Situated in the southern part of India, the province of Karnataka spreads over the Deccan Plateau. At 300B.C., it had formed the southern tip of Mauryan empire. Its boundaries enlarged or receded swaying to the drum beats of history & today it accounts for a sixteenth area of India & has a population of about 45 million. Its language is Kannada & its people are known as kannadigas. The three distinct regions are a narrow coastal area along Arabian Sea; high hills, the Western Ghats; & sprawling plains towards the east.
The name of the land Karnataka has come from 'Kari-nadu' meaning the land of black soil say the scholars, & some others hold that 'Karunadu' also means beautiful country; either way the land is celebrated as beautiful throughout its ancient literature.

The water-soaked western strip across the Arabian sea is humid & warm in summer, water-soaked in monsoon, profuse with coconut grooves & paddy fields criss crossed by strips of silvery streams & sparkling stretches of sand.

The hilly uplands of Malnad, One of the wettest regions of the world, where the bamboo flourishes wild & areca, teak, rosewood & matti are grown. It is also the home of the stately gaur & langur. In its southern reaches frequent kheddas are held to capture roaming groups of elephants. Also the swift deer & the deadly tiger, whose eyes burning bright in forest night roam animatedly in the forests.

The east of the ghats is strikingly bare. This elevated stretch is supposed to be the oldest land on the earth where ancient rocks of earth are seen jutting in & out odd shapes. Rivers like Cauvrey, Sharavathi & Ghataprabha pass through upgraded valleys & resulting in water-falls & occasional rapids. The torrental fall of these rivers have been harnessed to generate hydro-electric power in an area where black coal is scarce.

HISTORY: The origins of Karnataka emerge through the mists of antiquity. Celebrated in lore and legend, an array of dynasties that marched through this land is thrilling. The grandiloquent temples, the sturdy Indo-Arabic edifices, the Gomata colossus stretching itself to the very sky in all its naked glory, transport one into a historic dream sequence. It is here the Vedantic trio radiated through their lofty teachings and Basava preached for a life of good conduct and self-surrender and Haridasas pleaded for spiritual vision in celestial songs celebrating the glory of bhakti. It is also a land filled with aroma of Jasmine & Sandalwood and has mines producing gold.
Through the mists of antiquity enveloping the origins of Karnataka, we find that it was celebrated in lore and legend. It is claimed as the birthplace of puranic heroes, Parasurama and Hanuman. The earliest references to this land were made in Mahabharatha, Ramayana and Jain legends. Its two thousands years of history reveals a profuse growth of its language, literature, art and culture. The first poetical classic Kavirajamarga of emperor Nrupathunga describes the land as stretching between Godavari and Cauvery. The area has shrunk now but his description of the people as - "valiant fighters, poets, rulers - beautiful, gentle, noble, virtuous, proud, fierce, wise and of superior intelligence" is amply borne out by history.

PLACES TO SEE IN KARNATAKA

Bengaluru (Bangalore) l Mangalore l Mysore l Udupi l Sringeri l Manipal