Karnataka is one of four southern Indian states whose residents speak a Dravidian language, in this instance Kannada.
Karnataka is one of the "linguistic" states
created following India's independence in 1947, with the goal of uniting people
who speak the same language and have a same culture under one state government.
The previous kingdom of Mysore was primarily responsible for
the formation of the state.
Karnataka was the center of prominent Hindu kingdoms in
medieval periods, notably the Hoysala and Vijayanagar empires, who created
towns such as Belur, Halebid, and Hampi, which are today notable archeological
sites.
The Lingayats, Shiva worshipers (bhakta), live in Karnataka,
and their missionary efforts finally pushed away the large Jain community.
However, Jain monuments such as the huge monolith at
Shravanabelgola still survive.
Shrirangapatnam and Shringeri Math are two significant Hindu
holy locations in Karnataka.
Despite the fact that majority of the state's economy is
still based on agriculture, Bangalore, the state's capital, is a global hub for
computer software development.
See Christine Nivin et al., India. 8th ed., Lonely Planet,
1998, for general information about Karnataka and other Indian states.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.
