Ferdinand Kittel (1832–1903).

Ferdinand Kittel (1832–1903), Christian missionary and Kannada writer

The nascent beginnings of modern Kannada literature can be traced to the early 19th century when King Krishnaraja Wodeyar III and his court poets attempted to steer away from the ancient champu form of prose and popularise prose renderings of Sanskrit epics and plays. Kempu Narayana's Mudramanjusha ("Seal Casket", 1823) can be considered as the first modern novel before English influence on Kannada.
The impetus to modern literature also came from the onset of western style of education and the Christian missionaries who relied on the local language to propagate their gospel. The arrival of the printing press acted as a catalyst in this process. Among the several early Kannada publications, the first Kannada-English dictionary by Ferdinand Kittel (1894) is noteworthy. Another prominent Christian missionary, Hermann Mögling, was responsible for publishing Kannada classics under a series called Bibliotheca Carnataca during 1848–1853 and the first-ever Kannada newspaper called Mangalore Samachara in 1843.
In the latter half of the 19th century, progress towards original works in prose narratives initially gained momentum through translations, mostly from Sanskrit and English. With the standardisation of modern prose, the earliest original social fictions were Suryakantha by Lakshman Gadagkar (1892) and Indira Bai by Gulvadi Venkata Rao (1899). The latter work critically examines social issues, reflecting an awakening to the need for social reform.
At the turn of the century, B. M. Srikantaiah ('B. M. Sri'), regarded by some as the "Father of modern Kannada literature", gave the call for writing original works in modern Kannada, stressing on moving away from old Kannada and for drawing from contemporary English literature. This period can be considered a seed time, for a golden age to come. Srikantaiah's adaptation of lyrics from English were effective, the best known among his works being the English Geethagalu ("English Songs"), a seminal work that set the trend for the Navodaya (new birth) style of Kannada poetry. Another prominent writer, Masti Venkatesh Iyengar, is credited with laying the foundation for a generation of short-story tellers with his Kelavu Sanna Kathegalu ("A few Short Stories", 1920) and Sanna Kathegalu ("Short Stories", 1924).
The consolidation of modern drama was pioneered by T.P. Kailasam, a towering personality in the field, with his Tollu Gatti ("The Hollow and the Solid", 1918). In contrast to the earlier Indira Bai (1899), this work examines the modern education system from a Gandhian viewpoint. Kailasam followed this with Tali Kattoke Cooline ("Wages for tying the Mangalsutra"), a critic on the dowry system in marriage. His plays were mainly concerned with problems affecting middle class Brahmin families: the dowry system, religious persecution, woes in the extended family system and exploitation of women. He was among the first ones in Kannada theatre to speak about liberal values, and is thus considered by some as the one who laid the foundation of amateur Kannada theatre.

Mysore period in Karnataka

King and poet-Krishnaraja Wodeyar III (1794–1868)
With the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire, the Kingdom of Mysore rose to power in the southern Karnataka region. The Mysore court was adorned by eminent writers, composers and musicians. The kings themselves were accomplished in the fine arts and made important contributions. A unique and native form of poetic literature with dramatic representation called Yakshagana gained popularity in the 18th century.
To king Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar (1673–1704), the earliest composer of the dynasty, who went by the honorific Sahitya Vidyanikasha Prastharam ("Expert in literature") is ascribed the Geetha Gopala, a well-known treatise on music. Although inspired by Jayadeva's Geetha Govinda in Sanskrit, it had an originality of its own and was written in saptapadi metre. This is the first writing to propagate the Vaishnava faith in the Kannada language.
Also dated to this period is Sarvajna (lit. "The all knowing") – a mendicant Veerashaiva poet who left a deep imprint on Kannada literature. His didactic Vachanas, numbering about 2000 penned in the tripadi metre constitute some of Kannada's most celebrated works. Though very little is known about the author himself, the first 14 of a series of poems written by him ("Reminiscences of Birth") offer some clues about his birth, parentage and his reasons for leaving home at an early age. His poems after the 14th focus on his spiritual quest as a drifter. The pithy Vachanas contain his observations on the art of living, the purpose of life and the ways of the world. He was neither patronised by royalty nor did he write for fame; his main aim was to instruct people about morality. All his poems end with "Sarvajna".
A superb story-teller and a dramatist, the Brahmin author Lakshmisa's writing is dated to the mid 16th or late 17th century. The Jaimini Bharata, the poet's Kannada version of the epic Mahabharata written in shatpadi metre, is one of the most popular poems of the late medieval period. A collection of stories, the poem contains the well-known tale of the Sita Parityaga ("Repudiation of Sita"). The author succeeds in converting a religious story into a very human tale, making it popular even in modern times.

