Karnal is a city and the headquarters of Karnal District in the Indian state of Haryana. Karnal is said to have been founded by the Kauravas at around the time of the Mahabharata epic for the king Karna, a key figure in the epic tale. It is 123 km from Delhi on the National Highway NH-1 [also called the GT Road (short for Grand Trunk Road)] and 126 km from Chandigarh.

Delhi and Chandigarh can be reached from Karnal within 2 hours using a very high frequency bus network plying on GT Road. Karnal is known for the manufacture of shoes, the production of basmati rice and for its many agricultural research institutions. Liberty shoes was started from Karnal and has the largest manufacturing facility in the city.