Karnataka

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Karnataka
Capital  - Coordinates	Bangalore / Bengaluru  - 12.58° N 77.35° E
Largest city	Bangalore / Bengaluru
Population (2004)  - Density	55,868,200[citation needed] (9th)  - 290.98/km²
Area  - Districts	192,000 km² (8th)  - 27
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Establishment  - Governor  - Chief Minister  - Legislature (seats)	1956-11-01  - T. N. Chaturvedi  - H.D.Kumaraswamy  - Bicameral (224 + 75)
Official language(s)	Kannada
Abbreviation (ISO)	IN-KA
Website: www.karnataka.gov.in
Seal of Karnataka

Karnātakā pronunciation (help·info) (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) (IPA: [kəɹnɑːʈəkɑː]) 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, Bengaluru/Bangalore, is the capital city of the state with a population of more than 6 million. Other major cities include Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Davanagere, Bellary, Hassan, Shimoga and Belagavi. Kannada is the official language of the state. Karnataka is the 8th largest Indian state by area and 9th largest by population.

[edit] Origin of name

Main article: Origin of Karnataka's name

Several etymologies have been suggested for the name Karnataka. One accepted derivative comes from the Kannada words karu and nādu meaning elevated land (highest elevation 1500 ft.). Another etymological derivative of the name comes from lear or black — a reference to the black cotton soil of the region.^[1]

During the British Raj, the words Carnatic or Karnatak were used to describe this part of the region in general. Historically, the name Carnatic region applied to the regions below the Western Ghats (Coorg and Kerala) as well as regions in present day Andhra Pradesh (Telingana).^[2] The 1956 Mysore state was renamed Karnataka in 1973.

[edit] Geography

Main article: Geography of Karnataka

A map showing the 27 districts of Karnataka

Karnataka is situated in the Deccan Plateau and is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the east and southeast, and Kerala to the southwest. It is situated at the angle where the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats of South India converge into the Nilgiri Hills.

The state has three principal physical zones;

• The coastal strip, between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, which is lowland, with moderate to high rainfall levels. This strip is around 320 km in length and 48-64 km wide.
• The Western Ghats, a mountain range inland from the Arabian Sea, rising to about 900 m average height, and with moderate to high rainfall levels.
• The Deccan Plateau, comprising the main inland region of the state, which is drier and verging on the semi-arid. The humidity in these plains or maidans never exceeds 50%.

Karnataka has one of the highest average elevations of Indian states at 1,500 feet. The highest recorded temperature was 45.6 C (114.08 F) at Raichur on May 23, 1928. The lowest recorded temperature was 2.8 C (37.04 F) at Bidar on December 16, 1918.^[3]

Cities and towns

Karnataka has around 20 major cities and hundreds of towns. Usually capital of a district is a city (of Population 100,000 -500,000) and taluq centres are towns (10,000-100,000) though there are exceptions. Major cities are Bangalore, Mangalore, Mysore, Belgaum, Gulbarga and Hubli-Dharwad.

[edit] History

Gol Gumbaz is the mausoleum of Muhammad Adil Shah II (1627-57) of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Indian sultans, who ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur from 1490 to 1686.The structure consists of a massive square chamber measuring nearly 50 m on each side and covered by a huge dome 37.9 m in diameter making it one of the largest domes in the world.

Main article: History of Karnataka

Main article: The great Karnataka Expansion

Evidence of Neolithic habitation of areas in modern Karnataka and celts dating back to the 2nd century BCE were first discovered in 1872 CE. There are reports that a polished stone axe was discovered at Lingsugur in the Raichur district; however the authenticity of these reports remains unverifiable.^[4] Megalithic structures one of them of Gomateshwara is considered to be the monument of Ganga period and burial grounds were discovered in 1862 CE in the regions of Kodagu and Moorey Betta hills, while Neolithic sites were discovered in north Karnataka.

