Karnal : The cleanest city of India

Karnal : The CM city of Haryana

Karnal has been ranked 65th (1st in Haryana) among 434 cities in the list of cleanest cities of India under Swachh Survekshan 2017.Karnal was selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission.

Karnal was also known as Karnaal, Kurnaul or Karnaul during the British Raj. Karnal is said to have been founded by Karna, a key figure in the epic Mahabharata fame, who died at the hands of his brother and archrival, Arjuna. It is said that Kaurav prince Duryodhan gave "Ang Raaj" as a gift to Karna so he became eligible to fight the Pandav Prince. This "Ang Raaj" was later developed by Karna which is Karnal today.

• Karnal is the birthplace of the first Indo-American woman astronaut Kalpana Chawla who went to space twice. She first flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. In 2003, Chawla was one of the seven crew members that died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster^.
• Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan one of the founding fathers and the first Prime Minister of Pakistan was also from Karnal.

Former Chief of Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy Admiral Iftikhar Ahmed Sirohey, was also from Karnal.

Briefing on Karnal

Karnal, headquarter of the district Karnal, is one of the oldest districts of Haryana. The city has gained importance since Mahabharata era. It is believed that it was founded by Raja Karna, the eldest son of Kunti and hence the city is called the city of Daanvir Karna.
The place got its share of fame in 1739 when Nadir Shah defeated Muhammad Shah here.
The city is known as a walled town. The citadel of old time can still be seen in form of Kot Mohalla (Kot means fort). The fort was built by Raja Gajpat Singh of Jind. The fort was used in many ways as British converted it into a residence for Dost Mohammad Khan, Amir of Kabul, part of it was also used as jail and a school was also running in the fort.

Location: 
Karnal is connected through Delhi-Ambala rail line & Sher Shah Suri Marg (G.T.Road) to all important places in the country. It is 123 kms from Delhi & 130 kms from Chandigarh. The Karnal district is surrounded by Kurukshetra District on its north-west, Jind & Kaithal district on its West, Panipat district on its south and Uttar Pradesh on east.Karnal is centrally located between Delhi and Chandigarh on the National Highway No. 1.

Place to Visit:

There are many more places in CM city to visit. You can take view of Karn Talab, Cantonment Church Tower,Dargah Nuri, Gateway of old Mughal Sarai, Kushan Stupa etc. The brief description of visitable places is under mentioned-

Taraori Sarai
Taraori, a small town of Haryana has been a battle ground, in which two battles were fought in 1191 and 1192. Those were decisive battles, fought between Prithvi Raj Chauhan of Hindu Chauhan dynasty and Mohmad Ghori of Afghanistan. Here in Taraori exists a old sarai, built during Mughal era. 

Old Badshahi Bridge

Location -:Village-Uncha Siwan, District : Karnal
Situation -: Situated on the eastern side of National Highway No. 1 near Karnal
Under protection of -: Haryana Government
Period -: 1540-44 AD
History and description -: This bridge was erected on the directions of emperor Sher Shah Suri to facilitate safe and easy passage for the travellers. This is a stone bridge having three arches, which are structurally sound. The piers of the arches on the both ends are strengthened by buttresses with marked positions indicated by four small minars with domed tops.

Cantonment Church Tower

Location -: Karnal, District : Karnal
Situation -: Situated about 1 km from Liberty Chowk towards Karnal city, adjoining the European soldiers graveyard.
Under protection of -: Government of India
Period -: 1806 AD
History and description -: This tower once formed a part of the St. James Church, which was at Karnal. In 1941, when the cantonment was shifted to Ambala, the church was dismantled. But the tower of the church built out of public contribution, was left standing. The tower has four storeys and on the first storey, Extruscan pilaster has been used structurally. The top storey has a semi-circular arch in Roman style. The entire exterior is plastered with lime and exhibits fine panelling work.

Dargah Nuri
Dargah Nuri was built in the memory of Hazrat Sufi Shah Alama Nur Mohammad of Delhi and it is situated at village Newal.

European Soldiers Grave

Location -: Karnal, District : Karnal
Situation -: Situated on the old G.T. Road approximately one km from Liberty Chowk towards Karnal
Under protection of -: Government of India
Period -: 1811-40 AD
History and description -: The cemetery (122mx76m) has a boundary wall about 2.5 m high and it houses about 500 graves of European soldiers who died here in the British cantonment at Karnal. The inscriptions on the graves date back to 1811 AD to 1840 AD. All the graves except a few are absolutely modest in appearance, having been raised on bricks platforms rising to the height of 1.5 to 2 metres.

