Kodava, Konkani language, Konkani and Beary dialect, Beary.
Kannada features a rich and ancient body of Kannada literature, literature including religious and secular genre, covering topics as diverse as Jainism (such as ''Puranas''), Lingayatism (such as Vachanas), Vaishnavism (such as Haridasa, ''Haridasa Sahitya'') and Modern Kannada literature, modern literature. Evidence from edicts during the time of Ashoka (reigned 274–232 BCE) suggest that Buddhist literature influenced the Kannada alphabet, Kannada script and its literature. The
Halmidi inscription
The Halmidi inscription is the oldest known Kannada language inscription in the Kadamba script. While estimates vary slightly, the inscription is often dated to between 450 CE - 500 CE. The inscription was discovered in 1936 by Dr. M. H. Krish ...
, the earliest attested full-length inscription in the Kannada language and script, dates from 450 CE, while the earliest available literary work, the ''Kavirajamarga'', has been dated to 850 CE. References made in the ''Kavirajamarga'', however, prove that Kannada literature flourished in the native composition metres such as ''Chattana'', ''Beddande'' and ''Melvadu'' during earlier centuries. The classic refers to several earlier greats (''purvacharyar'') of Kannada poetry and prose.
[Narasimhacharya (1988), pp. 12, 17.]
Kuvempu, the renowned Kannada poet and writer who wrote Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate, the state anthem of Karnataka
was the first recipient of the Karnataka Ratna, the highest civilian award bestowed by the Government of Karnataka. Contemporary Kannada literature has received considerable acknowledgement in the arena of Indian literature, with eight Kannada writers winning India's highest literary honour, the Jnanpith award.
Tulu is the majority language in the Kanara, coastal district of
Dakshina Kannada
Dakshina Kannada district is a district of Karnataka state in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangalore. It is part of the larger Tulu Nadu region. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east ...
and is the second most spoken in the Udupi district. This region is also known as
Tulu Nadu
Tulunad or Tulu Nadu, also called Bermere sristi or Parashurama Srishti, is a region and a proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (plural 'Tuluver'), speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language, ar ...
. ''Tulu Mahabharato'', written by Arunabja in the Tigalari alphabet, Tigalari script, is the oldest surviving Tulu text.
Tigalari script was used by Brahmins to write Sanskrit language. The use of the Kannada script for writing Tulu and non-availability of print in Tigalari script contributed to the marginalisation of Tigalari script.
In Karnataka Konkani language, Konkani is mostly spoken in the Uttara Kannada and
Dakshina Kannada
Dakshina Kannada district is a district of Karnataka state in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangalore. It is part of the larger Tulu Nadu region. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east ...
districts and in parts of Udupi district, Udupi, Konkani use the Devanagari Script (which is official)/Kannada script( Optional ) for writing as identified by government of Karnataka. The Kodava people, Kodavas who mainly reside in the Kodagu district, speak Kodava Takk. Two regional variations of the language exist, the northern ''Mendale Takka'' and the southern ''Kiggaati Takka''.
Kodava Takk use the Kannada script for writing. English is the medium of education in many schools and widely used for business communication in most private companies.
All of the state's languages are patronised and promoted by governmental and quasi-governmental bodies. The ''Kannada Sahitya Parishat'' and the ''Kannada Sahitya Akademi'' are responsible for the promotion of Kannada while the ''Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Akademi'',
the ''Tulu Sahitya Akademi'' and the ''Kodava Sahitya Akademi'' promote their respective languages.
Government and administration
Karnataka has a parliamentary system of government with two democratically elected houses, the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. The Legislative Assembly consists of 224 members who are elected for five-year terms.
The Legislative Council is a permanent body of 75 members with one-third (25 members) retiring every two years.
The government of Karnataka is headed by the List of Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Chief Minister who is chosen by the ruling party Member of the Legislative Assembly (India), members of the Legislative Assembly. The Chief Minister, along with the council of ministers, executes the legislative agenda and exercises most of the executive powers. However, the constitutional and formal head of the state is the Governors and Lieutenant-Governors of states of India, Governor who is appointed for a five-year term by the President of India on the advice of the Union government. The people of Karnataka also elect 28 members to the ''Lok Sabha'', the lower house of the Indian Parliament.
The members of the state Legislative Assembly elect 12 members to the ''Rajya Sabha'', the upper house of the Parliament of India, Indian Parliament.
