Karnataka
(
Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) (
IPA: / /) is one of the four
southern states of
India. The modern state of Karnataka came into existence with the passage of the
States Reorganisation Act (1956), with the incorporation of districts under the dominion of
Bombay,
Hyderabad,
Madras State and
Coorg within the existing state of
Mysore State. Karnataka's capital,
Bangalore, is the only city in the state with a population of more than 6 million. Other major cities include
Mysore,
Mangalore,
Hubli-Dharwad,
Davanagere,
Bellary,
Hassan,
Hospet and
Belgaum. Kannada is the official language of the state. Karnataka is the 8th largest Indian state by area and 9th largest by population.
Neolithic habitation and
celts dating back to the 2nd century
BCE were first discovered in Karnataka in 1872.
Megalithic structures and burial grounds were discovered in 1862 in the regions of
Kodagu and
Moorey Betta hills. By the third century BCE, most of Karnataka was part of the
Mauryan Empire, ruled by
Emperor Ashoka. In the first
millennium CE, Karnataka was ruled by a series of
Jain/
Vaishnavite/
Hindu Dynasties such as the
Kadambas, the
Ganga Dynasty and the
Chalukyas and
Rashtrakutas. The Kannada Empire was expanded and consolidated by the
Hoysala Empire and further by the
Vijayanagara Empire, before the
Mughal Conquest in the 18th century. The rule of the state changed hands from the
Wodeyars to
Haidar Ali and
Tipu Sultan before being incorporated into the
British Raj, at the turn of the 19th century. Karnataka lies in the
Deccan Plateau and borders with
Maharashtra,
Andhra Pradesh,
Tamil Nadu and
Kerala. A large proportion of Karnataka's economy, India's fifth largest, is
agrarian. Bangalore, the
Forth-most populous city in India, accounts for 35% of India's
software exports, and is also a major base for
public sector manufacturing industries. Karnataka is the only exporter of
sandalwood in India. Bangalore also has the most amount of tourism of the region.
Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) was once the only producer of gold in the country. The gold mines in KGF are now closed.
Several
etymologies have been suggested for the name Karnataka. One accepted derivative comes from the Kannada words
karu and
nādu meaning
elevated land. During the
British Raj, the words
Carnatic or
Karnatak were used to describe this part of the region in general. Another etymological derivative of the name comes from
lear or
black — a reference to the
black cotton soil of the region
[http://19.1911encyclopedia.org/C/CA/CARNATIC.htm]. Historically, the names
Karnatak or
Carnatic have been misapplied to refer to the regions below the
Western Ghats (
Coorg and
Kerala) as well as regions in present day
Andhra Pradesh (
Telingana)
[http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V09_308.gif]. Mysore state was renamed
Karnataka in 1973.
Antiquity of Name
The earliest known references to
Karnataka are found in the
Sabha Parva and the
Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata. Scholars Panini( 520"460 BC), Mrichchakatika and Kathasritsagara make references to
Karnataka in their ancient works. The
Matsya Purana,
Skanda Purana and the
Markandeya Purana also make references to the name
Karnataka. Later, in the 5th century CE. the term
Karnataka is used by the
astrologer Varaha Mihira in his work
Brihatkatha and the Birur plates of
Kadamba Vishnuvarma call Shantivarma
The master of the entire Karnataka region. In the 7th century CE.
Rashtrakuta inscriptions refer to the armies of
Chalukyas of Badami as
Karnatakabala. The Tamil classic
Sillapadikaram of the same time period calls the people of present day Karnataka region as
' Karunatakars. In the 9th century CE. the Kannada classic
Kavirajamarga hails the entire region between Kaveri and Godavari as
Karnata. In the 13th century CE. Andayya's works use the same terminology. In the late 16th century, a Telugu work
Vasucharitamu refers to Tirumala Deva Raya (1570 CE), the first of the Aravidu (Aravithi) line of rulers of the late
Vijayanagar Empire as the reviver of the
Karnata empire. All this clearly shows that the name
Karnataka has been in usage consistently since ancient times.
