Our Karnataka
Our Karnataka

Karnataka

Located in south-western India, the state Karnataka borders the Arabian Sea to the west. Originally named Mysore, the state was re-named Karnataka in 1973.

Its largest city is the state capital Bangalore (Bengaluru), which has roughly 8 million residents in the city and another 3 million living in the surrounding metropolitan area. Bangalore is the third most populous city in India, after Mumbai and Delhi. Situated at an elevation of 900 metres above sea level, Banglore is known for having a fairly mild climate throughout the year – especially compared to Mumbai which is nearly at sea level.

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How big is Karnataka?

Karnataka covers 191,791 square kilometres. This is less than 6% of India´s total area, but still enough to make Karnataka the sixth-largest Indian state by area. (India is comprised of 28 states and 8 Union territories.)

Karnataka monestery

Day trading in Karnataka

More and more people in Karnataka are getting access to high-speed internet and are discovering the financial opportunities that the internet provides.   There are a large number of different trading platforms that allow you to trade with stocks, commodities and currencies online.  This allows more people the opportunity to invest their money in a productive way. It also allows more and more people to become active traders.  You can read more about how to trade stocks and currencies by visiting daytrading.com.  Daytrading.com is also a good website if you want to find a Stock, CFD or Forex broker in India.  Make sure to read about several different brokers before you decide which one you want to register with.  Choosing the best broker for you gives you the best chance to earn money.

Languages

Kannada is the most widely spoken and official language of Karnataka. According to the 2011 census, over 66% of the residents were native Kannada speakers. Urdu, the second-largest language at the census, was the native language of less than 11% of the population, followed by Telugu at just below 6%. All the other minority languages all fell below the 4% mark.

Examples of minority languages in Karnataka are Urdu, Konkani, Marathi, Sanskrit, Tulu, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kodava and Beary. Notably, Karnataka is home to some of the very few Indian villages where Sanskrit is the primary spoken language.

In Karnataka, Urdu is the main language of the Muslim populations living outside the coastal region. Urdu has been described by linguists as a “Persianized-standard register of the Hindustani language”.

The language Kannada

  • Kannada, also known as Kanarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in Karnataka. Dravidian is one of the world´s primary language families.
  • Written Kannada has existed for at least 1500 years, and the language has an unbroken literary history of over one thousand years.
  • Today´s Kannada is written using the Kannada script, which is derived from the Kadamba script.
  • In addition to being the largest primary language in Karnataka, it is also spoken as a second or third language by approximately 13 million Karnataka residents.
  • World-wide, approximately 57 million people speak Kannada as their first, second or third language.
  • Several powerful dynasties in southern and central India had Kannada as their court language.
  • Kannada played a crucial role in the establishment of Karnataka as a state after Indian independence in the mid-1900s. It is the official and administrative language of the state of Karnataka, and one of the scheduled languages of India. The government of India has designated Kannada as one of the classical languages of India.
  • In 2011, a centre for the study of classical Kannada was created in Mysore, as a part of the Central Institute of Indian Languages.

Festivals in Karnataka

Cultural Heritage of Karnataka

Major Festivals & Celebrations

A reference guide to the state festivals, seasonal harvests, New Year traditions, and regional community rites celebrated across Karnataka.

