The Kannada people or Kannadigaru nowiki/>IAST: Kannadadavaru or Kannadigas (English term)">IAST.html" ;"title="nowiki/>IAST">nowiki/>IAST: Kannadadavaru or Kannadigas (English term)are an ethno-linguistic group who trace their ancestry to the South Indian state of Karnataka in India and its surrounding regions. Kannada stands among 30 of the most widely spoken languages of the world as of 2001. Evidence for human habitation in Karnataka exists from at least the 2nd millennium BCE, and the region is postulated to have had contact with the

Indus Valley The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

civilization. The existence of artifacts (such as Roman coins) shows Karnataka was engaged in trade as early as the 1st century CE. In the 3rd-4th century BCE the land was ruled by the Mauryas and Jainism was very popular. After the Mauryas, parts of Karnataka were variously ruled by dynasties who were either ethnically Kannadiga or from the outside. The Vijayanagara, Kadambas, Chalukyas,

Rashtrakuta Rashtrakuta (IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their ...

s and Hoysalas were some of the many major Kannada kingdoms and dynasties ruling the region. The Vijayanagara Empire was founded by Kannada chieftains who were great patrons of Kannada art and literature. The Kannada language has written inscriptions since 450 CE. Kannada literature is mostly composed of poems and treatises on religious works. Kannada architecture is dominated by stone-carved sculptured palaces and temples. The ruins of Hampi are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

History

The

Brahmagiri archaeological site Brahmagiri is an archaeological site located in the Chitradurga district of the state of Karnataka, India. Legend has it that this is the site where sage Gautama Maharishi (also spelt Gauthama Maharshi) and his wife Ahalya lived. He was one amon ...

near Chitradurga district, central Karnataka attests to evidence of settlement in the Karnataka region from at least the 2nd millennium BCE. Excavations at the

Chandravalli Chandravalli is an archaeological site located in the Chitradurga district of the state of Karnataka, India. The region is a valley formed by three hills, Chitradurga, Kirabanakallu and Jolagudda.Amalananda Ghosh (1990), p97 It is a semi-arid re ...

historical site has revealed interaction with Roman and Chinese travelers around the 2nd and 3rd century BCE. Talagunda and

Halmidi Halmidi is a small village in the Hassan district of Karnataka state, India, near the temple town of Belur. Halmidi is best known as the place where the oldest known inscription exclusively in Kannada language, the Halmidi inscription, was di ...

inscriptions stand as the oldest known full-length inscriptions in Kannada. The language was once popular from the Kaveri to Godavari rivers as mentioned in the Kannada classic

Kavirajamarga ''Kavirajamarga'' ( kn, ಕವಿರಾಜಮಾರ್ಗ) (850 C.E.) is the earliest available work on rhetoric, poetics and grammar in the Kannada language.Kamath (2001), p 90Narasimhacharya (1988), p 2 It was inspired by or written in part by ...

of 850 CE.Sastri (1955), pp. 355–356 Archaeological evidences show Kannada inscriptions found as far north as Madhya Pradesh (inscription of Krishna III) and Bihar.Thapar, Romila (2003), p. 433, ''The Penguin History of Early India, From Origin to 1300 AD., 2003'', Penguin, New Delhi, Karnataka Expansion provides insights to kingdoms of northern India whose originators were from Kannada country.Kamath (2001), pp. 84, 90 The major empires and kingdoms, their regal capital and most distinguished kings were: * Western Ganga Dynasty - Talakadu - Durvinita * Kadamba Dynasty - Banavasi -

Mayurasharma Mayurasharma or Mayuravarma (reigned 345–365 C.E.), a native of Talagunda (in modern Shimoga district), was the founder of the Kadamba Kingdom of Banavasi, the earliest native kingdom to rule over what is today the modern state of Karnataka, ...

(Mayuravarma) * Badami Chalukya - Badami -

Pulakeshin II Pulakeshin II (IAST: Pulakeśin, r. c. 610–642 CE) was the most famous ruler of the Chalukya dynasty of Vatapi (present-day Badami in Karnataka, India). During his reign, the Chalukya kingdom expanded to cover most of the Deccan region in p ...

- Manyakheta - Amoghavarsha I * Hoysala -

Belur Belur may refer to: Places * Belur, Karnataka, a town in Karnataka, India ** Belur temple (Chennakeshava temple), Belur * Belur, Tamil Nadu, a town in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, India * Belur, West Bengal, a neighbourhood of Howrah, India ** Be ...

and Halebidu - Veera Ballala II *

Kalyani Chalukya The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the Deccan Plateau, western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada people, Kannadiga dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalya ...

- Basavakalyana - Vikramaditya VI * Southern Kalachuri - Kalyani -

Bijjala II Bijjala II (1130–1167 CE) kn, ಇಮ್ಮಡಿ ಬಿಜ್ಜಳ was the Mahamandaleshwara of the Kalyani Chalukyas. He was the most famous of the southern Kalachuri kings who ruled initially as a vassal of Chalukya Vikramaditya VI. He ru ...

* Vijayanagara Empire - Hampi - Hakka,

Bukka Bukka Raya I (reigned 1356–1377 CE) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Sangama Dynasty.Phrof A V Narasimha MurthyRare Royal Brothers: Hakka and Bukka He was a son of Bhavana Sangama(Unofficial). Background The early life of Bu ...

Krishnadevaraya Krishnadevaraya (17 January 1471 – 17 October 1529) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Empire, reigning from 1509 to 1529. He was the third monarch of the Tuluva dynasty, and is considered to be one of the g ...

Keladi Nayakas Nayakas of Keladi (1499–1763), also known as Nayakas of Bednore and Ikkeri Nayakas, were an Indian dynasty based in Keladi in present-day Shimoga district of Karnataka, India. They were an important ruling dynasty in post-medieval Karnata ...

- Ikkeri -

Shivappa Nayaka Shivappa Nayaka (ಶಿವಪ್ಪ ನಾಯಕ) (r.1645–1660), popularly known as Keladi Shivappa Nayaka, was an Indian king and ruler of the Keladi Nayaka Kingdom. The Keladi Nayakas were successors of the Vijayanagara Empire in the coas ...

* Chitradurga Nayakas - Chitradurga - Raja Veera Madakari Nayaka V * Haleri Kingdom - Kodagu - Mudduraja *

Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...

- Mysooru - Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar Minor dynasties that have played an important role in the development of Kannada, culture and polity were

Chutu The Chutu dynasty (IAST: Cuṭu) ruled parts of the Deccan region of South India between first and third centuries CE, with its capital at Banavasi in present-day Karnataka state. The Chutus probably rose to power as Satavahanas feudatories, and ...

s of Banavasi (feudatory to Satavahana Empire), Moraes (1931), p 4Purava HaleGannada or Pre-old Kannada was the language of Banavasi in the early Christian era, the Satavahana and Kadamba eras (Wilks in Rice, B.L. (1897), p 490 Tuluva Dynasty of Canara,Narasimhacharya (1988), p 68 Rattas of Saundatti (Belgaum), Guttas of Guttal (Dharwad region),Cousens (1996), p15 Banas of Kolar,Mahalingam in Adiga (2006), p 130

Nolambas The Nolamba dynasty the area they held sway over is referred to as ''Nolambasa-37'' of Henjeru (Hemavathi), ''Nolambalige'' (''Nolambavadi''-32000), etc. R. Narasimhacharya states that the Nolambas were a native Kannada dynasty. Officers and kings ...

of Nolambavadi,Their territory included modern Tumkur, Chitradurga, Kolar, Bellary and Bangalore districts. Chopra et al. (2003), part 1, p. 163 Vaidumbas,Adiga (2006), p. 142They were an Andhra dynasty who ruled over Kurnool, Cuddappah in the 10th century. There inscriptions are in Telugu and Kannada. Chopra et al. (2003), part 1, p. 163 Chengalvas, Kongalvas, Sendrakas of Nagarkhanda (Banavasi province), Yalahanka Nadaprabhu Kempegowda,Also known as the Kempegowda family, builders of modern Bangalore-Kamath (2001), pp. 240–241 Sindas of Yelburga (Bijapur-Gulbarga), Kadamba of Hangal.Two coins of the Hangal Kadambas exist, one with the Kannada inscription ''Saarvadhari'' and other with ''Nakara''. They are preserved in the Royal Asiatic Society and Indian Historical Research Institute, Mumbai - Moraes (1931), p 385 In addition, other well known kingdoms that patronized Kannadiga poets and Kannada language were: *

Eastern Chalukyas Eastern Chalukyas, also known as the Chalukyas of Vengi, were a dynasty that ruled parts of South India between the 7th and 12th centuries. They started out as governors of the Chalukyas of Badami in the Deccan region. Subsequently, they became ...