King and writer, Jayachamaraja Wodeyar (1940–1947) with Queen Elizabeth II ----->

The period also saw advances in the field of Kannada theatre. Though evidence from inscriptions and epics dating it to the 12th century or earlier are available, modern Kannada theatre is traced to the rise of Yakshagana (a type of field play), which from available manuscripts is dated to the 16th century. It was the rule of King Kanteerava Narasaraja Wodeyar II (1673–1714) that heralded the golden age of Yakshagana compositions. A polyglot, he authored 14 Yakshaganas in various languages, although all are written in the Kannada script. He is credited with the earliest Yakshaganas that included sangeeta (music), nataka (drama) and natya (dance).
King Krishnaraja Wodeyar III (1794–1868) who followed in the same Wodeyar line was another prolific writer, for which he was called Abhinava Bhoja ("Modern Bhoja"). More than 40 writings are attributed to him of which a poetical romance called Saugandika Parinaya written in two versions, a sangatya and a drama, is popular. His reign signalled the shift from classical genres to modern literature which was to be complemented by the efforts of contemporary British evangelists, among others.

Basavanna

12th-century social reformer and Kannada poet, Basavanna

Basavanna, Allama Prabhu, Devara Dasimayya, Channabasava, Prabhudeva, Siddharama (1150), and Kondaguli Kesiraja are the best known among more than 300 poets (called Vachanakaras) in this genre. Prominent among the 33 women poets was Akka Mahadevi, who in addition to poetry is credited with two short writings, Mantrogopya and Yogangatrividhi. Credited to Siddharama are writings in tripadi metre and 1,379 extant poems (though he has claimed authorship of 68,000 poems).
The assassination of King Bijjala and eviction of the sharanas (devotees) from Kalyani caused a temporary set back to this order. This curtailed further growth of Vachana poetry until the 15th century when another wave of writings began under the patronage of the rulers of Vijayanagara. An offshoot of the Veerashaiva faith and an attempt to synthesise it with the advaitha (monistic) philosophy of Adi Shankara took shape. A chieftain called Nijaguna Shivayogi is considered the originator of this new philosophy called Kaivalya. A prolific writer, he composed devotional songs collectively known as the Kaivalya sahitya (or Tattva Padagalu, literally "songs of the pathway to emancipation").Shivayogi's songs were reflective, philosophical and concerned with Yoga. Among his other writings, a scientific encyclopaedia called the Vivekachintamani is considered of high value, an indication of which is its translation into Marathi language in 1604 and Sanskrit language in 1652 and again in the 18th century. The writing categorises 1,500 topics based on subject and covers a wide array such as poetics, dance and drama, musicology and erotics.
Other well-known poet saints were Muppina Sadakshari, a contemporary of Shivayogi, whose collection of songs are called the Subodhasara, Chidananda Avadhuta of the 17th century, Sarpabhushana Shivayogi of the 18th century and others. So vast is this body of literature that much of it still needs to be studied.

Veerashaiva

Mausoleum (Samadhi) of 12th-century Kannada poet Basavanna at Kudala Sangama.

In the later part of the 12th century, the Kalachuris' succeeded in overthrowing their overlords, the Western Chalukyas, and annexing the capital Kalyani. In this turbulent period, a revolt against the existing social order in the Hindu society saw the spread of a new religious faith called Veerashaivism (also called Lingayatism). Some of the followers of this faith wrote literature called Vachana Sahitya ("Vachana literature") or Sharana Sahitya ("literature of the devotees"). This literature consisted of a unique and native form of poetry in free verse called Vachana.
Basavanna (or Basava, 1160), the prime minister of southern Kalachuri King Bijjala II, is generally regarded as the inspiration for this movement. A centre of religious discussions called Anubhava Mantapa ("hall of experience") in Kalyani became the conclave where devotees gathered to discuss their mystic experiences. Here, they expressed their devotion to God Shiva in simple poems called Vachanas. These poems were spontaneous utterances of rhythmic, epigrammatical, satirical prose emphasising the worthlessness of riches, rituals and book learning, displaying a dramatic quality reminiscent of the dialogues of Plato.

