Rau Karna should not be confused with Rav Karna.
| Rau Karna | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | India Uttar Pradesh |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Coordinates: | 26.6333°N 108°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country India |
| Subdivision Name: |  India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Uttar Pradesh |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Unnao |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 10.772 |
| Population Total: | 8705 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Hindi |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | PIN |
| Registration Plate: | UP-35 |
Rau Karna is a village in Sikandarpur Sarausi block of Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh, India.[1] [2] It is located 11 km north of the city of Unnao, on the road to Hardoi.[1] On the east side of the village is the Tinai, a small stream that dries up in hot weather.[3] The village holds a market twice per week.[3] Rau Karna is part of the nyaya panchayat circle of Banda Khera.[1]
As of 2011, Rau Karna's population is 8,705 people, in 1,688 households.[2] The main crops grown here are wheat, barley, gram, and jowar, and irrigation is provided by a canal as well as by tube wells.[1] There are also some mahua and mango groves.[3] The land around the village is level, and the soil is mostly fertile loam.[3] On the north side of the village, there is a large banyan tree underneath which is a lingam "of great antiquity" dedicated to Mahadeo.[1]
Rau Karna is said to have been founded around the year 1125 by Rawan Singh, who was the son of a Bisen thakur named Unwant Singh.[3] Rawan Singh cleared the land and founded the settlement, which is named after him ("Rau" being a modified version of "Rawan").[3] The modern village and nearby mounds mark the site of the fort built by Rawan Singh.[3] Much later, his descendants Bhawal Sah and Narbir Sah served as generals under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.[3]
At the turn of the 20th century, Rau Karna had a population of 2,532, almost entirely Hindus and mostly belonging to the Pasi and Lodh castes.[3] The village did not have a school, so children attended the one in nearby Thana instead.[3]