Karnataka, capital city Bangalore
Area: 191791
Population: 44977201
Introduction
Karnataka shares a border with Andhra Pradesh in the east, Maharashtra in the north and Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the south
History
Karnataka has a written history of more than 2000 years. The state was ruled by great dynasties like the Mauryas, Nandas, Chalukyas, Pallavas and Hoysalas. The Wodeyars ruled Karnataka after the fall of the Deccan sultanate, and then by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, before being taken over by the British. From 1831 to 1881, when a British commissioner was appointed, the wadiyars (the royal family of the princely state of Mysore) administered the state, as princes or governors, until 1956. That year, Mysore state was created under the States Reorganization Act to bring together the Kannada-speaking people. The area of the new state included parts of the former states of Coorg, Bombay, Hyderabad, and Madras. The state was renamed Karnataka in 1973.
Geography
Karnataka has representatives of all types of variations in topography - high mountains, plateaus, residual hills and coastal plains. Chains of mountains to its west, east and south enclose the State. It consists mainly of plateau, which has higher elevation of 600 to 900 metres above mean sea level. From west to east across the Western Ghat generally exhibit, a narrow coastal plain followed to the east by small and short plateaus at different altitudes.
Places of interest
The Bangalore Palace & Fort
The Bangalore Fort was built by Kempe Gowda and expanded by Tippu Sultan. Within its walls is the well preserved 16th century Ganapathi Temple.
The Bangalore Palace was built by a Wodeyar king in 1887. Inspired by the Windsor castle, this palace was built in the Tudor style resembling the Daria Daulat Palace in Srirangapatanam, this summer palace has been constructed largely of wood and is famous for it's carvings and paintings.
Lal Bagh
Hyder Ali laid out this famous botanical garden and his son added horticultural wealth to them by importing trees and plants from several countries. The garden today houses over 1000 species of flora, which include a rare and enchanting collection of tropical plants, trees and herbs. The Glass House, modelled along London's Crystal Palace, is the center of attraction in this 2400-acre park.
Bannerghatta National Park (22 Km)
Those interested in natural history can go to Bannerghatta. The park situated in picturesque surrounding has a wide variety of fauna. Among the attractions are crocodiles, picnic corner, serpentarium and pets corner, and lion’s safari.
Nandi Hills
One of the popular retreats of Tipu Sultan, the Tiger of Mysore, Nandi Hills offers a breathtaking getaway. Tipu's Drop, a 600m high cliff face provides a magnificent panoramic view of the beautiful terrain. Nandi Hills is 60 Kms.north of Bangalore.
Hampi
Hampi, the seat of the famed Vijayanagara Empire was the capital of the largest empire in post-mogul India, covering several states. The empire reigned supreme under Krishnadevaraya, the Emperor. Spread over nine square miles the ruins at Hampi offers to the tourist a remainder of the greatest land in the whole world.
Mysore
Mysore is one of the major cities of Karnataka. Today,Mysore is a vibrant city teeming with tourists and visitors. It is known the world over for its exotic sandalwood and rich silks. Its grand and imposing palaces, majestic temples and gardens.
Flora and Fauna
The gaur are scattered, sambar are much more widely distributed. Wild pig is most abundant and spotted deer is seen in majority of areas. Elephants are found scattered over a wide region. The Carnivores-tigers, panthers and wild dogs occur in low populations. Large herds of elephants, spotted deer, wild pig, wild dog, sloth bear, gaur, sambar and occasionally tigers and cats can be seen.
Among the flora are the flame of the forest trees, the peepul trees, silk cotton tree and the monkey puzzle tree (this tree has a trunk full of big thorns. Neither birds nests nor monkeys can climb them)
River and Lakes
There are seven river basins with which their tributaries drain the State. The river systems include Krishna , Cauvery and Godavari .The West flowing rivers include North Pennar South Pennar and Palar
Major Crops
Karnataka is also known as the coffee-bowl of India. It is the spice country which produces the best cardamoms, fondly called the ‘queen of spices’, and ‘black gold’ or black pepper. Ragi, jowar, rice; sugarcane, coconut, groundnuts; coffee; cotton are some of the other crops.
Weather and Climate
Both the day and night temperatures are more or less uniform over the State, except at the coastal region and high elevated plateau. April and May are the hottest months. In May, mean maximum temperature can go upto 40 degrees Celsius. The annual rainfall in the State varies roughly from 50 to 350 cm.
People
The people of Karnataka are mainly Dravidians, descendants of the original inhabitants of India.
Religion
Hinduism is the primary religion. However, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Sikkhism are practiced by a large number of people.
Festivals
Karaga festival
This is one of the main festivals of Karnataka, where a pot is placed on the head of a priest and sword brandishing devotees follow him.
Dassera
The countrywide Dassera festival is most associated with Mysore, where it is celebrated with great pomp with a trade fair, cultural shows and a huge procession from the Maharaja's palace. In Karnataka Dassera is conducted as an annual royal pageant on a large scale by the Maharajas of Mysore whose family deity is the Goddess Chamundeshwari, another name by which Durga is known.
Kadalekaye Parishe
This festival, better known as the groundnut festival is held on the premises of the bull temple every year.
Language
Kannada is spoken by over 70 percent of the population, and is the official language of the state. Other spoken languages include TuLu and Konkani along the coast, Kodava in Coorg, Marathi in the north, Telugu in the east, and Tamil and Malayalam along the south. In addition, some of the hill tribes speak a separate dialect called Kuruba.
Culture
Karnatic Music
Karnataka is popularly, perhaps rightly, known as the birthplace of Indian music. The most unique feature of Karnataka is that this is the only province where both the main styles of Indian Music (Karnatak and Hindustani) go together in harmony. The term Karnatak music does not mean music of this state, but denoted a broad tradition with distinctive features of articulation and grammar, which reign supreme in all the four southern states- Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam has grown strong roots in Karnataka and the Hoysala queen, Shantaladevi, herself was believed to be a great exponent of this art.
Food
The culinary fare offered by Karnataka is quite varied with each region of the state having its own unique flavours. Karnataka’s culinary culture revolves round three staple items–rice, ragi and jowar. The people in the northern districts have a preference for wheat and jowar rotis (unleavened bread made of millet) eaten with spiced vegetable preparations. In rural Karnataka, ragi is widely used with each meal. A typical Karnataka meal has many delicacies like Kosambari, a salad made of the broken halves of the soaked green moong dal (lentil) minus its skin, spiced with salt, green chili and mustard seed (oggarane) and mixed with tiny scrapings of coconut, cucumber and carrot and dressed with a little lime juice.
Handicrafts
Silk, sandalwood, agarbathis (incense), ivory, carvings, inlay work, badriware, lacquerware
|
