BADAMI | BANDIPUR | BANGALORE | BELGAON | BIJAPUR | KEMMANGUNDI | KODAGU | MANGALORE | MYSORE |
Karnataka is a state in the southern part of India. It was created on November 1,
1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as the
State of Mysore, it was renamed Karnataka in 1973. Though several etymologies
have been suggested for the name Karnataka, the generally accepted one is that
Karnataka is derived from the Kannada words karu and nadu, meaning elevated
land. Karu nadu may also be read as Karu (black) and nadu (region), as a reference
to the black cotton soil found in the Bayaluseeme region of Karnataka. The British
used the word Carnatic (sometimes Karnatak) to describe both sides of peninsular
India, south of the Krishna River.
With an antiquity that dates to the paleolithic, Karnataka has also been home to
some of the most powerful empires of ancient India. Great philosophers and
musical bards patronised by these empires launched socio-religious and literary
movements which have endured to the present day. Karnataka has contributed
significantly to both forms of Indian classical music, the Carnatic and Hindustani
traditions.
The history of Karnataka can be traced back to a paleolithic hand-axe culture
evidenced by discoveries of, among other things, hand axes and cleavers in the
region. Evidence of neolithic and megalithic cultures have also been found in the
state. Gold discovered in Harappa was found to be imported from mines in
Karnataka, prompting scholars to hypothesize about contacts between ancient
Karnataka and the Indus Valley Civilization in 3000 BCE.
Prior to the third century BCE, most of Karnataka was part of the Nanda Empire
before coming under the Mauryan empire of Emperor Ashoka. Four centuries of
Satavahana rule followed, allowing them to control large areas of Karnataka. The
decline of Satavahana power led to the rise of the earliest native kingdoms, the
Kadambas and the Western Gangas, marking the region's emergence as an
independent political entity. The Kadamba Dynasty, founded by Mayurasharma, had
its capital at Banavasi; the Western Ganga Dynasty was formed with Talakad as its
capital.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Time zone - IST (UTC+5:30)
Area - 191,791 km² (74,051 sq mi)
Capital - Bangalore
Largest city - Bangalore
District(s) - 29
Population - 52,850,562
Density - 275.6/km² (714/sq mi)
Language(s) - Kannada
HOW TO REACH
By Bus - Transportation is made easy by the numerous services available from the KSRTC(Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation).They ply not only intra-state buses, but also inter-state buses to neighbouring states. KSRTC reservation counters are aplenty all over the state, and tickets can also be booked online at the KSRTC website.
Also available are private bus services for interstate areas, as well as to neighboring states.The information for booking tickets and available services from various vendors is available on http://www.redbus.in/.
By Train - Karnataka has a good network of railway lines, and most tourist destinations are well connected by train. Bangalore,Mysore,Hubli and Mangalore are the most important railway stations of Karnataka and are convenient railheads for seeing nearby tourist destinations. Details of train services are available online as well as in the Indian Railways Southern Zone Timetable, which is available at most railway stations in South India. Travelling by train is particularly advisable in North Karnataka, where roads are terrible and bus services far from satisfactory.
BASIC WORD TRANSLATION
Hello. - Namaskara. (...)
How are you? - Chennaagidira?
How are you? (formal?) - Neevu Chennaagidira?
I am fine. (formal?) - Naanu chennagiddene.
Fine, thank you. - Chennagiddene. Dhanyavaada
What is your name? - Nimma hesarenu? (NIM ah HESS er AYNOO?)
My name is ______ . - Nanna hesaru ______ . (NUN ah HESS ah-ru
_____ .)
Nice to meet you. - nimmannu nodi santhoshavaythu (...)
Please. - Dayavit.t.u. (DAI-yuh-WI-too)
Thank you. - VandenegaLu. (WAN-deh-neh-ga-loo)
You're welcome. - tamage suswagatha.
Yes. - Havdu. (HAW-du)
No. - Illa. (ILL ah)
Excuse me. (getting attention) - illinoDi (...)
Excuse me. (begging pardon) - K-shamisi (...)
I'm sorry. - nannindha thappaithu (...)
Goodbye - Hogibitt Barthene
Do you speak English? - Nimage English baruththaa? (...)
Is there someone here who speaks English? - Illi yaarigaadaru english
baruththaa? (...)
Help! - sahaaya maad
Good morning. - Shubha Munjane , shubhodhaya, shubha udhaya (...)
Good evening. - shubha sanje (...)
Good night. - Shubha Ratri (...)
I don't understand. - nanage artha vaguthilla (...)
Where is the toilet? - Toilet ellidde? (TOY-leht ELL id EH?)
I need your help. - Nimma sahAya bEkkagidhe. (...)
It's an emergency. - thurthu samaya (...)
I'm lost. - Nanage daari thappide. (...)
I lost my bag. - Nanna cheela kaLedu hoyithu. (...)
I lost my wallet. - Nanna wallet(kai cheela) kaLedu hoyithu. (...)
I'm sick. - Nanage hushaarilla.
