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Karnataka-At a Glance
Presentation · January 2013
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.14342.27201
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Karnataka-At a Glance
Welcome to the state of Karnataka
A Video Documentary Script)
By
Prof. A. Balasubramanian*
Centre for Advanced Studies in Earth Science,
University of Mysore ,Mysore
*(Former Director: -Culture and Cultural Relations-Pondicherry University,
Former Director-Educational Multimedia Research Centre-University of Mysore)
2013
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Introduction:
India is one of the mostly preferred destinations for international tourists.
Tourism is a very promising industry in India. India is a country with a large number of tourist spots
and attractive features. India is a country known for its culture, heritage, history and natural
resources. All the states and union territories have a good number of locations catering to the
domestic and international tourists.
Karnataka is the eighth largest state, located in south west part of the India. The state covers an area
of 1, 91,791 square Kilometers with 52,733,958 inhabitants. The states like Maharashtra, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala surround Karnataka from all sides. The Indian roller and the
Indian elephant are recognized as the state bird and state animal while sandalwood and the lotus as
the state tree and state flower respectively. The capital city of the Karnataka state is Bangalore.
Kannada is the most widely used and official language of the state. Other languages that used here
are Urdu and Tamil. The state has the quality of life in the country with excellent physical
infrastructure and it has sixty seven percent literacy levels.
About 20% of the state’s geographical area is covered by forest. The forest supports 25% of the
elephant population and 10% of the tiger population of India. The eastern and western Ghats that
fence Karnataka are the source of many east and west flowing rivers. The Mountains of the Western
Ghats in the western region of Karnataka are a Biodiversity Hotspot.
As far as the climate in Karnataka is concerned, this state also has a pleasant weather. It consists of
four seasons like winter, summer, monsoon and post-monsoon season. Winter begins from begins
from January and ends in February, the temperature goes around 23°C to 14°C. The summer begins
from April to May are really hot and dry. The month July, August and September are comfortable
due to reduced day temperature although the humidity’s continue to be very high. The postmonsoon season begins in October and lasts till December. Hence, the best season to visit
Karnataka is winter and post-monsoon.
After the Independence, the king, Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar has surrendered his kingdom to
India. Later, Mysore Became an Indian State in 1950. The former King served as the head of the
state till 1975. The Ekikarana Movement, which began in the late 19th century, culminated in the
formation of the ‘State of Mysooru ’on November 1,1956. With the 1956 State Reorganization Act,
kodagu and part of the Madras, Hyderabad and Bombay are integrated with the state of Mysooru,
which was later renamed as Karnataka in 1973.
The state is known for its historical places, hills, wildlife sanctuary, world heritage sites and the
City Bangalore is at the forefront of the rapid economic and Technological Development.
Karnataka, being the one of the most important cites of India, is well connected to most of the other
Cities of the Country, by highways, railways, airways and sea routes.
There are six airports located in Karnataka at Bangalore, Mangalore, Belgaum, Ballary, Hubbali
and Mysore. The Bangalore and Mangalore are the only cities that have the International Airports.
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The Mangalore International Airport is the airport located in the west coast of the state. The
Bangalore has good international connectivity with flights from different part of the world. All the
six cites have the domestic airports that cover most of the major cities of India.
Karnataka too have a good internal rail network. The Approx. length of the rail track in Karnataka
is 3089 Kilometers. Bangalore is the major city that is well-connected by train to the other cites of
India.
The total length of road in Karnataka is 3973 kilometers. It has also State highway of length 9829
kilometers. The public transportation is managed by the Karnataka State Road Transportation
Corporation (KSRTC) which connects all the places.
Throughout the India, the time zone is same of all the States i.e. Indian standard Time +5:30
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is
controlled by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The new Indian rupee symbol INR is derived
from the Devanagari. The first series of coins with this new rupee symbol was launched on 8 July
2011.
The modern rupee is subdivided into 100 paise though this division is now theoretical; as of 30 June
2011, coin denominations of less than 50 paise ceased to be legal tender. Bank notes are available in
nominal values of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 2000 rupees. Coins of the rupee are available in 1, 2,
5 and 10. Paise coins of the rupee have nominal values of 50, and lower denominations have been
officially withdrawn.
There are 29 districts in Karnataka. They are: Bagalkote, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore urban,
Belagavi, Bellary, Bidar, Bijapur, Chamarajanagar, Chikkaballapur, Chikkamagalooru, Chitradurga,
Dakshina Kannada, Davanagere, Dharwad, Gadag, Gulbarga, Hassan, Haveri, Kodagu, Kolar,
Koppal, Mandya, Mysore, Raichur, Ramanagar, shimoga, Tumkur, udupi and Uttara Kannada.
