KARNATAKA

BASIC FACTS
Area :1,92,000 Sq.kms Population:52.73 Million State GSDP:US $ 34.41 Billion GSDP growth rate : 8.7% Capital : Bangalure -knowledge Capital -Technology Hub -A Brand District : 30

KARNATAKA PROFILE

Karnataka, the eighth largest State in India is one of the most beautiful states in the country. Karnataka is also considered as one of the most fast growing states in the Indian subcontinent. Karnataka is one of the most prosperous states of India owing to its amenities in varied fields. The state has recorded tremendous success in the fields like education, literature, agriculture, industry and tourism. Asias Silicon Valley i.e. Bangalore is its capital. The thriving software industry of this city demands a separate position on the IT map of the globe. Karnataka is therefore sometimes called The land of science and technology. Extending from the Arabian Sea and the fertile forest ridges of the Western Ghats to the drier, boulder-strewn region of the Deccan Plateau, Karnatakas picturesque location is remarkable. It evokes the image of oldest rocks jutting out in odd shapes, forests of Malnad soaked in rain, barren stretches of Maidan, towering temples, thousands of tanks, swift flowing rivers and streams skirting their way across the region; the sweet and everlasting fragrance of sandal wood and many more Karnataka preserves its past glory by observing various fairs and festivals, retaining its art and crafts and by performing various dances and music forms. It is the birth place of the Indian classical music. The most unique feature of Karnataka is that it is the only province where both the main styles of Indian Music (Karnataka and Hindustani) are performed side by side. Above all, it is the people of Karnataka who have made this land a charming destination to explore.

Location Karnataka is located in the western half of the Deccan plateau surrounded by Andhra Pradesh in the east, Climate Karnataka enjoys a salubrious climate throughout the year. The state like all other states of the country experiences typical tropical climate comprising of three distinct seasons. The chief attraction is the city Bangalore itself. Bangalore is sometime called as The Air-Conditioned City of the Country.

Demographics: According to the 2001 census of India, the total population of Karnataka is 52,850,562, of which 26,898,918 (50.9%) are male and 25,951,644 (49.1%) are female, or 1000 males for every 964 females. This represents a 17.3% increase over the population in 1991. The population density is 275.6 per km and 34.0% of the people live in urban areas. The literacy rate is 66.6% with 76.1% of males and 56.9% of females being literate.83% of the population are Hindu, 11% are Muslim, 4% are Christian, 0.8% are Jains, 0.7% are Buddhist, and with the remainder belonging to other religions. Natural Resources: Forests: Karnatakas forests reserves account only 20 % of the total geographical area of the state. These forests are classified as reserved (28.611 sq. km) protected (3,932 sq. km), unclosed (5,748 sq. km), village (124 sq. km) and private (309 sq. km) forests. Karnataka is known for its valuable timbers from the evergreen forests in the Western Ghat region, notably Teak and Rosewood which are used in decorating interiors of the homes. Rivers: Karnataka accounts for a significant percentage of the country's surface water resources i.e. nearly 6% (17 Lakh million cubic meters). About 40 percent of this is available in the east flowing rivers and the remaining from the west flowing rivers. There are seven river basins in Karnataka, formed by the Krishna, Cauvery, Godavari, West flowing rivers, North Pennar, South Pennar & Palar.

Minerals: Karnataka is blessed with rich mineral resources distributed more or less evenly in the whole territory. The state is the major producer of gold in the country with the two major mines located in the districts of Kolar and Raichur. The gold mines at Kolar and Hutti are producing about 3,000 kg of gold, about 84% of countries production per annum. Karnataka also has very rich deposits of Iron and Manganese ores. The total reserve of high grade iron ore available in the State are of the order of 1,000 Million tones. The State is endowed with rich deposits of asbestos, bauxite, chromite, dolomite, gold, iron ore, kaolin, limestone, magnesite, Manganese, ochre, quartz and silica sand. It is also the sole producer of felsite, moulding sand (63%) and fuchsite quartzite (57%). Karnataka has also the fame of having standard Ornamental Granites with different hues. It has granite rock's spread over 4200 Sq. kms

INFRASTRUCTURE

Airport :
Airports in Karnataka act as gateways for tourists

descending on the state. At present, Karnataka has five functional airports at Hubli, Mysore, Belgaum, Mangalore and Bangalore. The Bangalore airport is extremely well

connected with the rest of the country. International flights also operate out of the Bangalore airport.The airport is about 34 Kms from Bangalore [Vidhan Soudha].