Vijayanagara period in Karnataka

Poetic inscription in Kannada by Vijayanagara poet Manjaraja (1398)

The 14th century saw major upheavals in geo-politics of southern India with Muslim empires invading from the north. The Vijayanagara Empire however, stood as a bulwark against these invasions and ensured an atmosphere conducive to the fine arts. In a golden age of Kannada literature competition between Vaishnava and Veerashaiva writers was fierce and literary disputations between the two sects were common, especially in the court of King Deva Raya II. Acute rivalry led to "organised processions" in honour of the classics written by poets of the respective sects.
To this period belonged Kumara Vyasa (whose real name was Naranappa), a doyen of medieval epic poets and one the most influential Vaishnava poets of the time. He was particularly known for his sophisticated use of metaphors and had even earned the title Rupaka Samrajya Chakravarti ("Emperor of the land of Metaphors"). In 1430, he wrote the Gadugina Bharata, popularly known as Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari or Kumaravyasa Bharata in the Vyasa tradition. The work is a translation of the first ten chapters of the epic Mahabharata and emphasises the divinity and grace of the Lord Krishna, portraying all characters with the exception of Krishna as deeply human with foibles. An interesting aspect of the work is the sense of humour exhibited by the poet and his hero, Krishna. This work marks a transition of Kannada literature from old to modern and heralds a new age combining poetic perfection with religious inspiration. The remaining parvas (chapters) of the epic were translated by Timmanna Kavi (1510) in the court of King Krishnadevaraya. The poet named his work Krishnaraya Bharata after his patron king.
The first complete brahminical adaptation of the epic Ramayana was by Kumara Valmiki (1500) and is called Torave Ramayana. According to the author, the epic he wrote merely narrated God Shiva's conversation with his consort Parvati. This writing has remained popular for centuries and inspired folk theatre such as the Yakshagana, which has made use of its verses while enacting episodes from the great epic. In this version of the epic, King Ravana is depicted as one of the suitors at Sita's Swayamvara (lit. a ceremony of "choice of a husband"). His failure at winning the bride's hand results in jealousy towards Rama, the eventual bridegroom. As the story progresses, Hanuman, for all his services to Rama, is exalted to the status of "the next creator". Towards the end of the story, during the war with Rama, Ravana realised that his adversery is none other than the God Vishnu and hastened to die at his hands to achieve salvation.
Chamarasa, a Veerashaiva poet, was a rival of Kumara Vyasa in the court of Devaraya II. His eulogy of the saint Allama Prabhu, titled Prabhulinga Lile (1430), was later translated into Telugu and Tamil at the behest of his patron king. In the story, the saint was considered an incarnation of Hindu God Ganapathi while Parvati took the form of a princess of Banavasi.
Interaction between Kannada and Telugu literatures, a trend which had begun in the Hoysala period, increased. Translations of classics from Kannada to Telugu and vice versa became popular. Well known bilingual poets of this period were Bhima Kavi, Piduparti Somanatha and Nilakanthacharya. In fact, so well versed in Kannada were some Telugu poets, including Dhurjati, that they freely used many Kannada terms in their Telugu writings. The notable writer Srinatha even called his Telugu, "Kannada". This process of interaction between the two languages continued into the 19th century in the form of translations by bilingual writers.

Hoysala period in Karnataka

Hero stone (virgal) with old Kannada elegiac inscription (1220) at the Ishwara temple in Arasikere, Karnataka

