All about Karnataka

Karnataka in the Legents
Karnataka, the state which has provided the stage to many a historic event is also in the limelight of puranic happenings. Humpi in Bellary district has a legendary reference since it is supposed to have been the capital city Kishkinda of the mythical anthropoid King Vali who was succeeded by his brother Sughriva, with the aid of Lord Sri Rama, mediated by Lord Shri Anjaneya in the great epic ‘The Ramayana’. Batapi, the place associated with the mythical stage Agasthya is believed to have been the place which later came to be known as Badami in Bijapur District. Besides, several other places to have legendry reference.

Karnataka in the stone-age
Even in the palaeolithic and the Neolithic ages the inhabitants of the state have shown a keen sense of understanding and innovation. The pre-historic culture here known as the hand-exe culture can be compared with the one that existed in Africa. The culture is explicitly different from that of North India. The pre-historic settlements have, as always, been along the extensive banks of the beautiful rivers in the villages in between massive mountains. In as much as there is no scarcity of nature’s bounty there were no paucity to the places of ideal settlements. The paleontology suggests that the antique denizens of the region had known the use of iron far earlier than their North Indian counterparts.

Karnataka under various rulers
Karnataka has been in the realm of myriad heroes of various dynasties. Archives also reveal sovereign parts of the state had been under different rulers, ubiquitsly. Many great royal dynasties have flourished here, the rulers of which have bequeathed treasured monuments of perpetual values. Noteworthy among those are Maurya, Chalukya, Ganga, Hoysala and Vijayanagara.
Shravanabelagola, where the emperor Chandra Gupta Maurya embraced Jainism in the 3rd century B.C. was the retreat of the emperor in his twilight years while he sought solitude. Swamigiti, known as Kanakagiri situated in Raichur district was the southern capital of Maurya rulers who architecture, sculpture and suchlike things while each of them had a unique stamping
(i.e.,) their style

At the outset of the 6th century the Chaulkyas set up a anew empire. The Chalukyas contribution to the grandeur of the state is also inexplicable. They remained invincible for quite some time until the Yadavas of Devagiri and the Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra took over and divided the region between them. The 14th century saw the rise of one empire and fall of another. The one that fell was the Hindu Kingdom of Halebid conquered by Mohammed-bin-Tuglaq in 1327, who ravaged all priceless monuments leaving no trace to evince such as a grand kingdom ever existed, and the one that rose was the great Vijayanagar empire. The Vijayanagar empire was replete with prosperity but in the 16th century, the placidity was reptured by the foray of a confederation of Muslim Sultans and at last in 1565 the Vijayanagar empire with all its glory was annihilated in the battle of Talikota and so were a panoply of historic monuments and fabulous masterpieces of arts and architecture. The enormous ruins of Hampi today are the reticent reminders of the glories of the Vijayanagar empire.

In 1399 AD. A new dynasty came into existence founded by Yaduraya who was the then ruler of the relatively small province of Mysore. The territories of third dynasty were furthered by ‘Rajawodeyar’ between 1578 and 1618 AD and the kingdom was eventually transfigured as a mighty empire with ‘Srirangapatnam’ as the capital. However, this rule gave way for Hyder Ali the Muslim who is remembered for among other things, his religious tolerance and appreciation of others’ faith along with son Tipu Sultan who offered a stiff resistance to the invading British. Tipu Sultan, well trained in warfare had always been a nightmare to the British until though at last British proved too strong to resist. Then the Wodeyar dynasty was revived but now as a feudatory of the British and Sri Krishna Raja Wodeyar III who was a boy was made the king in 1799. Sri Krishnaraja III, himself being scholar fond of literature founded the ‘The Rajah School for Teaching English ‘ in 1833, which later became Maharaja’s High School and finally in 1879, the Maharaja’s college.

In 1947, when India finally broke her shackles, Mysore was conflated with Indian union as wished by the then ruler Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wodeyar sequel to a popular consensus. The Maharaja was aptly made the Governor and K.C.Reddy the Chief Minister of Mysore

Since a number of ruling dynasties have prospered in Karnataka over the centuries, the state abounds in historic monuments some of them still intact in wholesome form and some others in ruins as a result of ravaging invasions. “What a connoisseur of art and architecture this lie of lieges of yore should have been” is the spontaneous thought that overwhelms the observer of these extraordinary monuments. The Gomatheshwar statue, a magnificent monolithic stone sculpture soaring to a height of 17.5 m, perceivably the tallest of its kind conceives the patronage of the art under the Ganga dynasty while the sculpture at Badami speaks volumes of the Chalukyas between the 6th and 8th centuries. The grand temple architecture of the Hoysalas at places like Somnathpur, Belur and Halebid are the captivating outcome of a conscientious workmanship between the 11th and the 14th centuries.

Architecture and Sculpture
The Gomatheshawar statue, a mammoth monolith built in 983 AD during the Ganga dynasty’s rule, at Shravanabelagola is standing example of the ingenious sculpture of the older days and the admiration of the people for such huge images particularly when they are carved out of single stone. The temple at Belur, another masterpiece of the Hoysala architecture, built by Vishnuvardhana to commemorate his victory over the Cholas, presents a different look from those of the other South Indian Temples in that the soaring Temple Towers are not seen, instead the walls of the temple and those of the Sanctorum are replete with beautiful workmanship. Besides, there are several images of deities, sculpted to a splendour. The twin temples dedicated to Lord Shiva at Halebid and also suffused with intricate and ethereal sculpture and carvings. The friezes portray scenes from ‘ The Great Epics’ and things like the social setup, the Heavenly court, etc. The reliefs display various forms of deities. The Parashunath Jain Temple at Halebid also falls in the spotlight of temple architecture with its exquisite pillars polished to a sheen. Fascinating Jain monuments are also found in many other places. There are holy and huge statues of Shri Gomatheshwara which seem to express enormous plaudits to the devout sculptors. And there are also other evidences which corroborate the architectural and sculptural excellence of the state.

