The enchanting perfume of sandal and agarbattis (incense
sticks), the aroma of fresh, roasted coffee beans,
the heady fragrance of the "Mysore Mallige"
and a thousand roses blooming..... Karnataka is truly
a land of fragrance. A land that has all the ingredients
of a great holiday site. A relaxed length of the Arabian
Sea coastline, the majestic rocks of the Deccan, thick,
lush tropical forests, an unimaginable variety of
trees, plants, flowers, animals and birds. And above
all, a sense of history and culture that is all pervasive.
The State consists of a narrow coastal strip backed
by the monsoon-drenched Western Ghats and a drier
cooler interior plateau that turns arid
in the far north. It's a major producer of coffee, spices
and betel nut and supplies 60% of the country's silk.
A
multitude of religions, cultures and kingdoms have unrolled
across the terrain of Karnataka, beginning in the 3rd
century BC when Chandragupta Maurya, India's first great
Emperor retreated to Sravanbelgola after he renounced
worldly ways and embraced Jainism. In the 6th century,
the Chalukyas built some of the earliest Hindu temples
near Badami.
All later South Indian temples stemmed
from their designs. Other important dynasties, such
as the Cholas and the Gangas, have also played their
part in Karnataka's history, but it was the Hoysalas,
who ruled between the 11th and 14th centuries and who
left the most vivid evidence of their presence. They
were followed by the Vijayanagar rulers with their capital
at Hampi and then by the Wodeyars of Mysore. The Wodeyars
ruled Mysore until Independence when they were pensioned
off. They were enlightened and progressive rulers, so
popular with their subjects that the Maharaja became
the first governor of the post-Independence state. The
boundaries of Mysore state were redrawn on linguistic
grounds in 1956 and the extended Kannada-speaking state
of Greater Mysore was established. This was renamed
Karnataka in 1972.
How
to Reach
Bangalore, the capital is the main entry point of Karnataka
and is well connected with all major cities of India
by air, rail and road.
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