Karnataka Travel
Karnataka,
called as Karunadu (elevated land) 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 city except 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 .
··» South
India Tours —›
Kerala Travel —›
Tamil
Nadu Travel —›
Karnataka Travel —›
Andhra
PradeshTravel