![Vidhana Soudha 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Vidhana_Soudha_2012.jpg)
For administrative purposes, Karnataka has been divided into four revenue divisions, 49 sub-divisions, 31 districts, 175 ''taluks'' and 745 ''hoblies'' / revenue circles.
The administration in each district is headed by a Deputy Commissioner (India), Deputy Commissioner who belongs to the Indian Administrative Service and is assisted by a number of officers belonging to Karnataka state services. The Superintendent of Police (India), Deputy Commissioner of Police, an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service and assisted by the officers of the Karnataka Police Service, is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and related issues in each district. The Deputy Conservator of Forests, an officer belonging to the Indian Forest Service, is entrusted with the responsibility of managing forests, environment and wildlife of the district, he will be assisted by the officers belonging to Karnataka Forest Service and officers belonging to Karnataka Forest Subordinate Service. Sectoral development in the districts is looked after by the district head of each development department such as Public Works Department, Health, Education, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, etc. The judiciary in the state consists of the Karnataka High Court (''Attara Kacheri'') in Bangalore, Hubballi-Dharwad, and Kalaburagi, District Courts of India, district and session courts in each district and lower courts and judges at the ''taluk'' level.
Politics in Karnataka has been dominated by three political parties, the Indian National Congress, the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Politicians from Karnataka have played prominent roles in Government of India, federal government of India with some of them having held the high positions of Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister and Vice-President. Border disputes involving Karnataka's claim on the Kasaragod district, Kasaragod
and Solapur
districts and
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 ...
's Belagavi border dispute, claim on Belagavi are ongoing since the states reorganisation.
The official :File:Karnataka emblem.png, emblem of Karnataka has a Gandaberunda, ''Ganda Berunda'' in the centre. Surmounting this are four lions facing the four directions, taken from the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath. The emblem also carries two ''Sharabhas'' with the head of an
elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
and the body of a lion.
Economy
![Infosys (4911287704)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Infosys_%284911287704%29.jpg)
Karnataka had an estimated GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) of about US$115.86 billion in the 2014–15 fiscal year.
The state registered a GSDP growth rate of 7% for the year 2014–2015.
Karnataka's contribution to India's GDP in the year 2014–15 was 7.54%.
With GDP growth of 17.59% and per capita GDP growth of 16.04%, Karnataka is on the 6th position among all states and union territories. In an employment survey conducted for the year 2013–2014, the unemployment rate in Karnataka was 1.8% compared to the national rate of 4.9%. In 2011–2012, Karnataka had an estimated poverty ratio of 20.91% compared to the national ratio of 21.92%.
Nearly 56% of the workforce in Karnataka is engaged in agriculture and related activities.
A total of 12.31 million hectares of land, or 64.6% of the state's total area, is cultivated.
Much of the agricultural output is dependent on the southwest monsoon as only 26.5% of the sown area is irrigated.
Karnataka is the manufacturing hub for some of the largest public sector industries in India, including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, National Aerospace Laboratories, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Bharat Earth Movers Limited and HMT (India), HMT (formerly Hindustan Machine Tools), which are based in Bangalore. Many of India's premier science and technology research centres, such as Indian Space Research Organisation, Central Power Research Institute, Bharat Electronics Limited and the Central Food Technological Research Institute, are also headquartered in Karnataka. MRPL, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited is an oil refinery, located in Mangalore.
The state has also begun to invest heavily in solar power centred on the Pavagada Solar Park. As of December 2017, the state has installed an estimated 2.2 gigawatts of block solar panelling and in January 2018 announced a tender to generate a further 1.2 gigawatts in the coming years: Karnataka Renewable Energy Development suggests that this will be based on 24 separate systems (or 'blocks') generating 50 megawatts each.
Since the 1980s, Karnataka has emerged as the pan-Indian leader in the field of IT (information technology). In 2007, there were nearly 2,000 firms operating in Karnataka. Many of them, including two of India's biggest software firms, Infosys and Wipro, are also headquartered in the state.
Exports from these firms exceeded in 2006–07, accounting for nearly 38% of all IT exports from India.
The Nandi Hills, India, Nandi Hills area in the outskirts of Devanahalli is the site of the upcoming $22 billion, 50 km
2 BIAL IT Investment Region, one of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of Karnataka. All this has earned the state capital, Bangalore, the sobriquet ''Silicon Valley of India''.
Karnataka also leads the nation in biotechnology. It is home to India's largest biocluster, with 60% of the country's biotechnology firms being based here.
The state has 18,000 hectares of land under Floriculture, flower cultivation, an upcoming industry which supplies flowers and ornamental plants worldwide.
Seven of India's banks, Canara Bank, Syndicate Bank, Corporation Bank, Vijaya Bank, Karnataka Bank, ING Vysya Bank and the State Bank of Mysore originated in this state.
The coastal districts of Udupi and
Dakshina Kannada
Dakshina Kannada district is a district of Karnataka state in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangalore. It is part of the larger Tulu Nadu region. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east ...
have a branch for every 500 persons—the best distribution of banks in India.
In March 2002, Karnataka had 4767 branches of different banks with each branch serving 11,000 persons, which is lower than the national average of 16,000.
A majority of the Silk in the Indian subcontinent, silk industry in India is headquartered in Karnataka, much of it in Doddaballapura in Bangalore Rural district and the state government intends to invest in a "Silk City" at Muddenahalli in Chikkaballapura district.
Transport
Air transport in Karnataka, as in the rest of the country, is still a fledgling but fast expanding sector. Karnataka has airports at Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore, Mangalore International Airport, Mangalore, Belgaum Airport, Belgaum, Hubli Airport, Hubli, Hampi, Bellary Airport, Bellary, Kalaburagi Airport, Gulbarga, and Mysore Airport, Mysore with international operations from Bangalore and Mangalore airports.
Shimoga Airport, Shimoga and Bijapur Airport, Bijapur airports are being built under the UDAN, UDAN Scheme.
Karnataka has a railway network with a total length of approximately . Until the creation of the South Western Railway zone, South-Western Railway Zone headquartered at Hubli, Hubballi in 2003, the railway network in the state was in the Southern Railway zone, South Central Railway zone, South-Central Railway Zone and Western Railway zone. Several parts of the state now come under the South Western Railway zone with 3 Railway Divisions at Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli, with the remainder under the Southern Railway zone and Konkan Railway, Konkan Railway Zone, which is considered one of India's biggest railway projects of the century due to the difficult terrain.
Bangalore and other cities in the state are well-connected with intrastate and inter-state destinations.
Karnataka has 11 Ports of Karnataka, ports, including the New Mangalore Port, a major port and ten minor ports, of which three were operational in 2012. The New Mangalore port was incorporated as the ninth major port in India on 4 May 1974. This port handled 32.04 million tonnes of traffic in the fiscal year 2006–07 with 17.92 million tonnes of imports and 14.12 million tonnes of exports. The port also handled 1015 vessels including 18 cruise vessels during the year 2006–07. Foreigners can enter Mangalore through the New Mangalore Port with the help of Travel visa#Electronic visas, Electronic visa (e-visa). Cruise ships from Europe, North America and UAE arrive at New Mangalore Port to visit the tourist places across Coastal Karnataka. The port of Mangalore is among the 4 major ports of India that receive over 25 international cruise ships every year.
The total lengths of List of National Highways in Karnataka, National Highways and List of state highways in Karnataka, State Highways in Karnataka are , respectively.
The state transport corporations, transports an average of 2.2 million passengers daily and employs about 25,000 people.
The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) headquartered in Bangalore, The Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (KKRTC) headquartered in Gulbarga, and The North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) headquartered in Hubballi are the 4 state-owned transport corporations.
Culture
The diverse linguistic and religious ethnicities that are native to Karnataka, combined with their long histories, have contributed immensely to the varied cultural heritage of the state. Apart from Kannadigas, Karnataka is home to Tuluvas, Kodava people, Kodavas and Konkanis. Minor populations of Tibetan Buddhists and tribes like the Soliga tribe, Soligas, Yeravas, Toda people, Todas and Siddhis of Karnataka, Siddhis also live in Karnataka. The Folk arts of Karnataka, traditional folk arts cover the entire gamut of music, dance, drama, storytelling by itinerant troupes, etc. ''Yakshagana'' of Malnad and coastal Karnataka, a classical dance drama, is one of the major theatrical forms of Karnataka. Contemporary theatre culture in Karnataka remains vibrant with organisations like ''Ninasam'', ''Ranga Shankara'', ''Rangayana'' and ''Prabhat Kalavidaru'' continuing to build on the foundations laid by Gubbi Veeranna, T. P. Kailasam, B. V. Karanth, K V Subbanna, Prasanna and List of people from Karnataka#Theatre, others. ''Veeragase'', ''Kamsale'', ''Kolata'' and ''Dollu Kunitha'' are popular dance forms. The Kingdom of Mysore, Mysore style of ''Bharatanatyam, Bharatanatya'', nurtured and popularised by the likes of the legendary Jatti Tayamma, continues to hold sway in Karnataka, and Bangalore also enjoys an eminent place as one of the foremost centres of ''Bharatanatya''.
![Kondadakuli](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Kondadakuli.jpg)
Karnataka also has a special place in the world of Indian classical music, with both Karnataka (
Carnatic) and Hindustani music, Hindustani styles finding place in the state, and Karnataka has produced a number of List of people from Karnataka#Music, stalwarts in both styles. The Haridasa movement of the sixteenth century contributed significantly to the development of Karnataka (Carnatic) music as a performing art form. Purandara Dasa, one of the most revered Haridasas, is known as the ''Karnataka Sangeeta Pitamaha'' ('Father of Karnataka a.k.a. Carnatic music').
Celebrated Hindustani musicians like Gangubai Hangal, Mallikarjun Mansur, Bhimsen Joshi, Basavaraja Rajaguru, Sawai Gandharva and List of people from Karnataka#Classical Music – Hindustani, several others hail from Karnataka, and some of them have been recipients of the Kalidas Samman, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan awards. Noted Carnatic musicians include Violin T. Chowdiah, Veena Sheshanna, Mysore Vasudevachar, Doreswamy Iyengar and Thitte Krishna Iyengar.
''Gamaka (music), Gamaka'' is another Indian classical music, classical music music genre, genre based on Carnatic music that is practised in Karnataka. ''Bhavageete#Kannada Bhavageete, Kannada Bhavageete'' is a genre of popular music that draws inspiration from the expressionist poetry of modern poets. The Mysore school of painting has produced painters like Sundarayya, Tanjavur Kondayya, B. Venkatappa and Keshavayya.
[Kamath (2001), p. 283.] ''Chitrakala Parishat'' is an organisation in Karnataka dedicated to promoting painting, mainly in the Mysore painting style.
''Saree'' is the traditional dress of women in Karnataka. Women in Kodagu have a distinct style of wearing the ''saree'', different from the rest of Karnataka. ''Dhoti'', known as ''Panche'' in Karnataka, is the traditional attire of men. Shirt, Trousers and ''Salwar kameez'' are widely worn in Urban areas. ''Mysore Peta'' is the traditional headgear of southern Karnataka, while the ''pagadi'' or ''pataga'' (similar to the Pagri (turban)#Rajastani Pagari, Rajasthani turban) is preferred in the northern areas of the state.
Rice and ''Finger millet, Ragi'' form the staple food in South Karnataka, whereas ''Jolada rotti'', Sorghum is staple to North Karnataka. ''Bisi bele bath'', ''Jolada rotti'', ''Ragi mudde'', ''Upma, Uppittu'', ''Benne Dose'', ''Masala dosa, Masala Dose'' and ''Maddur vada, Maddur Vade'' are some of the popular food items in Karnataka. Among sweets, ''Mysore Pak'', ''Karadantu'' of Gokak and ''Hunagunda, Amingad'', ''Belgaavi Kunda'' and ''Dharwad pedha'' are popular. Apart from this, coastal Karnataka and Kodagu have distinctive cuisines of their own. Udupi cuisine of coastal Karnataka is popular all over India.
Education
![Sheeju iisc](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Sheeju_iisc.jpg)
As per the 2011 census, Karnataka had a literacy rate of 75.60%, with 82.85% of males and 68.13% of females in the state being literate.
The Indian Institute of Science and Manipal Academy of Higher Education were ranked within the top 10 universities of India by NIRF 2020. The state is home to some of the premier educational and research institutions of India such as the Indian Institute of Management, Indian Institute of Management – Bangalore, the Indian Institute of Technology Dharwad, Indian Institute of Technology – Dharwad the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences – Bangalore, the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, National Institute of Technology Karnataka – Surathkal and the National Law School of India University, National Law School of India University – Bangalore.