Mysore, Aihole, Bijapur, Badami, Hampi, Hassan, Mangalore and Pattadakal are some of the
Historical destination in Karnataka.
Hampi was the ancient capital city of powerful Vijayanagar Empire. A world heritage site will
make everyone to feel the pulse of the ancient dynasty that ruled the people of Vijayanagar. It is the
world’s largest open-air museums.
Badami was the ancient capital of Chalukya kingdom. It has a number of richly carved monuments
and caves. Badami is a timeless monument to the Karnataka’s love towards Art and Architecture.
Aihole is called the Cradle of Hindu rock architecture and has over 125 monuments built between
450-100CE.
Pattadkal is a testimony in Chalukya style Architecture and also the world heritage center.
Hassan is a peaceful town is about 194 kilometers from Bangalore. It serves as a base for tourist
eager to visit Halebid, Shravenbelagola and Belur.
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Mysore is the cultural capital of the state and famous for exotic palaces, quaint colonial buildings
and cultural activities. This district has a prominent place in the history of Karnataka.
Bijapur consist of Great monuments of historical importance built during the Adil Shah dynasty.
Gol Gumbaz is the most famous monument and the tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah is an astounding
engineering feat. Ibrahim Rauza is the tomb of Ibrahim Adil shah II, the fifth king of the dynasty.
Mangalore is a port city and commercial center having lot of tourist attraction in and around. Tipu
sultan’s Battery and Jumma Masjid are few of the places of interest.
Agumbe, Kudremukh, Kemmangundi, MM, Yana, Coorg and Nandi Hill are the famous hills
station in Karnataka.
Agumbe is a small village at a height of 826 meters in the Shimoga district, offer the visitor a
wonderful sunset view and trekking path attracts the tourist for its serenity and enchanting scenic
beauty.
A Kudremukh hill station is 95 kilometers far from southwest of Chikmaglur town. Kudremukh is
so named because of the horse faced range that overlooks the Arabian Sea.
Kemmangudi is situated 8 kilometers from Bangalore, alone the Muddy Mountain and hairpin
bends; the picturesque hill station of Kemmangundi is enchanting for everyone.
Malai Mahadeshwara Hills is an important Shaiva pilgrimage center in the Kollegal taluk. The
temple is situated within the MM Hills Reserve Forest.
Yana is quiet hill station among the evergreen forest of Sahyadri Mountains. Yana is only 25
kilometers from Kumta, a small coastal town and 40 km form Sirsi. The region offers spectacular
Scenic beauty; lofty mountains, Splendid rock formations, trickling waterfalls.
Coorg, the lush green forest, the looming mountain peaks, the acres of pruned coffee plantation,
serpentine roads, and rocky paths, well laid gardens will greet any tourist venturing to the dizzy
heights of Coorg.
Nandhi Hill is located 60 kilometers from Bangalore; it is the most popular weekend gateway.
Perched at a height of 1455 meters above sea level, it provides an idyllic retreat for visitors.
Brindavana Gardens, Cubbon Park, Lalbhag, Tungabhadra Reservoir and zoological garden
are some of the parks and gardens present in the Karnataka State.
The Brindavana Gardens usually associated with Mysore, situated in the Mandya district. The
garden is encompasses of bright colored flowers, enchanting fountains, and musical fountains.
The Cubbon Park is situated in the “heart of the city”, Bangalore. This wonderful park is
constructed by The British Government ago 140 years. The 300 acre park is called as
Jayachamarajendra Park at present.
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The Lalbhag located in Bangalore. Hyder ali formed this Botanical Garden in 1760 and his son
Tipu Sultan took efforts to add beauty of the Garden.
The Tungabhadra Reservoir is a vast stretch of beautiful garden enhances the unforgettable view
of the Dam located in Ballari district.
A Zoological Garden is the century old houses nearly 2000 animals in lush green surroundings
located in Mysore.
Karnataka has 21 wildlife Sanctuary and 5 National parks. Important Sanctuary and national
parks among them are,
 The Bandipur National Park is situated in Mysore.
 The Bannerghatta National park is located near Bangalore. There’re several animal
including spotted deers and sambars, elephants, bisons, lions, crocodiles, snakes etc are
present in this park. The total area covers about 104 square kilometers.
 The Nagarhole National Park is one of a few popular places for jungle safaris situated
between Mysore and Kodagu Districts.
