The population in 1868 amounted to 610,927 (330,763 males and 280,164 females)—Hindus, 356,305; Mohammedans, 151,723; and “others,” 93,604. Jâts numbered 74,840, representing the chief agricultural element; Brahmans, 52,396, most of them engaged in tillage; Rajputs, 47,860, chiefly Mohammedans; Chamârs, the landless labouring class, 37,053; pastoral Gujars, 20,857, about one-third of them Mohammedans. Five towns have a population exceeding 5000, viz., Kamal, 27,022; Pânipat, 25,276; Kâithal, 14,940; Sewan, 6206; and Kunjpurah, 5163. The area under cultivation is 645,120 acres, the uncultivated area 860,800 acres, of which 578,027 are cultivable. The principal spring crop is wheat; the autumn harvest consists of rice, cotton, and sugar-cane, besides millets and pulses for home consumption. The growth of the more lucrative crops is on the increase. Grain and raw materials are exported to Umballa, Hissar, and Delhi,—the return trade consisting of European piece goods, salt, and refined sugar. A considerable quantity of cotton is woven for local use. Sal-ammoniac is obtained from the clay of Kâithal and Gιila tαhsils to the value of £3450 per annum. Karnâl town has a few blanket factories, and ornamental glass-ware is made at Pânipat. The Grand Trunk Road connects Karnâl with Delhi and Umballa. The district is administered by a deputy commissioner. In 1872—73 the revenue was £78,847, of which £67,048 was derived from the land; and education was afforded by 99 schools, with 2541 pupils.

No district of India can boast of a more ancient history than Karnâl, as almost every town or stream is connected with the legends of the Mahâbhàrata. The city of Karnâl itself is said to owe its foundation to Raja Karna, the mythical champion of the Kauravas in the great war which forms the theme of the national epic. Pânipat, in the south of the district, is said to have been one of the pledges demanded from Duryodhana by Yudisthira as the price of peace in that famous conflict. In historical times the plains of Pânipat have three times proved the theatre of battles which decided the fate of Upper India. It was here that Ibrâhîm Lodi and his vast host were defeated in 1526 by the veteran army of Baber; in 1556 Akbar reasserted the claims of his family on the same battlefield against the Hindu general of the house of Sher Shâh, which ha<l driven the heirs of Baber from the throne for a brief interval; and at Pânipat too, on the 7th of January 1761, the Marhattâ confederation was defeated by Ahmed Shâh Durant. During the troublous period which ensued, the Sikhs managed to introduce themselves, and in 1767 one of their chieftains, Desu Sinh, appropriated the fort of Kâithal, which had been built during the reign of Akbar. His descendants, the Bhâis of Kâithal, were reckoned amongst the most important cis-Sutlej princes. Different portions of this district have lapsed from time to time into the hands of the British. The towns are not generally in a flourishing condition, but the district possesses considerable commerce ami great agricultural resources.

Karnál, a municipal town, the headquarters of the above district, 29° 42' 17" N. lat., 77° Γ 45" E. long., with a population in 1868 of 27,022. The civil station stretches to the west of the town. The Government maintains a large studfarm. There is a brisk trade with Delhi and Umballa; country cloth is manufactured for local consumption, and blankets for export, the latter trade employing about one hundred looms.