North Karnataka (kannada: ಉತ್ತರ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ Transliteration: Uttara Karnataka), is a geographical region in Deccan plateau from elevation that constitutes the north region of the Karnataka state in India and the region consists of 14 districts. It is drained by the Krishna River and its tributaries the Bhima River, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha River, and Tungabhadra. North Karnataka lies within the Deccan thorn scrub forests ecoregion, which extends north into eastern Maharashtra.
North Karnataka consists of total 13 districts and comprises the regions known as (Kalyan-Karnataka) – Kalaburagi division and (Kittur-Karnataka) – Belagavi division. It includes districts of Bagalkote, Bijapur, Gadag district, Dharwad district, Haveri district, Belagavi, Bellary district, Bidar district, Kalaburagi, Koppal district, Raichur district, Vijayanagara, Yadgir district.
Transport
Bus
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North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation NWKRTC, serves the north western part of Karnataka.
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Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation KKRTC, serves the north eastern part of Karnataka
Air
Airports in the region are
Airlines and destinations
Belgaum Airport is an airport in
Belgaum, a city in the Indian state of
Karnataka. Built in 1942 by the Royal Air Force (RAF), Belgaum Airport is the oldest airport in North Karnataka. The RAF used the airport as a training site during World War II, providing support to the South East Asia Command. Because of its location in the village of
Sambra, east of Belgaum, the airport is also known as the Sambra airport. The new terminal building was inaugurated by Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on 14 September 2017.
The airport is also home to an Indian Air Force station at which new recruits to the military receive basic training.
Hubli Airport ] is a domestic airport serving the twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad in the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated on Gokul Road, 8 kilometres from Hubli and from Dharwad.The airline from Hubli is well connected with Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. Hubli airport will be upgraded to international airport. Around 700 acres of land acquisition is under process and 245 crores have been already released for acquisition.[[1]. Hubli airport to be upgraded to international.]
History of North Karnataka
Prehistoric period
North Karnataka's history
and culture date back to prehistoric times. The earliest
Stone Age find in India was a hand ax at
Lingasugur, in Raichur district. Sangankal Hills in the Bellary district, which is known as the earliest village settlement of South India,
dates back to the
Neolithic period. Iron weapons from 1200 BC, found at Hallur in
Dharwad district, demonstrate that North Karnataka used iron earlier than northern India.
Prehistoric sites in North Karnataka include rock shelters in Bellary, Raichur and Koppal districts with red paintings
which include figures of wild animals. The paintings are done in such a way that the walls of caves are not facing northwest, so the northwest monsoon does not affect them. These rock shelters are found at
Kurugodu in
Bellary district,
Hampi in Vijayanagara district and
Hirebenkal, near
Gangavati in the
Koppal district. Burial chambers using granite slabs (known as
) are also found; the best examples are the dolmens of Hire Benakal and Kumati in Hadagali Taluk.
Vibhuthihalli at Shahapur Taluk in the Yadgir district, an Archaeological Survey of India ancient astronomy site, was created with stones. The stones, arranged in a square pattern with astronomical significance,
Ancient
Chalukyas
Chalukya dynasty rule is important in the development of architecture known as
Karnata Dravida. Hundreds of monuments built by the Chalukyas are found in the Malaprabha river basin (mainly in Aihole, Badami, Pattadakal and
Mahakuta, in Karnataka). They ruled an empire extending from the
Kaveri river in the south to the
Narmada river in the north. The Badami Chalukya dynasty was established by
Pulakeshin I in 543; Vatapi (Badami) was the capital.
was a popular emperor of the Badami Chalukya dynasty. He defeated
Harshavardhana on the banks of the
Narmada river, and defeated Vishnukundins in the south.
Vikramaditya I, known as
Rajamalla and for building temples, engraved a
Kannada inscription on the victory pillar at the Kailasanatha Temple.
Kirtivarman II was the last Badami Chalukya king, overthrown in 753 by the Rashtrakuta King
Dantidurga.
The Western Chalukya dynasty is sometimes called the Kalyani Chalukyas, after its regal capital at Basavakalyan (today's Basavakalyan in Karnataka) or the Later Chalukya from its theoretical relationship to the sixth-century Badami Chalukyas. The Western Chalukyas () developed an architectural style (also called Gadag style) known today as a transitional style, an architectural link between the early Chalukya dynasty
Badami Chalukyas and Kalyana chalukyas also known as (Kuntaleshvaras).