Scholarly hypothesis postulates of contacts between the Indus Valley city of Harappa in 3000 BCE, citing the discovery of gold found in the Harappan sites that was imported from mines in Karnataka.^{[5][6] [7][8]}In the third century BCE, most of Karnataka was part of the Mauryan Empire, ruled by Emperor Ashoka. Rock edicts of Ashoka, written in Prakrit, were discovered in Chitradurga and Raichur. In the 4th century BCE, the Satavahana dynasty came to power and its rule lasted nearly 3 centuries.

The disintegration of the Satavahana dynasty led to the ascent of the first native kingdoms, the Banavasi Kadambas(325-540 CE) from Uttara Kannada region, and the Western Ganga Dynasty (325-550 CE) in southern Karnataka. These were the first kingdoms to give administrative status to Kannada language as evidenced by the Halmidi inscription of 450 CE, attributed to King Kakusthavarma of the Kadamba dynasty. Also, recent discovery of 5th century CE copper coin in Banavasi, ancient capital of the Kadambas, with Kannada script inscription on it, further proves the usage of Kannada at an official level.^[9]

Nripa Kama established the Hoysala Empire at the turn of the millennium. Art and architecture flourished in the region during the time that resulted in the construction of temples and sculptures adhering to the Vesara style of architecture. The expansion of the Hoysala Empire brought large parts of modern Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu under their rule.^[10]

In early 14th century the Vijayanagara empire with its capital at Hosapattana (later to be called Vijayanagara) rose to successfully challenge the Muslim invasions into the South. This empire was established by Harihara and Bukka Raya, commanders of the last Hoysala King Veera Ballala III. The Bahmani sultans of Gulbarga and the Adil Shahi sultans of Bijapur ruled over the region after the defeat and disintegration of the Vijayanagara Empire in battle at Talikota. The Bahamani rulers encouraged Urdu and Persian literature and Islamic architecture. The Gol Gumbaz was constructed during this time. With the defeat of the Bahmani sultans, the entire region came into the dominion of the Mughal Empire.

Mysore Palace

The Wodeyars of Mysore, former vassals of the Vijayanagara Empire, leased the state from the Mughal king Aurangzeb in the 15th century CE. With the death of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, Haidar Ali, the Commander-in-Chief of the Mysore Army, assumed control over the region, until the rule of the kingdom was passed to Tippu Sultan, after Haidar Ali's death.

In attempting to contain Europe an expansion in South India, Tippu Sultan, known as the Tiger of Mysore fought four significant Anglo-Mysore Wars, the last of which resulted in his death and the incorporation of Mysore into the British Raj in 1799 AD.

After Indian independence, the Wodeyar Maharaja acceded to India. In 1950, Mysore became an Indian state, and the former Maharaja became its Rajpramukh, head of state, until 1975 CE.

The Ekikarana movement started in the late 19th century and culminated in the formation of Karnataka state in 1956, nine years after independence. The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 provided for parts of Coorg, Madras, Hyderabad, and Bombay states to be incorporated into the state of Mysore. Mysore state was renamed Karnataka in 1973. The state of Mysore was formed on November 1, 1956 and since then November 1 of every year is celebrated as Kannada Rajyotsava / Karnataka Rajyotsava.

[edit] Demography

Main article: Demographics of Karnataka

Distribution of population in Karnataka

Haystack on stilts in paddy fields of Uttara Kannada district

According to Census of India total population is 52,733,958. Of them 26,856,343 (50.93%) are male and 25,877,615 (49.17%) are female. Population density is 275/km^2. 33.98% of the people live in urban areas. Population growth was 17.25% from 1991 to 2001 compared to 21.12% between 1981 to 1991. In total 63.70% are literates. Literacy is 76.29% for males and 57.45% for females. 88% of the population are Hindu, 10% are Muslim, 1.9% are Christian, 0.7% are Buddhist, 0.8% are Jains and remaining belong to other religions. Kannada is the official language of the state and is spoken as a native language by approximately 70% of the people in Karnataka. Other linguistic minorities in the state as of 1991 were Urdu (9.72%), Telugu (8.34%), Marathi (.5%), Tamil (3.82%), Malayalam (1.69%), Tulu (3.38%), Konkani (1.78%), Kodava Takk (?.??%) and Hindi (1.87%).^[11]

Population is from the 2001 Census of India, followed by the percentage increase in population, 1991-2001.

