Karnal is a city located in the NCR (National Capital Region) and the headquarters of Karnal District in the Indian state of Haryana. It is one of the Counter-Magnet cities. 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, 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. Best city of haryana. Karnal has been 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 is also the birth place of first Indo-American women 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.