Kakatiya dynasty The Kakatiya dynasty (IAST: Kākatīya) was an Indian dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region comprising present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and parts of eastern Karnataka and southern Odisha between 12th and 14th centuries. Th ...

* Seuna Yadavas of DevagiriKamath (2001), pp. 143-144 *

Shilahara The Shilahara Kingdom ( IAST: Śilāhāra; also Sinhara, Shailahara, Shrilara, and Silara) was a royal dynasty that established itself in northern and southern Konkan in 8th century CE, present-day Mumbai and Southern Maharashtra (Kolhapur) d ...

* Kadambas of GoaThe coins of the Kadambas of Goa are unique in that they have alternate inscription of the king's name in Kannada and Devanagari in triplicate. This shows that the native vernacular of the Goa Kadambas was Kannada. Moraes (1931), p 384

Immigrants from Karnataka

In addition to those empires that ruled from the Karnataka region, based on inscriptions and literary evidence historians have discussed the possibility that kingdoms of Kannada origin were established in other parts of India as well. *The

Karnata Dynasty Karnata was a southern kingdom, mentioned in the great epic Mahabharata, This kingdom gave the name to the South Indian state Karnataka. The Karnata Kingdom forms the total portion of ancient Karnataka state of India. References in Mahabharata ...

(founded by Nanyadeva I) of Mithila and Nepal,Kamat, Suryanath U., (2001), p.8, ''A Concise history of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present'', Jupiter books, MCC, Bangalore, 2001 (Reprinted 2002), OCLC: 7796041Makhan Jha, (1997), pp52-53, ''Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Perspective'', M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd, S.R. Bakshi, S. Gajrani, Hari Singh (2005), p.254, ''Early Aryans to Swaraj'', Sarup & Sons, Sengupta, Nitish K (2011), p50, ''Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib'', Penguin Books, Chapter:''The Sen Dynasty'', Desai, Pandurang Bhimarao (1970), p.213, ''A History of Karnataka: From Pre-history to Unification'', Kannada Research Institute, Karnatak University, OCLC:203297Mishra, Jayakanta in Ayyappa Paniker (1997), p.280, p.289, ''Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections'', Sahitya Akademi, Pollock, Sheldon (2006), p.417, note.79, ''The Language of the Gods in the World of Men: Sanskrit, Culture, and Power in Premodern India'', University of California Press, *The Chalukyas of Gujarat,Altekar in Kamath (2001), p. 73Altekar 1934, pp. 21–22 *The Chalukyas of Vengi (

Eastern Chalukya Eastern Chalukyas, also known as the Chalukyas of Vengi, were a dynasty that ruled parts of South India between the 7th and 12th centuries. They started out as governors of the Chalukyas of Badami in the Deccan region. Subsequently, they became ...

),Keay (2000), p 170The Eastern Chalukyas were originally of Kannada stock who later encouraged Telugu *The Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri,Shrinivas Ritti and A.V. Narasimha Murthy in Kamath 2001, p. 137Seuna coins carry Kannada legends from the beginning of their rule (O.P. Varma in Kamath 2001, p. 137)Majority of the Seuna inscriptions are in Kannada and during the formation of the kingdom, the Nasik-Ahamadnagar region (Seuna Desa) was a Kannada territory (Kamath 2001, p. 137) *The Rashtrakuta family ruling from Berar (modern Amravati district,

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

),A Kannada dynasty may have been created in Berar under the rule of Badami Chalukyas, (Altekar 1934, pp. 21–22) *The Rashtrakutas branch of Gujarat (Lata branch),The Gujarat Rashtrakutas signed even their Sanskrit records in Kannada because that was the language of the place of their origin (D.R. Bhandarkar in Kamath 2001, p 73)The Gujarat Rashtrakutas would not have signed their inscriptions in Kannada language in far away Gujarat unless they were Kannadigas (Altekar 1934, pp 21–22) *The Sena dynasty of BengalB.P. Sinha in George E. Somers, Dynastic History of Magadha, p. 214, Abhinav Publications, 1977, New Delhi, Sen (1999), p282Majumdar, R. C. (1977), Ancient India, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, p. 320, New Delhi, *The Eastern Gangas of Orissa (descendants of the Western Ganga Dynasty)

Culture

Architecture

Architecture and Sculpture has been the epitome of art in Karnataka. Be it the musical pillars of Hampi, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the (

monolithic A monolith is a monument or natural feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock. Monolith or monolithic may also refer to: Architecture * Monolithic architecture, a style of construction in which a building is carved, cast or excavated ...

) statue of Gommateshvara Bahubali that was voted by Indians as the first of Seven Wonders of India, the '' Yelu Sutthina Kote'' of Chitradurga (The Fort of Seven Laps) cutting across hill or the wholesomeness of carvings of temples which bared down all desires to be left out of it and formless (above all forms) all encompassing — the inner garbhagrihas. The temples of Karnataka had in them many ''shaili'' or varieties to credit. A majority of the temples were built using the locally available stones. Gomateswara

Some of the places of interest are: * Ellora Caves houses the Kailasanatha temple of Ellooru was built by the Rashtrakutas Dynasty and is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO Aurangabad,ellora kailash temple

* Elephanta Caves island was a summer resort of Rashtrakuta kings and is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. * Konark Sun Temple also called Surya Devalaya and Black Pagoda built in coastline of Odisha, India by Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. *

Ajanta Caves The Ajanta Caves are approximately thirty rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments dating from the second century BCE to about 480 CE in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state in India. The caves include paintings and rock-cut sculptures des ...

have sculptures of Rashrakutas and Badami Chalukyas and is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. * Hampi houses the ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire and is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO *

Pattadakal Pattadakal, also called Paṭṭadakallu or Raktapura, is a complex of 7th and 8th century CE Hindu and Jain temples in northern Karnataka (India). Located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River in Bagalakote district, this UNESCO World Heri ...

is a vesara style of

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temple architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage Site *

Badami cave temples The Badami cave temples are a complex of Hindu and Jain cave temples located in Badami, a town in the Bagalkot district in northern part of Karnataka, India. The caves are important examples of Indian rock-cut architecture, especially Badami ...

, a regal capital of the

Badami Chalukyas The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...

, now famous for its sandstone cave temples * Aihole is known for its many temples and inscriptions of Chalukya

in the Old Kannada script * Basavakalyan, a major centre of social and religious movement in the 12th century by Basava, consists of temples in Chalukyan architecture *

Itagi Itagi is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India.Village code= 78100 It is located in the Khanapur taluk of Belgaum district in Karnataka. History Itagi is the site of Narayan Swami temple. This temple was built in the 12th c ...

is home to the Shiva temple built by Vikramāditya. Considered to be the best specimen of Kalyani Chalukyan art, it has as many as 68 decorated pillars, an ornate tower and a doorway of great workmanship * Lakkundi *

Halebeedu Halebidu ( IAST: Haḷēbīḍ, literally "old capital, city, encampment" or "ruined city") is a town located in Hassan District, Karnataka, India. Historically known as Dorasamudra (also Dwarasamudra), Halebidu became the regal capital of the ...

* Shravanabelagola * Saumyakeshava Temple, Nagamangala *

Lakshminarayana Temple, Hosaholalu The Lakshminarayana Temple is a 13th-century Hindu temple with Hoysala architecture in Hosaholalu, Mandya district of Karnataka, India. Dedicated to Vishnu, this three-shrine monument is notable for its finely carved plinth (''adhisthana'') with ...

Mallikarjuna Temple, Basaralu The Mallikarjuna temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, is in Basaralu, a small town in the Mandya district, Karnataka state, India. Basaralu is close to Nagamangala and about 65 km from the culturally important city of Mysore. The templ ...

* Ikkeri * Keladi * Banavasi Pioneer sculptors include: * Amarashilpi Jakanachari *

Ruvari Malithamma Ruvari Malithamma was a famous 'Viswakarma' architect and sculptor in the 12th century who made many important contributions to temples built by the Hoysala Empire in Karnataka state, India. His contributions greatly enriched the idiom called Ho ...

Chavundaraya Chavundraya or Chamundaraya (Kannada ''Cāmuṇḍarāya, Cāvuṇḍarāya'', 940–989) was an Indian military commander, architect, poet and minister. He served in the court of the Western Ganga dynasty of Talakad (in modern Karnataka, Ind ...