The Geography of Karnataka
The entire state of Karnataka, which became one of the linguistic states of India in 1955 is graced by very interesting and enchanting landscape. The name Karnataka literally means ‘High Land’ in the language Kannada which is the vernacular. Geographically the state spreads between 11.5 and 18.5north latitude and 74and 78.5 east latitude. This ‘Table Land is surfeited with picturesque mountains, magnificent rivers, ravishing rivulets, beautiful becks, thick verdant forests and a host of other natural resources. The mighty ranges of the western ghats and the eastern ghats coverage on the scenic Nilgiri Hills, along the boarder of the state. Beautiful ranges of rugged mountains from the border to the state on the east, west and south. The lavishly wonderful landscape of the state undulates between 600 to 9000mts above sea level. The exciting range of vardant mountains whose slopes are inundated with flora and fauna is aptly punctuated by amazing waterfalls and gorgeous gorges. The state is lined to a length of 320km by sea coast. This coastline gives rise to some beautiful beaches . The benevolent landscape of Karnataka also has a generous expanse of arable land. The fertility is primarily attributed to the wonderful rivers Cauvery, Thungabadra, etc., and number of their tributaries. A sizeable portion of the state is blanketed by dense forests. This area is quite expectedly proffers land for a number of sanctuaries which prudently preserve a host of endangered species among other common creatures of the wild.

A number of steps has been taken to preserve the natural habitat of these nonchalant beings. These forest fall under an interesting classification to help the development programmes. Teak, Ebony, black wood and cedar find these forests their homes. The sumptuous plantations of sandalwood fill the forest air with their pleasant fragrance .These forest produce play a vital role in determining the economic echelon of the state. Majestic elephants with an ambience of unquestioned awe around then, the big cats like the leopard, the panther, and cheetah with their unparalleled running speeds, the wild boar, the spotted deers which have time and again held the fascination of renowned poets and a host of other remarkable creatures of the wild grace these woods galore, bearing testimony to the primordial beauty.

Modern Karnataka
The Karnataka state of today which is in fact the collation of 4 districts of Mumbai, 2 of Chennai and 3 of the Nizam’s territory. Coorg forms part of the Werstern Deccan region of Peninsular India. The state holds the 8th place in the Nation in area and people. The capital city Bangalore with more than 6 million people, is the 6th largest urban agglomeration out of the 23 in India.
The transportation in the state is aided by a cumulative length of 1.34 lakh km of road. Four important National Highways leading to the state were sanctioned by the central government in 1998.And there are airports at Bangalore, Mysore, Belgaum, Mangalore and Hubli. And the much awaited “Konkan Railway” connecting Mumbai and Mangalore, an important port city was also commissioned on the first of May in the year 1998.

Industries
Karnataka also fosters many important industries. There are Government undertakings and also private sector establishments which play an important role in the field of employment and revenue. Bharath Earth Movers Ltd., Bharat Electronics, Hindustan Machine Tools, Bharath Heavy Electricals, Hindustan Aeronautics and Indian Telephone Industries deserve a special mention in the public sector. Besides, the proliferating medium scale industries make up to over thriving one here. The Viswesvarays Iron and Steeel Ltd., has a production capacity of 77,000 tonnes of special and alloy steel per year. The electronic industry is wayward putting Karnataka ahead of all other states in the production of electronic equipments. Karnataka stands first also in the production of raw silk. The sandalwood industry of the state is noteworthy. The state is rich also in natural mineral resources. High grade iron ore, china clay, magnetite are the important minerals found here. The state shoots the spotlight in gold production.

Religion and People
Karnataka has been the centre of religious activities which is quite evident from the ancient temples and hermitages. Sri Madhavacharya, who promulgated ‘Dvaita’ was born in the state. Sri Ramanuja, who spreads the philosophy of ‘Visishtadvaita’ among the multitude of population, had a sojourn of over 12 years in Karnataka in the 11th century during which period the saint attracted scores of devotees who eventually became ardent followers . Sri Adi Sankara who upheld the philosophy of ‘Advaita’ has also visited Karnataka in the 8th century and established a diocese at Sringeri which imparts the essential spiritual knowledge in millions of people. Thus Karnataka has been consecrated by the religious ‘Trinity” and also been one of the platforms of the three great philosophies. And in the 12th century Basava shook off the constraints of caste and took to preaching. ‘The oneness of God and the Brotherhood of Man’.

The religious heads, Sri Adi Sankara, Sri Ramanuja and Sri Madhvacharys have traversed on foot the length and breath of the Nation propagating their philosophies all among. A number of people rook recourse to the saints to get over their woes. The saints have visited several temples and led their followers to eternal bliss through their spiritual aura.

Even today the influence of the saints is largely felt, predominantly the Madhava culture. The Brindavan of Sri Raghavendra, a prominent saint in the hierarchical order of Sri Madhavacharya, can be seen at many places.

Through Hinduism has more number of people than other religious in Karnataka there are also considerable numbers belonging to the major religious like Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism, Islamism and Jainism. Karnataka is an anthropologically diverse region. The district races in retrospect were the Dravidians and the Indo-Aryans.