Karnataka, called as Karunadu (elevated land) in ancient times. The course of Karnataka's history and culture takes us back to pre-historic times. The earliest find of the stone age period in India was a hand axe at Lingasugur in Raichur district. The Ashoka's rock edicts found in the state indicate that major parts of Northern Karnataka were under the Mauryas. Chandragupta Maurya, the great Indian emperor abdicated the throne and embraced Jainism at Shravanabelagola. Adding new dimensions to the cultural and spiritual ethos of the land, many great dynasties left their imprint upon the aesthetic development of Karnataka's art forms. Prominent among them were the Chalukyas, the Hoysalas and the mighty Vijayanagara Empire. The Chalukyan's built some of the very early Hindu temples in India. Aihole turned up as an experimental base for the dynamic creations of architects. The Hoysala's who ruled from the 11th to the 13th century chiseled their way into the pages of glory by building more than 150 temples, each one is a master piece in its own way. The amazing dexterity and fluidity of expressions at Somnathpur, Halebid and Belur open themselves to the wide eyed wonder in one's eyes. Vijayanagara, the greatest of all medieval Hindu empires and one of the greatest the world over, fostered the development of intellectual pursuits and fine arts. "The eye of the pupil has never seen a place like it and the ear of intelligence has never been informed that there existed anything to equal it in the world" is what Abdur Razaaq the Persian ambassador had to say about Krishnadevaraya's time.

History records indicate that the people of Karnataka were competent with iron instruments and iron implements that date back to the 1200 B.C. have been discovered near Dhaward and Hallur in Karnataka, South India.

Maurya rulers played a very important role in the history of Karnataka followed by the cultural influence of Chalukyan kings. Hoysalas, Bahamani and the Adil Shahi kings, have played a very important role in the history of Karnataka, South India. The Sattavahanas, Nandas, Pallavas and Ganga rulers have made their contribution to the culture and history of Karnataka.

The Badami rulers were the ones who integrated entire Karnataka under one rule as a whole. Badami Chalukyas constructed architectural splendors in Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami, the ruins of which still stand proud as reminders of a rich cultural heritage and history.

The Hoysala temples in Belur, Halebid and Somnathpur give you a glimpse into the rich cultural history of Karnataka, South India.

Krishnadevaraya, the greatest warrior ruler of Karnataka turned the course of Karnataka's history. An excellent administrator, scholar and art connoisseur, Krishnadevaraya consolidated Karnataka under the Vijayanagar Empire after Mohammad Tughlaq's army nearly destroyed the Hoysala capital at Halebid.
Vijayanagar flourished in prosperity for a long time till the Wodeyars of Mysore came into the picture. The Wodeyar rulers lost their capital to one of their own army generals, Haider Ali. Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan faced British attacks with political assistance from the colonial French armies.

In 1799 the British succeeded in annexing Karnataka and placed the Wodeyar rulers back on throne, who managed Karnataka till India gained independence in 1947.

People :
Karnataka is well known for it rich culture and traditional grandeur. The people of the state have been living in close contact with all their neighbours such as the Marathas, the Andhras, the Tamilians and the Malayalis. Karnataka is worldwide famous for Carnatic Music, a peculiar type of Classical Music patroned by many across the continents. Kannada is the official language of Karnataka. Other languages spoken in the state are Kodava, Takk, Tulu, Sankethi, Urdu, Konkani, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayala etc.


Festivals :
The state celebrates many colourful festivals, most of them are temple festivals. The important temple festivals are the Paryaya festival,Vairamudi festival, Karaga Festival, Keil Poldu and Lakshadeepotsavam etc.Apart from the temple festivals Dussehra is the major festival celebrated for ten days in September- October. In additon many state festivals are also celebrated like the Coorg festival, Hampi-Vijayanagar festival and the Hoysala festival.


Attractions in Karnataka :

National Parks and Sanctuaries -
Gumbaz KkarnatakaKarnataka has several national parks namely Bandipur National Park (Mysore),Bannerghatta National Park (Bangalore), Nagarhole National Park (Mysore),Kudermukh National Park (South Kannada district), Dandeli and Anshi NationalPark (North Kannada district). In addition the state houses sanctuaries like Rangantittu Bird Sancturay (Mandya), Brahmagiri and Pushpagiri Wild LifeSanctuaries (Kodagu).

Water Falls and Caves -
Karnataka is popular forits waterfalls as Jog falls of Shimoga district is one of the highest waterfalls in Asia. Some of the most famous waterfalls are Magor falls,Lalgulli falls, Sathod falls, Shivanasamudra falls and Shivganga falls etc.Some of the popular caves of Karnataka are Yana caves, Kavala caves,Syntheri rocks in North Kannada district and Sugriva's cave in Hampi.

Temples -
The temples at Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal in Bijapur district are major attraction for lovers of art. The temple of Halebedu, Belur and Somanathpur are famous for architectural splendour. Built around 900 years ago the Kesava temple of Belur is an excellent example of Hoysala art. The 12th century Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples of Halebid are masterpieces of Hindu art.

Forts -
Karnataka is famous for a large number offorts like the forts of Bidar, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Vijayanagara, Badami,Basava Kalyan, Srirangapattan, Keladi, Chitradurga and Mysore etc. There are several hill forts like the forts at the Nandi Hill (Kolar district),Savanadurga (Bangalore district) and Madhugiri, Pavagada, Midigeshi inTumkur district. The coastal island forts like Bahadurgadh, Basavaraja Durga, Devagad and Kurmagad are very famous.

Hoe to Reach

Air -
Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka has itsown airport, which operates flights for major cities in the country like Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune , Ahmedabad, Coimbatore,Thiruvananthpuram, Hyderabad, Goa, Kochi, Calicut and Mangalore. Bangalore airport is directly connected to airports of other world cities Singapore,Dubai, London, Oman, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia etc.

Rail -
Bangalore railway station is connected to the major cities in India. There are trains from Ahmedabad, Cochin, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Mangalore, Chennai, Mysore,Nagpur, Tiruvananthapuram, Vasco-da-Gama (Goa) and.

Road -
Karnataka is connected to major cities and towns with National highways and several other roads. Bangalore is connected by good motorable roads with all major cities of the country. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses run within the state as well as outside