* Siddalinga Swami *

K. Venkatappa K. Venkatappa (1886–1965) was a pioneer painter, sculptor and an exponent of veena. He was born into a family of court painters in the princely state of Mysore, present day Karnataka. He was a pupil of Abanindranath Tagore. He was best known f ...

Modern day contemporaries include visionary architects such as: * Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, father of modern Indian engineering, ''Kannambadi Katte'' or KRS dam *

Kengal Hanumanthaiah Kengal Hanumanthaiah (14 February 1908 – 1 December 1980), also spelt as Kengal Hanumanthaiya, was the second Chief Minister of Karnataka (then, Mysore State) from 30 March 1952 to 19 August 1956. He contributed to the construction of Vidhana ...

, Vidhana Soudha Mysore Painting

Modern Kannada art is primarily influenced by Raja Ravi Varma and his realism. Popular visual arts generally revolve around puppetry. Most traditional religious paintings include works that are very colorful. These are many of the places where art is displayed. *

Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath ( kn, ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಚಿತ್ರಕಲಾ ಪರಿಷತ್) is a visual art complex located in Bangalore. The complex has 18 galleries. 13 of these galleries carry a permanent collection of paintings ...

Chowdiah Memorial Hall Chowdiah Memorial Hall is a cultural centre in Bangalore which provides a home for musical and theatrical performances as well as competitions. Located in Malleswaram, it was built as a tribute to Tirumakudalu Chowdiah.Gaayana Samaja * Ranga Shankara * Nrithya Grama *

Ravindra Kalakshetra Ravindra Kalakshetra is a cultural centre in Bangalore which provides a home for musical and theatrical performances. Located in heart of Bangalore city, it was built to commemorate the birth centenary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Many ...

* Gubbi Veeranna Rangamandira *

Janapada Loka Jaanapada Loka (), is a folk museum that has an exclusive display of the village folk arts of Karnataka. It is under the aegis of the Karnataka Janapada Parishat. Loka Mahal, a wing in the museum has a display of 5,000 folk artifacts. It is situ ...

* Rangayana * Ninasam * Prabhat Kalavidaru

Music

Dasa sahitya is the literature of

Bhakti movement The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement in medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of society by adopting the method of devotion to achieve salvation. Originating in Tamilakam during 6th centur ...

composed by devotees in honor of Lord Vishnu or one of his avatars. ''Dasa'' is literally "servant" in Kannada and ''sahitya'' is literature. ''Haridasas'' ("servants of God") were preachers of

Bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...

to Vishnu. The bhakti literature of these Haridasas is collectively referred to as Dasa Sahitya. It is composed in the Kannada language. Haridasa Contribution to Kannada Literature The Haridasas richly contributed to the heritage of Karntataka music. They made an indelible impression on the religious and cultural life of Karnataka by spreading the

didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasizes instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is an emerging conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to ...

teachings in a musical form to the hearts of the common folk. Like other doyens of Indian classical music, these scholars offered prayer to Vishnu through music, called ''naadopasana.'' The Lord is described as ''Samagana priya,'' and bhakti through music is the most preferred path to 'reach' Him. The Haridasa compositions are popularly known as ''Devaranamas.'' Compositions like ''

Krishna Nee Begane Baaro Krishna Nee Begane Baro is a famous classical song in Kannada language. It is composed in Raga Yamunakalyani by Vyasatirtha. The Tala is ''Misra chapu''. Composer and Singer Vyasaraya Tirtha or Vyasatirtha (1460–1539) (also known as Vyasaraja ...

, Venkatachala Nilayam, Jagadoddharana, Tamboori Meetidava'' are some of the many examples of their scholarly work. Veena (close view)

Some noted Haridasas or composers of Dasa Sahitya are: * Purandara Dasa, widely regarded as ''Karnataka Sangeeta Pitamaha'' or "Father of Carnatic music" * Kanaka Dasa, a younger contemporary of Purandara Dasa * Sripadaraja * Vyasatirtha *

Vadirajatirtha Sri Vadiraja Teertharu (1480 – 1600) was a Dvaita philosopher, poet, traveller and mystic. A polymath of his time, he authored many works, often polemical, on Madhva theology and metaphysics. Additionally, he composed numerous poems and as ...

Jagannatha Dasa Jagannatha Dasa may refer to: * Jagannatha Dasa (Odia poet), saint poet, author of the Odia ''Bhagabata'' and founder of the Atibadi Sampradaya of Utkaliya Vaishnavism, 15th century, Odisha * Jagannatha Dasa (Kannada poet) Jagannatha Dasa (Ka ...

* Jayatirtha *

Gopala Dasa Gopala Dasa (1721–1769) was a prominent 18th-century Kannada language poet and saint belonging to the Haridasa tradition. With other contemporary Haridasas such as Vijaya Dasa and Jagannatha Dasa, Gopala Dasa propagated the Dvaita philosophy o ...

Vijaya Dasa Vijaya Dasa ( kn, ವಿಜಯದಾಸ) (c. 1682– c. 1755) was a prominent saint from the Haridasa tradition of Karnataka, India in the 18th century, and a scholar of the Dvaita philosophical tradition. Along with contemporary haridasa saint ...

* Naraharitirtha One of the oldest forms of music in the region is Karnataka Shastreeya Sangeetha which has evolved over ages. Both

Hindustani Hindustani may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Hindustan (another name of India) * Hindustani language, an Indo-Aryan language, whose two official norms are Hindi and Urdu * Fiji Hindi, a variety of Eastern Hindi spoken in Fiji, and ...

and Karnataka variations are respected and nurtured by Kannadigas. Bhavageete and

Sugama Sangeetha Sugama Sangeetha, a variety of Bhavageethe, is an Indian musical genre in which poetry in the Kannada language is set to music. It gained recognition with the work of P. Kalinga Rao in the mid -20th century. Mysore Ananthaswamy and C. Aswath ...

are some innovations. Other forms of music include Gamaka, Joogera Pada and

Lavani Lavani () is a genre of music popular in Maharashtra, India. Lavani is a combination of traditional song and dance, which particularly performed to the beats of ''Dholki'', a percussion instrument. Lavani is noted for its powerful rhythm. Lavan ...

. Yakshagana is considered a unique and indigenous form of both music and dance of Karnataka. Contemporary musical thespians are: Veene Sheshanna

* Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, recipient of the Bharat Ratna — India's highest civilian honor * Gangubai Hangal, awarded both Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan in 1971 and 2002 respectively * C. Aswath, recipient of Karnataka Rajyotsava Prashasti for his immense contribution to Bhavageete * Veene Doraiswamy Iyengar *

Puttaraj Gawai Pandit Puttaraj Gawayigalu (3 March 1914 – 17 September 2010) was an Indian musician in the Hindustani classical tradition, a scholar who authored more than 80 books in Kannada, Sanskrit and Hindi, a music teacher and a social servant. A memb ...

* Honnappa Bhagavathar * P. Kalinga Rao *

Balappa Hukkeri Balappa Hukkeri ( kn, ಬಾಳಪ್ಪ ಹುಕ್ಕೇರಿ) (1911–1992) was a singer of folk songs and Bhavageetes in Kannada language and a freedom fighter in his early years. He is mainly credited for popularizing Sugama Sangeetha ...

* Mallikarjuna Mansur *

Basavaraja Rajguru Pandit Basavraj Rajguru (24 August 1920 – 1991) was a leading Indian classical vocalist in the Kirana gharana (singing style). Early life and training Basavraj was born into a family of scholars, astrologers and musicians in Yaliwal, a ...

* Veene Sheshanna * T. Chowdiah *

Sawai Gandharva Ramachandra Kundgolkar Saunshi, popularly known as Pandit Sawai Gandharva (19 January 1886 – 12 September 1952), was a popular Hindustani classical music, Hindustani Classical vocalist from Karnataka. He was a master in the genre of Kirana G ...

Kumar Gandharva Pandit Kumar Gandharva (pronunciation:, Kn: ಕುಮಾರ್ ಗಂಧರ್ವ; 8 April 1924 – 12 January 1992), originally known as Shivaputra Siddharamayya Komkalimath was an Indian classical singer, well known for his unique vocal style ...

