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History of Karnataka
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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. |
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