Evidence of
Neolithic habitation of areas in modern Karnataka and
celts dating back to the 2nd century
BCE were first discovered in 1872. There are reports that a polished
stone axe was discovered at Lingsugur in the
Raichur district; however the authenticity of these reports remains unverifiable.
[http://www.hindu.com/2005/01/10/stories/2005011001090500.htm] Megalithic structures and burial grounds were discovered in 1862 in the regions of
Kodagu and
Moorey Betta hills, while
Neolithic sites were discovered in north Karnataka. Scholarly hypothesis postulates of contacts between the
Indus Valley city of
Harappa in 3000 BCE, citing the discovery of gold found in the Harappan sites that was imported from mines in Karnataka.
In the third century BCE, most of Karnataka was part of the
Mauryan Empire, ruled by
Emperor Ashoka. Rock
edicts of Ashoka, written in
Prakrit, were discovered in
Chitradurga and Raichur. In the
4th century BCE, a local dynasty called
Satavahana came to power and its rule lasted nearly 3 centuries. The disintegration of the Satavahana dynasty led to the ascent of the Banavasi
Kadambas(325-540 CE) in north Karnataka, and the
Ganga Dynasty (325-550 CE) in the south of the region. These were the first kingdoms to give official status to Kannada language as evidenced by the
Halmidi inscription of 450 A.D., attributed to King Kakusthavarma of the Kadamba dynasty. Also, recent discovery of 5th century A.D. copper coin in Banavasi, ancient capital of the Kadambas, with Kannada script inscription on it, further proves the usage of Kannada at an official level.[
1]
They continued their rule as
fiduciaries of larger empires such as the
Chalukyas and
Rashtrakutas for another six hundred years, during which time Kannada literature and a new style of architecture called the
vesara style was born and evolved. Eclectic Chalukyan style temples in
Pattadakal,
Aihole,
Badami,
Ellora and
Gadag were conceived during this time. Nripa Kama established the
Hoysala Empire at the turn of the millennium. Art and architecture flourished in the region during the time that resulted in the construction of temples and sculptures in
Halebid and
Belur. The expansion of the Hoysala Empire brought parts of modern Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu under their rule. In the 14th century the
Vijayanagar Empire was established by Harihara and Bukka Raya, sons of the last Hoysala King
Veera Ballala III, with its capital at
Hampi. The Vijayanagara Kings fostered traditions and encouraged arts, religion and literature in
Sanskrit,
Kannada and
Telugu. The
Bahmani sultans of
Gulbarga and the
Adil Shahi sultans of
Bijapur ruled over the region after the defeat and disintegration of the Vijayanagara Empire in battle. The Bahamani rules encouraged
Urdu and Persian literature and
Islamic architecture. The
Gol Gumbaz was constructed during this time. With the defeat of the Bahmani sultans, the entire region came into the dominion of the
Mughal Empire.
The
Wodeyars of Mysore, former vassals of the Vijayanagara Empire, leased the state from the Mughal king
Aurangzeb in the 15th century. With the death of
Krishnaraja Wodeyar II,
Haider Ali, the
Commander-in-Chief of the Mysore Army, assumed control over the region, until the rule of the kingdom was passed to
Tipu Sultan, after Haider Ali's death. In attempting to contain
European expansion in South India, Tipu Sultan, known as the
Tiger of Mysore fought four significant
Anglo-Mysore Wars, the last of which resulted in his death and the incorporation of Mysore into the
British Raj. After Indian independence, the
Wodeyar Maharaja acceded to India. In
1950,
Mysore became an Indian state, and the former Maharaja became its
rajpramukh, or governor, until 1975. The
States Reorganisation Act of 1956 provided for parts of
Coorg,
Madras,
Hyderabad, and
Bombay states to be incorporated into the state of Mysore. Mysore state was renamed
Karnataka in 1973.