* Mysore Ananthaswamy * Mysore Manjunath

Theater

Rangabhoomi or the theater culture is a tradition with Kannadigas. While a lot of (literature) is written in praise of the heroic characters of the epics and puranas, there are major works depicting the kings and their rule. These are called (plays having wide-ranging stages for performance like Rangamancha staged in either theaters or on streets) and ''

Bayalata Bayalāṭa ( kan, ಬಯಲಾಟ, or Bayalāṭada ) is a generic term for all open air theatre form, including form of Yakshagana found in southern Indian region of Karnataka.The Mask and the Message By Ke Chinnappa Gauḍa · Madipu Prakashan ...

'' (). As its etymology indicates, ''bayalu'' means open-air field and ''ata'' means theater. In southern Karnataka, the eastern and western varieties of Yakshagana are termed Bayalata, whereas in the north, several other distinct genres are included under the name.

Harikathe ''Harikatha'' (Kannada: ಹರಿಕಥೆ : ''Harikathe''; Telugu: హరికథ : ''Harikatha;'' Marathi: हरीपाठ '': Haripatha'', ), also known as ''Harikatha Kaalakshepam'' in Telugu and Tamil (), is a form of Hindu traditional ...

which covers an entire night is another form where one (or more) person tells a story in an outstanding manner accompanied by music at background. It is a common feature to narrate battles, stories, devotions or ''

vratha Vrata is a Sanskrit word that means "vow, resolve, devotion", and refers to pious observances such as fasting and pilgrimage ( Tirtha) found in Indian religions such as Jainism and Hinduism. It is typically accompanied with prayers seeking hea ...

'' in front of temples on auspicious days like Dasara and Maha Shivaratri. Harikathe is a composite art form composed of story telling, poetry, music, drama, dance, and philosophy. Today, late-night Harikathe sessions are organized overseas where Kannadiga population is considerable.

Togalu gombeyaata Togalu gombeyaata is a puppet show unique to the state of Karnataka, India. ''Togalu gombeyaata'' translates to "a play of leather dolls" in the native language of Kannada.A description of ''togalu gombeyaata'' is provided by It is a form of s ...

, is a unique puppet show form of shadow puppetry, Gombe ata involves story telling using character made from dolls, Whose performance is controlled by the humans in the background using invisible threads ''

Vasanta Habba Vasanta Habba ( kn, ವಸಂತ ಹಬ್ಬ), which means ''spring festival'' in the Kannada language, is a cultural festival organised by the Nrityagram foundation in the city of Bangalore, India. It is a very popular event and is considered th ...

'' (ವಸಂತ ಹಬ್ಬ), which means "spring festival" in Kannada is a cultural festival organized by the Nrityagram foundation in

Bengaluru Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

. It is a very popular event and is considered the classical Woodstock of India. First held in 1990, it now attracts the best musicians, dancers and cultural artists from across India. Similarly,'Bengaluru Habba (ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಹಬ್ಬ is a congregation of art performances at places in the city which is successfully celebrated every year. It aims to provide aesthetic entertainment to a wide cultural, social and demographic cross-section of the city's people by partnering with corporates and other stakeholders since 2003. In 2006, the Government of Karnataka tried to bring the folklore and art into the city of Bengaluru by initiating Jaanapada Jaatre which was hugely successful and received well by art lovers. It is usually held on select weekends in Lalbagh and other parts of the city. Some famous theatrical,

cinematic Cinematic describes anything related to ''cinema''. It may refer to: any movie updates, cinema nights, cinematic review Film-related * Cinematic cutscene, a sequence in a video game that is not interactive * Cinematic music, original music writte ...

and television personalities like

T P Kailasam Tyagraj Paramasiva Iyer Kailasam (Kannada: ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜ ಪರಮಶಿವ ಐಯ್ಯರ್ ಕೈಲಾಸಂ, 1884–1946), was an Indian playwright and prominent writer in the Kannada literature. Literary criticism in Kannada l ...

, Gubbi Veeranna, C. Honappa Bhagavathar,

G V Iyer Ganapathi Venkataramana Iyer (3 September 1917 – 21 December 2003) was a well-known Indian film director and actor. He was nicknamed "Kannada Bheeshma", and was the only person who made films in Sanskrit. His film ''Adi Shankaracharya'' (19 ...

Dr. Rajkumar Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj (24 April 1929 – 12 April 2006), better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of Indian ci ...

Puttanna Kanagal Shubraveshti Ramaswamiah Seetharama Sharma (1 December 1933 – 5 June 1985), known popularly as S. R. Puttanna Kanagal, was an Indian filmmaker known for his work in Kannada cinema. He is often considered one of Kannada cinema's most influent ...

, Kalpana,

B. S. Ranga Bindiganavile Srinivas Iyengar Ranga (11 November 1917 – 12 December 2010) was an Indian photographer, actor, producer and director who has made many landmark movies in Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil. He was also the owner of Vikram Studios. He ...

, B V Karanth, Girish Kasaravalli, Shankar Nag,

T.S. Nagabharana Talakadu Srinivasaiah Nagabharana (born 23 January 1953), commonly known as T. S. Nagabharana, is an Indian film director, in the Kannada film industry and a pioneer of parallel cinema. He is one of the few film directors to have straddled th ...

, T N Seetharam have contributed for its richness.

Dance forms

The mystic and spirited reliving of legends and epics are the major depictions in dance forms. With the theater of battle scenes of heroism, loyalty and treachery, colour and pageantry are the main subjects. More are adapted with the course of nature and seasons adding colour to the harvesting seasons. Tribal forms of dance can be found limited in the regions inhabited by Soligas, of which ''Pinasee'' is a traditional dance form. The people of Kodagu in the Western Ghats also have their own dance forms. Some of the folk dances and classical dance forms in Karnataka include: *

Dollu Kunitha Dollu Kunitha (Kannada:ಡೊಳ್ಳು ಕುಣಿತ), is a major popular drum dance of Karnataka. Background In all temples of Beereshwara, the major instrument Dollu is hung by means of a thick thread tied to hooks in the ceiling. Every ...

, a popular

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

dance accompanied by singing *

Veeragase Veeragase/Guggla is a dance form prevalent in the state of Karnataka, India. It is a vigorous dance based on Hindu mythology and involves very intense energy-sapping dance movements performed by Jangama. Veeragase is one of the dances demonstr ...

, It is vigorous dance which involves very intense energy-sapping movements performed by jangamas * Kamsale, is a folk dance performed by the devotees of lord Male mahadeshwara with rhythmic instrument *Somana Kunitha / Chamana kunitha, a Form of mask dance, Somana kunitha is ritualistic performance during the festivals in temples, prominently glorifying village deities worshipped by the people since ages *Pooja Kunita, A religious folk dance of Karnataka which is performed by holding Shakti devata on the head *Suggi Kunitha, is performed during harvesting festival in Karnataka, Haalakki tribe living in coastal part of north canara perform this dance at the time of holy harvesting festival *

Goravara Kunitha Goravara Kunitha is a traditional dance of Kuruba Gowdas of Karnataka. Kuruba Gowdas are devotees of lord Mailara Linga, men belonging to this community take Deekshe or the process of initiation to follow the tradition of Gorava. The Deekshe is ...

is a treditional dance of kurubas which is dedicated to lord mialara linga * Yakshagana is a form of dance which is popular in coastal Karnataka *Bhootha (Gana) Aradhane / Buta Kola, This form of dance is widely performed in coastal regions. A dancer personifying a bhoota (holy spirit) dances around the plinth with sword & jingling bells. *

Gaarudi Gombe Gaarudi Gombe is a folk dance prevalent in the state of Karnataka, India. Dancers adorn themselves with giant doll-suits made of bamboo sticks. The term ''Gaarudi-Gombe'' means ''magical-doll'' in the native language, Kannada. This dance is perf ...

, where dancers adorn themselves with giant doll-suits made of bamboo sticks *

Kolata Kolata (ಕೋಲಾಟ) is the traditional folk dance of the state of Karnataka, located in Southern India on the western coast. Unlike its North Indian counterpart Dandiya Ras, it comes in two forms. First, it is performed with coloured stick ...

, a stick dance *Huttari, is a form of dance performed by Kodavas during harvest festival *Moodalapaya, is the eastern form of Yakshagana which is popular in North Karnataka *

, featuring stories of

Puranas Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

rendered as dance * Bharatanatyam is classical dance of Karnataka, too. It is referred to as Bharata Natya in Kannada. The form was mentioned in the Kannada text Manasollasa, written by Someshwara lll. *Jaggahalige Mela, is performed in hubli-dharwad region on the auspicious occasion of Holi & ugadi *

Karaga (festival) Karaga is a folk dance of Karnataka and parts of Karnataka which originated as a ritual dedicated to Draupadi as known in these parts as Droupadmma. The ritual is performed on a full moon day. The ritual pot filled with water and adorned with ...