TOURISM
The state of Karnataka has many places of interest for the tourists.Most of the land in Karnataka lies on an elevation, at an average height of 1500 ft. above the sea level. Karnataka has a long coastline adjoining the Arabian Sea and because of this, you will find alot of beautiful beaches with shimmering silvery sands and azure blue seawaters rushing to kiss your feet. Some of the famous beaches of Karnataka are Bhatkal beach, Murudeshwar beach, Kurumgad beach and Malpe beach. The beach tourism of Karnataka is a wonderful option to spend your holidays.

When you move from the coast towards inland, you will find the Western Ghats running through Karnataka. Here you will find a lot of thick forests and plenty of wildlife. All total, Karnataka is home to 25 wildlife sanctuaries and five national parks. Kudremukh National Park,Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Bannarghetta National Park, etc. are havens for the intrepid travellers.These are wild gestures of Karnataka tourism which you would find hard to resist.

There are many famous temples in Karnataka like the Mookambigai Temple, Kukke Subramaniam Temple, Marudeswar Temple, Marikamba Temple, Udupi Krishna Temple. Sringeri, which was one of the seats of Adi Shankaracharya, is an important destination for religious tourism. Here Sharadamba Temple attracts hordes of pilgrims. Shravanabelagola is a must visit site. It is an important Jain pilgrimage centre.Here, besides soaking in the religious ambience, get astounded by the magnificent statue of Gommateshwara, which happens to be the tallest monolithic statue in the world. It is the statue of a great Jain king Gangaraya, who turned into a saint. The statue, which was built by his general as a tribute to him, stands at 17.38 metres height. same time, there are abundant places where tourists who are adventurous can go trekking, rock climbing, aero sporting and river rafting. For nature lovers, the state has a cascade of beauty to offer, quite literally. Jog Falls, which is India's tallest single-tiered waterfall, makes the tourists spellbound with its awesome beauty. Magod Falls, Unchalli Falls, Shivanasamudra Falls are the other important waterfalls of Karnataka.

Mysore is another must visit destination for any tourist coming to Karnataka. This city is the former capital of the Wodeyars, who were the erstwhile rulers of the state. History in the form of splendid architectures, dots the landscape of this city. Mysore is known as the city of palaces as there are many charming palaces, some of which have been converted to hotels. The most important festival in Mysore is the Dussehra, which is a must see for any tourist. This ten-day festival is celebrated with pomp and style, and is a very colourful and joyous occasion. Another place in Mysore which should not be missed is

the Brindavan Gardens, which has a lot of water parks and lovely green vegetation. Before the Switzerland craze took over, it was one of the favourite shooting spots for filmmakers.

ECONOMY

GSDP Growth of the Karnatakan Economy over the previous years. Karnataka, which had an estimated GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) of about US$ 58.23 billion in 2008-09 fiscal year. Karnataka recorded the highest growth rates in terms of GDP and per capita GDP in the last decade compared to other states. The state registered a GSDP growth rate of 7% for the year 2007-2008. Karnataka's contribution to India's GDP in the year 2004-05 was 5.2%.Karnataka was the fastest growing state over the past decade in terms of GDP and per capita GDP. With GDP growth of 56.2% and per capita GDP growth of 43.9%, Karnataka now has the sixth highest per-capita GDP of all states. Nearly 56% of the workforce in Karnataka is engaged in agriculture and related activities. A total of 12.31 million hectares of land, or 64.6% of the state's total area, is cultivated. Much of the agricultural output is dependent on the southwest monsoon as only 26.5% of the sown area is irrigated. Karnataka is the manufacturing hub for some of the largest public sector industries in India, including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, National Aerospace Laboratories, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Indian Telephone Industries, Bharat Earth Movers Limited and Hindustan Machine Tools, which are based in Bangalore. Many of India's premier science and technology research centers, such as Indian Space Research Organization, Central Power Research Institute, Bharat Electronics Limited and the Central Food Technological Research Institute, are also headquartered in Karnataka. Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited is an oil refinery located in Mangalore

