Karnal ( is a city located in the state of Haryana, India and is the administrative headquarters of Karnal District. It was used by East India Company army as a refuge during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in Delhi. The Battle of Karnal between Nader Shah of Persia and the Mughal Empire took place in this city in 1739. Etymology The city associates itself with the mythological character Karna from the Indian epic Mahabharata. A tank in the city also bears the name Karna Tal and a city gate is called Karna gate. History Ancient At the end of 6th century A.D., the area was under the rule of the Vardhanas of Thanesar. The 7th century was a period of eclecticism in religion, Buddhism was declining and Hinduism was resurging in the Indo-Gangetic plains. The region was under Kanauj rule under the Pala Emperor of Bengal (770-810 A.D.). The authority of Mihira Bhoja (836-885 A.D.), the Pratihara ruler of Kanauj penetrated as far as Pehowa, including Karnal. Medieval The Tomaras descending from Raja Jaala established themselves as rulers of this region in the middle of the 9th century. About the beginning of the 10th century, as the Pratyahara power began to decline, the Tomaras assumed independence. One of the Tomara rulers, Amanpal Tomar, found the city of Delhi and made it his capital, with the area of Karnal and modern-day Haryana being under his realm. The Tomaras came into conflict with the Chauhan's of Shakambhari, but continued to rule the Haryana country until the middle of 12th century when they were overthrown by the Chaha mana Vighnaraja IV. The country between the Satluj and the Yamuna including Karnal experienced relative peace for a century and a half except the plundering invasions and eventual conquests of Mahmud of Ghazi. The region then came under Ghurid rule after the Second Battle of Tarani when Muhammad Ghori captured the area. It remained under the Delhi Sultanate until 1526. In 1526 at the First Battle of Panipat, Mughal emperor Babur defeated the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi, and captured India along with Delhi and Panipat. He then established the Mughal Empire. Karnal is listed in the Mughal Ain-i-Akbari as a pargana under Delhi sarkar, producing a revenue of 5,678,242 dams for the imperial treasury and supplying a force of 800 infantry and 50 cavalry. In A.D. 1739, Nader Shah of Persia invaded the Mughal