, is celebrated annually which is dedicated to draupadi, Bengaluru Karaga is a notable event.

Martial arts

The martial arts more prevalent in parts of North Karnataka with Garadi Mane present in every village and a head to train the youngsters into fit individuals.

Kusthi ''Kusthi'' is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by Raj Kapoor, starring Prabhu and Karthik , while Vadivelu, Manya, Flora, Vijayakumar and Radha Ravi play supporting roles. The music is composed by D. Imman. The film released o ...

, Malla Yuddha, Kathi Varase (which can be seen depicted in Veeragase and similar to sword fighting), Malla Kambha (gymnastics on a pole structure with/without rope) are some of the prominent arts practised. The Mysore

Odeyar The Wadiyar dynasty (formerly spelt Wodeyer or Odeyer, also referred to as the Wadiyars of Mysore), is a late-medieval/ early-modern South Indian Hindu royal family of former kings of Mysore from the Urs clan originally based in Mysore city. ...

s arrange kaalaga or fights like

Vajra Mushti The Vajra () is a legendary and ritual weapon, symbolising the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force). The vajra is a type of club with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shape ...

during Dasara festival which is made less frightening these days as they are publicly staged. Rock lifting, Bull race, Kusthi, and Kabaddi are popular sports.Details regarding Dasara Wrestling competition held in Mysore is provided by Yogasana, Praanayama and health-related camps are very popular throughout the state and some of the best Yoga practitioners can be found here. Art of Living is one such organization immensely popular all over the world. * Malladihalli Sri Raghavendra Swami * K. Pattabhi Jois

Festivals

Kannadigas celebrate festivals throughout the year presenting the diverse culture and belief of the ethnicity. Festivals have varied reasons to celebrate. * Agriculture: Upon onset of monsoon, sowing or harvest there are festivals celebrated like Chaandramana Ugaadi (marking of new year),

Makara Sankranthi Makar(a) Sankranti (), also referred to as Uttarayana, Maghi, or simply Sankranti, is a Hindu observance and a festival. Usually falling on the date of January 14 annually, this occasion marks the transition of the Sun from the zodiac of Sag ...

and Huttari. * Monsoon: Dasara/ Navarathri,

Ayudha Puja Ayudha Puja () is a Hindus, Hindu observance that falls on the ninth day of the bright half of the moon's cycle of 15 days (as per the Hindu calendar) in the month of September/October, popularly a part of the Navaratri festival. While the Navara ...

, and Deepavali. * Puraana: Maha Shivarathri, Varamahalakshmi Vrata, Bheemana Amavasye, Swarna Gowri Vratha, Ganesha Chaturthi, Naagara Panchami, Ratha Sapthami,

Krishna Janmashtami Krishna Janmashtami , also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. According to the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it is observed ...

, Rama Navami, Vijaya Dashami, Vaikunta Ekadashi, Naraka Chaturdashi, Bali Padyami and others. In the countryside, a ''dana jaathre'' (livestock fair) is held which is a conglomeration of people where a local demigod is worshiped and a ''

ratha Ratha ( Proto-Indo-Iranian: ''*Hrátʰas'', Sanskrit: रथ, '; Avestan: ''raθa'') is also known as the Indo-Iranian term for a spoked-wheel chariot or a cart of antiquity. Harappan Civilisation The Indus Valley Civilization sites of Dai ...

'' or ''theru'' (chariots) are moved by the bhakthas and daasoha (free food) is arranged for the visitors. North Karnataka has a unique blend of Hindu and Muslim brotherhood with people celebrating festivals in unison and exchanging goodwills owing to great revolutionary

Shishunala Sharif Muhammad Sharif was an Indian social reformer, philosopher and poet. Birth and early life Santa Shishunala Sharifa was born on 7 March 1819 in Shishuvinahala, a village in Shigganvi (now Shiggaon) taluk (in Haveri district), Karnataka. He ...

and Guru Govinda Bhatta who had displayed their religious tolerance and spiritual unity of all religions. Christmas is celebrated at large in Bengaluru and Mangalooru which host some of the oldest churches and educational institutions of the country. Buddha,

Mahaveera Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6 ...

, Shankara, Basavanna and Gandhi are remembered on their birth anniversaries.

Cuisine

The cuisine of Karnataka includes many vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. One of the earliest Indian books with chapters on culinary preparations, Manasollasa, was from Karnataka, written during the reign of Kannada emperor Someshwara , , , . The varieties reflect influences from the food habits of many regions and communities from the three neighbouring South Indian states, as well as the state of

to its north. Soopa Shastra is notable medieval Kannada literally work written in 1508 A.D on the subject of Kannada cuisine. Some typical everyday dishes in Kannadigas homes include Bisi Bele Bath, Jolada rotti, Ragi rotti, Akki rotti, Masale rotti,

Saaru Rasam refers to: *Rasam (dish) Rasam is a spicy South Indian soup. While it is sometimes served on its own as a soup, it is usually served as a side for rice, puttu, idiyappam, or dosa. In a traditional South Indian meal, it is part of a c ...

Huli Huli may refer to: * Huli (dish), a lentil-based dish, also called Sambar, common in South India and Sri Lanka * Huli people, indigenous people in Papua New Guinea * Huli language, language of Huli people * Huli District, district in Xiamen, Fujia ...

, Benne dose,

Ragi mudde Ragi mudde, ragi sangati or kali, colloquially simply referred to as either (which means 'lump') or '','' i.e. 'flour'); is a wholesome meal in the state of Karnataka and the Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh. It is mainly popular with th ...

, Chitranna, Chapathi, Poori, Avalakki, Puri Usli,

Puliyogare Pulihora, also known as puliyogare, puliyodarai, pulinchoru, kokum rice, or simply lemon or tamarind rice, is a very common and traditional rice preparation in the South Indian states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nad ...

(tamarind rice) and

Uppittu Upma, uppumavu, or uppittu is a dish originating from the Indian subcontinent, most common in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtrian, and Sri Lankan Tamil breakfast, cooked as a thick porridge from dry-roaste ...

. Dosa (food) origin is linked to Udupi cuisine. A recipe for dosa (as dosaka) can be found in Manasollasa. Plain and rave Idli, Masala Dosa or Masale dosey and Maddur Vade are very popular in South Karnataka. Neer dosa is a delicacy from coastal Karnataka.

Davanagere Davanagere is a city in the centre of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the seventh largest city in the state, and the administrative headquarters of eponymous Davangere district. Hitherto being a cotton hub and hence popularly known ...

Benne dose is a notable flavourful dosa. Kadubu, a kind of rice dumplings, is a popular and ethnic food in South Malnad regions such as

Sakaleshpura Sakleshpur, Sakleshpura or Sakleshapura is a hill station town and headquarters of Sakleshpur taluk in Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Economy The town lies in the Malnad region on the hills of the biodiversity hotspot, the W ...

, Mudigere, Somwarapete, etc. and is consumed with (

black sesame Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalization (biology), naturalized in tropical regions a ...

) chutney. Among sweets, Mysore Pak, Dharwad pedha, Chiroti, Jalebi, and Belagavi Kunda are well known. Hurnagadab,

Karadantu Karadantu ( kn, ಕರದಂಟು) is a sweet delicacy unique to the state of Karnataka, India. ''Karadantu'' means ''fried-edible gum'' in the local language, Kannada. It is made of edible gum mixed with dry fruits and has a chewy texture. The ...

Gokak Gokak is a taluka headquarters in the Belgaum district of Karnataka state, India. It is located around 70 km from Belgaum at the confluence of two rivers, the Ghataprabha and the Markandeya. The population of the city is according to 20 ...

and Amingarh,

Obbattu Puran puri (પુરણ પુરી), Puran poli (पुरण पोळी), Holige (ಹೋಳಿಗೆ), Obbattu (ಒಬ್ಬಟ್ಟು), or Bobbattlu (బొబ్బట్టు) , Poley( పోళె) , Bakshamulu( బక్ష్� ...

(bele hurana holige), Kaayi Kadubu, Kaayi (coconut) Obbattu, Shenga holige, Thambittu (tamta), Karji Kai, Ellu unde, Ginna, Halubai, Rave Unde, Shavige Kaayi haalu, a variety of Payasa (Shavige payasa, kadle bele payasa, Hesaru bele payasa, Sabakki payasa), Sajjige, and

Kesari bat Kesari bat or kesari baat ( kn, ಕೇಸರಿ ಬಾತ್) is a sweet Indian food that is common throughout the country. The classic ingredients used for its preparation are semolina, sugar, ghee (usually), water, and milk. The sweet is more com ...

are popular sweets. Indis ( chutneys) of Karnataka have a very distinct taste and flavour. Some popular ones include Shenga indi (

groundnut Groundnut may refer to: * Seeds that ripen underground, of the following plants, all in the Faboideae subfamily of the legumes: ** '' Best Basketball Player'', Obinna Udunni ** '' Arachis villosulicarpa'', a perennial peanut species ** ''Vigna sub ...

), Agashi indi, Karal indi, Inichi indi, and Mavina indi (mango). Similarly, Karnataka ( pickles) too are very distinct from the rest, like Mavina (fine mango pickles), (lemon pickles), (entire mango pickle), (carrot pickle), and (chili pickle). Some non-vegetarian dishes include: Dhonne biriyani, Bamboo biriyani, Mutton pulao, Mangalore fish curry, fish fry, Mangalore mutton and chicken Sukka, Mandya naati style Baaduta, Ragi mudde - Koli saaru, rice with Mutton sambar, Egg curry, Pork curry, chicken sambar, or gravy, and Boti gojju, among others.

Clothing

The costume of Kannada people varies from place to place. The Kannadiga male costume mainly include

panche The following purported languages of South America are listed as unclassified in Campbell (2012), Loukotka (1968), ''Ethnologue'', and ''Glottolog''. Nearly all are extinct. It is likely that many of them were not actually distinct languages, only ...

(some tie as Kachche) or lungi (wrapping style depends on the region),

Angi Angi (formerly Angie's List) is an American home services website owned by Angi Inc., a publicly-traded subsidiary of IAC. Founded in 1995 by Angie Hicks and William S. Oesterle, it allows users to search for contractors to provide paid home ...

a traditional form of shirt and

Peta Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...

turban worn in Mysuru style or Dharwad style. Shalya is a piece of long cloth which is put on shoulder commonly seen in countryside. Many use Khadi in their clothing until date of which politicians are prominent ones. Female costumes include

Seere The demons' names (given below) are taken from the ''Ars Goetia'', which differs in terms of number and ranking from the ''Pseudomonarchia Daemonum'' of Johann Weyer. As a result of multiple translations, there are multiple spellings for some of ...

of which Ilakal Seere and

Mysore silk Karnataka produces 9,000 metric tons of mulberry silk of a total of 20,000 metric tons of mulberry silk produced in the country, thus contributing to nearly 45% of the country's total mulberry silk. In Karnataka, silk is mainly produced in the ...

are famous. Seere has variations of draping depending on regions like Kodagu, North and South Karnataka and Karavali. Young women in some parts of Karnataka traditionally wear the Langa davani after puberty.

Kasuti Kasuti ( kn, ಕಸೂತಿ) is a traditional form of folk embroidery practised in the state of Karnataka, India. An exhibition of Kasuti work is reported by Kasuti work which is very intricate sometimes involves putting up to 5,000 stitches b ...

is a form of embroidery work which is very popularly sought-after art on dress and costumes. An Urban male costume comprises trousers, a shirt and sandals, while that of females include shalwar and moderate heeled sandals. Jeans are popular among the youth, while new age Khadi/silk printed with art or emblem also find place. Karnataka has the only village in the country which produces authentic Indian national flags according to manufacturing process and specifications for the flag are laid out by the Bureau of Indian Standards at Hubli.

Literature

Kannada literature is filled with literary figures and pioneers all through. With an unbroken literary history of over a thousand years, the excellence of

Kannada literature Kannada literature is the Text corpus, corpus of written forms of the Kannada language, a member of the Dravidian language, Dravidian Language family, family spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka and written in the Kannada script. A ...

continues into the present day: works of Kannada literature have received eight Jnanpith awards and fifty-six Sahitya Akademi awards.

Pampa The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Brazil ...

, Ranna and

Ponna Ponna ( Comasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about north of Como. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 264 and an area of .All demographic ...

are considered as three jewels of Old Kannada (''Halegannada''). Janna was another notable poet of this genre. R.S. Mugali (2006), ''The Heritage of Karnataka'', pp. 173–175 Basavanna, Akka Mahadevi,

Allama Prabhu Allamaprabhu ( kn, ಅಲ್ಲಮಪ್ರಭು) was a 12th-century mystic-saint and ''Vachana'' poet (called ''Vachanakara'') of the Kannada language, propagating the unitary consciousness of Self and Shiva. Allamaprabhu is one of the cele ...

, Vidyaranya, Harihara, Raghavanka, Kumara Vyasa, Sarvajna, Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasa,

Shishunala Shareefa Muhammad Sharif was an Indian social reformer, philosopher and poet. Birth and early life Santa Shishunala Sharifa was born on 7 March 1819 in Shishuvinahala, a village in Shigganvi (now Shiggaon) taluk (in Haveri district), Karnataka. He ...

Raghavendra Swami Raghavendra Tirtha () (1595 – 1671) was a Hindu scholar, theologian and saint. He was also known as Sudha Parimalacharya (). His diverse oeuvre include commentaries on the works of Madhva, Jayatirtha and Vyasatirtha, interpretation of the ...

etc. were pioneers of Nadugannada. All these have been involved with social and cultural movements and hence this was the golden era of literature which brought about a renaissance in Kannada literature. This period was amalgamation of literature works which crossed across boundaries under a vast roof encompassed by art and theater fields. The literature works of Kannada in Navodaya is crowned with eight Jnanpith awards.Jnanpith for Kambar
TheHindu.com; accessed 16 January 2022. Some of the contemporary active institutions of Kannada literature are: * Kannada Sahitya Parishat * Academies operating as its wings include

Tulu Tulu may refer to: People *Derartu Tulu (born 1972), Ethiopian long-distance runner *Walid Yacoubou (born 1997), Togolese footballer nicknamed "Tulu" India *Tulu calendar, traditional solar calendar generally used in the regions of southwest Kar ...

, Konkani, Kodava, and Urdu. A

Byari The Beary (also known as Byari) is a community concentrated along the southwest coast of India, mostly in the Mangalore district of the south Indian state of Karnataka. They are an ethnic group of Indian Muslims with their own distinct cu ...

academy is the latest academy opened in Karnataka. Noted travellers and linguists who contributed during the pre- and post-imperial eras include Germany's

Ferdinand Kittel Reverend Ferdinand Kittel was a Lutheran priest and indologist with the Basel Mission in south India and worked in Mangalore, Madikeri and Dharwad in Karnataka. He is most famous for his studies of the Kannada language and for producing a Kannada ...

, England's

Thomas Hodson Thomas Hodson was a Wesleyan Missionary, who served in India, in the Wesleyan Canarese Mission, at the Bangalore Petah and Gubbi. He helped in running the first Wesleyan Mission Canarese school in the erstwhile Mysore State. Hodson was a ...

, Persia's

Abd-al-Razzāq Samarqandī Abd-al-Razzāq Samarqandī ( fa, کمال‌الدین عبدالرزاق بن اسحاق سمرقندی, ''Kamal-ud-Din Abd-ur-Razzaq ibn Ishaq Samarqandi''; 1413–1482) was a Persian Timurid chronicler and Islamic scholar. He was for a while the ...

and China's

Huen-tsang Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...

Kannada journalism

Mangaluru Samachara ''Mangaluru Samachara'' or ''Mangalooru Samachara'' which literally means ''"The news of Mangalore"'' is the first newspaper published in Kannada. It was produced by a German, Hermann Mögling, Rev. Hermann Friedrich Mögling of the Basel Mis ...

'' was the first Kannada news publication as early as 1843 by

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

missionary

Hermann Mögling Hermann Friedrich Mögling (1811–1881), also spelt Herrmann Friedrich Moegling, was a German missionary from the Basel Mission who spent most of his career in the western regions of the state of Karnataka, India. He is credited as the publishe ...

.Hermann Mögling's contribution to the Kannada literature is mentioned by Followed by Bhashyam Bhashyachar who is credited with publishing the first Kannada weekly from Mysore "''Mysuru Vrittanta Bodhini''" in 1859 under the royal patronage of

Krishnaraja Wadiyar III Krishnaraja Wadiyar III (14 July 1794 – 27 March 1868) was the twenty-second maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore. Also known as Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the maharaja belonged to the Wadiyar dynasty and ruled the kingdom for nearly seventy ...