Gateway of Old Mughal Sarai  

Location -:Gharaunda, District : Karnal
Situation -: Situated on the GT road which is 16 kms.away from Karnal.
Under protection of -: Government of India
Period -: 1637 AD
History and description -: The Sarai (Rest House) was built by Feroz Khan in 1637 AD during the reign of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.So it is named after the Mughals. Before the first battle of Panipat, Babur camped at Gharaunda. At present, there are two gateways present here. They are located within a distance of about 100 metres. The Sarai is quadrangular in shape with cells on all four sides. Existing gateways form a part of northern and southern walls and they both have three-storeys and are made of ‘Lakhauri’bricks. It is decorated with panels,balconies, rounded towers and angular flutes.

Kalander Shah Tomb

Kalander Shah's tomb is situated just outside the town. The well-sculptured grave is made of marble. The tomb was built by Ghias-ud-din, Emperor of Delhi, in the memory of Bo-Ali-Qualander Shah, a famous Muslim savant and sage, who influenced the thinking of his age and was very widely respected by all communities. One can see a mosque and a reservoir with fountains built by Emperor Alamgir.

Karna Tank
Named after King Karna, this is a popular tourist place in Karnal. One can enjoy boating in both rowing and paddle boats in this beautiful lake. The city municipality is further developing this lake with a central island. There are facilities like restaurant, bar, conference hall, banquet halls and a gift shop nearby the lake.

Kushan Stupa

Location -:Asandh, District : Karnal
Situation -: Located in Jhimaron Ka Mohalla at Asandh Town
Under protection of -: Government of India
Period -: Circa 1st Century AD
History and description -: The name Asandh is rooted in the ancient Asandhivat. The name Asandhivat (Asandh) has been mentioned in the Indian scriptures like Brahmanas and Sutras. In the scriptures, it has been suggested that in ancient past, it must have been an important site where painted greyware, and Kushana coins and bricks were found. It was also known as Jarassanndh ka Qila during the medieval times. It is located at a distance of about 40 kms. south-west of Karnal. The stupa must have originally been a very gigantic structure as the mound still rises to a height of more than 25 metres. It indicates circular drum with an elongated dome. The core was filled up with bricks and earth between the walls formed the spokes. In an exposed area, a circular wall made of baked bricks (as many as 44 courses of bricks) was noticed. The bricks used are approximately 34 to 35.5 cm x 21.5 to 23cmx5to 6cm in dimension.

Naraina
Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb constructed a wall around the town, a mosque and a tank, which still exists here. The historic village is located 11 miles north of Karnal.

Here we see that Karnal is a Old Historical City as well as Modern nowdays.
The City has clean and wide roads. The people of Karnal is so friendly manner and helpful to every visiter. Here you will see that there is no chance of unfaithfulness for any person known or stranger. This is a kind of city that shows that Historical things are now modern but they are still beautiful.

Ok friends for now it is enough. See you again on my blog. Thanks in advance for reading this blog.

Satpal Dagar
any suggestions please mail me on mail address: satpaldagar85@gmail.com

 

Faridabad : The largest city of Haryana

Faridabad is the largest city in the north Indian state of Haryana in Faridabad district. It is a leading industrial centre and situated in the National Capital Region bordering the Indian capital New Delhi. Located 284 kilometres south of the state capital Chandigarh and 38 kilometers (21 miles) south of the national capital, Delhi, it is the most populous city in the state of Haryana. The river Yamuna forms the eastern district boundary with Uttar Pradesh. Government of India included it the second list of Smart Cities Mission on 24 May 2016.

The newly developed residential and industrial part of Faridabad (Sec. 66 to 89) between the Agra Canal and the Yamuna River is commonly referred as Greater Faridabad. The area is being developed as a self-sustained sub-city with wide roads, tall buildings, malls, educational institutions, and health and commercial centres.

Faridabad is also a major industrial hub of Haryana. 50% of the income tax collected in Haryana is from Faridabad and Gurgaon. Faridabad is famous for henna production from the agricultural sector, while tractors, motorcycles, switch gears, refrigerators, shoes and tyres constitute its primary industrial products.

