Dear Students do go through this compilation on Karnataka, which I’ve put together to assist

you in understanding ‘Karnataka’. Hope it will be of some help to you in your project work.
Mrs.Maya Bisht.

Are you planning to visit Karnataka? Before planning a trip to the land of myriad
attraction, read this article to know more about the best tourist places in Karnataka.

Karnataka is one of those states in the nation which are blessed with the natural beauty
inherent in the coastal areas as well as the hilly regions. The perfect weekend getaway for
the ones situated nearby and a perfect tourist spot for the ones living away from the place,
Karnataka translates into just one word when it comes to the tourism – Perfect. The place is
teeming with wildlife, birds ,plantations ,greeneryhills ,waterfalls ,lakes and forests etc. The
natural surroundings, the soothing temples, the historical legacy of Mysore and the
enchanting fragrance of the coffee makes Karnataka a perfect place for an avid as well as
habitual as well as 'not-so-much-into' travellers.
The mighty list of the top 10 places to be while you are touring Karnataka goes as follows:
Bangalore

Let us begin with the capital of the State of Karnataka. India's IT Hub – Bangalore is famous
for its IT industries, Shopping Malls and complexes, parks, green surroundings and plush
restaurants. This place may not be your first choice if you wish to spend your holidays at a
place which is NOT a big city. But, still, it has its own perks such as
Wonderia
Iskcon Temple
Ulsoor
Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace
Vidhana Soudha
Bannerghatta National Park
Visvesvaraya Industrial
Technological Museum
Cubbon Park
and a lot more.
Mysore

Of course, the historical city of Mysore which has the name of Tipu Sultan, the place where
the battles were fought once, the city where you can find churches, temples, old forts, and
other architecturally important buildings is the next big thing in Karnataka. The place is
fragrant with its exquisite sandalwood and has a reputed position in all the arts and crafts.
Mysore Palace
Brindavan gardens
Lalitha Mahal
Railway Museum
Karanji Lake
Mysore Zoo
Jaganmohan Place.
You can buy the exquisite silk sarees, sandalwood, coffee tables, rosewood artefacts, and
locally available perfumes.
Chikmagalur
Bhadra wildlife Sanctuary
Kudremukh wildlife safaris
Kodandarama temple
Kallathigiri falls
Baba Budangiri
are some of the best places to visit. There are tiger safaris in open jeeps for the ones who
love the adrenaline rush. Another such place is the Hebbe Falls where you can go trekking
and hiking but mind it, under supervision. Chikmagalur has a bad reputation regarding the
wild animals straying into the residential areas thus, try to stay away from the forests during
the night time and travel in groups in the forested areas.
Hampi
Hampi is one of the ancient cities and is thus rich in architecture, historical monuments and
cultural legacy. The ruins of the ancient city are captivating and will take you back to the
days of the Vijayanagar rulers. There are around 500 monuments to be explored in the city
of Hampi which make the city a paradise for history lovers.
Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal

All of the three places are near to each other and are rich in the historical monuments and
temples. Once the seat of the mighty chalukya rulers, Badami is full of caves, rock cut
temples and other historical splendour. However, one should be warned that good
accommodation is a question and hence make the trip a one-day affair.
Coorg

Earlier the place was called as the Kodagu region and is situated in a vicinity of Mysore and
Bangalore. It is a hill station and is full of all the natural beauty one has to offer.
Golden temple
awesome coffee plantations
Abbey Falls
Nisargadhama
Nagarhole National Park
Madikeri
Talakaveri
Iruppu Falls
Bhagamandala
Dubare Elephant Training Camp
and a lot more things and places are there to be explored in the region.
Belur and Mullayanagiri

Ruled by the Hoysala rulers, the historical place Belur has many ancient temples with world
famous architecture. Mullayanagiri is located near Belur and is the highest point in the state
of Karnataka. Chenna Kesava Temple, Darpana Sundari, the Gravity pillar or the lamp post,
Vishnu Samudra and Veera Narayana temple are the other places of interest in the region.
Jog Falls and Sigandhur

Situated in the Sagar district of Karnataka, both of these places are full of beauty and
splendour. River Sharavathi's backwaters are one of the most relaxing places to leave
behind all the cobwebs of the city life and enjoy your vacation. They are located in
Sigandhur. Both the places are 45 km apart from each other.
Jog Falls are one of the highest waterfalls in the nation and the surroundings are simply
amazing. The nearby places include the Unchalli falls.
Shimsha
Shimsha is another hilly place which can be visited along with the other nearby places such as-
Nanjangud
Male Mahadeshwara Hills
Biligiri Ranga Hills
Kyathadevara Gudi
Barachukki
Gaganchukki waterfalls
The Biligiri Ranga hills are also known as the BR Hills and the unique hills formed at a point
where the Eastern and the Western Ghats meet. Wildlife spotting, camping, trekking and lots
of other outdoor activities can be done in these places.
Hogenakal Falls and Krishnagiri

Hogenakal Falls are one scenic splendour and are a system of waterfalls. The place is a
famous tourist destination. The nearby place is Krishnagiri dam which is a fall dam and is
flocked by tourists generally. There are a lot of trekking, hiking and camping options
available in the surrounding areas and the tourists will feel refreshed after their visits.