The impact of kingdoms of Karnataka origin have been felt over most parts of India. The
Sena Dynasty of Bengal called themselves
Karnata Kshatriyas, the
Karnatas of Mithila ruled over present day Bihar called themselves
Karnata Vamsha. The
Chindaka Nagas of centra India, Gangas of Kalinga (Orissa), Chalukyas of Gujarat and Vengi,
Yadava Dynasty of
Devagiri were all of Kannada origin who later took to encouraging local languages. (Dr. S.U. Kamat, 2001).
|
Unofficial flag of Karnataka |
Karnataka is situated in the Deccan Plateau and 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 east and southeast, and
Kerala to the southwest. It is situated at the angle where the
Western Ghats and
Eastern Ghats of South India converge into the
Nilgiri Hills.
The state has three principal physical zones;
* The coastal strip, between the
Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, which is lowland, with moderate to high rainfall levels. This strip is around 320 km in length and 48-64 km wide.
* The
Western Ghats, a mountain range inland from the Arabian Sea, rising to about 900 m average height, and with moderate to high rainfall levels.
* The
Deccan Plateau, comprising the main inland region of the state, which is drier and verging on the semi-arid. The humidity in these plains or maidans never exceeds 50%.
Karnataka has one of the highest average elevations of Indian states at 1,500 feet. The highest recorded temperature was 45.6 C (114.08 F) at
Raichur on May 23, 1928. The lowest recorded temperature was 2.8 C (37.04 F) at
Bidar on December 16, 1918.
Karnataka state is comprised of 27 districts, grouped into four divisions.
Main article Districts of KarnatakaRevenues of Government
This is a chart of trend of own tax revenues (excluding the shares from Union tax pool) of the Government of Karnataka
assessed by the Finance Commissions from time to time with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.
| Year ¦¦ Own Tax Revenues |
|---|
| 2000 | 94,110 |
| 2005 | 174,458 |
This is a chart of trend of own non-tax revenues (excluding the shares from Union tax pool) of the Government of Karnataka
assessed by the Finance Commissions from time to time with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.
| Year ¦¦ Own Non-tax Revenues |
|---|
| 2000 | 11,418 |
| 2005 | 21,679 |
Kannada is the official language of the state and is spoken as a native language by approximately 66% of the people in Karnataka. Language was the so called basis for the formation of the Indian states after independence and the present day Karnataka was formed by unifying majority Kannada-speaking regions from the many districts of erstwhile
Madras State (present day
Tamil Nadu), erstwhile Bombay presidency (present day
Maharashtra) and the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad (present day
Andhra Pradesh) to the former
Kingdom of Mysore, known as the
Mysore State (post independence) around the years 1950-1957. In 1973, the
Mysore State was officially christened as Karnataka. There are a total of 27 districts. The languages of Karnataka are
Kannada,
Urdu,
Kodava Takk,
Konkani and
Tulu. All the above mentioned languages with the exception of Urdu are written in the
Kannada script though Tulu has its own script. There are efforts to promote Tulu script.
Karnataka's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $43 billion in current prices.
Macro-economic trend
This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Karnataka at market prices
estimated by
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.
| Year ¦¦ Gross State Domestic Product |
|---|
| 1980 | 62,100 |
| 1985 | 115,750 |
| 1990 | 233,000 |
| 1995 | 562,150 |
| 2000 | 1,045,410 |
Agriculture, Industry and Minerals
AgricultureKarnataka is the largest producer of
coffee, raw
silk and
sandalwood based products like perfumes and 75% of Indian
floriculture industry is located in Karnataka. Karnataka accounts for 59% of the country's
coffee production and 47% of the country's
ragi productionAbout 70% of the people live in the villages and 71% of the total work force is engaged in agriculture. The main crops are rice, ragi, jowar, maize, and pulses besides oilseeds and number of cash crops. Cashew, coconut, arecanut, cardamom, chilies, cotton, sugarcane and tobacco are among the other crops produced in the state. The lower slopes of the
western ghats in
Kodagu District,
Chikmagalur District and
Hassan District produce coffee. Sandalwood comes from the dense forested areas of southern Karnataka. These areas were origianlly the haunt of forest brigand Veerappan and the state has suffered significant losses due to sandalwood smuggling.
