Karnataka

Mysore Palace

Karnataka is a state in Southern India.

Regions

• Cauvery Basin - Southern Karnataka, including Mysore
• Central Karnataka - the region around Bangalore
• Karavali - Karnataka's coastal region
• Northern Karnataka
• Northwestern Karnataka

Cities

There are many cities in Karnataka. These are some of the more notable:

• Bangalore -- the state capital
• Belgaum
• Hubli
• Mangalore
• Mysore
• Sakleshpur

Other destinations

Below is a selective list of sites of interest in Karnataka. It is far from exhaustive. For other sites, check regional articles.

• Bandipur National Park in Chamarajanagar (district). A 890sq km wildlife sanctuary - sandalwood trees.
• Belur. The former capital of the Hoysalla dynasty. Hale Belur is the older capital. Belur and Hale Belur are home to two ancient temples. Their beauty has survived the battles between local rulers and Muslim and later the colonial rulers. They are located in Hassan
• Bylakupee. The largest Tibetan settlement outside of Tibet.
• Chunchi
• Gokarna, Udupi and Shringeri. The main centers for the study of Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy in South India.
• Hampi. The ruins of Vijayanagara Empire are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Nandi Hills. a pleasant and serene hill station located about 60kms fom Bangalore.
• Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary near Mysore .
• Shimoga district. Home to Jog Falls, the highest plunge waterfall in India.
• Shravanabelagola. An impressive Jain temple

Talk

Kannada is the official language of the state and the mother tongue of around 70% of the population. Other linguistic minorities include Urdu (9.72%), Telugu (8.34%), Marathi (.5%), Tamil (3.82%), Malayalam (1.69%), Tulu (3.38%), Konkani (1.78%), and Hindi (1.87%). English is also in common use and Hindi spoken by most educated people.

Getting Around

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.
Services available:

• Airavath:Semi-sleeper Volvo a/c buses
• Mayura and Meghadoot:Comfortable A/C buses
• Rajahamsa:Non-A/C buses comfortable for short distances,and cheap for longer journeys!

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/.

Things To Do

Scuba diving

Pigeon Island ( Netrani Island ) lies about 10 km off the coast of Murudeshwar in Karnataka. It is a 4 hour drive from Goa, or can be reached by Konkan Railway, with Murudeshwar and Bhatkal being the nearest stations. There are currently no local dives centers here,and all diving at this location is organized by dive centers based in Goa.

The visibility here is generally in the 15-20m range and the dive sites are between 10 to 30m. Marine life is spectacular, with huge schools of Jacks, Barracuda, Triggerfish and Fusiliers.

Where To Dine

These are a few speciality dishes you can feast on in Karnataka:

• Dosa - A thin dough baked until crisp and containing masala. To eat, pieces are broken off and dipped in one of the amazing sauces that accompany the dish.
• Bisibele Baath - Made of rice and lentils and a lot of spices.
• Raagi and Akki Rotis - Similar to tortillas but made of raagi (English: coracan, finger millet) or rice flour and black cumin, asafoetida, fresh coriander, green chillies and finely chopped onions.
• Raagi Mudde – A staple food in some South Indian households. It is basically made by cooking raagi flour in water and rolling it into thick-consistency balls. Raagi mudde is swallowed and not chewed after dipping it into ghee and sambar.
• Idli - Idli, also romanized "idly", is made by steaming batter — traditionally made from black lentils and rice — into patties using a two to three inch diameter mold.
• Jolada Roti: A thin tortilla made of Jawar baked on both sides for 2-3 minutes, grown in northern part of karnataka. Preferable to have with brinjal curry.

Drink

Filter Coffee is very famous and unique about Karnataka. People also drink Badam Milk (crushed almond powder mixed with milk served hot and cold.)

Nearby Destinations

• Andhra Pradesh
• Goa
• Kerala
• Tamil Nadu
• Maharashtra

Wikipedia:Karnataka

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