Karnataka is a state in the south western region of India.

It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of

the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as
the State of Mysore,

It was renamed Karnataka in 1973. Only a small part of

the state corresponds to the Carnatic region.

The capital and largest city is Bangalure Karnataka is

bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Goa to the
northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Telangana to the
northeast, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to
the southeast, and Kerala to the south.
It is the seventh largest Indian state by area.
With 6,11,30,704 People are living according to
2011 census, Karnataka is the eighth largest
state by population, comprising 30 districts.
Kannada, one of the classical languages of India,
is the most widely spoken and official language
of the state alongside Konkani, Tulu, and
Sanskrit. Karnataka also has the only 3 naturally
Sanskrit-speaking districts in India.
The state has three principal geographical zones:
The coastal region of Karavali
The hilly Malenadu region comprising the Western
Ghats
The Bayaluseeme region comprising the plains of
the Deccan plateau
The bulk of the state is in the Bayaluseeme region,
the northern part of which is the second-
largest arid region in India. The highest point in
Karnataka is the Mullayanagiri hills in Chickmagalur
district which has an altitude of 1,929 metres
(6,329 ft).
 Rivers
Some of the important Rivers in Karnataka
are Kaveri, Tungabhadra, Krishna, Malaprabha,
Kali and the Sharavathi. A large number of dams
and reservoirs are constructed across these
rivers which richly add to the irrigation and
hydel power generation capacities of the state
 Festivals
• Karnataka is a vibrant state famous for its
grand festivals. Many festivals of Karnataka
are conducted in the name of art, religion,
seasons etc. The famous festivals in Karnataka
for hindus Dasara, Bhumi hunnime,
Depavali,Nagara Panchami and yugadi other
fastivals are Ganesh Chathrthi, Holi etc
• For muslims Ramjan Bakrid and Eid milad
• For Christian Christmas and New Year
 Important tourist places
• Chamundi Hill
Named after goddess Chamundeshwari Temple
sits a top the main hill. The main hill itself
features an ancient stone stairway of 1,008
steps leading to its summit. Approximately
halfway to the summit is statue of bull Nandi,
the vahana, or "vehicle" of Lord Shiva, which is
4.9m tall and 7.6m long and carved out of a
single piece of black granite.
 Mysore Palace
Mysore Palace, is a historical palace and a royal
residence at Mysore in them southern karnatka
state of India. It is the official residence of
the Wadiyar dynasty and the seat of the Kingdom
of Mysore.
The palace is in the centre of Mysore, and faces
the Chamundi Hill eastward. Mysore is commonly
described as the 'City of Palaces', and there
are seven palaces ; however, Mysore Palace refers
specifically to this one within the Old Fort.
• Jog falls :- This is the second highest plunge
waterfall in India located near Sagara taluk,
Shimoga district in the state of Karnataka It is
a segmented waterfall which, depending on
rain and season, becomes a plunge waterfall.
The falls are a major tourist attraction and is
ranked 13th in the world by the waterfall
database.
• Jog Falls is created by the Sharavathi River
dropping 253 m (830 ft), making it the second-
highest plunge waterfall in India
Jog Falls
 Gokak water falls

