KARNATAKA
Karnataka is a land of fragrance - fragrance of enchanting perfume of sandal and
agarbathis, the aroma of fresh roasted coffee beans, the head fragrance of the
Mysore Mallige and thousands of roses blossoming. Ancient sculptured temples,
magnificent palaces, ornate buildings and colourful festivals blend beautifully
with the evergreen forests, golden beaches, orange groves and garden cities to
form this exquisite land.
Area |
1,91,791 Sq. km. |
Capital |
Bangalore |
Boundaries |
East- Andhra Pradesh West - Goa and the Arabian Sea, South
- Kerala and Karnataka, North - Maharashtra . |
Language |
Kannada |
Airports |
Bangolare, Mangalore, Hubli and Belgaum. |
Population |
44,850,000 aprrox. |
Literacy Ratio |
56% |
No. of Districts |
20 |
Minerals
| Iron Ore, Copper, Manganese, China clay, Limestone,
Chromite, Gold
|
Major Cities |
Bangalore, Mangalore, Mysore, Hubli, Belgaum |
Crops
| Rice, Maize, Raji, Bajra, Jowar, Cardomom, Apricot, Coconut, Cotton,
Groundnut, Chillies, Sugar-cane, Tobacco, Castor seeds, Tea
|
Roads |
Karnataka had 1,37,520 km (1996-97) of motorable roads
including 1,997 km of national highways. The surfaced road length with
87,000 km constituted 65% of the total road length.
|
The name Karnataka is derived from
Karunadu, literally lofty
land. The history of Karnataka dates back to the period of epics. The capital of
Bali and Sugreeva, 'Monkey Kings' of the Ramayana is said to have been Hampi
in the Bellary district. In the 4'th century BC, a local dynasty
Satavahana came to power and his dynasty's rule lasted nearly 300 years.
With the disintegration of the Satavahana dynasty, the Kadambas came to
power in the north, and the Gangas in the south of the state. The gigantic
monolithic statue of Gomateswara is considered to be the monument of the
Ganga period. The Chalukyas of Badami (500 to 735 AD) ruled over a wider
area, from the Narmada to the Kaveri from the days of Pulikeshi II (609 to
642 AD) who had even defeated Harshvardhana of Kannauj. This dynasty
created fine monuments at Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal, both structural
and rock-cut. Aihole has been one of the cradles of temple architecture
in the country. The Rastrakatas (753-973 AD) of Malkhed who succeeded
them levied tribute on the rulers of Kannauj successively in the so-called
Age of 'Imperial Kannauj'. Kannada literature developed in this period.
Outstanding Jain scholars of India lived in their court. The Chalukyas of
Kalyana (973 to 1189 AD) and their feudatories, the Hoysalas of Halebidu
built fine temples, encouraged literature and fine arts. Noted jurist
Vijnaneshwara (work-Mitakshara) lived at Kalyana. The great religious
leader Basaveshwara was a minister at Kalyana. Vijaynagar empire (1136 to
1646 AD) fostered indigenous traditions and encouraged arts religion and
literature in Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil. Overseas trade
flourished. The Bahamani Sultans (Capital-Gulbarga, later Bidar and
Bijapur) Adilshahis raised fine Indo-Saranic buildings and encouraged Urdu
and Persian literature. Advent of the Portuguese resulted in the
introduction of new crops (tobacco, chilies, potato etc.). After the
fall of Peshwa (1818 AD) and Tipu (1799 AD) Karnataka came under the
British.
After independence, the new united Mysore State was created in 1956 and
was renamed Karnataka in 1973 AD.
Bangalore
Government Museums - Cubbon Park, Karnataka Government Museum and Venkatappa Art
Gallery, Visvesvarya Industrial and Technological Museum
Bijapur Archaeological Museum
Halebid Archaeological Museum
Hampi Archaeological Museum
Srirangapatanam Tipu Sultan
Museum
Mysore Sri Chamarajendra Art Gallery - Jagan Mohan Palace, Museum of Art
and Archaeology - University of Mysore, Folklore Museums - University of
Mysore.
Kammanagudi
: (1434 m) Railhead - Terikere 38 km
Madikere
: (1170
m) Railhead - Mysore 120km
Nandi Hills
: (1479 m) Railhead - Bangalore 60 km
Bijapur :
Ibrahim Rauza, tomb of Ibrahim Adil
Shahi.
Dharmasthala :
Temple of Manjunatha (Shiva), Gomateshwara statue and Jain centre.
Gokarna
: There is a Shiva temple with Atmalinga worshipped by
Ravana.
Mysore :
Chamundeswari
temple on the top of Chamundi hill.
Pattadakal :
Sangameswara temple.
Shivanga :
Temple dedicated to Gangadhara and Honna Devi.
Soundatti :
Temple of Renuka or Yellamma.
Sringeri :
Spot on the banks of Tunga river where Adi Shankaracharya established the first
math.
Talakaveri :
Source of Kaveri river.
Udipi : Krishna
Temple and seat of the eight mathas founded by Madhvacharya.
Whitefield
: Satya Sai Baba Ashram.
Hotels in
Karnataka
Badami
Hotels ::
Bandipur
hotels ::
Bangalore
Hotels ::
Dandeli
Hotels ::
Mangalore
Hotels ::
Mysore
Hotels
Tourist
Destination of Karnataka
Bangalore
:: Hassan
:: Badami
:: Bijapur
:: Mysore
Temples in
Karnataka
Cave
Temple ::
Vidhana
Soudha ::
Iskcon
Temple ::
Shravanabelagola
Beaches in
Karnataka
Malpe
Beach :: Karwar
:: Gokarna
:: Marwanthe
:: Mangalore
|