In the late 12th century, the Hoysalas, a powerful hill tribe from the Malnad region in modern southern Karnataka, exploited the political uncertainty in the Deccan to gain dominance in the region south of the Krishna river in southern India. A new chronological era was adopted, imperial titles were claimed and Kannada literature flourished with such noted scholars as Janna, Harihara, Rudrabhatta, Raghavanka, Keshiraja and others.
Two renouned philosophers, Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya who lived during this time influenced the culture of the region. The conversion of the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana from Jainism to Vaishnavism was to later prove a setback to Jain literature, which in the decades to follow faced competition from the Veerashaivas and the Haridasas as well. These events changed the literary landscape of the Kannada speaking region for ever.
Poet Harihara (or Harisvara) came from a family of karnikas (accountants), one of the earliest Veerashaiva writers who was not part of the Vachana literary tradition, and worked under the patronage of King Narasimha I. He wrote the Girijakalyana in the Kalidasa tradition, employing the old Jain champu style, with the story leading to the marriage of Shiva and Parvati in ten sections. In a deviation from the norm, Harihara avoided glorifying saintly mortals. He is credited with more than 100 poems in ragale metre, called the Nambiyanana ragale (or Shivaganada ragale, 1160) praising the saint Nambiyana and Virupaksha (a form of Hindu god Shiva). For his poetic talent, he has earned the honorific "poet of exuberance" (utsava kavi).
Harihara's nephew, Raghavanka (1165), was the first to introduce the shatpadi metre into Kannada literature in his epic Harishchandra Kavya, considered a classic despite occasionally violating strict rules of Kannada grammar. Drawing on his skill as a dramatist, Raghavanka's story of King Harishchandra vividly describes the clash of personalities between sage Vishvamitra and sage Vashisht and between Harishchandra and Vishvamitra. It is believed that this interpretation of the story is unique to Kannada literature. The writing is an original both in tradition and inspiration. In addition to Hoysala patronage, Raghavanka was honoured by Kakatiya king Prataparudra I.
Rudrabhatta, a Smartha Brahmin (believer of monistic philosophy), was the earliest well-known Brahminical writer, under the patronage of Chandramouli, a minister of King Veera Ballala II. Based on the earlier work of Vishnu Purana, he wrote Jagannatha Vijaya (1180) in the champu style, relating the life of Lord Krishna leading up to his fight with the demon Banasura.
In 1209, the Jain scholar and army commander Janna wrote Yashodhara Charite, a unique set of stories dealing with perversion. In one of the stories, a king intended to perform a ritual sacrifice of two young boys to Mariamma, a local deity. After hearing the boys' tale, the king is moved to release them and renounce the practice of human sacrifice. In honour of this work, Janna received the title Kavichakravarthi ("Emperor among poets") from King Veera Ballala II. His other classic, Anathanatha Purana (1230), deals with the life of the 14th Tirthankar Ananthanatha.

Content and genre

Inscribed handwriting of 10th-century poet Ranna reads Kavi Ratna (gem among poets) in Shravanabelagola
In the medieval period, between the 9th and 13th centuries, writers were predominantly of the Jain and Veerashaiva faith. Jains were the earliest known cultivators of Kannada literature, which they dominated until the 12th century, although a few works by Veerashaivas from that period are available. Jain authors wrote about Jain Tirthankars and other personages important to the Jain religion. The Veerashaiva writers accounted for devotees of the Hindu God Shiva, his 25 forms, and the expositions of Shaivism. Veerashaiva poets belonging to the Vachana tradition advanced the philosophy of Basavanna from the 12th century.
The period between the 13th and 15th centuries saw a decline in Jain writings and an increase in the writings of the Veerashaiva and contributions from some Vaishnava writers. Thereafter, Kannada literature has been dominated by Veerashaiva and Vaishnava writers. Vaishnava writers treated of the Hindu epics, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata, as well as the Vedanta and other subjects from the Hindu puranic traditions. From the 15th century, Haridasa poets heralded the age of devotional songs, which they propagated using music as the medium. Writings on secular subjects had remained popular throughout this period.
An important change during the Bhakti (devotion) period starting from the 12th century was the casting aside of the concept of court literature and the rise in popularity of shorter genres such as the vachana and kirthane, traditions that were more acceptable to the common man. During this period, writing classics eulogising kings, commanders and spiritual heroes was on the wane with a proportional increase in the use of local genres. Kannada literature moved closer to the spoken and sung folk traditions, with singability being its hallmark, although some poets continued to use the ancient champu form of writing (such as Shadaksharadeva of 17th century). These poets however are generally not considered trailblazers in a period of increasing vernacularization.
The most popular Sanskritic metre used to write Kannada literature from the 9th century onwards was the champu (poems in verse of various metres interspersed with paragraphs of prose, also known as champu-kavya), although it steadily fell into disuse from the 12th century. Other Sanskritic metres that were employed were the saptapadi (seven line verse), the ashtaka (eight line verse) and the shataka (hundred-line verse). There have been numerous translations of Sanskrit writings into Kannada and to a lesser extent, the other way round. The medieval period saw the development of literary metres indigenous to the Kannada language. These included the tripadi (three-line verse, in use from 7th century), one of the oldest native metres; the shatpadi (six-line verse, in use from 1165), of which six types exist; the ragale (lyrical narrative compositions, in use from 1160); the sangatya (compositions meant to be sung with a musical instrument, in use from 1232) and the akkara which came to be adopted in some Telugu writings. Such interactions with Tamil literature are however few and far apart.
Though religious literature was prominent, various literary genres such as romance, fiction, erotica, satire, folk songs, fables and parables, musical treatises and musical compositions were popular. A wealth of literature dealing in subjects such as mathematics, sciences such as astronomy, meteorology, veterinary science and medicine, astrology, grammar, logic, philosophy, poetry, prosody, drama, rhetoric, chronicles, biography, history, and cuisine, as well as dictionaries and encyclopedias are available.
Kannada literature of this period was mainly written on palm leaves. However, more than 30,000 Kannada inscriptions known as shilashasana (stone inscriptions) and tamrashasana (copper plate inscriptions) have been found in modern Karnataka and are considered important to the study of its literary developments. The Jura (Jabalpur) inscription of King Krishna III (964) is regarded as an epigraphical landmark of classical Kannada composition, containing poetic diction in kanda (a group of stanzas or chapters) metre. Elegiac poetry on hundreds of veeragallu and maastigallu (hero stones) written by unknown poets in the kanda and the vritta (commentary) metre mourn the death of heroes who sacrificed their lives and the bravery of women who performed sati.
The process of evolution from old Kannada literature to one that satisfied modern sensibilities gained momentum in the early 19th century. Kannada writers were initially influenced by modern literatures in other languages, especially English.[ Modern English education and liberal democratic values were mainly responsible for this change. Subjected to criticism by Christian missionaries, writers were quick to see weaknesses in the ancient Hindu society. This resulted in a longing for social change, while the need to cling to all that was good in the past tradition was very evident. Modernisation of Kannada prose resulted in new genres such as the short story, the novel, the literary criticism, the essay and the dramatic literature.

