Things you didn’t know about Karnataka The Virtual India

Karnataka has a long history as it is evident from various literary sources. It is clearly stated in the 9th century Kannada work ’Kavirajamarga’ that the land between the rivers Cauvery and Godavari is Kannada Nadu (Karnataka). However, it was a reality only after India got its independence. The state came into being during the reorganization of states based on Languages on 1 November 1956. It was then called as Mysuru State and later it was renamed as Karnataka on 1st November 1973 under the chief ministership of D. Devaraja Urs. Since then, the day is celebrated as Kannada Rajyotsava every year to mark the birth anniversary of the Kannada speaking state.

Karnataka is located on the western part of the Deccan Plateau. The Larger part of the state belongs to the Mysuru Plateau which is one of the three segments of the larger Deccan Plateau. Karnataka shares its borders with six neighboring states - Goa in West, Maharashtra in North, Telangana in Northeast, Andhra Pradesh in East, Tamil Nadu in Southeast and Kerala in Southwest. The name Karnataka is derived from the word Karunadu meaning ‘lofty land’. The state has two important rivers- the Cauvery and the Krishna. Both these rivers flow out of Karnataka to their way to the Bay of Bengal.

Rice and Ragi form the main food in South Karnataka, whereas Jolada rotti, Sorghum is staple to North Karnataka. Bisi bele bath, Jolada rotti, Ragi mudde, Uppittu, Benne Dose, Masale Dose and Maddur Vade are some of the popular food items in the state. Among sweets, Mysore Pak, Karadantu of Gokak and Amingad, Belagavi Kunda and Dharwad pedha are popular. Apart from this, coastal Karnataka and Kodagu have distinctive cuisines of their own. Udupi cuisine of coastal Karnataka is most popular.

Karnataka accounts for 80% coffee production and 85% silk production in India. The state government-owned Mysuru Sandal Soap factory and its products are renowned in the world market. Karnataka is also called as Chinnada Nadu (the land of gold) as it is also the largest producer of gold and iron ore in the country. Bengeri in Hubli is the only unit in India that is authorized to manufacture and supply the Indian Flag.

The world famous Carnatic music (Karnataka Sangeeta) originated in Karnataka. Purandara Daasa, a great devotee of Lord Krishna and a saint is called as the Father of Carnatic music. Mysuru palace, built in 1912 by Krishnarajendra Wodeyar IV is the most visited place in India after Taj Mahal. The Karanji Lake in Mysuru surrounded by Butterfly Park and the walk-through bridge is considered to be the country’s biggest “walk-through” aviary. Tipu Sultan, popularly known as the Tiger of Mysuru was the first to use war missiles in the entire world.

Ferdinand Kittel, a German scholar wrote the first ever Kannada-English dictionary and it was the first of its kind among the Indian languages. Karnataka is not just a state name, there’s an English band named after it. Karnataka hosts the maximum number of Jnanapeeta awardees. The state has won eight.

Coming to the economy it stands large at ₹12.80 lakh crore (US $200 billion) and is the 3rd largest contributor to the country’s GDP. With GDP growth of 17.59% and per capita GDP growth of 16.04%, Karnataka ranks 6th among all states and union territories. In an employment survey conducted for the year 2013–2014, the unemployment rate in Karnataka was 1.8% compared to the national rate of 4.9%. In 2011–2012, Karnataka had an estimated poverty ratio of 20.91% compared to the national ratio of 21.92%. Since the 1980s, Karnataka has emerged as the pan-Indian leader in the field of IT (information technology). In 2007, there were nearly 2,000 firms operating in Karnataka. Many of them, including two of India's biggest software firms, Infosys and Wipro, are also headquartered in the state. Exports from these firms exceeded ₹50,000 crores ($12.5 billion) in 2006–07, accounting for nearly 38% of all IT exports from India. Most of the country’s renowned PSU’s like ISRO, HAL, NAL, BEL, DRDO, etc., have their headquarters in its capital city Bengaluru.

Recently Karnataka has emerged as a favourite hotspot for healthcare tourism. Karnataka has the highest number of approved health systems and alternative therapies in the country. Along with ISO certified state-owned hospitals, private institutions which provide multispeciality services have caused the healthcare industry to grow by 30%. Hospitals in Karnataka treat around 8,000 health tourists every year.