Karnataka state (52,850,562, 17.25%)

• Bangalore Division
  • Bangalore District (6,537,124, 34.80%)
  • Bangalore Rural District (1,881,514, 12.21%)
  • Chitradurga District (1,517,896, 15.05%)
  • Davanagere District (1,790,952, 14.78%)
  • Kolar District (2,536,069, 13.83%)
  • Shimoga District (1,642,545, 12.90%)
  • Tumkur District (2,584,711, 11.87%)

• Belgaum Division
  • Bagalkot District (1,651,892, 18.84%)
  • Belgaum District (4,214,505, 17.40%)
  • Bijapur District (1,806,918, 17.63%)
  • Dharwad District (1,604,253, 16.65%)
  • Gadag District (971,835, 13.14%)
  • Haveri District (1,439,116, 13.29%)
  • Uttara Kannada District (1,353,644, 10.90%)

• Gulbarga Division
  • Bellary District (2,027,140, 22.30%)
  • Bidar District (1,502,373, 19.56%)
  • Gulbarga District (3,130,922, 21.02%)
  • Koppal District (1,196,089, 24.57%)
  • Raichur District (1,669,762, 21.93%)

• Mysore Division
  • Chamarajanagar District (965,462, 9.16%)
  • Chikmagalur District (1,140,905, 11.98%)
  • Dakshina Kannada District (1,897,730, 14.51%)
  • Hassan District (1,721,669, 9.66%)
  • Kodagu District (548,561, 11.64%)
  • Mandya District (1,763,705, 7.14%)
  • Mysore District (2,641,027, 15.04%)
  • Udupi District (1,112,243, 6.88%)

[edit] Government and administration

The Vidhana Soudha is the seat of Karnataka's Legislative assembly

Main articles: Unification of Karnataka and Government of Karnataka

Karnataka took its present shape in 1956, when the states of Mysore and Coorg (Kodagu) were merged with the Kannada-speaking districts of the former states of Bombay and Hyderabad, and Madras. Mysore state was made up of ten districts, Bangalore, Kolar, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Hassan, Chikmagalur (Kadur), Shimoga and Chitradurga; Bellary had been transferred from Madras state to Mysore in 1953, when the new state of Andhra Pradesh was created out of Madras' northern districts. Kodagu became a district, and Dakshina Kannada (South Kanara) district was transferred from Madras state, North Kanara, Dharwad, Belgaum District, and Bijapur District from Bombay state, and Bidar District, Gulbarga District, and Raichur District from Hyderabad state.

In 1989 Bangalore Rural district was split from Bangalore. and in 1997 Bagalkot district split from Bijapur, Chamrajnagar district split from Mysore, Gadag district split from Dharwad, Haveri district split from Dharwad, Koppal district split from Raichur, Udupi district split from Dakshina Kannada, and Davanagere district was created from parts of Bellary, Chitradurga, Dharwad, and Shimoga.

Administration

For administrative purposes, Karnataka has been divided into 27 districts grouped under four divisions - the Mysore, Bengaluru, Gulbarga and Hubli-Dharwad divisions. Government administration under the Indian constitution is divided into three main arms – the legislative, executive and judicial. The Karnataka legislature has two houses: upper and lower. Lower house members are elected directly from people. Some of the upper house members are elected by assembly, some are elected by special category of people like teachers and graduates and some are nominated by governor. Each house has a speaker. Chief minister and his cabinet are selected from among the members of both houses.

The executive is headed by Deputy commissioners or District magistrates in each of the 28 districts. These officers belong to the Indian Administrative Service. The district magistrate or the deputy commissioner is assisted by a number of officers belonging to Karnataka Civil Service and other Karnataka state services.

A Deputy Commissioner of Police, an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and related issues of the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Karnataka Police Service and other Karnataka Police officials. Apart from these, a Deputy Conservator of Forests, an officer belonging to the Indian Forest Service also serves the government. Sectoral development is looked after by the district head of each development department such as PWD, Health, Education, Agriculture, Animal husbandry, etc. These officers belong to the various State Services.