Industries

Faridabad is the industrial capital of Haryana. As of 2013, out of total 11,665 registered working factories in Haryana, 2,499 were in Faridabad which was followed by Gurgaon with 2,116 factories. According to a study, growth of Faridabad has been declining in last 2 decades, share of Faridabad in investment is less than 1% and 93% of investment is in paper industry. The industrial contribution of Faridabad to Haryana’s revenue was declined from 29% to 22% in 2012-13. Faridabad is home to large-scale companies like India Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd., Havells India Limited, JCB India Limited, Indian Oil (R&D), Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Agri Machinery Group (Escorts Limited), Whirlpool India Ltd., ABB Group, Goodyear India Ltd., Bata India Ltd and Eicher Tractor Ltd. Eyewear e-tailer Lenskart and healthcare startup Lybrate have their headquarters in Faridabad. More than 5,000 units of auto parts producers are based in Faridabad. Lakhani Armaan Group has set up manufacturing facilities at Faridabad (Haryana).

Metro

Delhi Metro Violet Line

Delhi Metro Violet Line connects Faridabad with Delhi. The extension of Violet Line to Faridabad was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 Sepetmeber 2015. There are 9 metro stations in Faridabad corridor of Delhi Metro which are all elevated.Further Delhi Metro will be extended to Ballabgarh from Faridabad and the work is likely to be completed by 2017.Haryana government is also planning to link Faridabad and Gurgaon by Metro. Currently the Faridabad corridor of Delhi Metro Violet Line is the longest metro corridor in the National Capital Region (NCR) consisting of 9 stations and the total length of corridor being 14 km.
The 9 metro stations are Sarai, NHPC Chowk, Mewala Maharajpur, Sector 28, Badkal Mor, Old Faridabad, Neelam Chowk Ajronda, Bata Chowk and Escorts Mujesar.

Tourism

Badkhal Lake

Dried Badkhal lake

Main article: Badkhal Lake

Badkhal Lake was located in Badkhal village, 8 km from Delhi Border. The lake fringed by Aravalli hills was a man-made embankment which has now dried up. The lake complex, spread over 40 acres, had come up in 1969. In June 2015, Haryana government decided to revive the Badkhal lake here to once again attract tourists.

Surajkund Tourist Complex and International Crafts Fair

Main article: Surajkund

SurajKund International Crafts Fair, Faridabad

Situated at a distance of around 8 km from South Delhi. It is a 10th-century water reservoir which believed to be built by Tomar king Surajpal. Place is known for its annual fair "Surajkund International Crafts Mela". 2015 edition of fair was visited by 1.2 million visitors including 160,000 foreigners with more than 20 countries participating in fair. The Suraj Kund Lake here is surrounded by rock cut steps.
2016 edition of Surajkund International Crafts Mela will be the 30th edition and People's Republic of China will be participating in the fair. Participation of the China will be the part of agreement signed between India and China in 2014 to celebrate year 2016 as "Year of China in India".

Anangpur Dam

Main article: Anagpur Dam

Surajkund dam downstream side

The Anagpur Dam, located close to the Anagpur village (also called Arangpur) in Faridabad district of Haryana, India, is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) away from the more famous Surajkund. 

This unique Indian hydraulic engineering structure was built during the reign of King Anangpal of the Tomar dynasty in 8th century. It is approachable by road from Delhi from the Delhi - Mathura road. The ruins of the fortifications found in Anangpur village establishes by an inference that it was built by Anangpal as part of the Lal Kot that was developed as the first city of Delhi in the 8th century.

Palwal - The Cultural City of Haryana

Introduction of Palwal :

Palwal is a city and a municipal council. It is the headquarters of Palwal district, the 21st district of Haryana state in northern India. It is a centre for the cotton trade in the area.

