Table of Contents
Karnataka gets its name from its large area which means “lofty land”. It is the largest state present in the south of India.Until 1956 it was called State of Mysore and was less than 78,000sq Km in Area. On 1 November 1956, it combined with neighboring territories to form Karnataka with an Area of 191,791 sq KM. In this blog we will discuss the History, Geography, Basic facts and other important aspects of Karnataka. This article is going to be very useful for aspirants who are preparing for various competitive exams.
Interesting facts about Karnataka: History
- Karnataka previously known as State of Mysore was a small state which was occupied by the Dravidian inhabitants.
- Mysore or Mysuru which is actually a Kannada word derived from the Sanskrit word meaning “buffalo town” in English. It gets this name after the destruction of Mahishasura the buffalo-demon who was killed by the goddess Chamunda.
- This state was always under the influence of the struggles that took place between the native Dravidians and the foreign Aryans who invaded it from the north of India. The struggle between them was referred to as the conflict between the devils and the demons or the gods and the goddesses.
- The documented history of this region focuses mainly on the princely state of Mysore as it was present until 1953, for not even a single dynasty succeeded in ruling the whole region occupied by the Kannada-speaking peoples—the area that essentially constitutes today’s
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Below table will tell more about the History of Karnataka.
| S.No | Description | Answers |
| 1. | Got Independence | 1 November 1956 |
| 2. | Formation of Capital | 1537 |
| 3. | Largest city | Bengaluru |
| 4. | Previously known as | State of Mysore |
| 5. | Led By | Semukha/ Gauthamiputhra |
| 6. | Major Historical Events | In 1565, Karnataka and the rest of South India under went a major geopolitical shift when the Vijayanagara empire fell in to the Battle of Talikota with the Islamic sultanates. To control European expansion in South India, Haidar Ali and later Tipu Sultan fought 4 important Anglo-Mysore Wars, the last of which ended in Tippu Sultan’s death and the integration of Mysuru into the British Raj in 1799. |
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Interesting facts about Karnataka: Geography
It is located on a tableland where the Western and Eastern Ghat ranges converge into the complex, in the west of the Deccan Peninsular region of India. Karnataka stretches to about 750 km from north to south and about 400 km from east to west.
| S.No | Description | Summary |
| 1 | Area | 1,91,791km² ( 74,051/sq mi) |
| 2 | Total Population | 6,11,30,704 |
| 3 | The Ranks based on area and Population | Area:-6th largest state in the country
Population :- 8th most populous state in the country |
| 4 | Population Density | 320 per sq.km |
| 5 | State Boundries/ Neighbouring states | Goa (northwest)
Maharashtra (north) Telangana (northeast) Andhra Pradesh (East) Tamil Nadu (southeast) Kerala (south) |
| 6 | Types of Soil | Black Soil
Laterite Soil Red and Red loamy soil Alluvio-Colluvial soil Forest soil Coastal soil |
| 7 | Minerals | Asbestos
Bauxite Chromite Dolomite Gold Iron ore Kaolin Limestone Magnesite Manganese Ochre Quartz Silica |
| 8 | Major Crops | Sunflower
Ragi Jowar Maize Pulses Sugarcane Cotton Tobacco Cardamom etc |
| 9 | Forest Area | 38720 sq. km |
| 10. | Hill range | Eastern Ghats
Western Ghats Nilgiri Hills |
| 11 | Major Flora | Callophyllum tomentosa
Callophyllum wightianum Garcina cambogia Artocarpus lacoocha Garcina morealla Flacourtia Montana Alstonia scholaris Flacourtia montan Artocarpus hirsutus etc |
| 12 | Major Fauna | Tiger
Elephant Leopard Gaur Sambar Deer Chital Muntjac Bonnet macaque |
Interesting facts about Karnataka: Climate
Karnataka enjoys tropical monsoon climate. Due to extraordinary diversity of topography main characteristics of the tropical monsoon climate are cool and dry winters and hot and moist summers . The Maximum temperature goes up to 38 degree in summer season.
