Karnataka

Coordinates: 12°58′N 77°30′E / 12.97°N 77.50°E / 12.97; 77.50

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

State in southern India

For other uses, see Karnataka (disambiguation).

State in South India, India

Karnataka
From top, left to right: Gopura at Murdeshwar and Virupaksha Temple, Hampi
Location of Karnataka in India
Coordinates: 12°58′N 77°30′E / 12.97°N 77.50°E / 12.97; 77.50
Country	India
Region	South India
Before was	Mysore State
Formation	1 November 1956
State Legislature	Bicameral
• Council	Karnataka Legislative Council (75 seats)
• Assembly	Karnataka Legislative Assembly (224 seats)
National Parliament	Parliament of India
• Rajya Sabha	12 seats
• Lok Sabha	28 seats
High Court	Karnataka High Court
Area [3]
• Total	191,791 km2 (74,051 sq mi)
• Rank	6th
Dimensions
• Length	750 km (470 mi)
• Width	400 km (200 mi)
Elevation	460 m (1,510 ft)
Highest elevation (Mullayyana Giri[4])	1,925 m (6,316 ft)
Lowest elevation (Arabian Sea)	−1 m (−3 ft)
Population  (2011)[5]
• Total	61,130,704
• Rank	8th
• Density	320/km2 (800/sq mi)
• Urban	38.67%
• Rural	61.33%
Demonym(s)	Kannadiga (gender neutral) Kannadati (feminine)
Language
•  Karnataka Formation Day
State highway of Karnataka KA SH1 - KA SH188
List of Indian state symbols

Karnataka (/kərˈnɑːtəkə/; ISO: Karnāṭaka, Kannada pronunciation: [kɐˈɾnäːʈɐkɐ], also known as Karunāḍu), formerly Mysore State /maɪˈsɔːr/, is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, and renamed Karnataka in 1973. The state was part of the Carnatic region in British terminology. Its capital and largest city is Bengaluru (Bangalore).

Karnataka is bordered by the

Konkani, Marathi, Tulu, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kodava and Beary. Karnataka also contains some of the only villages in India where Sanskrit is primarily spoken.^[13][14][15]

Though several etymologies have been suggested for the name Karnataka, the generally accepted one is that Karnataka is derived from the Kannada words karu and nādu, meaning "elevated land". Karu Nadu may also be read as karu, meaning "black" and nadu, meaning "region", as a reference to the black cotton soil found in the Bayalu Seeme region of the state. The British used the word Carnatic, sometimes Karnatak, to describe both sides of peninsular India, south of the Krishna.^[16]

With an antiquity that dates to the paleolithic, Karnataka has been home to some of the most powerful empires of ancient and medieval India. The philosophers and musical bards patronised by these empires launched socio-religious and literary movements which have endured to the present day. Karnataka has contributed significantly to both forms of Indian classical music, the Carnatic and Hindustani traditions.

The economy of Karnataka is the fifth-largest of any Indian state with ₹20.5 trillion (US$260 billion) in gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of ₹305,000 (US$3,800).^[8] Karnataka has the fifteenth-highest ranking among Indian states in Human Development Index.^[9]

History

Main articles: History of Karnataka, Political history of medieval Karnataka, and Etymology of Karnataka

UNESCO World Heritage Site

.

Karnataka's pre-history goes back to a

Indus Valley civilisation ca. 3300 BCE.^[18][19]

Prior to the third century BCE, most of Karnataka formed part of the

Talakad as its capital.^[22][23]

These were also the first kingdoms to use

Chola Empire at the turn of the 11th century.^[34] The Cholas and the Hoysalas fought over the region in the early 12th century before it eventually came under Hoysala rule.^[34]

At the turn of the first millennium, the

Vijayanagara empire with its capital, Hosapattana (later named Vijayanagara), on the banks of the Tungabhadra River in the modern Bellary district. Under the rule of Krishnadevaraya, a distinct form of literature and architecture evolved.^[39][40] The empire rose as a bulwark against Muslim advances into South India, which it completely controlled for over two centuries.^[41][42] In 1537, Kempe Gowda I, a chieftain of the Vijayanagara Empire, widely held as the founder of modern Bangalore, built a fort and established the area around it as Bengaluru Pete.^[43]

In 1565, Karnataka and the rest of South India experienced a major geopolitical shift when the Vijayanagara empire fell to a confederation of Islamic sultanates in the

North Canara and South Canara, especially from Bardes, Goa, as a result of food shortages, epidemics and heavy taxation imposed by the Portuguese.^[49]