Kannada literature

The earliest full-length Kannada inscription – the Halmidi inscription, dated 450 CE

Kannada literature is the body of literature written in Kannada: a language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka, and written using the Kannada script. The history of Kannada literature, which spans 15 centuries, is usually divided into three phases: ancient, medieval and moder.
From the 6th century beginning and up to the 12th century, the Kannada region was dominated by dynasties such as the Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas and the Hoysalas; dynasties that were either Jain or gave ample patronage to the faith. As a result, Kannada literature of the period was almost entirely cultivated by Jains whose works were steeped in Jain literary traditions. From the 12th century, the Veerashaiva movement ushered in a new stream of literature which flourished alongside the Jain works. The rise of the Vijayanagara empire in the 14th century saw a renaissance of sorts with the arrival of Vaishnava literature — that of the Haridasas in particular.
The writings of the medieval period drew greatly from the socio-religious themes in Jainism, Veerashaivism and Vaishnavism and also included works on secular subjects. Although the oldest surviving work of this corpus, the Kavirajamarga which deals with rhetoric, poetics and grammar, has been dated to 850 CE, it is widely accepted that a considerable volume of literature had existed for a few centuries prior to it.
After the decline of the Vijayanagara empire in the 16th century, the seat of patronage shifted to the Mysore court of the Wodeyar dynasty. Kannada literature continued to flourish under the Mysore rulers, many of whom were themselves accomplished scholars of the fine arts. From the 19th century, the influence of English literature and the enthusiastic support of the Wodeyars' ushered in the era of modern literature which saw the introduction of new genre such as the prose narrative, the essay, the novel and the short story. Over the past two centuries, Kannada writers have produced works of outstanding national and international merit, resulting in numerous prestigious awards.
From the ancient period, a Greek farce dated to the 2nd century CE and called the Charition mime contains what appear to be passages in an archaic form of Kannada. The earliest example of a full-length Kannada inscription in verse can be found in a Kadamba royal edict called the Halmidi inscription, dated 450 CE; while the Kappe Arabhatta record of the 7th century forms the earliest surviving record of Kannada poetry. Evidence from edicts of Ashoka the Great written in Prakrit language and discovered in Karnataka suggests that Kannada literature may have been derived from Buddhist traditions, prompting some historians to posit a Buddhist era in Kannada literature (before 4th century CE).
Though the earliest surviving Kannada literary work, Kavirajamarga ("Royal Path for Poets") is dated to 850 CE, references are made in it to earlier writers such as Vimalachandra (c. 777), Udaya, Nagarjuna, Jayabhandu and King Durvinita (6th century) and poets like Srivijaya, Kavisvara, Pandita, Chandra, Ravi Kirti (634) and Lokapala. It also refers to compositions that were peculiar to Kannada: the chattana and the bedande (poems comprising several stanzas that were meant to be sung with the optional use of a musical instrument).
Apart from the poets mentioned in the Kavirajamarga, later Kannada writers consistently mention three poets - Samantabhadra (2nd to 7th centuries), Kavi Parameshthi (3rd to 4th centuries) and Pujyapada (also called Devanandi, 5th to 7th centuries), though no mention is made of any of their works. However, early writers of Kannada literature whose works are known are Syamakundacharya (650), who authored the Prabhrita, and Srivaradhadeva (also called Tumubuluracharya, 650 or earlier), who wrote the Chudamani ("Crest Jewel"), a 96,000-verse commentary on logic.
Ascribed to the 7th or 8th century is the Karnatheshwara Katha, a eulogy of the well-known Chalukya King Pulakesi II. The Gajashtaka, a lost ashtaka (eight line verse) composition, was authored by King Shivamara II in 800. It gained popularity in its time by its use in two folk songs, the ovanige and the onakevadu, compositions that were meant to be sung either while pounding corn or to entice wild elephants into a pit (ovam).
In the 9th century, Srivijaya, a court poet of Amoghavarsha I wrote the Chandraprabha Purana. During the same period, the Digambara Jain poet Asaga (or Asoka) authored, among other writings, the Karnata Kumarasambhava Kavya and the Varadamana Charitra. His works have been eulogised by later poets, although none of his works are available today. The earliest known prosody in Kannada, Gunagankiyam, has been referenced in a Tamil work dated to 10th century or earlier (Yapparungalakkarigai by Amritasagara). Gunanandi (c. 900) is known to have been an expert in logic, Kannada grammar and prose. Around 900, Gunavarma I wrote the Sudraka and Harivamsa (also known as Neminatha Purana). In Sudraka he compared his patron, Ganga king Ereganga Neetimarga II, to a noted king called Sudraka.