The judiciary is headquartered at Bangalore where the Attaara Kacheri houses the Karnataka High court. There are courts in every district centres and some taluq centres.

The Karnataka High Court, also called "Attara Kacheri" (which once housed the original "Eighteen Departments"), is the supreme judicial body in Karnataka and is located in Bangalore.

Politics

Main article: Karnataka Politics

Karnataka politics is dominated by Congress and Janata Parties (like Janata Dal). Current chief minister is H.D.Kumarasamy, son of former Prime minister H.D.Deve Gowda, from a splinter group of Janata Dal. Bharatiya Janata Party is also part of the government and the deputy chief minister , B.S.Yediyurappa is from this party..

[edit] Language

See also: Kannada language , Tulu , Konkani , Kodava , and Beary

Language was the main basis for the formation of the Indian states after independence and the present day Karnataka was formed by unifying majority 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 christened as Karnataka. Kannada, Kodava Takk, Konkani and Tulu are written in the Kannada script though Tulu has its own script. There are efforts to promote Tulu script.

Literature and inscriptions

See also: Kannada literature, Karnataka literature, Rashtrakuta literature, Western Chalukya literature, Hoysala literature, and Vijayanagara Empire Literature

The earliest full length Kannada language inscription in Hale Kannada script is the Halmidi Inscription of 450CE.^[12] Kannada has had an unbroken literary tradition of at least 1500 years. Though the earliest extant book on Kannada literature is Kavirajamarga 850 AD, references made in this book refer back to early Kannada literature of 6th century.^[13] The earliest extant poetry in tripadi meter are the Kappe Arabhatta records of 700 AD.^[14] Literature in Kannada has been prolific ever since. Some early extinct works are Chudamani (a 96,000 verse-measures), a commentary on logic Tatwarthamahashastra by Tambuluruacharya of 650 AD, Prabhrita by Syamakundacharya of 650 AD,^[15] Karnateshwara Katha with Pulakesi II as its hero from the 7th century and Gajastaka a work on elephant management by king Shivamara II of Western Ganga Dynasty of the 8th century.^[16] Vachana sahitya and Haridasa sahitya are two unique contributions of Kannada to the world of devotional literature. Modern Kannada in twentieth century has been influenced by many movements. Notable among them are Navodaya, Navya, Dalita/Bandaya. Presently Kannada literature is ahead of all other languages in India with seven Jnanpith awards, the highest literary honour in India. Writers in Kannada have also bagged forty eight Sahitya Academy awards.

Some inscriptions in the Tulu language are found in and around the village of Barkur.The ruins and inscriptions are in need of being preserved.

[edit] Transportation

Air transport

Karnataka is well connected to the rest of India and the international world. The state has 6 airports in Bangalore, Mangalore, Hampi, Hubli, Belgaum, Bijapur, and Mysore. The Mysore airport is not operational. The HAL Airport in Bangalore and the Mangalore International Airport are the only airports currently offering international flights on a regular basis in Karnataka. Currently Three international flight operate from Mangalore International Airport to Dubai and Other gulf countries. A brand new international airport near Devanahalli, Bangalore is expected to open by April 2008. Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) is owned by Siemens, Larsen & Toubro, Unique Zurich Airport, KSIIDC and Airport Authority of India. See See List of Destinations to/from all Karnataka Airports for all the destinations available for flights originating from Karnataka.

Rail transport

Karnataka is also well connected to other states in India by Rail. South West Railway Zone is headquartered at Hubli. It also has an excellent interstate rail network. Konkan Railway runs daily trains in the coastal areas. Kodagu is the only one hill district which is not connected with railway tracks.

Water transport

Karnataka has 20 ports, of these Mangalore and Karwar are the biggest and most important. The New Mangalore port is currently the 9th busiest in India in terms of Cargo handled. Karwar is currently set to become the largest naval base in Asia with the completion of Project Seabird with will result in the naval base INS Kadamba. The deep water port at INS Kadamba will have more than 50 berths and will be able to accommodate India's aircraft carriers. The port shall also have a new ship lift, the first of its kind in Asia which will enable the navy to repair her ships on land.

Bus transport

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) was set up in the year 1961 with 1792 buses and is wholly owned by the Government of Karnataka, South India. The Government of India is also a shareholder in this corporation. The total transportable road is 9590 km. and connected by N.H.-13 nationwide, it is 3967 km. from Delhi. The KSRTC operates its services to all the villages in the state which have motorable roads. The corporation serves over 2.2 million passengers on a daily basis.

Till August 1997, KSRTC was holding a fleet of 10,400 buses, operating about 9500 schedules. In August 1997, KSRTC was divided and a new corporation by the name Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) was carved out of KSRTC. Currently, the KSRTC operates 5400 buses with 5100 different schedules, and employs over 25,000 people. The KSRTC is also the only state run bus corporation that is profitable.

In November 1997, another new road transport corporation called North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) was formed to cater to the transportation needs of North Western parts of Karnataka. Recently, the North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC) was also formed with its corporate office in Gulbarga.

[edit] Infrastructure

[edit] Water supply

Usually water supply is provided by the local authorities like municipalities and panchayats. The first hydroelectric plant in the state was built at Sivasamudram Falls on the Kaveri River in 1902.^[17]

[edit] Electrical supply

Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited is the sole provider of electricity for the state.

[edit] Economy

Main article: Economy of Karnataka

Agriculture Karnataka is the largest producer of coffee, raw silk and sandalwood (Santalum album) based products. It accounts for 75% of Indian floriculture, 59% of the country’s coffee production and 47% of the country’s ragi production industry. Over 70% of the work force is engaged in agriculture. The main crops are rice, ragi, jowar, maize, and pulses(Tur and gram) besides oilseeds and number of cash crops. Cashew, coconut, arecanut, cardamom, chilies, cotton, sugarcane and tobacco are among the other crops produced in the state. Maize is grown only in the northern tip of the state in Bidar District. The salubrious weather conditions in coastal areas make cultivation of fruit orchards possible. Cotton is grown in abundance in Gulbarga District and Davangere District is a center of cotton trade and industry. Karnataka accounted for nearly Rs. 2000 crores of horticultural products in 2005. There are many multi-state irrigagion projects being developed, including Godavari River Basin Irrigation Projects.

Minerals and Industry Over 90% of India's gold production comes from south Karnataka. Recently there has been a lot of activity in the extraction of manganese ore from the districts of Bellary and Hospet. Raichur is known to be rich in gold deposits. Some part of India's Iron ore comes from the Kudremukh area of Chikmagalur District. Over 5% of the S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Karnataka.

Technology and services 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 38% of India's software exports which amounts to about $9 billion in 2006. The other IT hub in Karnataka is Mangalore. Karnataka is host to headquarters of several IT companies including Infosys, which inn 2001 it was rated "Best Employer in India" by Business Today, and in 2002 "India's Most Respected Company".

Bangalore is dubbed as the Silicon Valley of India with more than 50% of all software companies based here. There are about 1,700 companies in all. The software industry is expected to generate US $20 billion by 2010. The Hardware industry is also growing at the same rate as the software industry and presently produces about US $500 million in exports.

Karnataka is also home to 50% (131 companies) of all Biotechnology companies in India and Bengaluru alone accounts for approximately 47% (127 companies) of the total. It generates about 50% of India's total revenues in the sector which is about US $500 million. Recently, the Karnataka government created the first Biotechnology park in India. All three sectors are growing at an average of 35% per year. Also, Bangalore is one of the fast growing cities in the world with more than 6 million people. The IT industry is spreading to other major centres in Karnataka, namely: Mysore, Mangalore and Hubli.

