Karnātakā (ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ in Kannada) (IPA: /kəɹnɑːtəkɑː/) is one of the four southern states of India. The modern state of Karnataka came into existence with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act (1956), with the incorporation of districts under the dominion of Bombay, Hyderabad, Madras state and Coorg within the existing state of Mysore State. Karnataka's capital Bangalore, is the only city in the state with a population of more than 6 million. Other major cities include Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Bellary and Belgaum. Kannada is the official language of the state. Karnataka is the 8th largest Indian state by area and 9th largest by population.

Neolithic habitation and celts dating back to the 2nd century BCE were first discovered in Karnataka in 1872. Megalithic structures and burial grounds were discovered in 1862 in the regions of Kodagu and Moorey Betta hills. By the third century BCE, most of Karnataka was part of the Mauryan Empire, ruled by Emporer Ashoka. In the first millenium CE, Karnataka was ruled by a series of Hindu Dynasties such as the Kadambas, the Ganga Dynasty and the Chalukyas. The Kannada Empire was expanded and consolidated by the Hoysala Empire and further by the Vijayanagara Empire, before the Mughal Conquest in the 18th century. The rule of the state changed hands from the Wodeyars to Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan before being incorporated into the British Raj, at the turn of the 19th century. Karnataka lies is the Deccan Plateau and borders with Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The state has a long standing border dispute with Maharashtra over the status of the district of Belgaum, and a dispute with Tamil Nadu over the release of water from the Kaveri river that flows through both states. A large proportion of Karnataka's economy, India's fifth largest, is agrarian. Bangalore, the third largest city in India, accounts for 35 percent of India's software exports, and is also a major base for public sector manufacturing industries. Karnataka is the only exporter of sandalwood in India. The Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) is the only producer of gold in the country.

Origin of Name

Several etymologies have been suggested for the name Karnataka. One accepted derivative comes from the Kannada words karu and nādu meaning elevated land. During the British Raj, the words Carnatic or Karnatak were used to desribe the region of southern India in general. Another etymological derivative of the name comes from from lear or black — a reference to the black cotton soil of the

History

Main article: History of Karnataka

Districts

see article Districts of Karnataka

Language

Language was the basis for the formation of the Indian states after independence and the present day Karnataka was formed by unifying Kannada speaking regions from the many districts of erstwhile Madras State (present day Tamil Nadu), erstwhile Bombay presidency (present day Maharashtra) and the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad (present day Andhra Pradesh) to the former Kingdom of Mysore, known as the Mysore State (post independence) around the years 1950-1957. In 1973, the Mysore State was officially christned as Karnataka. There are a total of 27 districts. The languages of Karnataka are Kannada, Kodava Takk, Tulu and Sankethi. Kannada is the official language of the state. Other languages also spoken by linguistic minorities are Marathi, Konkani, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam

There is also a village in the Shimoga district of Karnataka called Mattur where the spoken language is Sanskrit

Economy

Karnataka is one of the most industrialised states in India. Its capital, Bangalore has become a major worldwide hub of the Information Technology industry and is the IT capital of India producing approximately 35% of India's software. It is dubbed as the Silicon Valley of India with more than 50% of all software companies based here. Bangalore has approximately 40% of India's Biotechnology companies. Also, Bangalore is one of the fast growing cities in the world with more than 6 million people and is considered the only truly global city in the country. Over 90% of India's gold production comes from Karnataka. Recently there has been a lot of activity in the extraction of manganese ore from the districts of Bellary and Hospet. Karnataka is the largest producer of coffee, raw silk and sandalwood based products like perfumes.

Music

Karnataka gave

Literature

Kannada has had an unbroken literary tradition of atleast 1500 years. Though the earliest extant bookon Kannada literature is Kavirajamarga 850AD, references made in this book refer back toearly Kannada literature of 6th century. For information on Kannada and Sanskrit classics and writersthrough the span of Kannada kingdoms, please refer to Karnataka Literature. Chudamani (a 96,000 verse-measures), a commentary on logic Tatwarthamahashastra by Tambulacharya belonged to the 7th century.(Ref: History of Kannada Literature by Dr. Jyotsna Kamat)

Religion

Udupi, Sringeri, Gokarna and Melkote are well known places of sanskrit learning.

The great saint Madhwacharya (1238-1317AD), proponent of "dwaitha" philosophy and Raghavendra Swamy (1601-1671AD) were born here. Shankaracharya(8th century AD), proponent of "advitha" philosophy found enlightenment in Sringeri which became the first of four shankara matts established in India. Ramanujacharya (1017-1137 AD) fearing persecution from the Tamil Cholas fled Tamil Nadu and came to Karnataka during the rule of Hoysala dynasty and preached his philosophy from Melkote.