Yoga from Karnataka

Yoga

Tirumalai Krishnamacharya
BKS Iyengar
Geeta Iyengar
Prashant Iyengar
Pattabhi Jois
Saraswathi Rangaswamy
R. Sharath
T. K. V. Desikachar
T.K. Sribhashyam
Srivatsa Ramaswami
Malladihalli Sri Raghavendra Swamiji

Kannadigas in Military

Military

Gen. Gurunath.G.Bewoor, Chief of Staff, Indian Army
Field Marshall K.M. Cariappa, Commander-in-Chief, Indian Armed Forces
Gen. K.S. Thimayya, Chief of Staff, Indian Army

Classical literateurs of Karnataka

Literature

Nripatunga Amoghavarsha , Ranna , Janna , Adikavi Pampa , Sri Ponna , Shivakotiacharya , Muddana , Andayya , Gangadevi , Kumaravyasa , Harihara , Raghavaanka , Rudrabhatta , Basavanna , Akka Mahadevi , Sarvajna , Tirumalamba , Purandaradasa , Kanakadasa , Shishunaala Sharif Saheba , Trivikrama Panditacharya , Narayana Panditacharya.

Sportsmen from Karnataka.

Cricket
Budhi Kunderan
E.A.S. Prasanna
Gundappa Vishwanath
Javagal Srinath
Rahul Dravid
Anil Kumble
Roger Binny
Syed Kirmani
Brijesh Patel
Venkatesh Prasad
Bhagwat Chandrasekhar
Sunil Joshi
Raghuram Bhat
Vijay Bhardwaj
David Johnson
Doddanarasaiah Ganesh
M. Chinnaswamy
Robin Uthappa
Sadanand Viswanath
Sujith Somasundar

Hockey

B.P. Govinda (former captain, Arjun award)
M.P. Ganesh (former captain, Arjun Award)
Ashish Ballal
Arjun Halappa
M M Somaiya (former captain)
Len Aiyappa
Sandeep Michael
V.R.Raghunath

Other
Vandana Rao, Athletics
Ashwini Nachappa, Athletics
Chetan Baboor, Table Tennis
Mahesh Bhupathi, Tennis
Nisha Millet, Swimming
Pankaj Advani, Billiards
Prakash Padukone, Badminton
Rohan Bopanna, Tennis

People from Karnataka.

Science and Technology

SCIENCE
* Dr. C.N.R. Rao, Chemistry
* C.R. Rao, Statistics
* Dr. M.C. Modi, Ophthalmology
* Dr. Raja Ramanna[1], Physics
* Roddam Narasimha, Aerospace, Atmospheric Sciences
* U.R. Rao, Space Science

MATHEMATICS

* Bhaskaracharya
* Mahaviracharya
* Leelavati
* Shakuntala Devi

TECHNOLOGY
* Arun Netravali, Bell Lab
* Sir M. Visveswaraya

Health Care

Dr M.C. Modi, Eye Surgeon
Dr. R. M. