KARNATAKA

also called Carnatic, or Karnatic linguistic region of the Deccan Plateau, south-central India, generally corresponding to Karnataka (formerly Mysore) state. Of irregular shape, and defined as the area in which Kannada (Kanarese) is spoken, Karnataka was unified during the Vijayanagar kingdom (c. 13001600) until successive conquests by the Muslim kings of the Deccan, the Mughals, and the states of Maratha and Hyderabad greatly reduced its size. (The term has also been applied to the southern Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal because the Vijayanagars retired there in defeat.) The remaining kingdom continued as the independent Hindu state of Mysore until British conquest in 1799. The Kannada-speaking people were leaders in the successful movement for the linguistic reorganization of India (1953 and 1956), which resulted in the addition of territories from Bombay, Hyderabad, and Madras (Tamil Nadu) to form Mysore state. The state was renamed Karnataka in 1973. formerly (until 1973) Mysore, state of India, located on the western coast of the subcontinent. It has an area of 74,051 square miles (191,791 square kilometres). It is bounded by the states of Goa and Maharashtra to the north, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the southeast, and Kerala to the south and by the Arabian Sea to the west. The state extends for about 420 miles (676 kilometres) from north to south and for about 300 miles from east to west. It has a coastline 200 miles long. The capital is Bangalore, near the southeastern border. Before the independence of India in 1947, Mysore was a prosperous and progressive but landlocked princely state, with an area of less than 30,000 square miles, located on the Karnataka Plateau. The transfer of additional territories to the state in 1953 and 1956 united the Kannada- (or Kanarese-) speaking peoples, gave the state an outlet to the sea, and greatly extended its boundaries. The state took its present name in 1973. It now coincides approximately with the area in which Kannada is spoken. Karnataka is a Kannada name meaning Lofty Land. Karnataka has abundant hydroelectric power and extensive forests. It is also India's chief source of gold and silver and coffee, and it provides the bulk of the world's supply of sandalwood. formerly (until 1973) Mysore, constituent state of India, situated on the southwest coast. It is bounded by the states of Goa and Maharashtra to the north, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the southeast, and Kerala to the south and by the Arabian Sea to the west. The capital is Bangalore. In the Kannada language, Karnataka means lofty land. The name Mysore comes from the word for buffalo town, derived from the destruction of the buffalo-demon Mahisasura by the goddess Camunda. The prehistory of the area is lost in legends relating to the struggles in southern India between invading Aryans and the original inhabitants. Various dynasties ruled the area over the centuries, with none of them succeeding in ruling the whole region occupied by the Kannada-speaking peoples. British commissioners governed from 1831 to 1881, when Mysore became a princely state. The transfer of additional territories to Mysore in 1953 and 1956 united the Kannada-speaking peoples, gave the landlocked state an outlet to the sea, and greatly extended its boundaries. The state assumed the name Karnataka in 1973. Karnataka is divided into four physical regionsthe coastal plain, the hill ranges (the Western Ghats), the Karnataka Plateau to the east, and the black cotton-growing soil tract to the northwest. The coast is difficult of access except by sea. To the east the land rises sharply to the slopes of the Western Ghats, which have an average elevation of 2,500 to 3,000 feet (760 to 915 m). The plateau region has an average elevation of about 2,600 feet (800 m). The population of Karnataka is predominantly Dravidian; the Dravidians were India's original stock and are related to the peoples of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Madagascar. Kannada is the language spoken by about seven-tenths of the people, although Hindustani (a mixture of Hindi and Urdu) is often used in trade and business. The major religion is Hinduism, but Jainism and Buddhismonce widespreadstill survive. While about three-quarters of the population is rural, the trend toward urbanization is becoming more marked as industrialization increases. Agriculture is the occupation of about 80 percent of the population. The coastal plain is intensely cultivated, with rice as the main food crop and sugarcane as the principal cash crop. Other food crops are sorghum and millet; cotton, tobacco, cashews, cardamom, and grapes are additional cash crops. Coffee and tea plantations are found in the Western Ghats, with Karnataka producing much of India's coffee. Tea is grown in the higher hills. In the eastern region, bananas and oranges, some rubber, and sugarcane are grown under irrigation. The state is rich in forest products such as teak, bamboo, and sandalwood as well as tanning dyes, gums, lac (used in varnish), and ivory. Karnataka has India's only sources of gold and silver; other mineral resources include iron ore, manganese, mica, chromite, copper, and bauxite. These resources provide the basis for the iron and steel industry at Bhadravati and the heavy-engineering works at Bangalore. Other industries include cotton milling, sugar processing, and the manufacture of textiles, fertilizers, cement, and paper. Both Mysore city and Bangalore have old-established silk industries producing most of India's mulberry silk. Karnataka has sufficient hydroelectric power to supply surplus energy to neighbouring states, and it has about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of railway track. The state's trade depends mainly on road transportation, but many roads in the western part become impassable during the rainy season. National highways run from Bangalore east to Madras, north to Hyderabad, northwest to Bombay, and west through Hassan to the coast at Mangalore. Airports are at Bangalore, Belgaum, and Mangalore. Karnataka possesses a rich cultural heritage, drawn from successive dynasties and fostering various religions and philosophies that have influenced literature, architecture, folklore, music, and painting. Mauryan architecture can be seen at Sravana Belgola, 56 miles (90 km) from Mysore, where there is a giant stone figure representing Bahubali (Gommatesvara), the Jaina saint. Huge monolithic Jaina statues are peculiar to the Kannada culture. The state is one of the more educationally advanced in India, having more than 36,000 schools. For higher education, Karnataka has the University of Mysore at Mysore; Karnatak University at Hubli-Dharwad; Gulbarga University at Gulbarga; Mangalore University at Mangalore; and Bangalore University, the University of Agricultural Sciences, and the Indian Institute of Scienceall at Bangalore. Area 74,051 square miles (191,791 square km). Pop. (1991 prelim.) 44,806,468. Additional reading Overviews are provided by Suryanath U. Kamath (ed.), Karnataka State Gazetteer (1973), 2 vol. (198283); N.S. Ramachandriah, Mysore (1972); and R.P. Misra, Geography of Mysore (1973). C. Hayavadana Rao, History of Mysore (13991799 A.D.), new ed., 3 vol. (194346), examines early history. James Manor, Political Change in an Indian State: Mysore, 19171955 (1977), details the transition from a princely state to part of the republic. G.K. Ghori The Editors of the Encyclopdia Britannica