Other famous places to visit in Karnataka are:

Sangam
Mekedatu
Nandi Hills, Muddenahalli
Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary
 Karnataka

Karnataka is a southwestern state of India. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the

West, Goa in Northwest, Maharashtra to the north and Telangana to the Northeast. Andra
Pradesh to the East, Tamil Nadu to the Southeast and Kerala to the South.
It was originally known as the state of Mysore but was renamed in 1973 as
Karnataka. Bangalore or Bengaluru is the capital and a big IT hub or silicon valley of India. It
is the 4th largest technology cluster in the world and ranks 1st Digital city in the world. The
state is also called the knowledge, research and innovation hub of Asia.
Know more about capital city Bangalore
Karnataka is known for its tradition and scenic beauty with places like Mysore, Hampi, and
Pattadakallu to see. When we talk of tourism in South India, Karnataka is often overlooked in
favor of the beaches of Goa, Temples in Tamil Naidu and backwaters of Kerala. But
Karnataka is a beautiful land blessed with timeless monuments, world heritage sites,
luscious green forest, marvelous wildlife, romantic hill stations, stunning beaches, and
vibrant cultures.
History

Ash
mounds of Karnataka
Karnataka history can be traced back to the Pre-historic period. Karnataka is said to be one
of the four Dravidian states associated with Indus-Valley civilization. Aryans from central
Asia invaded the Dravidic city-state and civilized and colonized it.
Archaeologists have discovered artifacts dating back to 5000 B.C.E. It has many sites of
Pre-historic period and most of them are found scattered on the river valleys of Krishna,
Bhima, Malaprabha, Ghataprabha, Cauvery, Hemavathi, Shimsha, Tungabhadra, Manjra,
Pennar, Netravati, etc and their tributaries.
Pre-historic studies in India started with the discovery of ash mounds at Kupgal and Kudatini
in 1836 by a British Officer in the Bellary region, which then formed part of Madras
presidency. Subsequent discoveries have revealed the existence of a stone-age man with
innumerable Pre-historic sites in Karnataka.
The Pre-historic culture of Karnataka viz. the hand-ax culture, compares favorably with the
one that existed in Africa and is quite distinct from the Pre-historic culture of North India.
The ragi grain is found commonly in pre-historic sites of Africa and Karnataka. The early
inhabitants of Karnataka knew the use of iron weapons dating back to circa 1500 B.C. has
been found.
Before joining the Emperor Ashoka’s Mauryan Empire in the third century B.C.E., much of
Karnataka was part of the Nanda Empire.
The Satavahana Dynasty ruled the area for four centuries. After the fall of Satavahana,
Western Ganga Empire emerged and established their independent political identity.
They were the first empire to use the Kannada language in government management. After
these empires, the imperial Kannada empire such as Badami Chalukyas, Rashtrakuta
Dynasty and Western Chalukya Empire ruled over the vast part of Deccan and made
Karnataka their capital.
Western Chalukya preserved the unique art and architecture and Kannada literature, which
began to be known as Hoysala Arts in the 12th century.
Most of the present southern Karnataka was occupied by the Chola Empire in the 11th
century. Prior to the arrival of the Hoysala Empire in the 12th Century. Chola and Hoysala
were fighting to occupy the area among themselves.
After the first millennium, Hoysala got strength in the field. At this time the literature was
flourishing, which led to the emergence of special Kannada literature and statues and
temples were built.
With the expansion of the Hoysala Empire, some part of the present Andra Pradesh and
Tamil Nadu was also included. In the early 14th century, the Vijayanagara Empire rose to
successfully challenge the Muslim invasion into the south.
In 1565, the Vijayanagara Empire fell in front of the Islamic invaders in the battle at Talikota.
The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb gave the order to besiege Bijapur.
Maharaja Sri Krishnaraja Wadiyar-IV – Karnataka. After Indian independence, approved his
empire to be included in India. Mysore was made Indian state in 1950 and be the year 1975
the former Maharaja was made the head of the state. Parts of Coorg, Madras, Hyderabad,
and Bombay states were incorporated into the state of Mysore due to the Eki Karana
movement. The Mysore State was renamed as Karnataka in 1973