In the period that followed, parts of northern Karnataka were ruled by the

Haidar Ali, the commander-in-chief of the Mysore army, gained control of the region. After his death, the kingdom was inherited by his son Tipu Sultan.^[52] To contain European expansion in South India, Haidar Ali and later Tipu Sultan fought four significant Anglo-Mysore Wars, the last of which resulted in Tippu Sultan's death and the incorporation of Mysore into the British Raj in 1799.^[53] The Kingdom of Mysore was restored to the Wodeyars and Mysore remained a princely state under the British Raj.^[52]

Chief Minister Devaraj Urs

announcing the new name of the Mysore state as 'Karnataka'

As the "

Aluru Venkata Raya, S. Nijalingappa, Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Nittoor Srinivasa Rau and others carried on the struggle into the early 20th century.^[55]

After

Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya, played an important role in the development of Karnataka's strong manufacturing and industrial base.^[57][58]

Geography

Main articles: Geography of Karnataka, Rainfall in Karnataka, and List of beaches in Karnataka

The state has three principal geographical zones:

Jog Falls

, formed by Sharavathi River, are the second-highest plunge waterfalls in India.

1. The coastal region of
   Karavali and Tulu Nadu
2. The hilly Malenadu region comprising the Western Ghats
3. The
   Bayaluseeme region comprising the plains of the Deccan Plateau

The bulk of the state is in the

Lakshadweep Sea. A large number of dams and reservoirs are constructed across these rivers which richly add to the irrigation and hydroelectricity power generation capacities of the state.^{[citation needed}

]

Karnataka consists of four main types of geological formations

lateritic, black, alluvio-colluvial, forest and coastal soils.^[64]

About 38,284 km² (14,782 sq mi) of Karnataka (i.e. 16% of the state's geographic area) is covered by forests.[65]^[66] The forests are classified as reserved, protected, unclosed, village and private forests.^[65] The percentage of forested area is slightly less than the all-India average of about 23%,^[65] and significantly less than the 33% prescribed in the National Forest Policy.^[67]

Climate

Karnataka experiences four seasons. The winter in January and February is followed by summer between March and May, the

Hosanagara taluka in Shimoga district were the rainiest cities in Karnataka, situated in one of the wettest regions in the world.^[70]

The state is projected to warm about 2.0 °C (4 °F) by 2030. The monsoon is set to provide less rainfall. Agriculture in Karnataka is mostly rainfed as opposed to irrigated, making it highly vulnerable to expected changes in the monsoon.^[71] The highest recorded temperature was 45.6 °C (114 °F) in Raichuru district. The lowest recorded temperature was 2.8 °C (37 °F) at Bidar district.^[72]

Flora and fauna

Main article: Wildlife of Karnataka

The state bird, Indian roller

Bengal tigers at Bannerghatta National Park

near Bangalore

Karnataka is home to a variety of wildlife. It has a recorded forest area of 38,720 km² (14,950 sq mi) which constitutes 12.3% of the total geographical area of the state.

Kudremukh and Nagarhole.^[75] It also has 27 wildlife sanctuaries of which seven are bird sanctuaries.^[76][73]

Wild animals that are found in Karnataka include the

Emblica officinalis, Vitex altissima and Wrightia tinctoria. Wildlife in Karnataka is threatened by poaching, habitat destruction, human-wildlife conflict and pollution.^[75]

Sub-divisions

Political map of Indian state of Karnataka with the official names of its 31 districts.

Main article: List of districts of Karnataka

There are 31 districts in Karnataka. Each district (

talukas), which are governed by sub-commissioners (talukdars); sub-divisions comprise blocks (tehsils/hobli), which are governed by block development officers (tehsildars), which contain village councils (panchayats

), town municipal councils (purasabhe), city municipal councils (nagarasabhe), and city municipal corporations (mahanagara palike).

Sl. no.	Divisions	Capital	Sl. no.	Districts	Capital
1	Kitturu Karnataka	Belgaum	1	Bagalkot	Bagalkot
			2	Belgaum	Belgaum
			3	Dharwad	Dharwad
			4	Gadag	Gadag-Betageri
			5	Haveri	Haveri
			6	Uttara Kannada	Karwar
			7	Vijayapura	Vijayapura
2	Bangalore	Bangalore	8	Bangalore Urban	Bangalore
			9	Bangalore Rural	Bangalore
			10	Chikkaballapura	Chikkaballapur
			11	Chitradurga	Chitradurga
			12	Davanagere	Davanagere
			13	Kolar	Kolar
			14	Ramanagara	Ramanagara
			15	Shimoga	Shimoga
			16	Tumakuru	Tumkur
3	Kalyana Karnataka	Kalabuargi	17	Bellary	Bellary
			18	Bidar	Bidar
			19	Kalabuargi	Kalabuargi
			20	Koppal	Koppal
			21	Raichur	Raichur
			22	Yadagiri	Yadagiri
			23	Vijayanagara	Hospet
4	Mysore	Mysore	24	Chamarajanagara	Chamarajanagar
			25	Chikmagalur	Chikmagalur
			26	Dakshina Kannada	Mangalore
			27	Hassan	Hassan
			28	Kodagu	Madikeri
			29	Mandya	Mandya
			30	Mysore	Mysore
			31	Udupi	Udupi