 The Kudremukh Nation Park is another spectacular region with broad hills that are
chained to one another with deep valley and steep precipices. It is situated at 1,894.3 meters
above sea level. This park is the largest declared wildlife protected Area of tropical wet
everygreen type of forest in the wester Ghats located in Chickmagalur.
 The Dandeli and Anshi National Park is known for the elusive Black Panther among other
animals like Gaur, Tiger and leopard. The park and sanctuary are situated at Uttra Kannada
district.
 The Mandegadde bird sanctuary is a natural bird sanctuary. It is located on the bank of
river Tunga, shimoga district.
 The Biligiri Rangan Hills wildlife sanctuaries are famous for tigers, sloth bears, elephants
and gaurs. Located in Chamarajanagar district.
 The Ranganthittu is another famous Bird Sanctuary. It is located at the height of 750 meter
above sea level. Boating in the Cauvery River is very much enjoyable in Mandya district.
 The Brahmagiri wildlife Sanctuary and puspagiri wildlife sanctuary located in kodagu
district.
Some of the famous museums, forts, palaces that are present in Karnataka are Bidar,
Chitradurga kote, Divanahalli, Tipu’s Fort, Archaeological museum, Rail Museum,
Sandooru, Citadel, Maharaja Palace
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Bidar was the capital of Bahamani kingdom in old days. It contains fort, Mahamed Gavan’s
Madarasa Religious College and a gurugwara of sikh’s.
Chitradurga kote is located on Chitradurga, it is only of its kind of fort, as it is built on the top of
the hills using stones. Chitra-durg gets names because of this fort. Chitradurga means picture
perfect fort.
Devanahalli is the birth place of Tipu Sultan located in Bangalore. Wonderful fort, commemorative
monument, ancient temple of Lord Venugopal and an old mosque are famous here.
The world famous Tipu’s Fort is situated on the Bangalore, The mud fort formed by kempegowda
in 1537 has then renovated by Hyder Ali in 1791. There is a museum which houses a number of
artifacts proclaiming Tipu’s bravery and an ancient temple of Lord Venkataramana.
There is an Archaeological Museum located in Hampi. It displays all the relics of the excavations
carried out in various periods, collection of paintings a few hundred years old, exquisite jewelry,
chiseled brassware’s, pottery and natural stones, ivory goods, metal sculptures and crystal works.
A Rail museum is also available in Mysore. A Varity of railway memorabilia, including a
Maharaja’s saloon carriage dating back to 1899, display at small museum.
Sandooru is yet another location of importance. It has the palace of Sandoor kings and a steel plant.
It is located in Ballari.
Citadel is located in Bijapur. It once contained the Durbar, palace and pleasure gardens of the Adil
Shahi Rulers.
The Mysore Maharaja Palace was once the official residence of the Maharaja of Mysore. This
palace has the worlds spectacular architecture located in the heart of the city, Mysore.
Mysore and Bangalore are the two important cities in Karnataka that have very good art galleries
and museums exhibiting the art and craft of Karnataka.
Water sports in Karnataka, Tucked away amidst the lush greenery of the Western Ghats, along the
Sharavathy backwaters, is Honnemardu- a haven for aqua adventure. Water sports lovers throng this
idyllic spot for coracle rafting, canoeing and windsurfing. Numerous islands dotting the backwards
make it an Ideal island camping site.
The Azure waters of the river Cauvery are ideal for river rafting. 82 kilometers from Mysore is the
Cauvery Fishing Camp, at Bhimeshwari. It can be said as Paradise for anglers, with Mahseers found
in abundance. Same think can be accessible from Bangalore. The Places names are GETHANAA,
SPARK and, KMA.
The Karnataka temples were built primarily by the Chalukyas, Cholas and the Housalas. Intricate
sculpture, stone built and many other features differentiate a temple of one era from the other.
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Some important temples,mosques, piligrimage centers, churches and jain temple that are
present in Karnataka are, Virupaksha Temple, Jain Temple, St.Mary’s Basilica Church, Jamma
Masjid, Chamarajeshwara temple, Attur Church.
The best known is the Virupaksha temple situated in Bagalkot. It was built by Queen
Lokamahadevi in 745 to commemorate her husband’s victory over the Pallavas of kanchi.
One famous Jain temple is located near Pattadakal-Badami Road located in the district bangalkot.
It is built in the Dravidian style by the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta. It has some very beautiful
sculptures. Museum and sculpture gallery is maintained by the Archeological Survey of India on the
Bhutanatha temple road.
The St.Mary’s Basilica Church is one of the oldest church in Bangalore, Situated in Shivaji Nagar.
It was built in 16th century and renovated in 1832.