• Gokak falls is a waterfall known for its beauty. It is at a

distance of 60 Kms from Belgaum and 10 kms from
Gokak town. Located right on the main road is a
celebrated tourist center in the district. This falls has a
height of about 170 feet.
• The river Ghataprabha after winding a course of a long
route takes a leap of 52 meters, over a rocky bed 170
feet down. The falls is famous for its spread and
shape.Except in width and colour of the water, the
general features of the fall, its height, shape and
rapidity above are much like those of ” Niagara”
Gokak Water Falls
 Hampi
• Hampi, also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi,
is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in east-central
Karnataka, India. It became the centre of the Hindu
Vijayanagara Empire capital in the 14th century. Chronicles
left by Persian and European travellers, particularly the
Portuguese, state Hampi was a prosperous, wealthy and grand
city near the Tungabhadra River, with numerous temples,
farms and trading markets. By 1500 CE, Hampi-Vijayanagara
was the world's second-largest medieval-era city after Beijing,
and probably India's richest at that time, attracting traders
from Persia and Portugal. The Vijayanagara Empire was
defeated by a coalition of Muslim sultanates; its capital was
conquered, pillaged and destroyed by sultanate armies in
1565, after which Hampi remained in ruins.
 Beluru and Halebidu
• Belur was the early capital of the Hoysala Empire.[1]
Belur along with Halebidu about 16 km away are one
of the major tourist destinations in Karnataka. Belur is
located in Hassan district. According to inscriptions
discovered here, it was also referred to as Velur or
Velapuri. It was the early capital of the Hoysala kings in
11th-century and remained a second capital through
the 14th-century. The city was so esteemed by the
Hoysalas that it is referred to as "earthly Vaikuntha"
(Vishnu's abode) and "dakshina Varanasi" (southern
holy city of Hindus) in later inscriptions
 Gol gumbaz vijapura
• Gol Gumbaz is the mausoleum of king
Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur. The
tomb, located in Bijapur, Karnataka in India,
was started in 1626 and completed in 1656 by
the architect Yaqut of Dabul. The name finds
its roots from Gola gummata deriving from
Gol Gombadh meaning "circular dome". It is
constructed as per the Deccan architecture".It
was the part of the Bahmani Kingdom
 Bara Kaman mausoleum
• Bara Kaman is the unfinished mausoleum of Ali Adil Shah II
in Bijapur, Karnataka in India.

• Ali Adil Shah of the Adil Shahi dynasty wanted to build a

mausoleum of unmatched architectural quality. It was
planned that twelve arches would be placed vertically as
well as horizontally surrounding the tomb of Ali Adil Shah.
However, for unknown reasons the work on the structure
was left incomplete: only two arches were raised vertically.
Rumour has it that the construction of the mausoleum was
stopped because once completed its shadow would touch
the Gol Gombaz. Nowadays the remains of the twelve
horizontally placed arches can still be seen.
Bara Kaman mausoleum
 Bahubali
• Bahubali a much revered figure among Jains, was the son of
Adinath, the first tirthankara of Jainism, and the younger brother of
Bharata Chakravartin. He is said to have meditated motionless for
one year in a standing posture (kayotsarga) and that during this
time, climbing plants grew around his legs. After his year of
meditation, Bahubali is said to have attained omniscience (Kevala
Gyana). According to Jain texts, Bahubali attained liberation from
the cycle of births and deaths (moksha) at Mount Kailash and is
revered as a liberated soul (Siddha) by the Jains.
• Bahubali is also called Gommateshwara because of the
Gommateshwara statue dedicated to him. The statue was built by
the Ganga dynasty minister and commander Chavundaraya; it is a
57-foot (17 m) monolith (statue carved from a single piece of rock)
situated above a hill in Shravanabelagola in the Hassan district,
Karnataka state, India. It was built in around 981 A.D. and is one of
the largest free-standing statues in the world
Lord Gommateshwara
 Badami Aihole and Pattadakal
• Badami, formerly known as Vatapi, is a town
and headquarters of a taluk by the same
name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka,
India. It was the regal capital of the Badami
Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for
its rock cut structural temples. It is located in a
ravine at the foot of a rugged, red sandstone
outcrop that surrounds Agastya lake. Badami
has been selected as one of the heritage cities
 Tungabadra Dam
• This is the highest Dam of karnatka constructed across the
Tungabhadra River, a tributary of the Tungabhadra River.
The dam is near the town of Hospet in Karnataka. It is a
multipurpose dam serving irrigation, electricity generation,
flood control, etc. this was completed in1953.
• The dam creates the biggest reservoir on the Tungabhadra
River with 101 tmcft of gross storage capacity at full
reservoir level (FRL) 498 m MSL, and a water spread area of
378 square kilometres. The dam is 49.39 meters high above
its deepest foundation. The left canals emanating from the
reservoir supplies water for irrigation entirely in Karnataka
state. Two right bank canals are constructed one at low
level and the other at high level serving irrigation in
Karnataka and Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh