Before the independence of India in 1947, Mysore was a prosperous and progressive but landlocked princely state, with an area of less than 30,000 square miles (78,000 square km), located on the Karnataka Plateau. The transfer of additional territories to the state in 1953 and 1956 united the Kannada-speaking peoples, gave the state an outlet to the sea, and greatly extended its boundaries. The state took its present name, a Kannada word meaning “Lofty Land,” in 1973. Area 74,051
Physiographically, Karnataka is divided into four distinct regions—the coastal plain, the hill ranges (the Western Ghats), the Karnataka Plateau to the east, and the black-soil tract to the northwest. The coastal plain represents a continuation of the Malabar Coast, with sand dunes giving place inland to small alluvial plains and lagoons. The coast itself is difficult to access, except by sea.
To the east of the coastal plain, the Western Ghats rise sharply to reach an average elevation of 2,500 to 3,000 feet (750 to 900 metres). The upland terrain of the Ghats is known as Malnad. The region is a watershed, and from its crest numerous swift streams flow to the plains, including the Sharavati River, which is the source of the tremendous Jog (Gersoppa) Falls (830 feet [253 metres] high).
Other rivers—including the Kaveri (Cauvery) to the south and the Tungabhadra, a tributary of the great Krishna River, to the north—flow over the undulating, eastward-sloping plains of the Karnataka Plateau. These plains are known as the Maidan. The plateau region has an average elevation of about 1,500 feet (450 metres).
The northwestern part of the state is characterized more by its soil than by its relief. In this region, underlying volcanic rock produces a soil known as regur, the humus-rich, cotton-growing black soil of India. By contrast, the soils of the adjacent Karnataka Plateau are generally porous and infertile, except in the river basins, where they are loamy and somewhat fertile. Soils in the coastal plain include iron-rich clays in the inland areas and sandy alluvial deposits toward the coast itself.
The climate of Karnataka is subtropical, with winter (January and February), summer (March through May), southwest monsoon (June through September), and post-monsoon (October through December) seasons. Maximum daily temperatures in winter reach the upper 80s F (low 30s C), while in the summer months temperatures rise into the low 100s F (about 40 °C). Annual precipitation ranges from roughly 20 inches (500 mm) in the more arid portions of the Maidan to nearly 160 inches (4,000 mm) in the wettest parts of the coastal plain. Most of the state’s annual precipitation falls between June and September; much of the remainder is brought by a less-significant northeast monsoon that blows during the post-monsoon season. The winter months are particularly dry.
While coconut palms line the lagoons of the coastal plain region of Karnataka, monsoon forests cover the Malnad area of the Western Ghats, and scrub forests and scrublands stretch across the drier plains of the Maidan. The monsoon forests are especially rich in wildlife, which includes tigers, elephants, gaurs (wild cattle), and deer. Wild boars, bears, and leopards inhabit the Maidan. Peacocks are among the state’s common birds. Karnataka has many wildlife sanctuaries, including the large Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary in the northwest, which abuts the Mahaveer sanctuary in Goa. The state also has several national parks, among the most notable of which are at Bandipur, in the south, near the border with Tamil Nadu, and at Nagarhole, in the southwest, near the border with Kerala.
As speakers of Dravidian languages, most of Karnataka’s people are considered to be the descendants of the so-called Dravidian population of India that was driven southward between about 2000 and 1500 bce by the descent into the Asian subcontinent of speakers of Indo-Aryan languages. Although the Dravidians of South India remain distinct from the Indo-Aryans of North India, centuries of interaction between the two groups has resulted in many shared linguistic and cultural characteristics. Today in Karnataka, the northern region exhibits a somewhat greater degree of such mixture than does its southern counterpart.
Kannada, which is a Dravidian language, is spoken by a large majority of the population and is the official language of the state. Hindi is sometimes used in trade and business. Toward the borders of the state, other languages, such as Tamil and Telugu, both Dravidian, and Marathi and Konkani, both Indo-Aryan, are also spoken. Konkani is associated particularly with the city of Mangalore, in southwestern Karnataka.
The predominant religion in the state is Hinduism. Jainism and Buddhism—once widespread—still have practitioners, however. Small portions of the population follow Islam and Christianity.
About two-thirds of the population of Karnataka was rural in the early 21st century, but with increasing industrialization, the pace of urbanization has continued to accelerate. The principal cities are Bangalore, the capital, and Mysore, both in the southern part of the state. Other major urban centres include Hubli-Dharwad, Mangalore, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Davangere, Bellary, Shimoga, Bijapur, and Raichur.
