Karnataka
, the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It
was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States
Reorganisation Act. Originally known as the State of Mysore, it was
renamed Karnataka in 1973.
Karnataka
is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Goa to the
northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil
Nadu to the southeast, and Kerala to the southwest. The state covers an
area of 191,976 square kilometres (74,122 sq mi), or 5.83% of the total
geographical area of India. It is the eighth largest Indian state by
area, the ninth largest by population and comprises
30 districts. Kannada is the official and most widely spoken language,
and English is also valid for official use.
The
two main river systems of the state are Krishna and its tributaries
(Bhima, Ghataprabha, Vedavati, Malaprabha, and Tungabhadra) in the
north, and the Cauvery and its tributaries (Hemavati, Shimsha,
Arkavathi, Lakshmana Thirtha and Kabini) in the south. Both these rivers
flow eastward and fall into the Bay of Bengal.
TOURISM
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, unexplored
forests and endless 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
includingKudremukh, Madikeri and Agumbe. Karnataka has 25 wildlife
sanctuaries and five national parks. Popular among them are Bandipur
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 temples at Belur 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 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
theMahamastakabhisheka festival.
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, Kodavas and Konkanis. Minor populations
of Tibetan Buddhists and tribes like the Soligas,
Yeravas, Todas and Siddhis also live in Karnataka. The 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 organizations 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
andothers. Veeragase, Kamsale, Kolata and Dollu Kunitha are popular
dance forms. The Mysore style of 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 centers of Bharatanatya.
IMPORTANT CITIES IN KARNATAKA:
Bangalore
English pronunciation, also called Bengaluru is the capital of
the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City
and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan
Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is
India's third most populous city and fifth-most populous urban
agglomeration. As of 2009, Bangalore was inducted in the list of global
cities and ranked as a "Beta World City" alongside cities such
as Dallas, Miami, Boston, Kuwait City, Lima, Brasiliaand Munich in the
studies performed by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and
Network in 2008.
DHARWAD:
Dharwad
is the administrative seat of the Dharwad District. The municipality
of Hubli-Dharwad (resulting from a merger in 1961 with its twin
city Hubli, 22 kilometers away) covers an area of 200.23 km². Dharwad is
located 425 km northwest of Bangalore, on National Highway 4, the main
highway between Bangalore and Pune in Maharashtra. The climate is mildly
hot during the summer, wet during the monsoons and pleasant during
winter.
The
twin cities have a history behind them dating back to the Hoysala
period. Dharwad is famous for its contributions to Indian culture, most
notably to classical music and literature, and prestigious educational
institutions, such as the Karnataka University. The Dharwad pedha - a milk-based sweetmeat - from this town is very popular.
Today,
Dharwad is well known as a quiet and pleasant city popular with
students and pensioners. It continues to grow, with industries dotting
both its northern and southern boundaries. In the years ahead, it
promises to be a beehive of commercial activity. The location of the
city on the NH4 makes it equidistant from 2 of the most industrialised
centers in the country - Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, and Pune
the 2nd most industrialised city in Maharshtra.
MYSORE
Mysore is famous for the festivities that take place during the Dasara festival when the city receives a large number of tourists. Mysore also lends its name to the Mysore mallige, the Mysore style of painting, the sweet dish Mysore Pak, the Mysore Peta (a traditional silk turban) and the garment called the Mysore silk saree. In an exercise carried out by the Urban Development Ministry under the national urban sanitation policy, Mysore was rated the second cleanest city in India in 2010 and the cleanest in Karnataka.
BELGAUM:
Belgaum
is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state
of Karnataka,India. It is the fourth largest city of the state of
Karnataka, the first three being Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad.
It
is situated nearly 2,500 ft (762 m) above sea-level and is the
headquarters of Belgaum district, which borders the states of
Maharashtra and Goa. Belgaum is also the headquarters for the Belgaum
division. The division comprises the districts of Bagalkot, Belgaum,
Bijapur, Dharwad - Hubli, Gadag,Haveri, and Uttara Kannada. The
Government of Karnataka has proposed making Belgaum the second capital
of the State of Karnataka with the recently upcoming second state
administrative building Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.
MANGALORE
Mangalore
is the chief port city of theIndian state of Karnataka. It is located
about 350 kilometres (220 mi) west of the state capital, Bangalore.
Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain
ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada
(formerly South Canara) district in south western Karnataka.
Mangalore
derives its name from the local Hindu Goddess Mangaladevi. It developed
as a port on the Arabian Sea—remaining, to this day, a major port of
India. Lying on the backwaters of the Netravati and Gurupura rivers,
Mangalore is often used as a staging point for sea traffic along the
Malabar Coast. The city has a tropical climate and lies in the path of
the Arabian Sea branch of the South-West monsoons. Mangalore's port
handles 75% of India's coffee exports and the bulk of the nation's
cashew exports.
Mangalore
was ruled by several major powers, including the Kadambas, Vijayanagar
dynasty, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, and the Portuguese. The city
was a source of contention between the British and the Mysore rulers,
Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. Eventually annexed by the British in 1799,
Mangalore remained part of the Madras Presidency until India's
independence in 1947. The city was unified with the state of Mysore (now
calledKarnataka) in 1956.
Mangalore
is demographically diverse with several languages, including Tulu,
Konkani, Kannada, and Beary commonly spoken, and is the largest city
ofTulu Nadu region. The city's landscape is characterized by rolling
hills, coconut palms, freshwater streams, and hard red-clay tiled-roof
buildings. In an exercise carried out by the Urban Development Ministry
under the national urban sanitation policy, Mangalore was placed as the
8th cleanest city in the country. In Karnataka, it is second after
Mysore.
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