In March 2006, Karnataka had 54,529 primary schools with 252,875 teachers and 8.495 million students,
and 9498 secondary schools with 92,287 teachers and 1.384 million students.
There are three kinds of schools in the state, viz., government-run, private aided (financial aid is provided by the government) and private unaided (no financial aid is provided). The primary languages of instruction in most schools are
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
and English language, English.
![Karnataka stats](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Karnataka_stats.jpg)
The syllabus taught in the schools is either of Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board, KSEEB (SSLC) and Pre-university course, Pre-University Couse (PUC) of the State Syllabus, the Central Board of Secondary Education, CBSE of the Central Syllabus, Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, CISCE, International General Certificate of Secondary Education, IGCSE, International Baccalaureate, IB, National Institute of Open Schooling, NIOS, etc., are all defined by the Department of Public Instruction of the Government of Karnataka. The state has two Sainik Schools – Sainik School Kodagu, Kodagu Sainik School in Kodagu and Sainik School Bijapur, Vijayapura Sainik School in Vijayapura.
To maximise attendance in schools, the Karnataka Government has launched a mid-day meal scheme in government and aided schools in which free lunch is provided to the students.
SSLC, Statewide board examinations are conducted at the end of secondary education. Students who qualify are allowed to pursue a two-year Pre University Course, pre-university course, after which they become eligible to pursue bachelor's degree, under-graduate degrees.
There are 481-degree colleges affiliated with one of the universities in the state, viz. Bangalore University, Rani Channamma University, Belagavi, Gulbarga University, Karnatak University, Kuvempu University, Mangalore University and Mysore University.
In 1998, the engineering colleges in the state were brought under the newly formed Visvesvaraya Technological University headquartered in Belgaum, whereas the medical colleges are run under the jurisdiction of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences headquartered in Bangalore. Some of these baccalaureate colleges are accredited with the status of a deemed university. There are 186 engineering, 39 medical and 41 dental colleges in the state. Udupi, Sringeri, Gokarna, India, Gokarna and Melkote are well-known places of Sanskrit and Veda, Vedic learning. In 2015 the Central Government decided to establish the first Indian Institute of Technology in Karnataka at
Dharwad
Dharwad (), also known as Dharwar, is a city located in the north western part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Dharwad district of Karnataka and forms a contiguous urban area with the city of Hubballi. It was merge ...
. Tulu and Konkani languages are taught as an optional subject in the twin districts of
Dakshina Kannada
Dakshina Kannada district is a district of Karnataka state in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangalore. It is part of the larger Tulu Nadu region. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east ...
and Udupi.
Christ University, Jain University, CMR University, Dayananda Sagar University, PES University and REVA University are notable private universities in Karnataka.
On 9 February 2022, Karnataka shut its schools for three days after the regional administration-backed schools imposed a 2022 Karnataka hijab row, hijab ban, leading to widespread protests and violence. Other universities in the state began enforcing prohibitions after Hindu students, supported by right-wing Hindu groups, argued that if hijabs were allowed in classrooms, they should wear saffron shawls. On 5 February 2022, the Karnataka state government advised colleges to guarantee that "clothes which disturb equality, integrity, and public law and order should not be worn" in apparent support of schools' ability to enforce a ban.
Media
The era of Kannada newspapers started in the year 1843 when Hermann Mögling, a missionary from Basel Mission, published the first Kannada newspaper called ''Mangaluru Samachara'' in Mangalore. The first Kannada periodical, ''Mysuru Vrittanta Bodhini'' was started by Bhashyam Bhashyacharya in Mysore. Shortly after Indian independence in 1948, K. N. Guruswamy founded ''The Printers (Mysuru) 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.
A vast number of weekly, biweekly and monthly magazines are under publication in both Kannada and English. ''Udayavani'', ''Kannadaprabha'', ''Samyukta Karnataka'', ''VarthaBharathi'', ''Sanjevani'', ''Eesanje'', ''Hosa digantha'', ''Karavali Ale'' are also some popular dailies published from Karnataka.
Doordarshan is the broadcaster of the Government of India and its channel DD Chandana is dedicated to Kannada. Prominent List of Kannada language television channels, Kannada channels include Colors Kannada, Zee Kannada, Star Suvarna and Udaya TV.
Karnataka occupies a special place in the history of Indian radio. In 1935, ''Aakashvani'', the first private radio station in India, was started by Prof. M.V. Gopalaswamy in Mysore.
[Named by Na. Kasturi, a popular Kannada writer ] The popular radio station was taken over by the local municipality and later by All India Radio (AIR) and moved to Bangalore in 1955. Later in 1957, AIR adopted the original name of the radio station, ''Aakashavani'' as its own. Some of the popular programs aired by AIR Bangalore included ''Nisarga Sampada'' and ''Sasya Sanjeevini'' which were programs that taught science through songs, plays, and stories. These two programs became so popular that they were translated and broadcast in 18 different languages and the entire series was recorded on cassettes by the Government of Karnataka and distributed to thousands of schools across the state.
Karnataka has witnessed a growth in FM radio channels, mainly in the cities of Bangalore, Mangalore and Mysore, which has become hugely popular.
Sports
![Former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Former_Indian_cricketer_Anil_Kumble.jpg)
Karnataka's smallest district, Kodagu district, Kodagu, is a major contributor to Field hockey in India, Indian field hockey, producing numerous players who have represented India at the international level. The annual Kodava Hockey Festival is the largest hockey tournament in the world. Bangalore has hosted a Women's Tennis Association, WTA tennis event and, in 1997, it hosted the fourth National Games of India.
The Sports Authority of India, the premier sports institute in the country, and the Nike, Inc, Nike Tennis Academy are also situated in Bangalore. Karnataka has been referred to as the cradle of Indian swimming because of its high standards in comparison to other states.
![Test Match Cricket India Vs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Test_Match_Cricket_India_Vs._Pakistan.jpg)
One of the most popular sports in Karnataka is cricket. Karnataka cricket team, The state cricket team has won the Ranji Trophy seven times, second only to Mumbai cricket team, Mumbai in terms of success. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore regularly hosts International cricket, international Cricket matches and is also the home of the National Cricket Academy, which was opened in 2000 to nurture potential international players. Many Karnataka cricket team#Famous players, cricketers have represented India national cricket team, India and in one international match held in the 1990s; players from Karnataka composed the majority of the national team.
[Sujith Somasunder, Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath, Sunil Joshi, Anil Kumble and Venkatesh Prasad, all from Karnataka played in this match: ][Vijay Bharadwaj, Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath, Sunil Joshi, Anil Kumble and Venkatesh Prasad, all from Karnataka played in this match: ] The Royal Challengers Bangalore, an Indian Premier League franchise, the Bengaluru Football Club, an Indian Super League franchise, the Bengaluru Yodhas, a Pro Wrestling League franchise, the Bengaluru Blasters, a Premier Badminton League franchise and the Bengaluru Bulls, a Pro Kabaddi League franchise are based in Bangalore. The Karnataka Premier League is an inter-regional Twenty20 cricket tournament played in the state.
Notable sportsmen from Karnataka include B.S. Chandrasekhar, Roger Binny, E. A. S. Prasanna, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Rahul Dravid, Venkatesh Prasad, Robin Uthappa, Vinay Kumar, Gundappa Vishwanath, Syed Kirmani, Stuart Binny, K. L. Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Ashwini Ponnappa, Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna, Prakash Padukone who won the All England Badminton Championships in 1980 and Pankaj Arjan Advani, Pankaj Advani who has won three world titles in cue sports by the age of 20 including the amateur World Snooker Championship in 2003 and the World Billiards Championship in 2005.
Bijapur district, Karnataka, Bijapur district has produced some of the best-known road cyclists in the national circuit. Premalata Sureban was part of the Indian contingent at the Perlis Open '99 in Malaysia. In recognition of the talent of cyclists in the district, the state government laid down a cycling track at the B.R. Ambedkar Stadium at a cost of .
Tourism
![The Chennakeshava temple at Somanathapura](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/The_Chennakeshava_temple_at_Somanathapura.jpg)
By virtue of its varied geography and long history, Karnataka hosts numerous spots of interest for tourists. There is an array of ancient sculptured temples, modern cities, scenic hill ranges, forests and beaches. Karnataka has been ranked as the fourth most popular destination for tourism among the states of India.
Karnataka has the second highest number of nationally protected monuments in India, second only to Uttar Pradesh,
in addition to 752 monuments protected by the State Directorate of Archaeology and Museums. Another 25,000 monuments are yet to receive protection.