Palwal is 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Delhi, 313 kilometres (194 mi) from Chandigarh and 143 kilometres (89 mi) from Agra.The latitude of the town is 28° 40' N and longitude is 76° 59' E. The area of town is 22.10 square kilometres (8.53 sq mi).^[1]

The local tradition identifies Palwal with the Apelava town mentioned in the Mahabharata, which was later restored by Vikramaditya.^[2]

^{On 15 August 1979, Gurgaon district was further divided to form a new Faridabad district, and Palwal became a part of it.[4] On 15 August 2008, Palwal became the administrative headquarters of the newly formed Palwal district, 21st district of Haryana.}

^{Tourism In Palwal :} 

^{Hodal :}
The ancient history of the town is obscure. It lies within Brij Bhoomi, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, and, therefore, follows all the traditions of the region. In the pre-Mughal era, the site of the present Hodal is said to have belonged to Odes, a nomadic community whose traditional occupation related to digging and managing the excavated earth. The services of Odes, who were expert in building earthen dams and kutcha ponds, were utilised even by kings and monarchs. It is not known for how long the Odes remained in occupation of the old site of Hodal before the arrival of the Jats. Some old persons in the town say that a few Deshal Brahmin families used to live here with the Odes. The Odes were traditionally a brave as well as a haughty community. It is said that on some occasions they had offended their Brahmin neighbours, who could not bear such humiliation and became vengeful. A few days before Divali, the Brahmins thought of taking their revenge and called upon the Sorot Jats who lived at Kashi Khera, near Hodal. The Brahmins and Jats invited the Odes to a feast on the eve of Divali. The Odes drank plenty of wine unaware of what was in store for them. When the Odes were in an inebriated condition, the Jats eliminated them.

Hodal is well known due to three reasons: firstly, Maharani Kishori Devi, first wife of Jat Raja Suraj Mal of Bharatpur belonged to this place; secondly, it is the head village of a group of 24 villages inhabited by the Sorot Jat clan; and thirdly, an ancient temple devoted to Lord Krishna is situated here.

Kishori Devi was the daughter of one Chaudhary Kashi Ram Sorot. Legend has is that one day Maharaja Suraj Mal was passing Hodal on his stately elephant when he noticed an unusual incident. An agitated bull was frightening everyone and roaming angrily when Kishori Devi, along with her friends, was returning from a well with pitchers on her head. She put her toe on the loose bridle and restrained the bull. Kishori was a brave, stout and beautiful young maiden. Suraj Mal was greatly impressed and after some time sent his purohit with the marriage proposal. Her father is said to have agreed to the relationship but wished that his status was at par with that of the reputed Raja. Upon hearing this, Maharaja Suraj Mal granted him the title of Chaudhary with the authority to collect revenue from the parganah of Hodal. The marriage was solemnised sometime around 1730.

Haveli Built by Kashi Ram
There are a number of old buildings and places of historical importance in and around Hodal. The most notable are the ruins of a haveli of Chaudhary Kashi Ram and the adjoining Court House, known as Izlaas Khas, built by him around 1750. Apart from these, there are the ruins of a fine baoli, a step well, in the middle of the new settlement. These dilapidated buildings are situated on an elevated ground in Andua Patti, to which Kashi Ram belonged. Of the Court House, only the high facade now survives. The adjoining courtrooms and storehouses, which were on the verge of coming down, were demolished on orders of the Municipal Committee a few years ago. The old haveli of Chaudhary Kashi Ram has fine stone carving on the surviving interior walls, masonry columns, and a high façade. All of them are made out of heavy blocks of stones, brought in bullock carts in those times from Bansi Paharpur and Dhaulpur mines. The haveli is in a poor condition. Its upkeep seems to be nobody’s responsibility, for it has several claimants.

                                                                                             Haveli of Mr. Kashiram

Sati Temple and Talab:

To the eastern side of the town, and not far away from the house of Jaildaar Balwant Singh, is a finely built large masonry tank known as Sati ka Talaab, the Sati temple, an artistically built cenotaph, some other temples of deities revered in the village and ruins of an old kachehri. All these structures are in front of the P.W.D. Rest House at Hodal and not very far away from the G.T. Road. The Sati ka Talaab is quite deep and has eight quays around it. The presence of corner quays is a unique feature of this tank. The tank used to receive considerable flow of rainwater from the eastern and southern side till five decades ago. During the last several decades the catchment-area has been encroached upon by builders of colonies.

