largest lake, and a great spot to hang out.
• Karnal Tal Park – A park with lot of greenery and trails.

• European Soldiers’ Grave – A grave for some of the soldiers of East India company, who were part of the rebellions here.
• Gateway of Old Mughal Sarai – “Sarai” means a ‘rest house’ – where people relax or spend time leisurely; this was a rest house built for the Mughal royals during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan in India.
• Cantonment Church Tower
• Dargah Nuri – An ancient Islamic religious centre, popular with the local Muslims here.
• Kushan Stupa
• Old Badshahi Bridge
• Sita Mai Temple

Karnal STD Code – 0184 (to be used before dialling numbers from a number that is not locally registered)

Common emergency numbers:

• Police - 100
• Fire – 101
• Civil Hospital Enquiry - 2267702
• Ambulance - 102
• Disaster helpline – 108
• Road accident emergencies – 1073
• Children helpline - 1098