| Climate of Karnataka | ||
| Coastal Karnataka | Southern Island | North Karnataka |
| Hot Climate Rainy Tropical Monsoon Climate |
Hot and Dry Climate
|
Arid (not Hot)
|
Interesting facts about Karnataka: Nickname of Cities
| City Name | Location |
| Banglore or Bengaluru | IT Capital of India
Electronic City of India Garden City of India Science city of India Silicon Valley of India Space City |
| Mysore or Mysuru | Green City
Heritage City Sandal Wood City |
| Sakleshpur | Poor Man’s Ooty |
| Mangalore | Rome of East |
| Coorg | Scotland of India |
Interesting facts about Karnataka: National Parks
| Name | Location | Area |
| Kudremukh National Park | Chikkamagaluru district | 600.32 Sq.km |
| Rajiv Gandhi National Park | Veeranahosahalli | 643 Sq km |
| Bannerghatta National Park | Bannerughatta, Bengaluru, | 104.27 Sq.km |
| Bandipur National Park | Gundlupet Taluk, Bandipur, | 880 Sq.km |
| Anshi National Park | Kodthalli | 340 Sq. km |
Interesting facts about Karnataka: Wildlife Sanctuaries
| Name | Area |
| Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary | 540 Sq. km |
| Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary | 526.96 Sq. km |
| Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary | 492.46 Sq. km |
Interesting facts about Karnataka: Dams and Rivers
| Rivers | Dams |
| Sharavathi river | Linganamakki Dam |
| Kalinadi River | Kadra Dam |
| Kalinadi River | Supa Dam |
| Kaveri River | Krishna Raja Sagara Dam |
| Harangi River | Harangi Dam |
| Krishna River | Narayanpur Dam |
| Kali River | Kodasalli Dam |
| Krishna River | Basava Sagara |
| Tungabhadra River | Tunga Bhadra Dam |
| Krishna River | Alamatti Dam |
Interesting facts about Karnataka: Lakes
There a totally 21 lakes in Karnataka. Some of them are:
| Lakes | Location |
| Agara Lake | Bengaluru |
| Bellandur Lake | Bengaluru |
| Bysandra Lake | Bengaluru |
| Hebbal Lake | Bengaluru |
| Kempambudhi Lake | Bengaluru |
| Lalbagh Lake | Bengaluru |
| Madiwala Lake | Bengaluru |
| Puttenahalli Lake | Bengaluru |
| Sankey Lake | Bengaluru |
| Ulsoor Lake | Bengaluru |
| Dalavai Lake | Mysuru |
| Devanoor Lake | Mysuru |
| Karanji Lake | Mysuru |
| Kukkarahalli Lake | Mysuru |
| Lingambudhi Lake | Mysuru |
| Honnamana Kere Lake | Coorg |
| Pampa Sarovar | Hampi |
| Ayyene Kere Lake | Chickamangaluru |
| Kundavara Kere Lake | Davanagere City |
| Thatekere Lake | Kanakapura taluk, Ramanagara district |
Interesting facts about Karnataka: Waterfalls
| Name | Location | Height |
| Barkana Falls | Shimoga | 259 metres (850 ft) |
| Jog Falls | Shimoga | 253 metres (830 ft) |
| Magod Falls | Uttara Kannada | 198 metres (650 ft) |
| Kunchikal Falls | Udupi | 183 metres (600 ft) |
| Hebbe Falls | Chikkamagaluru | 168 metres (551 ft) |
| Kalhatti Falls | Chikkamagaluru | 122 metres (400 ft) |
| Keppa Falls | Uttara Kannada | 116 metres (381 ft) |
| Koosalli Falls | Udupi | 116 metres (381 ft) |
| Shivanasamudra Falls | Mysore | 98 metres (322 ft) |
| Kedumari Falls | Udupi | 91 metres(299 ft) |
| Muthyala Maduvu | Bangalore Rural | 91 metres(299 ft) |
Administrative Structure of Karnataka
Karnataka has been divided into four revenue divisions for administrative purpose:
- 49 sub-divisions
- 30 districts
- 175 taluks
- 745 hoblies / revenue circles.