The Jamma Masjid was built by Ali Adil Shah I. It is one of largest Mosque in this region. It has a
large hall, arches, and good dome with thirty-three smaller domes surrounding it.
The Chamarajeshwara temple is another biggest temple in Chamrajanagar this was built in 19th
century. The temple resembles Nanjanagudu Srikanteswara temple and has a very big gopura.
The Attur Church is about 25 kilometers from Udupi. It is Famous for its annual fair, attended by
people from all religious groups.
The culture of Karnataka revolves around its dance, music folk art and drama, and literature.
Karnataka is a treasure house of ritualistic dances. The world kunitha is used for all folk dances.
Among the classical dances, the Mysore style of Bharatanatyam is the oldest and most popular form
of classical dance in India. Other Mainstream Classical dances of Karnataka are kuchipudi and
kathak.
The musical contributions of Karnataka prospered under the royal patronage of the Vijayanagara
Empire and the wodeyars. Home of the famous Carnatic music, Karnataka has produced great
music artist like Bhimsen joshi, Mallikarjuna Mansur, kumar Gandharwa, Basavaraj and Puttaraj
Gavai.
The Folk arts of Karnataka are also very famous. Krishna Parijatha is a folk theater art from popular
in North Karnataka. Bhootha Aradhane or devil worship is very common in the coastal towns of
Karnataka. Nagamandala is an extravagant ritual performed to satiate the serpent spirit.
Among the Folk dramas, Yakshagana and Togalu Bombeaata are the most renowned. Yakshagana
is an elaborate combination of dance, music, songs, scholarly dialogues and vibrant costumes, while
Tougalu Bombeaata is the ancient art of leather puppetry drawn heavenly from mythology,
especially stories from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
Every year, Dasara is celebrated as the state festival. This is a world famous festival conducted at
Mysore. Kannada New Year ‘Ugadi’, the harvest festival ‘Makara Sankranti’, Ganesh Chaturthi,
Nagapanchami, Basava Jayanthi are the notable festivals of Karnataka.
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Education is an important industry for Karnataka. It boasts one of the largest concentration of
higher educational institutions like Medical and Engineering colleges.
Some most important education hubs in Karnataka are, Bangalore University, university of Mysore,
Christ University, Kannada University,
University of Mysore, Established in 1916, the University of Mysore was the sixth University
established in India and the first ever University in Karnataka.
Bangalore University, Bangalore University, one of the oldest and most renowned universities in
India, has been accredited with Five Star status by NAAC.
Christ University, situated in the educational hub of Bangalore in Karnataka, has been accredited
by NAAC for offering quality education.
Kannada University is located in Hampi, a treasure house of Indian architecture. It is dedicated to
development of the Kannada language, literature, traditions, culture, and folklore.
Karnataka State Open University, Located at Mysore in Karnataka, the Karnataka State Open
University (KSOU) is the eighth distance learning university to be established in India.
Hotels in Karnataka are available at the best possible rates. Whether you book luxury hotels in
Karnataka, Heritage hotels, 5 five star hotels in Karnataka, and 4 five star hotels in Karnataka or 3
star hotels in Karnataka, 2 five star hotels in Karnataka and Budget Hotels in Karnataka
These hotels offer good packages to tourists and also different suites for couples on honeymoon.
Suites for the family and business suites are also available. Excellent wireless internet facility, food
on demand and 24 hour water facility is provided by these hotels. Most hotels here are air
conditioned, and this is necessary during the summer months. The hospitality is at par with
international standards. These hotels also have excellent arrangements like fully-equipped business
center and conference room. Most of these hotels are located in the city hub.
Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), Karnataka's largest tour operator. Be
it Heritage, Nature, Wildlife, Beaches or Culture. All conveniently categorized and planned are
provided by KSTDC. Facilities and services across Karnataka have been crafted to make stay a
most comfortable and joyous one.
Karnataka food is extremely rich in variety. From the strict vegetarian delicacies of Udipi to the
non-vegetarian gourmets of Kodava, food in Karnataka has something to bring water to everybody's
mouth. Rice is the staple of Karnataka food. However, rotis made of wheat; jowar and ragi are also
widely consumed in the northern districts of the state.
Karnataka is famous for its desserts. Milk, vermicelli, sugar, coconuts, jaggery and various dry
fruits are most commonly used in creating the desserts of Karnataka food. Payasas, pedas of
different types, kesari bhath and chiroti are some of the most popular desserts of Karnataka.
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Karnataka has plenty of such tourist locations. Each location speaks in volume almost its
uniqueness. The pride of India lies in every tourist spot.
Thank You.
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