Karnataka has a well developed infrastructure where the government has implemented many infrastructure projects like construction of expressways, flyovers and roads in the recent times. Due to the information technology boom in Bangalore and Mysore, and with big multinationals like the Microsoft, Accenture, Wipro, Infosys and Yahoo setting up shops in the state, there has been a spate of construction activities in Bangalore, which pertains to housing, malls and supermarkets. The government has also initiated the metro rail project to help ease road congestion and to aid growth in the transport sector. Other than the major industries of the state like processing of plantation products like coffee, rubber, cashew, etc. there are industries based on food processing, electrical engineering, chemical industries, etc. Mining of minerals like gold and iron ore is another major industry in Karnataka. The coastal regions of Karnataka, mainly Udipi and Dakshina Kannada, have been known for their banking and financial institutions. Many leading banks, like the Canara Bank, Syndicate Bank, Corporation Bank, State Bank of Mysore, Vijaya Bank have their origins in the state of Karnataka. Besides the large scale industries, many small scale industries like making of agarbhattis, sandal wood carving and handicrafts are also there in the state, which contribute to the economy of Karnataka.

ABOUT GOVERNMENT

Governor: Shri Hans Raj Bhardwaj Raj Bhavan Raj Bhavan Road Bangalore 560 001 INDIA Voice: +91-80-2225 4102 (General-epbax), +91-80-2225 3555 (Direct through ADC) Special officer Rajbhavan : +91-80-2225 4106 Fax: +91-80-2225 8150 Email: rbblr@vsnl.com Chief Minister: B S Yeddyurappa Kumarakrupa Road, Bangalore - 560 001, Voice: +91-80-2225 2572 / 73 / 74 Email: cm@kar.nic.in Note: Karnataka government is taking tremendous interest in setting up eparliament. Computer Society of India has judged Karnataka as the best egoverned State in India. CSI presented the award for the year 2000-01 to Chief Minister S M Krishna on May 16, 2002 at Vidhana Soudha. This is the first time the award has been instituted by the CSI

OLITICS OF ARNATAKA Karnataka became an independent state only in the year 1956. However, in 1956 it was known as the Mysore state; it was renamed as Karnataka only in 1973. During the British rule, most of the present day Karnataka were under many different administrations like the Bombay Presidency, Madras Presidency, the Nizam of Hyderabad, the rule of the Mysore kings, etc. A unification campaign on linguistic basis was carried out by many prominent political leaders of the state; Aluru Venkata Rao being one of the predominant leaders. This very long political movement, known as Ekikarana Movement, eventually found its success with the redrawing of the geography of the state of Mysore under the States Reorganization Act in 1956, when Kodagu and Kannada speaking regions from the erstwhile states of Madras, Hyderabad and Bombay were inducted into the Mysore state. The expanded Mysore state was renamed as Karnataka in 1973. There are many political parties, which dominate the politics of Karnataka today. The major political parties of the state are the Indian National Congress, Janata Dal(Secular), Janata Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party. Of course, like the other south Indian states, Karnataka politics also has many regional parties and they play a dominant role in state politics, helping to form and break governments, specially in the recent context with coalition politics ruling the roost. The state legislative assembly or Vidhan Sabha comprises of 224 members, who are elected for a five-year term. The legislative council or Vidhan Parishad is a permanent body like all other Vidhan Parishads of India. This house comprises of 75 members, with one third of its members retiring every year. The state government is headed by the Chief Minister. Karnataka comprises of 29 districts, and each district is governed by the District Commissioner or District Magistrate. ntil very recently, HD Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister of Karnataka. He belongs to Janata Dal (Secular) party, and was the son of the former Prime Minister, Deve Gowda. They were able to capture power with the help of the BJP with whom they had an understanding that both the parties will take turns to rule the state. But after the tenure of Kumaraswamy, he refused to step down, and this caused the government to fall as BJP withdrew support.

Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore (seat of the Legislative Assembly) Karnataka, like other Indian states, has a parliamentary system of government with two democratically elected houses, the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. The Legislative Assembly consists of 224 members who are elected for five-year terms. The Legislative Council is a permanent body of 75 members with one-third (25 members) retiring every two years. For administrative purposes, Karnataka has been divided into four revenue divisions, 49 sub-divisions, 29 districts, 175 taluks and 745 hoblies/revenue circles. Politics in Karnataka has been dominated by three political parties, the Indian National Congress, the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Vairamudi Brahmotsava On April 4th 2009, Vairamudi Brahmostava is celebrated at Melkote. This is an annual festival which gathers more than 2 lakh devotees of Lord Cheluva Narayana. Dasara Dasara is the festival of celebrating women power. Chamundeshwari is the personification of courage, strength and power. Praying to her is believed to help one to be blessed with all these qualities, especially during Dasara. When the male gods failed to destroy the demon, it was the Devi who stood up to the occasion. Dussehra festival is celebrated in a big way in Karnataka or more precisely in Mysore. In fact Dussehra in Mysore is renowned for the way it is celebrated. During the Dussehra festival, the entire Mysore basks in the flood of lights. The Mysore Palace and other important buildings are illumined with lights. The city is bedecked in such a way that the tourists from faraway places flock o Mysore just to be a witness to the majestic beauty of the city. Some traditional items of the royal family form part of the procession. The main attraction of the procession is the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari kept in the golden howdah on top of a decorated elephant. The procession begins at the Mysore Palace and ends At the Banni Mantapa grounds, traveling a distance of about 2.5 miles.The procession is followed by a torch light procession in the evening and a stunning display of fireworks.

FESTIVALS

PONGAL In Karnataka the Festival of Pongal is celebrated with a lot of revelry. It is also known by the name of Sankranti. Friends and relatives visit one another to exchange greetings. On the occasion of Pongal in Karnataka, prayers are offered not only at home but also in the temples. This traditional custom continues to this day. A special dish is prepared on the occasion of Pongal in Karnataka. The ingredients of this sweet dish Ellu are coconut, sesame seeds and sugar. It is customary for the people to exchange this sweet dish with friends, relatives and neighbors. It is a token to show that hence forth the relationship will be as sweet as Ellu with no bitterness involved. People clad themselves in new clothes. But they are not the only ones to dress up gorgeously; they decorate their cows and bullocks as well. Humans and animals are equally a part of this unrestrained merry making. Pongal, a sweet preparation made of rice is served to the animals. Pongal is celebrated on the day of winter solstice according to the Hindu calendar. It is nice to visit the state of Karnataka when Pongal is being celebrated so that you can be a part of the mirth as well.

FOLK DANCES OF KARNATAKA

KUNITHA: The ritualistic dances of Karnataka are known as Kunitha. Kunitha is a general term given to ritualistic dances of Karnataka. These are divided into specific dance forms depending on the region it is being performed in. E.g.. Dolla Kunitha etc. Among the classical dances of India, the Mysore style of

Bharatanatyam, is the oldest and most popular dance form.

It is widely performed here. Other mainstream classical dances here include Kuchipudi and Kathak.

LADIES DOLLU KUNITHA

FOOD

The South Karnataka or old Mysore region also known as Bayaluseeme or the plains including the present-day Kolara, Bengalooru, Mysooru, Tumakooru, Mandya, Haasana,Chickkamaglur,Chamarajanagara. Ragi and Rice are the most important staple grains, Jowar and bajra are also cultivated and consumed in the drier parts of the region. These meals are served on Plantain leaves or Mutuka leaves, dry Tendulike leaves staples together into big circular discs. First accompaniments are served which includes variety of Palya, Kosambari, sweet-savory gojju, hot spicy chutney Pickles, bajji, bonda, vade, Papads. The first course alternated between sweets and rice preparation. The second course is a set of curries to be consumed with rice. Kosambari Kosambari made of cucumber A salad prepared using simple ingredients such as lentils, green chillies and finely chopped coriander.The dish is generally finished with a tempering of mustard seeds and asafotida. Common variants include kosambari made with the above ingredients in addition to grated cucumber or carrot

SPORTS IN KARNATAKA

Cricket is by far the most popular sport in Karnataka with International cricket matches attracting a sizeable amount of spectators who are willing to pay more than the ticket price to get a chance to watch the match.The sports related infrastructure is mainly concentrated in Bangalore which also played host to the 4th National Games of India in the year 1997. Bangalore is also the location of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) which is the premier sports institute in the country. Karnataka is sometimes referred to as the cradle of Indian swimming because of high standards in swimming compared to other states. The 'wall' of the Indian cricket team Rahul Dravid, the ace Indian leg spin bowler Anil Kumble; who is the highest wicket taker for India in the test cricket, are the recent stars of the Indian cricket, hailing from Karnataka. international one day matches are played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is located in Bangalore. The state's famous non-cricket sportspersons include the likes of Nisha Millet (swimming), Mahesh Bhupathi (tennis) and Prakash Padukone (badminton). Karnataka has also produced a number of hockey players, who represented the country at a national level. In fact, in the district of Kodagu, hockey is a passion. Hockey actually finds such a special place in the Kodava culture that they even have a Kodava Hockey Festival every year and what's more, this hockey festival has been entered in the Limca Book of Records as the largest hockey tournament in the world.