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Interesting facts about Karnataka:
| Description | Answers |
| Capital | Bengaluru |
| Administrative HQ | Bengaluru |
| Chief Ministers | Basavaraj Bommai(Since 2021 – present) |
| Governor | Thawar Chand Gehlot |
| State Animal | Elephant |
| Official Bird | Indian Roller |
| State Flower | Lotus |
| State Tree | Sandalwood |
| No. of District | 30 |
| No. of Division | 4(Bangalore, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Mysore) |
| Loksabha Seats | 28 |
| Rajyasabha Seats | 12 |
| Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) | 75 |
| Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) | 224 |
| Major Airport | · Bengaluru International Airport
· Hubli Airport · Mangalore International Airport · Belgaum Airport · Bellary Airport · Gulbarga Airport · Mysore Airport · Jindal Vijaynagar Airport |
| Railway Stations | · Mangalore Railway Stations
· Mysore Railway Stations · Shimoga Railway Stations · Hubli Railway Stations · Chamarajanagar Railway Stations |
| Major Port | New Mangalore Port |
| Official Language | Kannada |
| Time Zone | IST (UTC +5:30) |
| Postal Code | Different according to Location |
| Vehicle Code | KA — |
| Judiciary | High court Karnataka |
| Seal |  |
Major Languages Spoken in Karnataka
| Languages | Percentage of Population |
| Kannada | 66.54% |
| Urdu | 10.83% |
| Telugu | 5.84% |
| Tamil | 3.45% |
| Marathi | 3.38% |
| Hindi | 3.30% |
| Tulu | 2.61% |
| Others | 4.05% |
Religions followed in Karnataka
| Religion | Percentage |
| Hinduism | 84.00% |
| Islam | 12.92% |
| Christianity | 1.87% |
| Jainism | 0.72% |
| Buddhism | 0.16% |
| Sikhism | 0.05% |
| Other | 0.02% |
| Not religious | 0.27% |
Major Stadiums of Karnataka
| Stadium | City |
| M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | Bangalore |
| Sir M V Stadium | Mandya |
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Hydro-Electric Power Stations of Karnataka
| Name | River |
| Ghatprabha Hydroelectric Project | Ghataprabha |
| Bhadra Hydroelectric Project | Bhadra |
| Mallapur Hydroelectric Project | Tungabhadra |
| Seshadhri Iyer (Sivasamudram) Hydroelectric Project | Cauvery |
Interesting facts about Karnataka: Art and Culture
| Description | Summary |
| Folk Dance | Dollu Kunitha
Bharatanatyam Kuchipudi Kathak Yakshagana (Dance Drama) |
| Music | Gamaka Kannada
Bhavageete Indian Classical Music |
| Major Festival | Ugadi (Kannada New Year)
Makara Sankranti (the harvest festival) Ganesh Chaturthi Gowri Habba Ram Navami Naga Panchami Basava Jayanthi Deepavali Ramzan |
| Cuisine (Famous Food) | Ragi ball (Ragi mudde) |
| Traditional Dress | Men Shirt, Trousers and Salwar kameez Mysore Peta Pagadi
Women Saree, Dhoti |
Major Temples of Karnataka
| Temple | Location |
| Chennakesava Temple | Belur |
| Kollur Mookambika Temple | Kollur |
| Gomateshwara Temple | Shravanabelagola |
| Hoysaleswara Temple | Halebeedu |
| Gokarna Mahableshwar temple | North Kannada district |
| Murudeshwara temple | Uttara Kannada District |
| Kukke Subramanya temple | South Kannada District |
| Kateel Durgaparameshwari temple | Kateel town in Dakshina Kannada |
| Horanadu Annapurneshwari temple | Mudigere – Taluk, Chikamagalur |
| Guddattu Mahaganapathi temple | Yedyadi-Mathyadi |
| Sri Virupaksheshwara temple | Hampi |
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Economy of Karnataka
The economy of Karnataka is the fourth-largest of any Indian state.