Festival & Classification Calendar Timing Core Significance Traditional Rituals & Customs
Mysore Dasara Nadahabba (State Festival) Ashwina (Sept–Oct)
10-day culmination on Vijayadashami
Celebrates Goddess Chamundeshwari’s victory over the demon Mahishasura, rooted in the heritage of the Vijayanagara Empire and Wadiyar dynasty.
Grand Pageantry: Illumination of Mysore Palace with nearly 100,000 bulbs; historic Jumboo Savari procession carrying the golden howdah atop caparisoned elephants; Torchlight Parade at Bannimantap.
Bangalore Karaga Folk / Community Heritage Chaitra Purnima (March–April)
Midnight full moon procession
Centuries-old festival honoring Draupadi as Adi Shakti, anchored by Bangalore’s horticulture-rooted Thigala community (traditional vegetable and flower growers).
Floral Procession: The designated priest carries the floral earthen pot (Karaga) on his head without touching it; unique interfaith tradition visiting the Hazrat Tawakkal Mastan Dargah in the heart of Old Pete.
Ugadi Kannada New Year Chaitra Shuddha Padyami
March / April (Spring equinox)
Marks the creation of the universe by Lord Brahma and heralds the beginning of the new astronomical Chandramana (lunar) calendar year.
Bevu-Bella: Consuming neem leaves (bitter) and jaggery (sweet) to symbolize accepting life’s sorrows and joys with equanimity; reading the new year almanac (Panchanga Shravana); preparing Obbattu / Holige.
Makara Sankranti Harvest Festival Solar Month of Makara
January 14 or 15
Celebrates the Sun god’s transition into Capricorn (Uttarayana), marking the end of winter, abundant harvest, and lengthening daylight.
Ellu Birodhu: Distributing Ellu-Bella (sesame, jaggery, dried coconut, peanuts, and sugarcane) with the greeting “Ellu bella thindu olle maathadi”; ritual washing and fire-jumping of cattle (Kichhu Haisodu).
Gowri Habba Feminine Devotional Rite Bhadrapada Shukla Thadige
August / September (Eve of Ganesha)
Welcomes Goddess Gowri (Parvati) visiting her maternal home; observed by women for domestic harmony, prosperity, and marital well-being.
Morada Bagina: Gifting winnowing baskets packed with turmeric, kumkum, pulses, grains, and glass bangles to married women; tying sacred sixteen-knot threads (Gowri Daara).
Ganesh Chaturthi Religious & Civic Festival Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi
August / September
Celebrates the arrival and birth of Ganesha, the remover of obstacles and deity of intellect and fresh beginnings.
Prathisthapana: Installing clay clay idols decorated with 21 medicinal leaves (Patri Pooja); offering Modaka and Kadabu; public pandals accompanied by cultural immersion processions (Visarjana).
Basava Jayanthi Spiritual & Social Reform Vaishakha Shukla Tritiya
April / May (Akshaya Tritiya)
Birth anniversary of 12th-century philosopher, Lingayat founder, and social reformer Jagadjyothi Basaveshwara, champion of casteless equality.
Vachana Recitations: Processions in Basavakalyan and Kudalasangama; lectures on Vachana literature; emphasizing his guiding philosophy of “Kayakaave Kailasa” (Work is Worship).
Ram Navami Spring Devotional / Cultural Chaitra Shukla Navami
March / April (9th day of Ugadi)
Celebrates the birth of Lord Rama as an embodiment of Dharma, righteousness, and ideal governance.
Sangeethotsava: Street pandals offering traditional cooling drinks: Panaka (jaggery-ginger water), Majjige (spiced buttermilk), and Kosambari; month-long classical Carnatic music concerts across Bangalore and Mysore.
Nagapanchami Nature / Serpent Worship Shravana Shukla Panchami
July / August (Monsoon peak)
Ancient agricultural rite venerating serpent deities (Nagas) for protecting agricultural crops from vermin and ensuring fertility.
Hutta Pooja: Visiting natural anthills (Hutta) to offer milk, turmeric, flowers, and puffed rice (Aralu); preparing steamed turmeric-leaf rice cakes (Patholi) and sesame laddoos (Tambittu).
Deepavali Festival of Lights Ashwina Amavasya to Kartika
October / November
Commemorates the triumph of divine radiance over darkness, Krishna’s defeat of Narakasura, and the reception of wealth and virtue.
Naraka Chaturdashi: Pre-dawn ritual oil baths (Enne Shnana), bursting firecrackers, lighting rows of terracotta clay lamps (Agalu), and home veneration of Goddess Lakshmi.
Balipadyami Agrarian / King Bali Worship Kartika Shukla Padyami
October / November (3rd day of Diwali)
Commemorates the annual return of the benevolent Asura King Mahabali to earth as permitted by Lord Vishnu’s Vamana avatar.
Gau Pooja & Forts: Making miniature cow-dung mud forts (Kote) decorated with flowers to welcome Bali; veneration of family cattle decorated with vermilion and garlands (Gopuja).

    Mysore Dasara

    Mysore Dasara is the Nadahabba – state festival – of Karnataka. It is is a Hindu festival which celebrates the victory of good over evil; or more precisely the Goddess Chamundeshwari (Durga) defeating the demon Mahishasura. In Hindu tradition, this victory is what gave name to the city Mysuru (Mysore).

    Mysore Dasara is celebrated for ten days. The first nine days are known as Navarati, while the final day is Vijayadashami. Since the celebrations follow the Hindu calendar, they don´t have fixed dates in the Gregorian calender. The fixed date is the 10th day of Ashvina, which can fall in either September or October.

    As a part of the festival, the state sword and other weapons are displayed along with symbols of the Hindu Devi goddess in her warrior form. The King of Mysuru presides over several ceremonies and a big procession.

    Geography and climate

    Three main zones

    Geographically, Karnataka is divided into three principal zones:

    • The coastal region, which includes both Karavali and Tulu Nadu
    • The hilly Malenadu region, which includes the Western Ghats (the Sahyadri Mountain range)
    • The  Bayaluseeme region, which includes the arid plains of the Deccan Plateau. This zone, which is found in northern Karnataka, makes up most of the state.

    Climate

    Karnataka has four season:

    • January and February are known as the winter season.
    • March – May is summer season.
    • The summer season is ended by the start of the monsoon season. The monsoon season is in June – September.
    • The post-monsoon season lasts from the end of the monsoon (typically in late September) to the start of the winter season early in the new year.

    Karnataka´s average rainfall is 1,139 mm per year, but it is not evenly distributed across the state. The coastal zone, which is the wettest, gets over 3,600 mm in a normal year. The rainiest cities in Karnataka are Agumbe and Hulikal, which are both located in one of the world´s rainiest regions.

    Agriculture in Karnataka is mostly not irrigated, which makes it highly dependent on receiving enough rain.

    Weather temperature extremes

    The highest temperature recorded was 45.6 °C (114 °F), recorded in the Raichuru district.

    The lowest temperature recorded was 2.8 °C (37 °F), recorded in the Bidar district.

    What is the highest point of Karnataka?

    Rising 1925 metres above sea level, the Mullayanagiri hills in the Chikmagalur district is the highest point in Karnataka.

    Rivers

    The two main river systems of Karnataka;

    • The River Krishna, with the tributaries Bhima, Ghataprabha, Vedavathi, Malaprabha and Tungabhadra in northern Karnataka.
    • The River Kaveri, with the tributaries Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavati, Lakshmana Thirtha and Kabini in southern Karnataka.

    Most of the rivers in Karnataka flows to the east and eventually reaches the Bay of Bengal (outside Karnataka), which is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. There are some exceptions though – such as the Sharavati in Shimoga and theNetravati in Dakshina Kannada – which flow westward to the Arabian Sea.

    Karnataka waterfall

    Forest

    Roughly 16% of Karnataka is covered by forests. The forests are classified by five different designations: reserved forest, protected forest, unclosed forest, village forest, and private forest.