EDUCATION

Indian Institute of Science, one of the premier institutes of India located in Bangalore. As per the 2001 census, Karnataka had a literacy rate of 67.04%, with 76.29% of males and 57.45% of females in the state being literate.The state is home to some of the premier educational and research institutions of India such as the Indian Institute of Science, the Indian Institute of Management, the National Institute of Technology Karnataka and the National Law School of India University. As of March 2006, Karnataka had 54,529 primary schools with 252,875 teachers and 8.495 million students,and 9498 secondary schools with 92,287 teachers and 1.384 million students.There are three kinds of schools in the state, viz., government-run, private aided (financial aid is provided by the government) and private unaided (no financial aid is provided). The primary languages of instruction in most schools are Kannada and English. The syllabus taught in the schools is either of the CBSE, the ICSE or the state syllabus (SSLC) defined by the Department of Public Instruction of the Government of Karnataka. However, some schools follows NIOS syllabus. The State has one Sainik School in Bijapur also.

There are 481 degree colleges affiliated with one of the universities in the state, viz. Bangalore university, Gulbarga university, Karnataka university, Kuvempu university, Mangalore university and Mysore university.In 1998, the engineering colleges in the state were brought under the newly formed Visvesvaraya Technological University headquartered at Belgaum, whereas the medical colleges are run under the jurisdiction of the Rajiv Gandhi university of Health Sciences. Some of these baccalaureate colleges are accredited with the status of a deemed university. There are 123 engineering, 35 medical and 40 dental colleges in the state. Udipi, Sringeri, Gokarna and Melkote are well-known places of Sanskrit and Vedic learning. An Indian Institute of Technology Muddenahalli has been approved by the central government as part of the 11th 5 year plan. This will be the first IIT in Karnataka State.In addition, a 600 crore Visvesvaraya Institute of Advanced Technology (VIAT) is being constructed in Muddenahalli-Kanivenarayanapura.

United-21 Mysore Hotel is one of the popular budget hotels in Mysore, Located opposite to the famous Mysore Palace. With 65 well equipped luxury Executive rooms / Club Premier Rooms, 4 deluxe rooms and 2 Suites in Mysore, including modern amenities such as Spices & Sauces, the multicuisine restaurant in Mysore and Waves lounge bar.

UNITED-21 HOTEL IN MYSORE 43/A, B.N. ROAD, HARDINGE CIRCLE, MYSORE - 570 001, KARNATAKA, INDIA. WWW.UNITED21HOTELMYSORE.COM

United-21 Mysore Hotel has well furnished 65 Executive / Club Premier Rooms, Deluxe Rooms and Suites in Mysore. Each room of this Mysore hotel is Centrally Air Conditioned with Television, Wi-Fi Connection, etc.

DELUXE ROOMS, EXECUTIVE ROOMS, CLUB PREMIER ROOMS AND SUITES

United-21 Mysore Hotel has multi-cuisine restaurant Spices & Sauces providing delicious South Indian cuisine, Punjabi cuisine, Chinese cuisine and more. United-21, Mysore also offer Waves Lounge Bar, a great place for entertainment and timeouts.

MULTI-CUISINE RESTAURANT SPICES&SAUCES AND WAVES LOUNGE BAR

United21 Mysore Hotel has huge board room, senate hall/Banquet Hall and open air garden for organizing Family parties/functions and Business Conferences in Mysore. Call Now! (0821) 2522202 / 2522265

BANQUET HALLS - BOARD ROOM, SENATE HALL AND ROOF TOP (OPEN AIR GARDEN)

Contact us at United-21 Hotel in Mysore, for room reservation or you can also visit us @ www.united21hotelmysore.com for Online Hotel Booking in Mysore.

Address : 43/A, B.N. Road, Hardinge Circle, Mysore - 570 001, Karnataka, India. Phone No. : (0821) 2522202 / 2522265 Fax : (0821) 2565781 Email : reservation@united21hotelmysore.com cst@panoramicworld.biz