Demographics

Main articles: Demographics of Karnataka and Karnataka ethnic groups

Rank	District	City	Population (2011)
1	Bangalore Urban	Bangalore	10,456,000
2	Dharwad	Hubballi–Dharwad	943,857
3	Mysore	Mysore	920,550
4	Belagavi	Belgaum	610,350
5	Kalaburagi	Kalaburagi	543,147
6	Dakshina Kannada	Mangalore	484,785
7	Davanagere	Davanagere	435,128
8	Bellary	Bellary	409,444
9	Vijayapura	Vijayapura	330,143
10	Shimoga	Shimoga	322,650
11	Tumakuru	Tumkur	305,821

According to the 2011 census of India,^[79] the total population of Karnataka was 61,095,297 of which 30,966,657 (50.7%) were male and 30,128,640 (49.3%) were female, or 1000 males for every 973 females. This represents a 15.60% increase over the population in 2001. The population density was 319 per km² and 38.67% of the people lived in urban areas. The literacy rate was 75.36% with 82.47% of males and 68.08% of females being literate.^[79]

In 2007 the state had a birth rate of 2.2%, a death rate of 0.7%, an infant mortality rate of 5.5% and a maternal mortality rate of 0.2%. The total fertility rate was 2.2.^[80]

Karnataka's private sector speciality health care competes with the best in the world.^[81][82] Karnataka has also established a modicum of public health services having a better record of health care and child care than most other states of India. In spite of these advances, some parts of the state still suffer from the lack of primary health care.^[83]

Religion

Main article: Religion in Karnataka

  Hinduism (84.00%)

  Islam (12.92%)

  Christianity (1.87%)

  Jainism (0.72%)

  Buddhism (0.16%)

  Sikhism (0.05%)

  Other (0.02%)

  Not religious (0.27%)

Vishnu image inside the Badami Cave Temple Complex number 3. The complex is an example of Indian rock-cut architecture

.

Jain

pilgrimage.

Dvaita or Dualistic school of Hindu philosophy – one of the three most influential Vedanta philosophies. Madhvacharya was one of the important philosophers during the Bhakti movement. He was a pioneer in many ways, going against standard conventions and norms. According to tradition, Madhvacharya is believed to be the third incarnation of Vayu (Mukhyaprana), after Hanuman and Bhima. The Haridasa devotional movement is considered one of the turning points in the cultural history of India. Over a span of nearly six centuries, several saints and mystics helped shape the culture, philosophy, and art of South India and Karnataka in particular by exerting considerable spiritual influence over the masses and kingdoms that ruled South India.^{[citation needed}

]

This movement was ushered in by the Haridasas (literally "servants of Hari") and took shape in the 13th century – 14th century CE, period, prior to and during the early rule of the Vijayanagara empire. The main objective of this movement was to propagate the Dvaita philosophy of Madhvacharya (Madhva Siddhanta) to the masses through a literary medium known as

Melkote. He came to Karnataka in 1098 CE and lived here until 1122 CE. He first lived in Tondanur and then moved to Melkote where the Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple and a well-organised matha were built. He was patronised by the Hoysala king, Vishnuvardhana.^[84]

In the twelfth century,

Lingayat faith which today counts millions among its followers.^[85]

The

Jain philosophy and literature have contributed immensely to the religious and cultural landscape of Karnataka.^{[citation needed}

]

St. Francis Xavier in 1545.^[87]

Mauryan relics at Sannati in Kalaburagi district in 1986 has proven that the Krishna River basin was once home to both Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism. There are Tibetan refugee camps in Karnataka.^{[citation needed}

]

Festivals

Balipadyami are the other major festivals of Karnataka.^{[citation needed}

]

Language

Main articles: Kannada, Kannada literature, Tulu language, Konkani language, Urdu, Kodava language, and Beary language

Kannada language

.