Culture
Karnataka has a rich cultural heritage, which has been continuously moving forward with the
contribution of various empires. Karnataka literature, architecture, folklore, music, painting,
and other art forms have a lot of impact on the people. You can see various ancient
buildings and monuments, Mauryan Empire special architecture can also be found here.
The statue of the 10th-century Jain saint Bahubali stone statue can be seen here. The
influence of Chalukyas and the Pallava Empire can also be seen.
A varied mixture of ethnicity, culture, and race comprises the people of Karnataka. While the
maximum number of people residing here are Kannadigas. They live in perfect harmony and
mutual contacts with their neighbors and intimidates (namely the Marathas, the Andras, the
Tamils, and the Malayalis).
The people of Karnataka are great hosts, their lifestyle is simple who abide by their unique
customs, enchanting culture and beliefs.
Language
The official language of the state of Karnataka is Kannada. However other languages like
Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Tulu, Konkan and Hindi are also spoken. Most
educated people use English and Hindi language too.
Religion
Karnataka is a mixture of various religion where the most popular religion
is Hinduism. During the first millennium, the Buddha religion was one of the most famous
religions of some parts of Karnataka such as Gulbarga and Banvasi. The Tibetian refugee
camp is also in Karnataka. Jainism is also followed by many communities
while Christianity and Islam are also followed in Karnataka.
Dance
The culture of Karnataka revolves around its dance, music folk art and drama, and literature.
Karnataka is a treasure house of ritualistic dances. Karnataka is a treasure house to various
dance forms, the word Kunitha is used for all folk dances or ritual dances.
One such dance is the Dollu Kunitha in which singing is accompanied by the beating of
drums. 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.

Yaksha Gana
Yakshagana is one of the most difficult dance forms. It has no script and its performance
depends solely on artist ability. Another amazing Karnataka traditional dance form is
Damman dance of Siddi community.
Music
Indian classical music has a special place for Karnataka as
both Karnatak (Carnatic) and Hindustani styles find a place in the state. It is the only state
where Hindustani music from the north and Carnatic music from the south can be found
together.
Karnataka has produced great music artists like Bhimsen Joshi, Mallikarjuna Mansur, Kumar
Gandharva, Basavaraj, and Puttaraj Gowai, some of them have been a recipient of Kalidas
Samman, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan awards.
Festivals
Karnataka is marked by some of the most colorful festivals. Mysore Dussehra is organized
as Nada Habba and this is the main festival of Mysore.
Mysore Dasara
The second important festival of Karnataka is Ugadi (Kannada New Year), while other
festivals celebrated are Makara Sankranti (the Harvest Festival), Ganesh Chaturthi,
Nagapanchami, Basava Jayanti, Deepavali, and Ramzan.
Kambala is an epic buffalo race which is an annual two-day festival, kambala season
generally starts in November and lasts until March.
Costume

The dressing of Karnataka people varies from district to district. The main Kannadiga male
costume is Panchey or Lungi, Angi and Peta. Panchey or Lungi is tied below the waist while
Angi is a traditional shirt and Peta is a turban worn in Mysuru style or Dharwad style. Shyla
is a piece of long cloth used to carry on the shoulder.
Female costume includes Sari among which IIkal saris are woven using a special technique
called Tope Teni. Mysore silk saree is also famous. Salwar Kameez is widely popular in
urban areas.

Mysore silk
Young women traditionally wear Langa Davani. Kasuti is a form of embroidery work which is
very popular sought after art on dress and costumes. Jeans are popular among the youth
while new age khadi/silk printed with various art are also found.
Cuisines
Karnataka food is extremely rich in variety. From strict vegetarian delicacies of Udipi to non-
vegetarian gourmets of Kodava, food in Karnataka have something which brings water in
your mouth.