| S.No | Description | Summary |
| 1 | State GDP | ₹16.99 trillion (US$240 billion) (2019–20) |
| 2 | Growth rate | 6.8% (2019-20 est.) |
| 3 | Per capita income | ₹231,491 (US$3,200) (2018–19) |
| 4 | GDP per capita rank | 7th |
| 5 | Major Industries | Research and Development Headquarter of ISRO IT and ITeS Agro Aerospace Heavy Engineering Automobile Industries Biotechnology Companies Pharmaceutical Industry |
| 6 | Major Imports | Mineral fuels including oil Precious metals Electrical machinery, equipment Machinery including computers Organic chemicals Plastics, plastic articles |
| 7 | Major exports | Softwares Hardware Agriculture Products |
Education
Karnataka is one of the most highly educated states in the country. It has a large number of schools and educational institutions, nearly 50% of which are managed by the government; the remainder is operated by local and private bodies. Compulsory free primary education is provided in most towns and villages here. Among Karnataka’s oldest and important institutions of higher learning are the IISC or The Indian Institute of Science (1909), BU or Bangalore University (1964), and the University of Agricultural Sciences (1964), University of Mysore (1916) in Mysuru and Karnatak University (1949) in Dharwad, Mangalore University (1980) in Mangaluru, and Gulbarga University (1980) in Kalaburagi
| Description | Summary |
| Literacy Rate | 75.36% |
| Male | 82.47% |
| Female | 68.08% |
| No. of School | 78,096 (2018) |
| Affiliation Board | CBSE, ICSE, SSLC, NIOS |
| No. of University | 58 |
| Colleges in Karnataka | 520 (Engineering, Law, Medical etc) |
Heritage Sites of Karnataka
UNESCO Heritage Sites
- Group of Monuments at Hampi
- Group of Monuments at Pattadakal
- Western Ghats (Shared Site)
Other Heritage Sites
| S.No | Description | Summary |
| 1 | Major Tourist Places | Bangalore
Gokarna Chitradurga Fort Mysore Coorg Chikmagalur Belur Shravanabelagola Murudeshwar |
| 2 | Major Monuments | Gol Gumbaz
Kittur fort Daria Daulat Bagh Shiva Temple Temples of Dhaneshwara Tombs of Prophets Malyappa and Monappa The old temple of Kameshwara |
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Karnataka General Knowledge Quiz
- When did Karnataka acquire its current name?
(A) 1 January 1951
(B) 15 June 1971
(C) 21 August 1991
(D) 1 November 1973
(Ans : D)
- Capital of Karnatakais _______?
(A) Hubli
(B) Dharwad
(C) Bangalore
(D) Karwar
(Ans: C)
- What is the total area of Karnataka?
(A) 41,284 sq. mi.
(B) 74,051 sq. mi.
(C) 52,622 sq. mi.
(D) 12,482 sq. mi.
(Ans: B)
- The official language of Karnataka is ______ .
(A) Tulu
(B) Konkani
(C) Kodava
(D) Kannada
(Ans : D)
- Karnataka has ______Districts ?
(A) 29
(B) 32
(C) 30
(D) 26
(Ans : C)
- Which Festival is the most celebrated and famous in Mysore?
(A) Diwali
(B) Dasara
(C) Holi
(D) Shivratri
(Ans: B)
- Which of the following states is the neighbor of Karnataka towards its north?
(A) Maharashtra
(B) Kerala
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) Odisha
(Ans: A)
- Which sea is present towards the west of Karnataka?
(A) Ionian
(B) Adriatic
(C) Arabian
(D) Beaufort
(Ans: C)
- In which year did the British annex Kanara?