. Shortly after Indian independence in 1948,

K. N. Guruswamy K. N. Guruswamy or Kanekal Nettakallappa Guruswamy (1901–1990) was a liquor businessman and newspaper publisher from Bangalore, Karnataka. Founder He founded The Printers (Mysore) Private Limited, the company that publishes ''Deccan Herald'', ...

founded ''The Printers (Mysore) Private Limited'' and began publishing two newspapers, Deccan Herald and Prajavani. Presently the Times of India and Vijaya Karnataka are the largest-selling English and Kannada newspapers respectively.

D. V. Gundappa Devanahalli Venkataramanaiah Gundappa (17 March 1887 – 7 October 1975), popularly known as DVG, was an Indian writer, poet and philosopher in Kannada-language. He is one of the stalwarts of modern Kannada literature. His most notable work is th ...

was notable Kannada journalist, he was awarded third-highest civilian award

Padmabhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service o ...

in 1974. List of a few major newspapers: * '' Prajavani'' * ''

Samyuktha Karnataka ''Samyukta Karnataka'' is a major Kannada newspaper which has its headquarters in Hubballi, Karnataka. It is also published from Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Bagalkot, Kalaburgi and Davanagere. The incumbent editor is Hunasavadi Rajan. The newspaper ...

'' * ''

Kannadaprabha ''Kannada Prabha'' is a morning daily jointly owned by Jupiter Capital a company founded by Rajeev Chandrasekhar who is Bharatiya Janata Party’s member of parliament and ''The New Indian Express'' Group, is a major Kannada newspaper in Karna ...

'' * ''

Udayavani ''Udayavani'' ("Morning Voice" in Kannada) is a Kannada daily newspaper with editions from Manipal, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hubballi, Davanagere and Gulbarga. Launched in January 1970 by Mohandas Pai and T. Satish U Pai, Udayavani with a combined ci ...

'' * ''

Vijayavani ''Vijayavani'' (Kannada: ವಿಜಯವಾಣಿ) is a Kannada-language newspaper distributed in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is published by VRL Group owned by logistics tycoon Vijay Sankeshwar. Having launched on 1 April 2012, Vijaya ...

'' * ''

Hosa Digantha ''Hosa Digantha'' (Kannada:ಹೊಸ ದಿಗಂತ) is a Kannada morning daily in Karnataka. "Hosa Digantha" has the literal meaning of "New Horizon". With its tag line ''Rāshtra Jāgrutiya Dainika'' (Kannada:ರಾಷ್ಚ್ರ ಜಾ� ...

'' * ''

Vishwavani News Vishwavani daily has around 56 years of history, published by Patil Puttappa from Hubballi. Vishweshwar Bhat is the managing director and chief editor of the news paper. The tag line on its masthead is " Vishwasave Vishwa". Karnataka Chief ...

'' * ''

Vijaya Karnataka ''Vijaya Karnataka'' is a Kannada newspaper published from a number of cities in Karnataka. The newspaper is published from Bengaluru, Hubballi, Mangaluru, Shivamogga, Kalaburagi, Gangavathi, Belagavi, Davanagere, Hassan, Chitradurga. It wa ...

Contemporary popular Kannadigas

Spiritual leaders

Shivakumara Swami Shivakumara Swami (born Shivanna; 1 April 1907 – 21 January 2019) was an Indian humanitarian, spiritual leader, educator and supercentenarian. He was a Veerashaiva Lingayat religious figure, he joined the Siddaganga Matha in 1930 Karnataka ...

Siddaganga Matha Sree Siddaganga Matha (also called Siddaganga Kshetra) is a Lingayat matha with an attached educational institution. The matha was established by Sri Haradanahally Gosala Siddeshwara Swamigalu in the 15th century in a village in the southern ...

, Tumkur, Karnataka * Balagangadharanatha Swamiji,

Sri Adichunchanagiri Maha Samsthana Math Adichunchanagiri, also called ''Mahasamsthana Math'', is a hill township in Nagamangala Taluk, Mandya District, Karnataka State, India, 110 km west of Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, India and 6 km from Bangalore-Mangalore Nation ...

* Shivamurthy Shivacharya Mahaswamiji *

Taralabalu Jagadguru Brihanmath, Sirigere Sri Taralabalu Jagadguru Brihanmath is an organization in Sirigere, India. Sadar Lingayats, a dominant sub sect of Lingayat community, owe their allegiance to this math. It is well known in Karnataka for its yeoman service in the field of rura ...

* Beerendra Keshava Tarakananda Puri

Gandhian philosophers

* Kadidal Manjappa former chief minister of Karnataka * H. Narasimhaiah *

Kollur Mallappa Kollur Mallappa, also referred to as Malappa Lingappa Kollur (1905 – 24 October 2004) was the first President of Hyderabad Pradesh Congress Committee, prior to the merger of Hyderabad state into Andhra Pradesh. He was a Member of Parliament f ...

* B D Jatti - former president and vice president of India *

Mailara Mahadevappa Mailara Mahadevappa (8 June 1911 – 1 April 1943), also known as Mahadeva, from Motebennur of Karnataka state, India, was an Indian revolutionary, known for resisting British rule. Martandapp alias Martand and Basamma are his parents. At the ...

- only person from Karnataka to accompany Gandhiji in Dandi salt sathyagraha/march * Gudleppa Hallikeri

Modern science and technology

* N. K. Naik - Professor Emeritus at IIT Bombay. * Raja Ramanna - Indian nuclear scientist and father of the Indian nuclear bomb. * Dr. M.C. Modi - Ophthalmologist and humanist. *

C. N. R. Rao Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao BR, (born 30 June 1934), is an Indian chemist who has worked mainly in solid-state and structural chemistry. He has honorary doctorates from 84 universities from around the world and has authored around 1,77 ...

- Notable Solid-state scientist and chairman of Science Advisory Council of GOI. Recently awarded with India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna *

K. N. Shankara Koodli Nanjunda Ghanapathi Shankara was a space scientist from India. He was the Director of ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad and ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), Bangalore. He was the Director of Satellite Communications Program Of ...

- Indian space scientist and master in satellite payload technology. * Shakuntala Devi - Mathematics. * Vivek Murthy American physician serves as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States. * Narayan Hosmane - Biochemistry and Cancer research. *

S. K. Shivkumar S. K. Shivakumar (1953 – 13 April 2019) was an Indian scientist from Karnataka state who worked at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) centres. He was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India, in 2015. Ea ...

- Scientist, ISRO telemetry (

ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman ...

), associated with Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe. * Shrinivas Kulkarni - Professor of astrophysics and planetary science at Caltech, United States, United States of America. * S. Shankar Sastry - Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. * L. S. Shashidhara - Developmental biologist, geneticist and a professor and chair of Biology at Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER). * M. Visvesvaraya - Indian scholar and engineer, who also served as the Diwan of Mysore

Environmentalists

Karnataka is one of the few states which, while a leading contributor for GDP of the country and home for industries, has preserved its forests and wildlife. The evergreen Sahyadri and Western Ghats are home to protected Wildlife of Karnataka. The Kannada culture protects and balances Kaadu (forest) and Naadu (state) as can be seen. Although seen scantly still the state enjoys the diversity owing to tribal sects of Soliga tribe, Soliga, Badaga, Jenu Kuruba, Hakki Pikki, Lambani, Siddis of Karnataka, Siddis and other inhabitants of forests. See Appiko movement, Appiko Chaluvali. Noted environmentalists include: * Ullas Karanth (tiger research biologists/zoologist) * Tulsi Gowda * Saalumarada Thimmakka * Suresh Heblikar * Poornachandra Tejaswi (ornithologist / littérateur) * Snake Shyam * Krupakar-Senani

Current cricketers

* KL Rahul * Prasidh Krishna * Manish Pandey * Mayank Agarwal * Abhimanyu Mithun * Vinay Kumar * Stuart Binny * Sreenath Aravind, Sreenath Arvind * Krishnappa Gowtham * R Samarth * Shreyas Gopal

Retired cricketers

* Anil Kumble *Rahul Dravid * Javagal Srinath * Gundappa Vishwanath * Vijay Bhardwaj * Venkatesh Prasad * B.S. Chandrashekhar * E. A. S. Prasanna * Roger Binny * Sunil Joshi * Syed Kirmani * Sujith Somasunder * Dodda Ganesh * David Johnson (cricketer, born 1971), David Johnson

Culture

Purana

The Puranas describe the region as Kishkindha in the age of the Ramayana. There is also literary evidence that the region of Mysore was called "Mahisha Mandala" after the mythological demon Mahishasura. Parashurama and Hanumantha are some epic characters to be cited relating to this place. Hanumantha (Hanuman) is said to be born in Kishkindha, Karnataka.

