Karnataka, called as Karunadu in ancient times.
The course of Karnataka's history and culture takes
us back to pre-historic times.
The earliest find of the stone age period in India
was a hand axe at Lingasugur in Raichur district.
The Ashoka's rock edicts found in the state indicate
that major parts of Northern Karnataka were under
the Mauryas.
Chandragupta Maurya, the great Indian emperor abdicated
the throne and embraced Jainism at Shravanabelagola.
Adding new dimensions to the cultural and spiritual
ethos of the land, many great dynasties left their
imprint upon the aesthetic development of Karnataka's
art forms. Prominent among them were the Chalukyas,
the Hoysalas and the mighty Vijayanagara Empire.
The Chalukyan's built some of the very early Hindu
temples in India. Aihole turned up as an experimental
base for the dynamic creations of architects.
The Hoysala's who ruled from the 11th to the 13th
century chiseled their way into the pages of glory
by building more than 150 temples, each one is a
master piece in its own way.
The amazing dexterity and fluidity of expressions
at Somnathpur, Halebid and Belur open themselves
to the wide eyed wonder in one's eyes. Vijayanagara,
the greatest of all medieval Hindu empires and one
of the greatest the world over, fostered the development
of intellectual pursuits and fine arts.
"The eye of the pupil has never seen a place
like it and the ear of intelligence has never been
informed that there existed anything to equal it
in the world" is what Abdur Razaaq the Persian
ambassador had to say about Krishnadevaraya's time.
The Vijayanagara empire with its capital at Hampi
fell a victim to the marauding army of the Deccan
Sultan in 1565 A.D. As a consequence of this, Bijapur
became the most important city of the region. This
city is a land of monuments and perhaps no other
cityexcept Delhi has as many monuments as Bijapur.
The Bahmani Shahis and the Adilshahis of Bijapur
have played a notable part in the history of Karnataka
by their contribution to the field of art and architecture
and also by their propagation of Islam in the state.
Hyder Ali and his valiant son Tipu Sultan are notable
figures in the history of the land. They expanded
the Mysore kingdom on an unprecedented scale and
by their resistance against the British, became
personages of world fame. Tipu was a great scholar
and lover of literature.
His artistic pursuits were also many and he made
rich gifts to the Hindu temples. Tipu Sultan "Tiger
of Karnataka" was killed in 1799 A.D., and
the Mysore throne was handed over to the Wodeyar's.
The whole of Karnataka came under the control of
the British in the beginning of the 19th century.
The new state was named as new Mysore and the Maharaja
of Mysore was appointed Governor by Independent
India. This unified state was renamed as Karnataka
on November 1, 1973.
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