Mysore District is the primary producer of raw silk in India and the world famous Mysore silk saris which are manufactured at the Mysore silk factories. Water rich areas of
Mandya District,
Shimoga District,
Dakshina Kannada districts produce most of the sugarcane though cultivation of this crop is wide spread. Ragi is grwon in
Tumkur and
Kolar and around
Bangalore districts. Jute, Jowar, Bajra, and pulses (Tur and gram) and oil seeds are largely grown in the drier areas of northern and north-central Karnataka. Maize is grown only in the northern tip of the state in
Bidar District. Coconut and Arecanut is grown in the southern districts. Cotton is grown in abundance in
Gulbarga District and
Davangere District is a center of cotton trade and industry. The salubrious weather conditions in coastal areas make cultivation of fruit orchards possible. Rice is grown mostly in the coastal districts. The state holds the fifth rank in national level in
oilseed production. Karnataka accounted for nearly Rs. 2000 crores of horticultural products in 2005.
Minerals and IndustryOver 90% of India's
gold production comes from south Karnataka. Recently there has been a lot of activity in the extraction of
manganese ore from the districts of
Bellary and
Hospet. Raichur is known to be rich in gold deposits. Most of India's Iron ore comes from the
Kudremukh area of
Chikmagalur District. Over 5% of the
S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in Karnataka.
Technology and Services
Karnataka is one of the most industrialised states in
India. Its capital,
Bangalore has become a major worldwide hub of the
Information Technology industry and is the IT capital of India producing approximately 38% of India's software exports which amounts to about $9 billion in 2006. The other IT hub in
India is
Mangalore , which boasts of not only a historically advanced education standard but also a growing list of Global players in the IT sector. Several companies flourish in mangalore including
Infosys.In 2001 it was rated "Best Employer in India" by Business Today, and in 2002 Business World named Infosys "India's Most Respected Company".
In the mid 1970's
R.K. Baliga, Chairman and Managing Director of
Keonics, who was a visionary, planned to make Bangalore the alternative Silicon Valley. Bangalore is dubbed as the
Silicon Valley of India with more than 50% of all software companies based here. There are about 1,700 companies in all. The software industry is expected to generate US $20 billion by 2010. The Hardware industry is also growing at the same rate as the software industry and presently produces about US $500 million in exports. Karnataka has 50% (131 companies) of all
Biotechnology companies in India and Bangalore accounts for approximately 47% (127 companies) of the total. It generates about 50% of India's total revenues in the sector which is about US $500 million. Recently, the Karnataka government created the first Biotechnology park in India. All three sectors are growing at an average of 35% per year. Also, Bangalore is one of the fast growing cities in the world with more than 6 million people.The IT industry is spreading to other major centres in Karnataka, namely:
Mysore,
Mangalore and
Hubli.
Carnatic Karnataka gave the world
carnatic music. The Kannada haridasa movement sowed the seeds of this art in the 13th-15th century AD. With the rise of
Vaishnavism and the Haridasa movement came Karnataka composers like
Purandaradasa, whose Kannada language works were complex, devotional and philosophical. Other haridasas of medeval times were
Kanakadasa, Vijayadasa and Jagannathadasa,
Vyasatirtha and others.One of the earliest and prominent composers in South India was the saint, and wandering divine singer of yore
Purandara Dasa (1480-1564 AD). Purandara Dasa is believed to have composed 475,000 songs in
Kannada and was a source of inspiration to the later composers like Tyagaraja. He also invented the tala system of
Carnatic music. Owing to his contribution to the Carnatic Music he is referred to as the Father of Carnatic Music or
Karnataka Sangeethada Pitamaha.
HindusthaniKarnataka has achieved a prominent place in the world of Hindusthani music as well. Some famous performers are
Pt. Bhimsen Joshi,
Pt. Madhava Rao Nayak,
Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur,
Basavaraj Rajguru and
Gangubai Hangal.
The earliest full length Kannada language inscription in
Hale Kannada script is the
Halmidi Inscription of 450CE.