Punya Koti

One of the most popular and acknowledged Jaanapada songs is "Dharani mandala madhyadolage" which narrates an incidence between mother cow and an aggressive tiger in a place called Karnataka.

Vishwa Maanava

Karnataka as now can be viewed as a multicultural state – almost all the religions that can be found in India can be found here and there has been lot immigration as well due to which multi-ethnic diaspora can be seen. As the kingdoms provided a safe centres for development of all cultures we can see a huge diversities from region to region. Even the language and dialects varies from place to place. The language has evolved distinctly in both the backyard (folk/basic/prakrutha) and frontyard (refined and related to Samskrutha/Sanskrit) of the culture. It can be said that the major works of Sanskrit have originated and continues to evolve here. Shringeri, Udupi are some of nerve centres. One of the leading examples include a village near Shivamogga where people speak only Sanskrit until date. Bengaluru being Kannada majority has almost all language speakers of India, and kannadigaru are said to be tolerant and welcoming people. One of the most acknowledged concept is to be a ''Vishwa Maanava'' or universal being. In Kuvempu's ideology this has a renowned explanation "Every Child is born as a Vishwa Maanava or a Universal Human. It is we who make him Alpa Maanava or Little Human by putting various constrictions of borders rituals and castes. It hence becomes responsibility of our culture to again make him a Universal Being unbound and free." The Kannadiga culture is known to provide shelter and self-respect to people by owning them and their culture. Two colonies for refugees from Tibet are formed, one near Mundgod and one near Kushalanagara, protecting them from Chinese atrocities. Karnataka has sheltered flood victims of northeastern India like Assam and provided them jobs. One of the easily seen diversity is the surnames which vary from hugely like some may involve names involving a Hindu and Muslim name or having a Hindu Christian name (more found in Mangaluru) or even a Muslim Christian name.

Political sphere

After the Odeyar era who already had established democracy by naming elected representative called Saamantha in southern regions as early as the 19th century, the 1947 partition brought a centre into being under democracy and Karnataka accepted a bicameral legislature. But this was a functionally a failure as there always has been a tug of war from centre and states to an extent that from the 1990s to 2010 there have always been different political parties operating at centre and state. North Karnataka had other problems of getting independence more from Nizams. So there were two spheres. Lack of will and coordination and constant fights have been hallmark of politics which has prevented a regional party/media from arising in the land. Kerala being a neighbour where hugely successful communist ideology in bringing up literacy levels has a backing here and a few naxalite outfits function in Karnataka. Functional failure of all pillars of democracy even being upper riparian state can be clearly seen in the Kaveri River Water Dispute issue. The failure extended to bureaucracy and Karnataka reached the position of being fourth most corrupt state of India due to political and bureaucratic lobby. Because of this, Lokayukta (see N. Venkatachala) was formed but could not get the required powers to deal with the powerful. In the field of press and journalism P. Lankesh and S. Gurumurthy are some of the noted ones famous for their leftist affiliations.

Caste and Communities

Just like other Ethnolinguistic groups in India, Kannada speaking people also form a number of distinct communities. The two single biggest communities numerically are the Lingayat and the Vokkaliga from North and South Karnataka respectively, while Scheduled Castes make up the largest cohesive group of communities. There are also numerous OBC (other backward communities) including the former Pastoralism, pastoralist community of Kuruba, Scheduled Tribes like the Boya/Valmiki, scheduled castes like Banjara and Adi Karnataka. Karnataka Brahmin, Kannada Brahmins are divided into several communities. Although historically Jainism in Karnataka had dominant presence, Kannada Jains today form a small minority. In Karnataka, 5 communities — Brahmin, Jain, Aryavaishya, Nagarthas and Modaliars — are outside the existing reservation matrix.

Horanadu Kannadigaru

Horanadu Kannadigas (or non-resident Kannadigas) are Kannadigas who have migrated to another state or country, people of Kannada origin born outside Karnataka, or people of Kannada origin who reside permanently outside of Karnataka. N R Narayana Murthy, speaking at the 2011 World Kannada Conference, opined that Kannadigas who move out of the state are respected everywhere. Although the failure in political arena has reflected in the cultural isolation of emigrants, some of the successful functional bodies include Singara (Singapore), Dehali Kannadiga (New Delhi), Mumbai Karnataka Sangha (Mumbai), Mallige Kannada Balaga (Mauritius), North America Vishwa Kannada Association (NAVIKA) and Association of Kannada Kootas of America (AKKA) in the United States have promoted cultural involvement through events such as Kannadotsava. Significant Kannada minorities are found in the Indian states of

in Kolhapur, Solapur and Sangli; Hosur, Tamil Nadu in Nilgeri, Nilgiri, Erode, Dharampuri and Hosur; Andhra Pradesh in Madakasira, Rayadurgam, Anantapura, Chitoor and Kurnool; Goa; Kerala in Waynad; and in other Indian states. The Kannadiga diaspora are found all over the world, in countries like the United States, USA, the United Kingdom, Canada, and in the UAE.

Unification of Karnataka

World war#First and Second World Wars, First and Second World Wars

After occupying Mysore, British offered 8 acres & a Rs 75 salary for WWII volunteers from Karnataka. Kannadiga regiments were disbanded after World War II. records, as historians still debate about exclusion of revolts from south of Vindhyas against British Indian Army. From September 1939 until August 1945, recruitment was done at Regimental Centre at Belagavi for the Madras Regiment, the Mahar Regiment, and the Lingayat regiment.

The post-1947 scene

During the period of British Raj, British rule, state of Karnataka as it stands today did not exist. Areas that today comprise Karnataka were under as many as 20 different administrative units with the Kingdom of Mysore, princely state of Mysore, Hyderabad state, Nizam's Hyderabad, the Bombay Presidency, the Madras Presidency and the territory of Kodagu being the most important ones. In effect, nearly two-thirds of what is now Karnataka fell outside the rule of the Wodeyar, Wodeyar kings of Mysore. In addition the proposed state had six neighbours — Goa,

, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala — and all had Kannadigas along the borders overlapping these regions. What this meant for the Kannadigas in these regions was that they were reduced to linguistic minorities wherever they were. Kannadigas in the Hubli-Karnataka region for example, came under the rule of the Bombay presidency where Marathi language, Marathi was the official language. Those in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region came under the Nizam's rule where Urdu ruled, while in Mysore Kingdom, Kannada was the official language. It was in this backdrop that the movement that first started as a protest against linguistic oppression, soon morphed into one that began demanding a separate state be created consolidating all Kannada speaking regions. This was essentially a movement that was spearheaded by the poets, journalists and writers and was called the ''Ekikarana'' or 'Unification' movement. India gained independence in 1947. The joy of independence soon gave way to disappointment as the new government started dragging its feet on ''Karnataka Ekikarana'' movement. Kannada speaking areas now got grouped under five administrative units of the Bombay and Madras provinces, Kodagu, and the princely states of Mysore and Hyderabad. The ''Akhila Karnataka Ekikarana Parishat'' met in Kasaragod Town, Kasargod and reiterated the demand for a separate state for Kannadigas. The ratification in parliament of the recommendations of the Fazal Ali Committee brought joy to the Kannada speaking population that now was merged under the state of Mysore State, Mysore. On 1 November 1973, under Devaraj Urs as chief minister, Mysore state was renamed as Karnataka since it was felt that Karnataka was more 'inclusive' of all the other regions of Karnataka than the name Mysore. Kannada unification organisations currently active include: *Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha *Karnataka Ekikarana Samithi *Karnataka Rakshana Vedike *Kannada Chalavali Vatal Paksha GBerunda

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kannada people Kannada people, Ethnic groups in India Karnataka society Mangalorean society Dravidian peoples Ethnic groups in Kerala Ethnic groups in Andhra Pradesh Linguistic groups of the constitutionally recognised official languages of India

History

Immigrants from Karnataka

Culture

Architecture

Music

Theater

Dance forms

Martial arts

Festivals

Cuisine

Clothing

Literature

Kannada journalism

Contemporary popular Kannadigas

Spiritual leaders

Gandhian philosophers

Modern science and technology

Environmentalists

Current cricketers

Retired cricketers

Culture

Purana

Punya Koti

Vishwa Maanava

Political sphere

Caste and Communities

Horanadu Kannadigaru

Unification of Karnataka

World war#First and Second World Wars, First and Second World Wars

The post-1947 scene

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links