Karnataka

One of the principal states of South India, Karnataka was formed on 1 November 1956 with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act in the Indian Parliament. Originally known as the State of Mysore, it was renamed Karnataka in 1973.

Bordered by the Arabian Sea and the Lakshadwip Sea to the west, Goa to the north west, Maharashtra to the north, Telangana to the North east, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the south east, and Kerala to the southwest. It is the seventh largest Indian state covering an area of 191,976 square kilometres(74,122 sq mi), or 5.83 per cent of the total geographical area of India. With 61,130,704 inhabitants at the 2011 census, Karnataka is the eighth largest state by population, comprising 30 districts.

The State of Karnataka

The Geography Karnataka is situated on a tableland where the Western and Eastern Ghat ranges converge into the Nilgiri hills, in the western part of the Deccan Peninsular region of India.Three principal physical zones divide the land-• The coastal strip, called Karavali, between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, which is lowland with moderate to high rainfall levels.• The Western Ghats, called Malenadu, a mountain range inland from the Arabian Sea, rising to about 900 m average height, and with moderate to high rainfall levels and• The Deccan Plateau, called Bayalu Seeme, comprising the main inland region of the state, which is drier verging on the semi-arid.

The Rivers The two main river systems of the state are the Krishna and its tributaries, the Bhima, Ghataprabha, Vedavathi, Malaprabha, and Tungabhadra, in the north, and the Kaveri and its tributaries, the Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavati, Lakshmana Thirtha and Kabini, in the south. Both these rivers flow out of Karnataka eastward into the Bay of Bengal. All of these are rainfed rivers.

Climate and RainfallKarnataka has the following four seasons in the year:• The winter season from January to February• The summer season from March to May• The monsoon season from May to September and• The post-monsoon season from October to

December.The post-monsoon (period of retreating) and winter seasons are generally pleasant over the entire state. The summer months are hot, very dry and generally uncomfortable. The southwest monsoon accounts for almost 80% of the rainfall that the state receives. The annual rainfall across the state ranges from low 50 cm to copious 350 cm. The districts of Bijapur, Raichur, Bellary and Southern half of Gulbarga experience the lowest rainfall ranging from 50 to 60 cm while the west coastal region and Malenadu enjoy the highest rainfall.

Karnataka has great diversity in flora and fauna. It has a forest area of 38,720 sq.km.• Wild animals that are found in Karnataka include the

elephant, the tiger, the leopard, the gaur, the sambar deer, the chital or spotted deer, the muntjac, the bonnet macaque, the slender loris, the common palm civet, the small Indian civet, the sloth bear, the dhole, the striped hyena and the golden jackal. • Some of the birds found here are the great hornbill,

the Malabar pied hornbill, the Ceylon frogmouth, herons, ducks, kites, eagles, falcons, quails, partridges, lapwings, sandpipers, pigeons, doves, parakeets, cuckoos, owls, nightjars, swifts, kingfishers, bee-eaters and munias among many others.• Some species of trees found in Karnataka are

Callophyllum tomentosa, Callophyllum wightianum, Garcina cambogia, Garcina morealla, Alstonia scholaris, Flacourtia montana, Artocarpus hirsutus, Artocarpus lacoocha, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Grewia tilaefolia, Santalum album, Shorea talura etc.

Flora and Fauna

Antiquity and HeritageThe word Karnataka is believed to have been derived from the Kannada words ‘karu’ and ‘nadu’ literally translating to ‘elevated land’ which refers to the Deccan Plateau.Prehistory of the region dates back to Palaeolithic times. Historical evidence indicates ties with ancient Indus Valley civilisation ca.3300 BC. The history of Karnataka goes back to epics “Ramayana” and “Mahabharatha”. The capital of “Vaali” and “Sugriva” of the epic, Ramayana, is said to be Hampi. Karnataka finds its mention in Mahabharatha in the form of “Karnata Desha”.During the 4th and 3rd century BC. Karnataka was a part of the Nanda and Maurya empires. Out of the numerous royal dynasties to have ruled the land through history , Banavasi Kadamba, the Chalukyas of Badami, the Rashtrkutas of Manyakhet and Kalyan, the Hoysalas of Dwarsamudra, the empire of Vijaynagar, the Wodeyars of Mysore and the Sulatanate of Srirangapatnam deserve special mention.

AgricultureA total of 123,100 km² of land is cultivated in Karnataka constituting 64.6% of the total geographical area of the state while farmers and agricultural labourers form 56% of the current workforce of Karnataka.The state has three agricultural seasons – Kharif (April to September), Rabi (October to December) and Summer (January to March). The main crops grown here are- rice, ragi, jowar, maize, and pulses (Tur and gram) besides oilseeds and number of cash crops. Cashews, coconut, arecanut, cardamom, chillies and tobacco are among the other crops produced in the state. Karnataka is the largest producer of coarse cereals, coffee and raw silk among the states in India.

Horticulture and floriculture together constitute a sizeable portion of the state’s revenue from agriculture.