Cheppudira M Poonacha, The Chief Minister of erstwhile Coorg State

Kuvempu, the renowned Kannada poet and writer who wrote Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate, the state anthem of Karnataka^[96] was the first recipient of the

Kodava Alphabets Poster which is being used across Kodagu

to create awareness among the masses.

In Karnataka Konkani is mostly spoken in the Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada districts and in parts of Udupi, Konkani use the Devanagari Script (which is official)/Kannada script( Optional ) for writing as identified by government of Karnataka.^[102][103]

The Kodavas who mainly reside in the Kodagu district, speak Kodava Takk. Kodagu was a separate State with its own Chief Minister and Council of Ministers till 1956. Two regional variations of the language exist, the northern Mendale Takka and the southern Kiggaati Takka.^[104] Kodava Takk has its own script, Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy has accepted Dr IM Muthanna's Script which was developed in 1970 as the Official Script of Kodava Thakk. English is the medium of education in many schools and widely used for business communication in most private companies.^{[citation needed]}

Dr IM Muthanna, Developed Script for Kodava Thakk

in 1970

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,^[105] the Tulu Sahitya Akademi and the Kodava Sahitya Akademi promote their respective languages.^{[citation needed]}

Government and administration

Karnataka has a

Politics in Karnataka has been dominated by three political parties, the Indian National Congress, the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Bharatiya Janata Party.^[111] Politicians from Karnataka have played prominent roles in federal government of India with some of them having held the high positions of Prime Minister and Vice-President. Border disputes involving Karnataka's claim on the Kasaragod^[112] and Solapur^[113] districts and Maharashtra's claim on Belagavi are ongoing since the states reorganisation.^[114] The official emblem of Karnataka has a 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 and the body of a lion.^{[citation needed]}

Economy

Infosys, a Bengaluru-headquartered information-technology

company,

Karnataka had an estimated GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) of about US$115.86 billion in the 2014–15 fiscal year.[115] The state registered a GSDP growth rate of 7% for the year 2014–2015.^[116] Karnataka's contribution to India's GDP in the year 2014–15 was 7.54%.^[115] 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.^[117][118] 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%.^[119] In 2011–2012, Karnataka had an estimated poverty ratio of 20.91% compared to the national ratio of 21.92%.^[120]

Nearly 56% of the workforce in Karnataka is engaged in agriculture and related activities.

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.^{[123][124][125]}

Since the 1980s, Karnataka has emerged as the pan-Indian leader in the field of IT (

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.^{[131][132][133]} The state has 18,000 hectares of land under flower cultivation, an upcoming industry which supplies flowers and ornamental plants worldwide.^[134][135]

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.^[136] The coastal districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada have a branch for every 500 persons—the best distribution of banks in India.^[137] 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.^[138]

A majority of the silk industry in India is headquartered in Karnataka, much of it in Doddaballapura in Bangalore Rural district and the state government intends to invest ₹700 million (equivalent to ₹1.2 billion or US$15 million in 2020) in a "Silk City" at Muddenahalli in Chikkaballapura district.^{[139][140][141]}

Transport

Mysore airport

Karnataka has a railway network with a total length of approximately 3,089 km (1,919 mi). Until the creation of the South-Western Railway Zone headquartered at Hubballi in 2003, the railway network in the state was in the Southern 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 Zone, which is considered one of India's biggest railway projects of the century due to the difficult terrain.^[147] Bangalore and other cities in the state are well-connected with intrastate and inter-state destinations.^{[citation needed]}

Karnataka has 11

The state transport corporations, transports an average of 2.2 million passengers daily and employs about 25,000 people.[156] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Culture

A Proposed State flag for Karnataka

A yakshagana

artist

Indian Institute of Science

is one of the premier institutes of India.

In March 2006, Karnataka had 54,529 primary schools with 252,875 teachers and 8.495 million students,[165] and 9498 secondary schools with 92,287 teachers and 1.384 million students.^[165] 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 and English.^{[citation needed]}

Literacy rates of Karnataka districts^[166]

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.[167]

Christ University, Jain University, CMR University, Dayananda Sagar University, PES University and REVA University are notable private universities in Karnataka.^{[citation needed]}

On 9 February 2022, Karnataka shut its schools for three days after the regional administration-backed schools imposed a 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.^[173]

Media

The era of Kannada newspapers started in the year 1843 when

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.^[176] 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.^[176] Karnataka has witnessed a growth in FM radio channels, mainly in the cities of Bangalore, Mangalore and Mysore, which has become hugely popular.^[177][178]

Sports

Karnataka's smallest district,

M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore

.

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 ₹4 million (US$50,000).^[187]

Tourism