Agriculture engages the majority of the population. The coastal plain is intensively cultivated, with rice as the principal food crop, followed by sorghum (jowar) and millet (ragi). Sugarcane is the main cash crop, supplemented by cashews, cardamom, betel (areca) nut, and grapes. Coffee and tea plantations are located on the cool slopes of the Western Ghats; Karnataka is one of the country’s chief sources of coffee. In the eastern region, irrigation enables the cultivation of sugarcane, some rubber, and such fruits as bananas and oranges. The black soil of the northwest supports cotton, oilseeds, and peanuts (groundnuts).
The forests of the Malnad area in the west produce a significant portion of the world’s supply of sandalwood. Oil processed from sandalwood in Mysore also is a leading state export. Other important forest products include teak, eucalyptus, rosewood, bamboo, and such substances as tanning dyes, gums, and lac (used in the manufacture of varnishes).
Karnataka is mineral rich. The state is a major source of chromite, and it is one of the few states of India that produces magnesite. High-grade iron ore reserves are tapped most notably in Bellary district, in the east-central part of the state. Kolar Gold Fields, near Bangalore, yielded much of the country’s gold in the 20th century; by the early 21st century, however, virtual depletion of the deposits and high operating costs forced the mines to close. Other minerals that have been extracted in Karnataka, albeit in small quantities, include mica, copper ore, bauxite, and garnet.
Karnataka’s many hydroelectric plants generate enough power not only to meet local needs but also to distribute to neighbouring states. The hydroelectric station on the Sharavati River near Jog Falls is an especially large facility that supplies power to many of Karnataka’s industries. Additional energy is provided by thermal- and wind-powered plants.
The mineral resources of the state feed the iron and steel mills of Bhadravati and the heavy engineering works of Bangalore. Other industries in the state include cotton milling, sugar processing, and the manufacture of textiles, food products, electrical machinery, fertilizers, cement, and paper. Both Mysore and Bangalore have long-established sericulture industries that produce much of India’s mulberry silk.
The obstacle formed by the Western Ghats has hindered the building of railroads to link the state’s numerous minor ports to the plateau in the interior. Bangalore, in the southeast, is the main focus of rail transportation. The port of Mangalore, in the southwest, is connected to Mumbai (Bombay) by tracks running parallel to the coast through the state of Goa.
The import and export trade relies primarily on road transport, but many roads in the western part of the state become impassable during the rainy season. National highways run from Bangalore east to Chennai (Madras) in Tamil Nadu, north to Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh, northwest to Mumbai, and west through Hassan to the coast of Mangalore. Airports are located at Bangalore, Belgaum, and Mangalore.
The government of Karnataka, like that of most other states and territories in India, is determined by the national constitution of 1950. The head of state is the governor, who is appointed by the president of India. The governor is aided and advised by a chief minister, who, in turn, is assisted by a Council of Ministers. Karnataka is one of the few Indian states with a bicameral legislature, consisting of a Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) of directly elected members and a Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad), members of which are elected variously by the Legislative Assembly, by local leaders, and by teachers and graduates.
The state High Court is subordinate to the Supreme Court in New Delhi; it consists of a chief justice and several additional judges, who are appointed by the president of India in consultation with the chief justice of India and the governor of the state. There are also district and subordinate courts. A public service commission, whose members are appointed by the governor, functions in an advisory capacity.
The state is divided into more than two dozen districts, which are grouped into four divisions. Each district is headed by a deputy commissioner, who also serves as the district magistrate and collector. There are several levels of administrative units below the district level.
A state insurance scheme covers sickness, maternity, and employment injuries and provides medical treatment to workers (and their families) in various professions. Welfare schemes are run by the government for socially and economically disadvantaged groups. State agencies also provide welfare services specifically for women and children.
With a literacy rate that had reached about two-thirds by the early 21st century (a rate higher than the national average), Karnataka has one of the most highly educated populations in India. The state has a large number of schools and educational institutions, nearly half of which are managed by the government; the remainder are operated by local boards and private bodies. Compulsory free primary education is provided in most towns and villages. Among Karnataka’s oldest and most prominent institutions of higher learning are the Indian Institute of Science (1909), Bangalore University (1964), and the University of Agricultural Sciences (1964), all in Bangalore, as well as the University of Mysore (1916), Karnatak University (1949) in Dharwad, Gulbarga University (1980), and Mangalore University (1980).
Karnataka possesses a rich cultural heritage, compounded by the contributions of successive dynasties, which have fostered various religions and philosophies that, in turn, have influenced literature, architecture, folklore, music, painting, and other arts. The town of Shravana Belgola, 56 miles (90 km) from Mysore, is especially significant for its ancient buildings and monuments. It contains notable examples of architecture from the Mauryan empire (c. 320–185 bce), as well as a colossal, 10th-century stone figure of Bahubali (Gommateshvara), the Jaina saint. Indeed, such enormous monolithic Jaina statues are peculiar to the Kannada-speaking region of India. The influence of the Chalukya (543–757 ce) and the Pallava dynasties (4th to 9th century) is still apparent in temple architecture stemming from the 7th century ce.