IndustryKarnataka has developed into the manufacturing hub some of the largest public sector industries in India. Some of the major industries of Karnataka include: Electrical equipments and machinery

manufacture (Kirloskar, Larsen and Toubro etc.) Automobile manufacture (TVS Motors, Tata

Motors and Toyota) Steel production (Jindal, Kirloskar and Kalyani

groups) Petroleum refining (Mangalore Refining and

Petrochemicals Ltd.) Pharmaceutical and Textile processing Mining and extraction of minerals from ore is a

major industry in Karnataka. Iron ore, quartz, limestone, manganese and bauxite are some of the minerals found here. Gold is mined and extracted from the mines of Hutti in Chitradurga.

Karnataka is the Indian leader in Information technology sector. A total of 1973 companies are involved in IT business in Karnataka majority of which are based in Bangalore. IT giants like Wipro and Infosys have their headquarters in the

state.

Art and CultureThe southern state of Karnataka, in India, has a distinct art and culture. The diverse linguistic and religious ethnicity that are native to state of Karnataka combined with their long histories have contributed immensely to the varied cultural heritage of the state.Music: Karnataka is the only Indian state where both Hindusthani and Carnatic singers flourish. North Karnataka is predominantly famous for Hindusthani music while the south is well known for Carnatic music.Painting: The Bengal renaissance, along with the general influence of Ravi Varma school of painting, influenced the Mysore school of painting. King Krishnaraja Wodeyar III patronised famous painters including Sundarayya, Thanjavur Kondayya and Alasinrayya.Folk art: The traditional folk arts cover the entire gamut of music, dance, drama, storytelling by itinerant troupes, etc. Yakshagana, a classical folk play, is one of the major theatrical forms of coastal Karnataka.

The cuisine of Karnataka includes many vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisines. The Kannada Cuisine is one of the oldest surviving cuisines and traces its origin to 1500 AD. Some typical dishes include Jolada rotti, Akki rotti, Saaru, Idli-vada-sambar, Khara Bath, Kesari Bath, Davanagere Benne Dosa, Paddu/ Gundponglu, koli saaru (chicken curry- Kannada Style), Maamsa Saaru (Mutton Curry - Kannada style), and Uppittu. The famous Masala Dosa traces its origin to Udupi cuisine. Plain and Rave Idli, Mysore Masala Dosa and Maddur Vade are popular in South Karnataka. Kodagu (Coorg) district is famous for spicy varieties of pork curries while coastal Karnataka boasts of many tasty seafood specialities. Among sweets, Mysore Pak, Holige, or Obbattu, Dharwad pedha, Chiroti, Sajjige, Kadabu/Karjikaayi are well known. While the northern-style dishes use jola and rice as the primary cereals , ragi and rice are the popular choices in the south. Through years of evolution some distinct subtypes have developed within these two basic types like Malenadu, Udupi, Kodagu and Mangalorean cuisines.

The Cuisine

Festivals of KarnatakaDue to the presence of a vibrant multi-ethnic culture festivals of all religions are celebrated with equal enthusiasm and fervour across the state. Apart from festivals like Christmas and Id-ul Fitr which are observed like anywhere else, a few deserve special mention. They include: Dussera in Mysore, Ugadi(Kannada new year), Vairamudi festival and Kambala in north Karnataka, Yellavva(celebrated by women) and the most important- Kannada Rajyotsav.

TourismKarnataka has been ranked as the fifth most popular state in the country for tourism. By virtue of its varied geography and long history, Karnataka hosts numerous exciting tourist destinations. It is home to 507 centrally protected monuments in India. Out of the many hotspots some of the notable ones are : Eco-tourism locations in the Western Ghats and southern districts of the

state. Karnataka has 25 wildlife sanctuaries and five national parks. Popular among them are Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary, Bannerghatta National Park and Nagarhole Reserve Forest.

The ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire at Hampi and the monuments of Pattadakal which feature on the list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

The cave temples at Badami and the rock-cut temples at Aihole representing the Badami Chalukyan style of architecture.

The Gol Gumbaz and Ibrahim Rauza are famous examples of the Deccan Sultanate style of architecture.

popular beaches dotting the coastline, including Murudeshwara, Gokarna, Malpe and Karwar.

Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka is known as the "Garden City of India" because of its gentle climate, broad streets, greenery and the presence of many public parks, such as Lal Bagh and Cubbon Park. Bengaluru is the second-fastest growing major metropolis in India.Population of about 8.42 million and a metropolitan population of about 8.49 million makes Bengaluru the third most populous city in India.Bengaluru is known as the "Silicon Valley of India" because of its role as the nation's leading information technology (IT) exporter. Indian technological organizations ISRO, Infosys and Wipro are headquartered in the city.Home to many educational and research institutions in India, such as Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore) (IIMB), National Institute of Design, Bangalore (NID R&D Campus), National Law School of India University (NLSIU) and National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). The city houses the Kannada film industry which produces about 80 films per year.

The Garden City

Colours of Karnataka

Thank You !