Kadambas
The Kadambas () were an ancient dynasty of South India who primarily ruled the region which is the present-day
Goa state and the nearby
Konkan region (part of modern
Maharashtra and Karnataka state). The early rulers of this dynasty
established themselves at Vaijayanti (or
Banavasi) in 345 AD and ruled for more than two centuries. In 607, the Chalukyas of Vatapi sacked Banavasi, and the Kadamba kingdom was incorporated into the expanding Chalukyan empire. In the eighth century, the Chalukyas were overthrown by the
Rashtrakutas, who ruled until the 10th century. In 980, descendants of the Chalukyas and Kadambas revolted against the Rashtrakutas; the Rashtrakuta empire fell, resulting in the establishment of a second Chalukyan dynasty (known as the Western Chalukyas). Chatta Deva, a member of the Kadamba family who helped the Western Chalukyas in this coup, re-established the Kadamba dynasty. He was primarily a vassal of the Western Chalukyas, but his successors enjoyed considerable independence and were well-placed in Goa and Konkan until the 14th century. The successors of Chatta Deva occupied both Banavasi and
Hangal, and are known as the Kadambas of Hangal. Later, the Kadambas paid nominal allegiance to the other major powers of the
Deccan Plateau (such as the Yadavas and Hoysalas of Dorasamudra) and maintained their independence. Four families of Kadambas ruled in southern India: the Kadamba of Hangal, Goa, Belur and Banvasi.
Rashtrakutas
During the rule of
Dantidurga, an empire was built with the Gulbarga region in modern Karnataka as its base. This clan came to be known as the
Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta (Kannada: ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರಕೂಟ), who rose to power in 753.
During their rule, Jain mathematicians and scholars contributed important works in Kannada and
Sanskrit.
Amoghavarsha I was the best-known king of this dynasty and wrote
Kavirajamarga, a landmark Kannada work. Architecture reached a high-water mark in the Dravidian style, the best examples of which are seen in the Kailash Temple at
Ellora, the sculptures of
Elephanta Caves in modern-day Maharashtra and the Kashivishvanatha and the Jain Narayana Temples at Pattadakal in modern North Karnataka (all of which are
UNESCO World Heritage Sites). Scholars agree that the kings of the imperial dynasty in the eighth to tenth century made the Kannada language as important as Sanskrit. Rashtrakuta inscriptions appear in both Kannada and Sanskrit, and the kings encouraged literature in both languages. The earliest existing Kannada literary writings are credited to their court poets and royalty. Kailash Temple is an example of Dravidian art. This project was started by Krishna I (757–773) of the Rashtrakuta dynasty which ruled from
Manyakheta in modern Karnataka. It is located 40 km from the city of
Manyakheta (modern Malkhed), on the banks of the Kagini River in Kalaburagi district.
Carnatic expansion
Vijayanagara empire
Vijayanagara
(
Karnata Empire, or Karnataka Empire) is considered the greatest medieval Hindu empire and one of the greatest in the world at that time. It fostered the development of intellectual pursuits and the fine arts. Abdur Razzaq (the Persian ambassador) said, "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".
Deccan Sultanates
The Vijayanagara Empire, with its capital at Hampi, lost to the army of the Deccan Sultanates
in 1565. As a consequence of this, Bijapur became the most important city of the region. It is a land of monuments; perhaps no other city except
Delhi has as many monuments as
Bijapur.
Maratha Empire
The region of North Karnataka, especially
Belgaum,
Dharwad and parts of
Bagalkot,
Bijapur and
Gulbarga districts came under the influence of
Shivaji and subsequently the
Peshwas. As early as 1680s, many
Marathi people communities including
Marathas and
Marathi Brahmin started settling in the region. Most of these came down as soldiers and administrators and were awarded large grants of land. The Patwardhan family of
Jamkhandi and
Bijapur,
Desai of
Nuggikeri and
Kundgol and
Deshpande families in
Dharwad,
Belgaum and neighboring districts are some of the prominent
Brahmin families which trace their ancestry to these migrations . While many of these families adopted to
Kannada language, most people remain bilingual and marry into
Marathi Brahmin families. The Ghorpade dynasty in
Sandur State and
Mudhol State are some of the prominent
Maratha families who trace their ancestry to similar migrations.
Minor dynasties
Other kingdoms
Inscriptions
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Mahakuta Inscriptions, Mahakuta Pillar
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Aihole inscription
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Badami inscriptions
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Kappe Arabhatta
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Itagi Mahadeva Temple Inscription
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Lakkundi inscriptions
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Gadag inscription
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Halasi inscriptions
North Karnataka historical sites
Princely states
The following are the
princely states of
British India:
Battles
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Chalukya Pallava Wars
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Battle of Talikota
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Battle of Gajendragad
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Battle of Raichur
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Chola-Chalukya wars
Historic capitals
Architectural styles
North Karnataka has contributed to various styles of Indian architecture during the rule of the
Kadamba dynasty,
Badami Chalukyas,
Western Chalukya,
Rashtrakuta and Vijayanagara empires:
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Vesara
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Badami Chalukya architecture
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Gadag style of architecture
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Rashtrakutas style of architecture
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Vijayanagara architecture
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Kadamba architecture
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Bijapur style
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Keladi Nayaka style
History of Kannada language
Kannada is one of the oldest Dravidian languages, with an age of at least 2,000 years. The spoken language is said to have separated from its proto-Dravidian source later than Tamil. However, the archaeological evidence indicates a written tradition for this language of around 1,800–2,000 years. The initial development of Kannada is similar to that of other Dravidian languages and independent of
Sanskrit. In later centuries, Kannada has been greatly influenced by Sanskrit in vocabulary, grammar and literary style.