[edit] Art and culture

Main article: Art and culture of Karnataka

A Yakshagana artist

[edit] Music

Carnatic

Main article Carnatic Music

The Kannada haridasa movement sowed the seeds of this art in the 13th-15th century AD. With the rise of Vaishnavism and the Haridasa movement came Karnataka composers like Purandaradasa, whose Kannada language works were complex, devotional and philosophical. Other haridasas of medeval times were Kanakadasa, Vyasatirtha, Jayatirtha, Sripadaraya, Vadirajatirtha and others who composed several devara nama. One of the earliest and prominent composers in South India was the saint, and wandering divine singer of yore Purandara Dasa (1480-1564 AD). Purandara Dasa is believed to have composed 475,000 songs in Kannada and was a source of inspiration to the later composers like Tyagaraja. He also invented the tala system of Carnatic music. Owing to his contribution to the Carnatic Music he is referred to as the Father of Carnatic Music or Karnataka Sangeeta Pitaamaha. Later in the 17th and 18th centuries, the haridasa movement would once again contribute to music in Karnataka the form of haridasas like Vijayadasa, Gopaladasa, Jagannathadasa and others.

Hindustani

Karnataka's Hindustani Musicians holds a mirror up to the unparalleled achievement of Karnataka. All in a span of only a hundred years. Before which there was no trace of Hindustani Music in Karnataka. Whereas a music stalwart or two are born in ages in other states, scores of stalwarts are born in Karnataka in just a century. Several of them have bagged Kalidas Samman, Padmavibhushan and Tansen Samman. They have enriched the musical tradition of India.

Karnataka has achieved a prominent place in the world of Hindustani music as well. Some famous performers are puttaraj gawai Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Pt. Madhava Rao Nayak, Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur, Basavaraj Rajguru,Sawai Gandharva, Bala Gandharva and Gangubai Hangal.

Karnataka is a unique place where both Hindustani and Carnatic singers flourish. North Karnataka is predominantly famous for Hindustani music and South Karnataka is well known for Carnatic music.

Yakshagana a form of dance drama is one of the major theatrical forms in central and sothern Karnataka. A fusion of folk and classical tradition makes Yakshagana a unique form of art which includes colourfull costumes, music, dance, singing, and most importantly dialogs composed on the fly. Award winning performers include Shambhu Hegde, Chittani Ramachandra Hegde.

Gamaka is a unique music form based on Karnakata Sangeetha.

Yakshagana and Dollu Kunitha are two of the popular dance forms of Karnataka.

[edit] Education

Statue of the founder of Indian Institute of Science, J N Tata

Main article: Education in Karnataka

In India, Karnataka has the highest number of educational institutions in the fields of engineering and medical sciences. Notable examples are the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore, which is generally considered to be the premier institute for scientific research in India, and the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, one of the premier management institutes in India. Some other institutions that are largely involved in undergraduate engineering education are the National Institute of Technology at Surathkal, the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, M. S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, B.M.S. College of Engineering, Rashtreeya Vidyalaya College of Engineering (all in Bangalore), Siddaganga Institute of Technology in Tumkur, Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering[3] [4] Basaveshwar Enginnering College , Bagalkot Rural Engineering College Hulkoti , JTCE of Gadag and the National Institute of Engineering both at Mysore.

Among the major medical colleges are Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Bangalore Medical College, Mysore Medical College, St. John's Medical College.

[edit] Media

Deccan Herald, a leading English language newspaper

Doordarshan is a state-run television broadcaster; of the 19 channels run by Doordarshan, DD9(Chandana) is an exclusive Kannada language channel. Other private-owned television channels operating in Kannada include, TV 9 - Karnataka, Zee Kannada (run by Zee TV), Udaya, ETV Kannada, etc.,. The major newspapers in Kannada include Prajavani, Udayavani, Vijaya Karnataka, and Kannada Prabha. Major English newspapers include the Deccan Herald, Times of India, The Hindu and the Indian Express.

Major radio networks include All India Radio, Radio City and the recently launched private-owned radio channels like Radio Mirchi, Radio Indigo, Radio One, Big FM,S FM (Sun TV group) etc.,. Some 100-150 movies are produced every year in Karnataka. Kannada cinema is a primarily Kannada language film industry, with most movies being produced in studios in Bangalore. Occasionally some movies in Tulu and Kodava are also produced.

