Atlas of Battles

battle, major, early modern

Battle of Karnal

Battle of Karnal was a battle fought on 24 February 1739 at Karnal, in what is now India. It was part of the Mughal–Persian Wars, which ran from 1557 to 1739. The recorded result: Afsharid victory.

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Nadir Shah at the sack of Delhi - Battle scene with Nader Shah on horseback. Afsharid period Created in Isfahan, Iran Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Nadir Shah at the sack of Delhi - Battle scene with Nader Shah on horseback. Afsharid period Created in Isfahan, Iran Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. possibly by Muhammad Ali ibn Abd al-Bayg ibn Ali Quli Jabbadar, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought24 February 1739
WhereKarnal, India29.725N, 77.070E
OutcomeAfsharid victory
BelligerentsAfsharid Empire; Kingdom of KakhetiagainstMughal Empire; Hyderabad State; Oudh
Casualties and losses1,100 to 2,500 killed and 5,000 woundedand8,000–10,000, 20,000–30,000 or 17,000
Part ofMughal–Persian WarsNadir Shah's invasion of India

Where it sits in the Mughal–Persian Wars

Siege of Kandahar, 1605Siege of Kandahar, 1648Campaigns of Nader Shah, 1720Nadir Shah's invasion of India, 1738Battle of Khyber Pass, 1738Battle of Karnal, 1739Nader's Sindh Expedition, 174016051740Battle of Karnal, 1739
7 placed engagements of the Mughal–Persian Wars in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date24 February 1739
PlaceKarnal, India
29.725N, 77.070E
KindBattle, early modern
Territorial changeThe Mughal capital of Delhi is occupied, and then sacked. All Mughal territories north of the Indus River are annexed by the Afsharid Empire.
Strength55,000 with a war-camp of 160,000 (mounted and armed); Hundreds of cannons and zamburaks75,000 to 300,000 (including non-combatants) or 80,000; 2,000 war elephants; 3,000 cannons
Casualties and losses1,100 to 2,500 killed and 5,000 wounded8,000–10,000, 20,000–30,000 or 17,000
Commanders
  • Nader Shah
  • Heraclius II of Georgia
  • Morteza Mirza Afshar
  • Tahmasp Khan Jalayer
  • Fath Ali Khan Afshar
  • Lutf Ali Khan Afshar
  • Muhammad Shah
  • Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I
  • Saadat Khan
  • Khan Dowran VII
Battle of KarnalBattle of KarnalSecond Battle of TarainBattle of PanipatThird Battle of PanipatBattle of PanipatBattle of JaithakSecond Battle of TarainBattle of PanipatThird Battle of PanipatBattle of PanipatBattle of JaithakNew DelhiLudhianaMeerutChandigarhMoradabadSaharanpurDehra DunPatiala100 km29.725N, 77.070E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Karnal
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Karnal today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-10-15. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 246 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 237 to 263 m, 25 m of relief, flat country and today it is 81% cropland, 9% tree cover, 8% built-up.

cropland: 81%tree cover: 9%built-up: 8%cropland 81%tree cover 9%built-up 8%
west to east, 10.0 km242 to 254 mnorth to south, 10.0 km239 to 252 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1739

Battle of Karnal is one of 2,126 engagements of the 18th century in the atlas and one of 376 in present-day India.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2736986, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Karnal, revision 1380723276, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.