In the 12th century AD, Veerashaivism spread from northern Karnataka across the deccan.Shree Basava (also known as Basaveshwara or Basavanna) is known as the founder of the Lingayat religious sect of Hinduism in India. He brought on a social transformation, often referred as "revolution," in that he tried to usher a caste-less Saiva society.

Kannadigas are well known for their hospitality which can be aptly described as the best in India. It was here the Jainism (or the Jaina) religion got a warm welcome and enjoyed a glorious growth during the medieval period. It is also here where the current day Dzogchen Monastery and the Dhondeling Tibetan Refugee camps are setup and the Tibetans are very well absorbed in the kannadiga culture.

Natural areas

Karnataka is home to several national parks, including Bandipur National Park in Mysore District, Bannerghatta National Park in Bangalore, Nagarhole National Park in Mysore and Kodagu districts, Kudremukh National Park in Dakshina Kannada and Chickmagalur districts, Dandeli & Anshi National Park in Uttara Kannada district, Gudavi and Mandegadde bird sanctuaries and Sharavati WLS in Shimoga district, B.R Hills WLS in Chamarajanagar district, Rangantittu bird sanctuary in Mandya district, Bhramagiri and Pushpagiri WL sanctuaries in Kodagu district. There are other wildlife sanctuaries and nature preserves as well.

Recently, UNESCO has been considering designating some areas like Kudremukh NP as UN world heritage site for its natural beauty. As such, the Western Ghats that runs south-north through the state is considered as one among the twenty five bio-diversity hotspots of the world.

Water Falls and Caves

Jog falls of Shimoga District is one of the highest waterfalls in Asia. Karnataka is famous for its waterfalls. Some well known ones are Magod falls, Lalgullifalls, Sathodi falls, Unchalli falls, Lushington falls, Shivaganga falls, Ulavi falls, Iruppu falls, Shivanasamudra falls, Balmuri falls, Gokak falls, Abbe falls, Achakanya falls, Chunchanakatte Falls, Hebbe falls, Kallathigiri falls, Vajrapoha falls, Sogal falls, Godchinamalaki falls etc.

Some well known caves in Karnataka are Yana caves and Kavala caves and Syntheri rocks in Uttara Kannada district, Sugriva's cave in Hampi holds similarity to the descriptions of 'kishkinda' in the epic Ramayana, Hundreds of caves in Basava Kalyana in Bidar district.

Eco-Tourism

Karnataka boasts of the highest elephant and Gaur bison population (greater than 6000 & 8000 respectively) in India. Its forests hold some of the largest remaining populations of the endangered tiger and leopard. Th Niligiri Biosphere Reserve (also a designated UNESCO Biosphere reserve) is located at the junction of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerela.Nagarahole WLS and Bandipur NP in Karnataka fall in this region.Eco-tourism is a very popular activity in the state. Karnataka leads other states in eco-tourism. 'Jungle Lodges & Resorts', a state run organization has camping and safari facilities in several wildlife sanctuaries. Private safari providers have sprung up in several places along the western ghats.(Ref:)Several NGO's (youth groups) are actively involved in birding and other conservationactivities.

Youth Activities

Karnataka is a rock climbers paradise. Yana in Uttara Kannada, Ramnagara near Bangalore district,Shivagange in Tumkur district and tekal in Kolar district are a rock climbers heaven. A climbingacademy has been formed in Ramnagara called General Thimmaiah Rock Climbing Academy.

Sun and Sea

Karnataka is blessed with over 300kms of pristine coastal stretch. Nethrani Island ofUttara Kannada is well known for coral reefs. St. Mary's Island, a few kilometers from Udupiis famous for its basalt rock formations. Sunny beaches at places like Maple, Murdeshwara, Maravanthe,Gokarna, Kumta are complimented by spectacular mountains slightly to the east. Agumbe,Kodachadri hills, Kemmangundi, are just a few of many hill stations that straddle the coast providing tourists the best of sun and greenary. Unlike many crowded hill stations in South India, the hill stations of Karnataka are still mostly undiscovered and pristine.

See also

• Cuisine of Karnataka
• List of Chief Ministers of Karnataka.
• List of famous people from Karnataka.
• List of political parties in the state
• Carnatic (region)
• Kannada
• Kannada Proverbs
• Kannada

References

Karnataka Dailies and Media

Karnataka Karnataka Karnatakagu:કર્ણાટક कर्नाटक カルナータカ州kn:ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ კარნატაკა Karnátakamr:कर्नाटक Karnataka Karnataka Karnataka Карнатакаsa:कर्णाटक Karnátaka Karnataka Karnatakata:கர்நாடகம்te:కర్నాటక 卡纳塔克邦