[edit] Religion

Basavanna, the great preacher of the Veerashaiva faith that is founded by Jagadguru Panchacharyas

Main article: Religion in Karnataka

See also: Haridasa and Virashaiva

Karnataka has played a very important role in shaping present day Indian religion and philosophy. The three most important schools of Hindu philosophy, Advaita, Dvaita and Vishistadvaita blossomed in Karnataka. While Madhvacharya(1238-1317 AD) was born and belonged to Karnataka, Adi Shankaracharya chose Sringeri in Karnataka to set up the first of his four mathas. Ramanujacharya who fled persecution at the hands of a Shaivaite Chola king also settled down in Melkote in Karnataka^[18], which is today a fountainhead of the Vishishtadvaita faith.

Following these developments, Veerashaivism emerged in northern Karnataka as a protest against the rigidity of the prevailing social and caste systems. Leading figures of the movement such as Basava, Akka Mahadevi and Allama Prabhu established the Anubhava Mantapa where the philosophy of Shakti Vishishtadvaita was expounded. This was to form the basis of the Lingayat faith and today counts millions among its followers.

The Jaina faith also has its fountainhead in Karnataka. Rishabhadeva is said to have spent his final days in Karnataka. Both Jain philosophy and literature have contributed immensely to the religious and cultural landscape of Karnataka. The Jain influence on literature and philosophy is particularly evident in the literatures of Kannada and Tamil.

Islam gained a foothold in Karnataka with the arrival of the Bahamani sultans who ruled Karnataka and many other parts of southern India following the fall of the Vijayanagar empire. Christianity reached Karnataka in the 16th century with the arrival of the Portugese. Today, both Islam and Christianity have a sizeable following in Karnataka and have contributed richly to the cultural cosmopolitanism of the state. Buddhism also thrives in Karnataka. Karnataka is home to the Dzogchen monastery and the Dhondeling Tibetan refugee camps.

Udupi, Sringeri, Gokarna and Melkote are well known places of Sanskrit and Vedic learning. Shravanabelagola, Mudabidri, Karkala are famous for Jain history and monuments.

[edit] Flora and fauna

The state bird, Indian Roller

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. Karnataka ranks third in the tiger population in the country with an estimated count of 400 tigers.

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. This article has been tagged since March 2007.

[edit] Tourism

Main article: Karnataka tourism

Fishing in Mukkah, near Mangalore

Jog Falls

Karnataka by virtue of its varied geography and long history boasts of several spots of interest for tourists. The districts of the western ghats and the southern districts are known for several spots of nature tourism. Several popular beaches dot the coastline including the famous ones at Karwar. Some of the most popular spots for nature tourism include the Jog Falls, India's tallest single-tiered waterfall, the mountain and forest ranges of the western ghats like Kudremukh and the hill station of Madikeri. The waterfalls of Karnataka are Unchalli Falls, Magod Falls, Hebbe Falls, and Shivasamudram Falls. The waterfalls of Karnataka and Kudremukh National Park are listed as must see places and among the 1001 natural wonders of the world.^[19]

Karnataka also boasts of numerous sites of historical importance. The State Directorate of Archaeology and Museums protects 752 monuments.^[20] Of the 3600 centrally protected monuments, 609 are in Karnataka. In addition, there is an array of ancient sculptured temples, modern cities, scenic hill ranges, unexplored forests and endless beaches.

In addition, Karnataka is home to several places of religious importance. Several Hindu temples including the famous Udupi Krishna temple, the Marikamba temple,sri manjunatha temple Dharmasthala, Sringeri are in the state. Most of the holy sites of Lingayats like Kudalasangama, Basavana Bagewadi are found in the northern parts of the state. The famous Jaina center of Shravanabelagola is also found here.

Broadly, tourism in Karnataka can be divided into four geographical zones. These are North Karnataka, the Hill Stations, Coastal Karnataka and South Karnataka.

[edit] See also

• Kannadigas
• List of Chief Ministers of Karnataka
• List of famous people from Karnataka
• List of political parties in the state
• Carnatic (region)
• Kannada Wikipedia
• National parks
• Karnataka literature
• Cuisine of Karnataka
• Karnataka tourism
• Karnataka Rakshana Vedike

Karnataka in Mahabhrata <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnata_Kingdom>

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Karnataka Government Information Department
• Karnataka at the Open Directory Project (suggest site)