Karnataka ethnic groups

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Cowbells collected from various regions of Karnataka being played at Janapada Loka
Part of
Culture of Karnataka
Emblem of Karnataka
History


Vijayanagara:
(

Military. Haridasa. Battle of Raichur. Battle of Talikota
)

Sultanate
:
People
Languages

Dialects:
(Kundagannada. Havigannada. Arebhashe)

In cities:
(
Mangalore Kannada
)
Mythology
Cuisine
Festivals
Religion

Jainism:
(In Karnataka. In North Karnataka. Jain Bunt)
Art
  • Tourism:
    (
    Mysore
    )
Literature
Music and Performing arts
Media
Sport
  • Tennis:
    (
    Bangalore Open
    )
  • Badminton:
    (CBL)
Monuments
  • National interest monuments:
    (
    North Kanara. Raichur
    )
Symbols
Organisations

2011 census is the mother tongue of 66.5% of the population.[1] Various ethnic groups with origins in other parts of India have unique customs and use languages at home other than Kannada, adding to the cultural diversity of the state. Significant linguistic minorities in the state in 2011 included speakers of Urdu (10.8%), Telugu (5.8%), Tamil (3.5%), Marathi (3.4%), Hindi (3.2%), Tulu (2.6%), Konkani (1.3%) and Malayalam (1.3%).[1]

Kannadiga

Main article:
Kannadiga

Kannadigas form the dominant ethnic group in Karnataka, making up to 67% of the total population of the state.

official languages of India and the official and administrative language of the state of Karnataka.[2] Based on the recommendations of the Committee of Linguistic Experts, appointed by the Ministry of Culture, the Government of India officially recognised Kannada as a classical language.[3][4]

Tuluva people

Main article:
Tuluva

Tuluvas are the native speakers of Tulu language. They form the dominant ethnic community in the district of Dakshina Kannada of Karnataka, which is often termed as a single region called as Tulu Nadu. Yakshagana, Nagaradhane, Bootha Kola and Aati kalenja are the distinctive features of Tuluva culture. Tuluvas follow a matrilineal system of inheritance known as Aliyasantana which has given them a unique cultural status. As per the 2011 census, Tuluvas formed 2.61% of the total population of the state.[1]

Konkani people

Main article: Konkani people

The speakers of

Konkani language are widely settled in the districts of Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada (Udupi and Dakshina Kannada were the erstwhile South Canara district).[5] In Karwar Taluk (Uttara Kannada district) alone, Konkani language is spoken by about 78% of the population.[5] Significant population of Konkani people has also settled in Belgaum, Sirsi and Bangalore.[5] As per the 2011 census, speakers of Konkani form 1.29% of the total population of the state.[1] In Karnataka, which has the largest number of Konkanis, leading organizations and activists have similarly demanded that Kannada script be made the medium of instruction for Konkani in local schools instead of Devanagari.[6]
Most Konkani-speaking people of the state are bilingual in Kannada and Tulu.

Kodava people

Main article: Kodava people
Dolls in Kodava attire

Kodava people are the native speakers of

Kodava language and are of a martial race mainly settled in the district of Kodagu.[7] As per the 2011 census, the speakers of Kodava Takk make up up to 0.18% of the total population of the state.[1] According to Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy, apart from Kodavas, 18 other ethnic groups speak Kodava Takk in and outside the district including Heggade, Iri, Koyava, Banna, kudiya, Kembatti, and Meda.[8]

First script for Kodava Thakk was found at Bhagamandala inscription dating back to 1370 AD. Later in the year 1887 Dr. Koravanda Appaiah invented a script for Kodava Thakk, Followed by Dr I.M.Muthanna in 1970, Kiran Subbaiah in 1980, Ponjanda Appaiah in 2003, Dr. Cox in 2005, Charles Henry in 2008.

A meeting which was held on 21 February 2022 by Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy at Madikeri officially accepted Dr. IM Muthanna's script as the official script of Kodava Thakk. Thus, ending the debate for the need of a script for Kodava Thakk. Muthanna's script is widely used among masses in Kodagu. Kodava Script is used by a number of individuals in Kodagu.[9]

Lambani language

The Lambani language is a Rajasthani language spoken by the Banjara community. Lambanis are associated with the salt trade. They are a major minority in Uttar Karnataka District, in Bidar, Kalburgi, Vijayapura, Gadag, Haveri, Koppal ,Vijayanagara, Raichur and Yadgiri. They also form a major minority in South Karnataka, in Davangere, Shimoga, Chitradurga, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Tumkur.