The districts of the
Western Ghats and the southern districts of the state have popular eco-tourism locations including Kudremukh, Madikeri and
Agumbe
Agumbe is a village situated in the Thirthahalli taluka of Shimoga district, Karnataka, India. It is nestled in the thickly forested Malenadu region of the Western Ghats mountain range.
Owing to its high rainfall, it has received the epithet ...
. Karnataka has 25 wildlife sanctuaries and five national parks. Popular among them are Bandipur National Park, Bandipura National Park, Bannerghatta National Park and Nagarhole National Park. The ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire at Hampi and the monuments of Pattadakal are 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 are also popular tourist destinations. The Hoysala Empire, Hoysala temples at Belur, Karnataka, Beluru and Halebidu, which were built with Chloritic schist (soapstone) are proposed UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The Gol Gumbaz and Ibrahim Rauza are famous examples of the Deccan sultanates, Deccan Sultanate style of architecture. The monolith of Gomateshwara Bahubali at Shravanabelagola is the tallest sculpted monolith in the world, attracting tens of thousands of pilgrims during the Mahamastakabhisheka festival.
[Keay (2000), p. 324.]
![Mysore palace illuminated](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Mysore_palace_illuminated.jpg)
The waterfalls of Karnataka and Kudremukh are considered by some to be among the "1001 Natural Wonders of the World".
[Michael Bright, ''1001 Natural Wonders of the World'' by Barrons Educational Series Inc., published by Quinted Inc., 2005.] Jog Falls is List of waterfalls in India, India's tallest single-tiered waterfall with Gokak Falls, Unchalli Falls, Magod Falls, Abbey Falls and Shivanasamudra Falls among other popular waterfalls.
Several popular beaches dot the coastline, including Murudeshwara, Gokarna, India, Gokarna, Malpe and Karwar. In addition, Karnataka is home to several places of religious importance. Several Hindu temples including the famous Udupi Sri Krishna Matha, the Marikamba Temple, Sirsi, Marikamba Temple at Sirsi, Karnataka, Sirsi, the Mookambika, Kollur Mookambika Temple, the Sri Manjunatha Temple at Dharmasthala, Kukke Subramanya Temple, Janardhana and Mahakali Temple at Ambalpadi, Sharadamba Temple at Shringeri attract pilgrims from all over India. Most of the holy sites of Lingayatism, like Kudalasangama and Basavana Bagewadi, are found in northern parts of the state. Shravanabelagola, Mudabidri and Karkala are famous for Jain history and monuments. Jainism had a stronghold in Karnataka in the early medieval period with Shravanabelagola as its most important centre. The Shettihalli Rosary Church near Shettihalli, an example of French colonial Gothic architecture, is a rare example of a Christian ruin, is a popular tourist site.
Karnataka has become a center of health care tourism and has the highest number of approved health systems and alternative therapies in India. Along with some ISO 9000, ISO certified government-owned hospitals, private institutions which provide international-quality services, Hospitals in Karnataka treat around 8,000 health tourists every year.
See also
* Outline of Karnataka
* Media in Karnataka
* List of governors of Karnataka
* List of districts of Karnataka
* List of people from Karnataka
* List of butterflies of Karnataka
* List of airports in Karnataka
References
General sources
* John Keay, ''India: A History'', 2000, Grove publications, New York,
* Dr. Suryanath U. Kamath, ''Concise history of Karnataka'', 2001, MCC, Bangalore (Reprinted 2002)
* Nilakanta Sastri, K. A. (1955). ''A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar'', OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002) .
* R. Narasimhacharya, ''History of Kannada Literature'', 1988, Asian Educational Services, New Delhi, Madras, 1988, .
* K.V. Ramesh, ''Chalukyas of Vātāpi'', 1984, Agam Kala Prakashan, Delhi. . . . . .
* Malini Adiga (2006), ''The Making of Southern Karnataka: Society, Polity and Culture in the Early Medieval Period, AD 400–1030'', Orient Longman, Chennai,
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* Hermann Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund, ''A History of India'', fourth edition, Routledge, 2004,
* Foekema, Gerard [2003] (2003). ''Architecture Decorated with Architecture: Later Medieval Temples of Karnataka, 1000–1300 AD''. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. .
External links
Government
Official Site of Karnataka
General information
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{{Authority control
Karnataka,
South India, .
1956 establishments in India
States and territories established in 1956
States and union territories of India