As for the Dravidian race, the Monier-Williams Sanskrit Dictionary lists for the Sanskrit word draviḍa a meaning of a "collective name for Karnatakas, Gurjaras, Kannadigas and Mahārāstras".
Unification of Karnataka
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The role of North Karnataka in Unification of Karnataka
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Unification of Karnataka and Vidyavardhaka Sangha
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Unification of Karnataka and Aluru Venkata Rao
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The Belgaum Conference of 1924
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Liberation of Kalyana Karnataka (Hyderabad-Karnataka)
Festivals
In Kannada
utsava means "festival".
The following are festivals celebrated in North Karnataka sponsored by Govt of Karnataka
Tourism
- Temples of North Karnataka
The temples of North Karnataka may be categorised as historical or modern.
- World Heritage Sites
- National park and sanctuaries in North Karnataka
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Ranibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary
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Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary
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Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary
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Bonal Bird Sanctuary
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Ghataprabha Bird Sanctuary
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Attiveri Bird Sanctuary
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Magadi Bird Sanctuary
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Gudavi Bird Sanctuary
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Yedahalli Chinkara Wildlife Sanctuary, Mudhol- Bilagi
Utsav Rock Garden is a sculptural Garden located near NH-4 Pune-Bangalore road, Gotagodi Village, Shiggaon Taluk, Haveri District, Karnataka. Utsav Rock Garden is an sculptural garden representing contemporary art and rural culture. A typical village is created where men and women are involved in their daily household activities. A unique picnic spot which delights common people, educated and intellectuals. There are more than 1000 sculptures in the garden of different sizes. It is an anthropological museum. It represents traditional farming, crafts, folklore, cattle herding and sheep rearing.
Notable people of North Karnataka
Universities and other educational institutions
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Indian Institute of Information Technology, Raichur
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Raichur University, Raichur
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University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur
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Sri Taralabalu Jagadguru Institute of Technology, Ranebennur
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Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University, Gadag
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Indian Institute of Technology, Dharwad
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Indian Institute of Information Technology, Dharwad
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Karnataka University, Dharwad
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University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad
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SDM college of Dental Sciences, Dharwad
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S.D.M College of Engineering & Technology, Dharwad
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Karnatak Science College, Dharwad
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Karnataka State Law University, Hubli
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KLE Technological University, Hubli
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Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubli
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Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum
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Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum
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Central University of Karnataka, Gulbarga
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Kannada University, Hampi
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Gulbarga University, Gulbarga
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Karnataka State Women University, Bijapur
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Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, Bidar
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Basaveshwar Engineering College, Bagalkot
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Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences, Bellary
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Sainik School, Bijapur
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S Nijalingappa Medical College, HSK (Hanagal Shree Kumareshwar) Hospital and Research Centre, Bagalkot
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Karnataka Folklore University, Shiggaon
Arts and crafts
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Kasuti embroidery: putting stitches by hand on dresswear like . of Bellary district district have their own embroidery style.
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Bidriware: metal handicraft originated in Bidar during the rule of the Bahamani Sultans
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: originated in Kinhal (Kinnal) in Koppal district. Crafts are mainly toys, wood carvings and mural paintings.
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Gokak toys: originated in Gokak in Belgaum district.
Natural resources
The Hutti Gold Mine is the only gold-extraction company in India. It operates in Hatti, an ancient gold- mining area about 70 km from
Raichur. Tourism is also permitted inside the mine.
The
Gadag,
Koppal and
Bellary districts are rich in manganese, gold and iron ore. Kalaburagi district is rich in lime
Religion
Hinduism
Lingayatism
The followers of
Basavanna and Panchacharyas who worship god through "istalinga". Lingayatism is a sect of Hinduism and worship Shiva in the form of Linga.
Brahmins
Varna (class) in Hinduism specialising as priests, teachers (
) and protectors of sacred learning across generations are known as
Brahmins.
Buddhism
Buddhism in North Karnataka dates from the third to the first centuries BC.
Sannati and
Kanaganahalli are two important excavation sites, and there is a
Tibetan Buddhism colony at Mundgod.
Jainism
Banjara
Banjara's are the followers of
Shaktism and
Sevalal
See also
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Temples of North Karnataka
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List of North Karnataka historical sites
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Chalukya
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Western Chalukya architecture
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Western Chalukya
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Vijayanagara architecture
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Dravidian architecture
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Badami Chalukya architecture
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Tourism in North Karnataka
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Bayaluseemae
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Siddis of Karnataka
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Family names in North Karnataka
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Timeline of Maharashtra history
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Deccan States Agency
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Shilahara used Kannada as official language
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South Western Railway zone
External links