Deccani people

Main articles:
Deccani Urdu

In Karnataka, Urdu is spoken in the form of

Dakhni, as in the other states of Deccan
. People speaking Urdu as their mother tongue form the second largest ethnic group in Karnataka (10.83% of the total population as per the 2011 census[update]),
Muslims (constituting 85.6% of the Muslim population in Karnataka in the 1991 census[10]
). Places in Karnataka like
Sultanate period served as the centres of Dakhni literature from 14th - 17th century. These literary activities led to the development of Urdu during the late Mughal period after the conquest of Bijapur in 1686 CE. The concentration of speakers of Urdu shows an uneven distribution over different districts in Karnataka. The difference in the numerical strength of Urdu speakers varies from a few hundred to thousands.[10] Almost 57.5% of the total Urdu population in Karnataka are bilingual. Kannada is the most preferred language among the Urdu speakers of Karnataka. About 43.5% of the total Urdu population has bilingualism in Kannada.[10]

Marathi people

Main article: Marathi people

Marathi people are the native speakers of the

States Reorganisation Act (1956), which reorganised India's states along linguistic lines, despite having a significant Marathi-speaking population;[11] two-thirds of the total population.[12] There are also considerable number of Marathi-speakers in Bangalore city.[13]

Telugu people

Main article: Telugu people

As per the 2011 census, speakers of Telugu formed the third largest ethnic group in Karnataka (5.84% of the total population).[1] The speakers of Telugu language form the native ethnic group of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the neighbouring states of Karnataka. Telugu is the official language of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states spoken by 88.5% of the population. Telugu is the third most spoken language in India.[14] The Indian government designated Telugu as a classical and ancient language on 1 November 2008.[15] Telugu and Kannada share a long relationship, both having a similar script and culture, although the state of Karnataka was only formed after Independence. Most of the districts in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka border were always a mix of Telugu and Kannada populations who were bilingual similar to few places in Andhra Pradesh. Telugu and Kannada inscriptions forming historical evidences dating back to many centuries have been found along the regions that form the current border of these two states. There are significant populations of original Karnataka Telugu speakers in the eastern districts of Karnataka that form the border with Andhra Pradesh. viz.

Bellary City has 28.06% of Telugu Speakers of their total populations which is the Highest percentage and density in the state of Karnataka.[17]
The recent migrants from Andhra Pradesh speak Telugu while older migrants are bilingual in both Telugu and Kannada.

Tamil people

See also:
Tigala, Bangalore Karaga, Bangalore Tamil dialects, Hebbar Iyengar, Tamil inscriptions of Bangalore, and 1991 anti-Tamil violence in Karnataka
Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form of India which has its origin in south India, and it is immensely popular in Karnataka as well.

Tamil people are the native speakers of the

scheduled languages of India and the first Indian language to be declared as a classical language by the government of India in 2004. Tamil is also spoken by significant minorities in Malaysia, Myanmar, Mauritius, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago and Réunion as well as emigrant communities around the world.[18]

In Karnataka, Tamil speakers form 3.45% of the total population of the state.

Ramanujacharya. Most Iyengars in Karnataka use sub-dialects of Iyengar Tamil
.

After the fall of Tipu Sultan, a large British Army presence in the Cantonment area (Bangalore) attracted speakers of Tamil, who either were attached to the military or were military suppliers. The area was administered directly by the Madras Presidency, and was handed over to the Mysore State only in 1949.[13] Today, the erstwhile Cantonment area of Bangalore comprising Ulsoor, Shivajinagar, Benson Town, Richard's Town, Frazer Town, Austin Town, Richmond Town, Cox Town, Murphy Town and others still boast a large Tamil populace.[13] The boom in the textile industry in the early part of 20th Century also witnessed migration from the Madras Presidency. Some of the very well known mills of the time employed Tamil-speaking people in large numbers, who settled down in areas in and around Bangalore[13]

Tamil-speaking people are largely found in the districts of

Bhadravathi, third in Mysore and Shimoga, fourth in Davanagere and fifth in Mangalore.[23]
The districts, according to the 1971 census, where the largest proportion of Karnataka's Tamil population live are Bangalore (53.7 percent of the Tamil-speaking population of Karnataka), Kolar (14 percent) and Mysore (8.6 percent).