(A) 1757
(B) 1799
(C) 1780
(D) 1805
(Ans: B)
- Which kingdom of Karnataka did the British take over in 1834?
(A) Coorg
(B) Vijayanagara
(C) Bidar
(D) Gulbarga
(Ans: A)
- What was Karnataka formerly called?
(A) Bimaru
(B) Mysore
(C) Laccadive
(D) Amindivi
(Ans: B)
- Which of the following dam is situated in Karnataka state?
(A) Dudhawa
(B) Kaushalya dam
(C) Nagarjuna Sagar
(D) Almatti dam
(Ans : D)
- ______is known as “Father of Karnataka music”?
(A) Kanaka Dasa
(B) Purandara Dasa
(C) Raghavanka
(D) Sarvagna
(Ans : B)
- The “Bramhagiri” edict in Chitradurga belongs to Emperor
(A) Kadamba
(B) Ashoka
(C) Amoghavarsha
(D) Pulikeshi
(Ans : B)
- Recently names of Cities in Karnataka changed New name of Belgaum city is ______?
(A) Belagavi
(B) Belagav
(C) Belurgam
(D) Bellaam
(Ans : A)
- Number of Loksabha seats in Karnataka state is ______.
(A) 25
(B) 28
(C) 29
(D) 30
(Ans : B)
- Thalikote war or “Rakkasa Thangadi” which ruined the glory of Vijayanagara dynasty was held in the year________.
(A) 1545
(B) 1565
(C) 1550
(D) 1560
(Ans : B)
- _______had built beautiful temples at Pattadakallu and Aihole?
(A) Chalukya
(B) Hoysala
(C) Shatavahana
(D) Rastrakuta
(Ans : A)
- Doddaballapura is famous for ________industries ?
(A) Steel
(B) Plastic
(C) Fuir Juice
(D) Silk
(Ans : D)
- The temples at “Halebidu and Belur” belong to _____dynasty.
(A) Kadamba dynasty
(B) Hoysala dynasty
(C) Rastrakuta dynasty
(D) Badami Chalukya dynasty
(Ans : B)
- Number of Assembly Seats in Karnataka is _____.
(A) 198
(B) 209
(C) 224
(D) 213
(Ans : C)
- Who get the credit for the spread of Jainism in Karnataka?
(A) Chandragupta Maurya
(B) Bimbisara
(C) Ashoka
(D) Samparati
(Ans : A)
- _______waterfall is created by the Sharavathi River in Shimoga district of Karnataka ?
- Gokak Falls
- Kalhatti Falls
- Lalguli Falls
(D) Jog Fall
(Ans : D)
- _________in Karnataka is the present location of capital of Vijayanagar Empire?
(A) Hampi
(B) Kulyadi
(C) Kottigehara
(D) Thokur
(Ans : A)
- Which City in Karnataka is pilgrimage destination in jainism ?
(A) Belur
(B) Shravanabelagola
(C) Shorapur
(D) Tumkur
(Ans : B)
- _______is the Famous Temple is located at Belur.
(A) Chenna Keshava Temple
(B) Hanuman Temple
(C) Ganesh temple
(D) Vishnu Temple
(Ans : A)
- Karnataka Lokayukta Act was approved in which year?
(A) 1987
(B) 1984
(C) 1986
(D) 1990
(Ans : B)
- In _________ Ashok’s minor rock edict has been discovered in Karnataka?
(A) Halmidi, Hasan
(B) Maski, Raichur
(C) Mulabagil, Kolar
(D) Hoskote, Bengaluru
(Ans : B)
- Karnataka State was formed in the year ______________.
(A) 1959
(B) 1956
(C) 1957
(D) 1960
(Ans : B)
- Adi shankaracharya established his first of four ‘mathas’ in which district?
(A) Tumkur
(B) Belgaum
(C) Mysore
(D) Sringeri
(Ans : D)
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