Karnataka is famous for the variety of dosa and sambhar it serves. Rice is the staple of
Karnataka food. A typical Kannadiga Oota (meal) consists of rice, sambhar, pickle, ghee,
dessert and other curry-based dishes served on a banana leaf.
Popular dishes to try are Bisi Bele Bhaat, Neer dosa, Mangalorean fish curry and Kori Gassi
(chicken curry). Rotis made of wheat, jowar and ragi are consumed. Chikkadikai (Kannada),
ballar (Hindi) is a famous vegetable consumed in Karnataka.
In dessert, they use milk, vermicelli, sugar, coconuts, jaggery, and dry fruits. Payasas Pedas
of a different type, Kesari Bhath, and chiroti are some popular desserts of Karnataka.
Art and Crafts
Karnataka is famous for its crafts in wood carving, ivory carving, stone carving, and
sandalwood crafts and doll making.
The works of wood especially the rosewood and the sandalwood are in huge demand. Ivory
art is typical in the state. Mysore painting is popular all over the world. Silk weaving is also a
unique art of Karnataka.
The Mysore silk weaving art is a traditional occupation of the people. One of the rare
handicrafts of Karnataka is the Bidriware made on metal plates.
Wedding
A Kannada wedding is pretty much similar to that of a typical Hindu wedding. Nandi Pooja is
done pre-wedding to ensure the ceremony goes smoothly without any glitches. You will find
Kannada wedding as a place of God chanting mantras and a place where peace brew from
within.
Tourism
Karnataka has many tourist locations and each location speaks in volume and
uniqueness.
The coastal coast of Karnataka is not very large, but it is home to India’s most
beautiful seaside. The state between the west coast and the Deccan Plateau is
located in the forest, pavilion, temple, cave, beach, riverbank, lake, coffee
plantations, waterfalls, ruins, and other places.
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.
Mysore, Aihole, Bijapur, Badami, Hampi, Mangalore and Pattadakal are some of the
Historical destinations in Karnataka.
Hampi was the ancient capital city of the powerful Vijayanagar Empire. The Mysore
palace is the second most visited tourist destination in India after the Taj Mahal.
Many other palaces in Karnataka such as the Bangalore Palace, Mysore Palace
(Ambvillas Palace), Nalkonad Mahal, Rajendra Vilas, Jagan Mohan Mahal,
Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion, Lalita Mahal, Rajendra Vilas, Chewuwaba Mansion,
Shivappa Naika Palace and Darya Daulat Tiger Mahal Etc. are also seen.
We also see the Islamic heritage in Bijapur, Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur and other parts
of the state.. Karnataka has two World Heritage Sites called Hampi and Pattadakal.
Karnataka is also famous for Shimoga district’s waterfalls, where Asia’s second-
largest waterfall is found. There are many famous beaches in Karnataka’s Malpe,
Kup, Mervendhe, Karwar, Gokarn, Mudeswar, and Surendalk. For the climbers,
Karnataka is no less than a paradise. Yana in Uttar Kannada, the fort in Chitradurga,
Ramnagar in Bengaluru district, Shivgange in Tumkur district and tekal in Kolar
district are similar to Paradise for climbers.
Agumbe and Kodachadri in the main hill areas of the state, Baba Budgari,
Kemmanguandi in Shimoga district, Kudremukh in Chikkamagaluru district, etc.
Mullanagiri, Pushpagiri, Nandi hill, Kundadari, Tadi and Amol, Talakavari,
Mahaswara hill, Himavad Gopalaswamy Island, Amberguda, etc. are the other hill
cities of the state and area.
Many wildlife sanctuaries and national parks such as Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary,
Dariji lazy bear sanctuary, peacock sanctuary in Banakpura, Ranbenur Black Deer
Sanctuary, Haveri District; Deorai Wildlife Sanctuary, Hampi; Attivari Bird Sanctuary,
Shirahatti; Biliirigiranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhadra Wildlife
Sanctuary, Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Kaveri Wildlife Sanctuary, Melukote
Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, Mandya District; Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary, Nuhu
Wildlife Sanctuary, Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Sharawathi Valley Wildlife
Sanctuary, Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary, Someshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Talavavari
Wildlife Sanctuary, Gudvi Bird Sanctuary, Mandagade Bird Sanctuary, Kaggaldu
Belur Sanctuary, Gudvi Bird Sanctuary, and Bonal Bird Sanctuary, etc.

Some of the famous sea basins include Karwar, Gokarn, Murudeshwar, Malpe Ullal and
Mangalore. The main events to see are Lighting at Mysore Palace during Dussehra, Jumbo
Savari or elephant march during the Hampi festival and buffalo race during Kambala festival.

Mysore Palace – Karnataka

The top tourist destination is:
Mysore Palace
Chikmagalur
Coorg hill station
Shravanabelagola Gommateshwara statue
Shivanasamudra Falls
Jog Falls, Gerosoppa Falls
Dharmasthala
Agumbe “The Cherrapunji of the South”
Udupi Krishna Temple
Gokak Falls
Hampi a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Gokarna
Kudremukh mountain range
Bijapur – Gol Gumbaz

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