Kannada has had an unbroken literary tradition of atleast 1500 years. Though the earliest extant book on Kannada literature is
Kavirajamarga 850AD, references made in this book refer back to early Kannada literature of 6th century. The earliest extant poetry in
tripadi meter are the Kappe Arabhatta records of 700A.D. Literature in
Kannada has been prolific ever since. For information on Kannada and Sanskrit classics and writers through the span of Kannada kingdoms, refer to
Karnataka Literature.
Chudamani (a 96,000 verse-measures), a commentary on logic
Tatwarthamahashastra by Tambuluruacharya,
Karnateshwara Katha with
Pulakesi II as its hero belonged to the 7th century.
Gajastaka a work on elephant management by king Shivamara II of
Ganga dynasty belonged to the 8th century.Modern Kannada in twentieth century has been influenced by many movements. Notable among them are Navodaya, Navya, Dalita/Bandaya. Presently Kannada literature is ahead of all other languages in India with seven Jnanpith awards. Writers in Kannada have also bagged forty eight Sahitya Academy awards.
|
Distribution of population in Karnataka |
Karnataka played a very important role in shaping present day Indian religion and philosophy.
Udupi,
Sringeri,
Gokarna and
Melkote are well known places of
Sanskrit learning and
Vedic learning.
Shravanabelagola,
Mudabidri,
Karkala are famous for Jain history and monuments.
The great saint
Madhvacharya (1238-1317 AD), proponent of
dvaita philosophy and
Raghavendra Swami (1601-1671 AD) were born here.
Adi Sankara (8th century AD), proponent of
advaita found enlightenment in
Sringeri which became the first of four
mathas he established in India.
Ramanujacharya (1017-1137 AD) fearing persecution from the Tamil Cholas fled Tamil Nadu and came to Karnataka during the rule of the
Hoysala dynasty and preached his philosophy from
Melkote.In the 12th century AD,
Virashaivism spread from northern Karnataka across the Deccan. Many of its founders, such as
Basavanna came from the region.It was here the
Jain religion got a warm welcome and enjoyed a glorious growth during the medieval period. It is also here where the current day Dzogchen Monastery and the Dhondeling Tibetan Refugee camps are setup and the Tibetans are very well absorbed in the Kannadiga culture.
Karnataka, the eighth largest state in India, is a veritable treasure trove of tourist delights. There is a dazzling array of ancient sculptured temples, modern cities, friendly people, scenic hill ranges, unexplored forests and endless beaches. Karnataka is a place that has all the ingredients for great holiday. Each spot has something special to offer and the Department of Tourism, Karnataka, offers you four exciting circuits to explore this enchanting land. These are North Karnataka, the Hill Stations, Coastal Karnataka and Southern Karnataka.
North Karnataka is a land of harsh dryness accompanied by majestic cliffs, rocky landscapes and magnificent monumnets that date back to 5th century. The greatest Kannada empires that ruled the Deccan had their capitals here. Badami
Chalukyan monuments at
Pattadakal,
Aihole,
Badami are a sight to be seen. Aihole is called the cradle of Hindu rock architecture and has over 125 temples and monuments built between 450 - 1100 CE.
Rashtrakuta monuments at Lokapura, Bilgi and Kuknur and
Kalyani Chalukya monuments built in Gadag style at
Lakkundi,
Gadag,
Koppal District and the famous
Vijayanagar empire temples at
Vijayanagara are the best that it offers. Vijayanagar in
Bellary District is world famous for the runis spread over an area of 125 km². with some fifty four world heritage monuments and six hundred and fifty national monuments (
ASI). An additional three hundred monuments await protection. The deccan sultanate monuments at
Bijapur and
Gulbarga show unique and discreet hindu influences. Archeologically important locations like Kanganahalli in
Gulbarga have thrown more light on
Buddhist centers of the1st. c. BCE. - 3rd c. CE era and produced the first ever known statue of emperor
Ashoka with his queens and a prakrit inscription calling him
Rayo Ashoka (
ASI)
Hill stations in Karnataka are generally unexplored and more pristine than better know ones in South India.