There are also Tamil families from

Dakshina Kannada district and are currently working in rubber plantations in the district.[24][25][26]

Malayali people

Main article:
Malayali

Malayalis are the native speakers of the

Malayalam language, which has official status in the state of Kerala, and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry.[27][28]

As per the 2011 census[update], Malayalis form 1.27% of the total population of the state

Kodagu.[29][30][31][32] In the early part of the 20th century, a large number of traders from the Malabar region settled in Bangalore for business reasons. It is also evident that Kodagu-Malabar association is ancient by the fact that people of Kodagu worshipped gods and goddesses common to the Malabari Malayali people.[30]

Others

Entrance to golden temple, Bylakuppe

Other ethnic groups settled in Karnataka include

Sindhis (0.03%).[1]

Another minor ethnic group are the

Beary bashe, a language made of Malayalam idioms with Tulu phonology and grammar.[34] This dialect was traditionally known as Mappila Malayalam because of Bearys' close contact with Mappilas.[34] Due to vast influence of Tulu for centuries, it is today considered as a language, close to both Malayalam and Tulu.[34] The word Beary is said to be derived from the Tulu word byara which means trade or business, as this community were primarily traders. Since the major portion of this community people were involved in business activities, the local Tulu-speaking majority called them Beary or Byari.[35]

There is a small Tibetan settlement in Bylakuppe, in Mysore district. This was the first and largest of the intentional Tibetan settlements in India, and was created in response to accommodate fleeing Tibetans due to the Chinese occupation of their homeland. The camp is home to some 14,000 Tibetans.[36]

The

Belgaum district. These people have African ancestry, as a majority of these people were said to have come from Goa, where they were imported from East Africa (mainly Mozambique) by the Portuguese as slaves.[37] They speak Are Marathi, a mixture of Marathi with the Konkani and Kannada languages.[37]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Karnataka Population". populationU. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  2. ^ "The Karnataka Official Language Act" (PDF). Official website of Department of Parliamentary Affairs and Legislation. Government of Karnataka. Retrieved 29 June 2007.
  3. ^ "Declaration of Telugu and Kannada as classical languages". Press Information Bureau. Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2008.
  4. ^ "Kannada gets classical tag". DH News Service. Deccanhearld.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2008.
  5. ^
    ISBN 9788172016647
    .
  6. ^ The Hindu : Karnataka / Mangalore News : `Kannada script must be used to teach Konkani'
  7. ^ "Kodava-speaking people seek one identity". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 11 January 2005. Retrieved 5 December 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ "Will Kodava find a place in Eighth Schedule?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ "Debate on Kodava script continues". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) German multi-linguist devises a script with 34 alphabets
  10. ^ a b c A. R. Fatihi. "Urdu in Karnataka". Language in India, Volume 2: 2002-12-09. M. S. Thirumalai, Managing Editor, Language in India. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  11. ^ Girish Kuber (28 November 2005). "District's always been bone of contention". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2006.
  12. ^ Jaishankar Jayaramaiah (21 November 2005). "Karnataka caught in 'language' web". The Financial express. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 1 November 2006.
  13. ^ a b c d Sharath S. Srivatsa. "Bangalore calling: it all goes way back…". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 January 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ^ "Comparative Ranking of Scheduled Languages in Descending Order of Speakers' Strength - 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001". Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. 2001. Archived from the original on 18 November 2008. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  15. ^ "Telugu, Kannada get classical tag". The Times of India. 1 November 2008. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  16. ^ "Greater academic exchange between Kannada and Telugu proposed". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 7 November 2008. Archived from the original on 8 November 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
  17. ^ "The many tongues of Bengaluru". The Hindu. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  18. ^ Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International.
  19. ^
    ISBN 8125022546
    .
  20. ISBN 8183241077
    .
  21. ^ "Riots police guard Bangalore over India water dispute". Reuters. 5 February 2007.
  22. BBC
    .
  23. ^ P. Padmanabha. Census of India, 1971. Manager of Publications. pp. 668–669.
  24. ^ "Sri Lankan Tamil repatriates to finally get caste certificates". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  25. ^ "Rubber Boom Raises Hope of Repatriates". Counter Currents. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  26. ^ "Unsettled still". Sunday Times.Lk. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  27. ^ "Malayalam". Ethnologue. Retrieved 28 May 2007.
  28. ^ "Principal languages of Pondicherry". Retrieved 3 December 2009.
  29. ^ "karnatakavision.com".
  30. ^ a b "Kodagu-Kerala association is ancient". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 26 November 2008. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012.
  31. ^ "Virajpet Kannada Sahitya Sammelan on 19 January". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 9 December 2008. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012.
  32. ^ "Govt. to start cultural centres". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 January 2002.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  33. ^ "World Beary meet next year". The Hindu. 9 October 2009.
  34. ^
    ISBN 81-86668-06-3
  35. ^ Ahmed Noori, Maikala p.17 (1960)
  36. ^ "Tibetan Refugees in India". Seekers of Refuge in a Land of No Return: Conversations with Tibetan Refugees in Bylakuppe
  37. ^
    ISBN 9788125004851
    .
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