Karnataka is the fourth most popular travel destination in India and is very renowned for its prestigious monuments and its preservation. The official language being Kannada is spoken by 65% of the population and is termed as one of the classical languages of India. The natives are called Kannadigas and apart from them Karnataka is home to Tuluvas, Konkanis and Kodavas. Tibetan Buddhists and tribes like the Soligas, Yeravas, Todas and Siddhis are also present in minority. A state so rich in culture and tradition is known for one of the major theatrical forms of art called the Yakshagana, which is the classical dance drama of Malnad and coastal Karnataka. The state being known for its arts and culture, the contemporary theatres like Ninasam, Ranga Shankara, Rangayana and Prabhat Kalavidaru continue to build on the foundations laid by Gubbi Veeranna, T. P. Kailasam, B. V. Karanth, K V Subbanna, Prasanna and others, which still contribute to preserve their culture and serves as a huge treat to all the art lovers.
Karnataka has area of 191,976 square kilometers and is the eighth largest Indian state by area and the ninth largest by population and comprises of 30 districts. Karnataka is embraced by the Arabian Sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the southeast, and Kerala to the southwest. The state of Karnataka was formed on November 1st 1973 and this day is celebrated as the formation day also known as the “Karnataka Rajyotsava”.
The capital city of Karnataka being Bangalore is the IT hub and has the cosmopolitan lifestyle. Other places for visit in Karnataka are:
- Badami
- Bangalore
- Bidar
- Bijapur
- Gokarna
- Hampi
- Hassan
- Kodagu
- Madikeri
- Mangalore
- Mysore
- Sriringapatnam
Cricket being the most popular sport and Chinnaswamy stadium is the only stadium in the state to hold international cricket matches. Apart from cricket, Karnataka also hosts several other sports like Hockey being their annual hockey festival called as Kodava Hockey festival which is the largest hockey tournament in the world. Badminton, Cue Sports and Tennis are also been played with equal enthusiasm.
The best time for touring Karnataka is around October to March, as the weather is at its best.
Bus booking is fairly easy; you can search bus tickets and do
online bus booking at several OTA’s website.