Kudremukh,
Kemmangundi,
Agumbe,
Horanadu,
Nandi hills are some of the more well known ones. Not much tourism in these areas has kept them free of commercialization. Apart from scenic trekks, bird watching, boating and picturesque waterfalls, these areas are also close to major
coffee producing areas in the state, making a trip all the more interesting. Many resorts have sprung up to accommodate those who want to relax.
Coastal Karnataka is the stronghold of Hindu and Jain piligrimage spots with
Udupi and its many temples being the centre of
Dvaita philosophy,
Gokarna is known for
Vedic studies,
Sringeri has the first of the
Shankaracharya mathas and is important for its
Advaita philosophy,
Karkala and
Mudabidri are well known places of Jain worship. Exquisite Vijayanagar temples built in
Chalukya -
Malabar combinational style are seen in
Bhatkal,
Kumta,
Shirali etc. The warm pristine beaches of Karnataka are mostly unspoiled and are only now drawing tourists away from formerly popular places like
Goa.
South Karnataka is a unique combination of spectacular
vesara architecture at its peak, collosal Jain monuments, colonial buildings and palaces of the
Kingdom of Mysore, impregnable fort at
Chitradurga and densely forested wildlife sanctuaries that offer some of the best eco-tourism available in the country.
Belur,
Halebidu in
Hassan District,
Somnathpura in
Mysore District,
Belavadi,
Kalasa and
Amruthapura in
Chikmagalur District,
Balligavi in
Shimoga District offer some of the best of
Hoysala architecture dating from the 11th - 13th century CE., while
Shravanabelagola and
Kambadahalli in
Mandya District have well known 10th century Jain monuments. Cool forests and a high density of wild animals in the forests of this region are a popular attraction for those interested in the wilder side of life.
Bandipur National Park,
Nagarahole,
Biligirirangan Hills,
Bhadra wildlife sanctuary and
Bannerghatta national parks are a few popular places for jungle safaris.The river
Kaveri flows east from
Kodagu District and along its way one finds important tourist destinations like
Shivanasamudra,
Srirangapattana and
Melkote etc.
Mysore, the cultural capital of the state is famous for exotic palaces, quaint colonial buildings and cultural activities including
carnatic music, theatre.
Bangalore the capital is the most cosmopilitian city in India and is well known for its parks, pubs, restaurants, shopping and fast paced technology rich lifestyle.
|
Nari motte or Tiger hill, Brahmagiri WLS, Karnataka |
Karnataka in all has 21 wildlife sanctuaries and 5 National parks. Well known among them are
Bandipur National Park in
Mysore District,
Bannerghatta National Park in
Bangalore district,
Nagarhole National Park in
Mysore District and
Kodagu district,
Kudremukh National Park in
Dakshina Kannada and
Chickmagalur district,
Dandeli &
Anshi National Park in
Uttara Kannada district, Gudavi and Mandegadde bird sanctuaries and
Sharavati WLS in
Shimoga district,
Biligirirangan Hills WLS in
Chamarajanagar district, Rangantittu bird sanctuary in
Mandya district,
Brahmagiri and
Pushpagiri WL sanctuaries in
Kodagu district.
There are twenty one wildlife sanctuaries and five national parks in all.
Recently, the government of India has proposed to the UNESCO to include important ecosystems in the
Western Ghats as a
World Heritage Site. Two subclusters of natural areas occurring in the list are entirely in the Karnataka region covering several wildlife sanctuaries and some reserve forests. Fragile and exotic ecosystems like
Kudremukh NP,
Brahmagiri WLS,
Pushpagiri WLS,
Agumbe,
Talakaveri WLS,
Someshvara WLS figure in this list. As such, the Western Ghats that run south-north through the Karnataka is considered as one among the twenty five bio-diversity hotspots of the world.
The Niligiri Biosphere Reserve (also a designated
UNESCO Biosphere reserve) is located at the junction of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerela.
Nagarahole National Park WLS and
Bandipur National Park and Nugu WLS in Karnataka are included in this
biosphere reserve.
The state is home to the largest concentration of Asian Elephants along Kabini River in Nagarahole and Bandipur parks. These two parks are also supposed to hold among the most viable population of the highly endangered Royal Bengal Tiger.
Karnataka is home to more than 500 species of birds [
2].
Karnataka is famous for its waterfalls.
Jog falls of
Shimoga District is one of the highest waterfalls in Asia. Some well known waterfalls are Magod falls, Lalgulli falls, Sathodi falls, Unchalli falls, Lushington falls, Shivaganga falls, Ulavi falls, Iruppu falls,
Shivanasamudra falls, Balmuri falls, Gokak falls, Abbe falls, Achakanya falls, Chunchanakatte Falls, Hebbe falls, Kallathigiri falls, Vajrapoha falls, Sogal falls, Godchinamalaki falls etc. In fact the waterfalls of Karnataka and Kudremukh National Park are listed as
must see places in Michael Bright's
1001 Natural Wonders of the World, by Barrons Educational Series Inc., published by Quinted Inc., 2005.
Some well known caves in Karnataka are Yana caves and Kavala caves and Syntheri rocks in Uttara Kannada district, Sugriva's cave in
Hampi holds similarity to the descriptions of 'Kishkinda' in the epic Ramayana, hundreds of caves in Basava Kalyana in
Bidar district.
Karnataka boasts of the highest elephant and Gaur bison population (greater than 6000 & 8000 respectively) in India. Its forests hold some of the largest remaining populations of the endangered tiger and leopard. Eco-tourism is a very popular activity in the state. Karnataka leads other states in eco-tourism.
Jungle Lodges & Resorts, a state run organization has camping and safari facilities in several wildlife sanctuaries. Private safari providers have sprung up in several places along the western ghats.
Several NGO's (youth groups) are actively involved in birding and other conservation activities.
Karnataka is a rock climbers paradise. Yana in Uttara Kannada, Ramnagara near Bangalore district, Shivagange in Tumkur district and tekal in Kolar district are a rock climbers heaven. A climbing academy has been formed in Ramnagara called General Thimmaiah Rock Climbing Academy. The Nisarga Organisation for Wildlife and Adventure Academy is based in bangalore. It organizes eco-tourism, adventure activities and wildlife tours.
Karnataka is blessed with over 300 km of pristine coastal stretch.
Netrani Island of Uttara Kannada is well known for coral reefs. St. Mary's Island, a few kilometers from Udupi is famous for its basalt rock formations. Sunny beaches at places like Maple, Murdeshwara, Maravanthe,Gokarna, Kumta are complimented by spectacular mountains slightly to the east. Agumbe, Kodachadri hills, Kemmangundi, are just a few of many hill stations that straddle the coast providing tourists the best of sun and greenery. Unlike many crowded hill stations in South India, the hill stations of Karnataka are still mostly undiscovered and pristine.
*
Karnataka Literature*
Cuisine of Karnataka*
List of Chief Ministers of Karnataka.
*
List of famous people from Karnataka.
*
List of political parties in the state*
Carnatic (region)*
Kannada*
Kannada Proverbs*
Karnataka forest Department- National Parks and WLS*
Kannada Wikipedia*
national parks*
Haridasas of Karnataka
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Virashaiva movement
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Hoysala architecture* Dr. Suryanath U. Kamat, Concise history of Karnataka, 2001, MCC, Bangalore (Reprinted 2002)
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Karnataka Government*
Hoysala Tourism in Hassan*
A map of Karnataka*
Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation*
Karnataka Tourism*
Karnataka State Government*
Karnataka Government Information Department*
Topics on Karnataka's History and Culture*
Birds of Karnataka state*
Karnataka City guides*
Shridevi Institute of Engg & Technology.
Karnataka Newspapers and Media*
Vijay Karnataka *
Prajavani *
Sanje Vani *
Udaya Vani *
EE Sanje *
Kannada Prabha *
Our Karnataka *
Vishwa Kannada *
Thats Kannada *
Kannada Cartoons by Janardhana Swamy *
E-TV Kannada *
Udaya TV *
Vaartha Bhaarathi 