The cenotaph was raised sometime between 1765-67 in the memory of Balram, brother of Kishori Devi and only son of Kashi Ram who was killed during the invasion of Delhi by Jawahar Singh. The body of Balram was brought to Hodal like an honorable general and assigned to flames on the banks of the Sati ka Talaab. The cenotaph, raised on a high platform, has a plinth layout which matches that of a cross or a chaupar. The stone pillars are 16 in number. The temple of Sati was built a few years earlier than Balram’s cenotaph. It is said that Chaudhary Kashi Ram passed away at Bharatpur. When his body was being consigned to flames at Bharatpur, his wife Jaskaur wished to perform sati. Her wishes were fulfilled. The ashes of both the husband and wife were brought to Hodal and kept on a chabutra on which the temple is said to have been built. The footprints of both the husband and wife were carved on a stone slab and placed in the sanctum sanctorum. Every year on Magh Sudi Duj and Baisakh Sudi Duj, a devotional fair is held in memory of Jaskaur who performed sati. Rawat Jats of the neighbouring villages congregate here to pay respects to her. Jaskaur belonged to Maanpur village of Rawat Jats.

The Sati ka Talaab has been fairly well maintained. The tank was cleaned and restored a couple of years ago while the Sati Ghat was reconstructed 25 years ago by a local trader, Haridayal, in memory of his wife Chandrawati Devi.

Pando Ban - Where Pandavs take thier exile in Mahabharat

The most revered and sacred place of Hindus in Hodal is Pando Ban. Legend has it that during their period of exile, the Pandavas had rested at this place and worshipped Lord Krishna. A thick forest surrounds this religious place on three sides. It is now a resting-place for monkeys. There is a deep pond inside the forest which receives water only during the rainy season. 

Modern Hodal -

Fifty years ago, Hodal was like a big, self-sufficient village with a bazaar run entirely by local baniyas. At that time there were nearly 200 families of Mahajans. Most of them settled here after the British took over the territory and ensured peace and stability. They had migrated to Hodal from far off places, and built their shops-cum-residences in the mandi and old bazaar area, now within the old town.

Modern Hodal has all the civic amenities except a degree college for boys. The degree college for girls was started here in an impressive new building on the initiative of Harsh Kumar a few years ago when he was a Minister in Chaudhary Bansi Lal’s government. The Municipality at Hodal was started by the Punjab Government Notification No. 1464 of September 24, 1885. It still functions from the old building beside the old thana building.

Dubchik - The Tourist Motel

Location : 92 km from Delhi
District : Faridabad

Dabchick Hodel tourist resort lies on Haryana's stretch of the Delhi-Agra-(National Highway No.2)
On the border of Haryana as one travels to Agra, Dabchick resort greets the tourists. The resort is cosy, compact and geared to cater to the tourists in a hurry. Here the very best of facilities await the travellers

 Pawal Tourist Places - 

Dau Temple -

The Dau Temple is an ancient temple of Lord Balarama (the elder brother of Lord Krishna). The temple has beautiful carvings and paintings narrating the story of how the Lord killed the demon- Palwalsur.

Gandhi Sewashram -

The Gandhi Sewashram is built on the National Highway on the outskirts of the city and is a place of peace and integration. Ashram means a home of service. The ashram is being run by Gandhi Sewashram trust. Every year on Gandhi Jayanthi tribute prayers are organized for the Father of the Nation.

Jama Masjid -

There is an old Muslim Shrine called the Jama Masjid in Palwal. Every Friday mass prayers are offered here by the locals. The Islamic festivals are celebrated in the mosque with great enthusiasm.

Panchvati Temple -

The Panchvati Temple located on the South of the town is dedicated to the five mythological heroes – the Pandavas. The beautiful paintings in the temple narrate the exile period of the Pandavas and inspire the victory of truth over evil. An idol of Lord Hanuman is also placed in the temple.

Historical Places In Palwal -

Draupadi Ghat  -

Draupadi was the wife of the mythological heroes – Pandavas (Yudhishtira, Bheem, Arjuna, Nakula and Sehadeva) from the epic Mahabharata, who is said to have spent a year during their exile. The Draupadi Ghat is located close to the Panchvati Temple.

Idgah Of Shihab Ud Din -

The Idgah of Shihab-Ud-Din is completely in a ruined state today. It is currently occupied by the Jawahar Gausala.

Matia Fort -

The Matia Fort is an old fort in Palwal that is now completely ruined. Only the remains of the temple are left now.

Tomb Of Roshan Chirag -

The tomb of Roshan Chirag is a tomb belonging to Saint Roshan Chirag. The tomb is on the Mathura Road and is made of stone slabs.

 For today, it is enough. I will available again with facts of haryana. So good by for today.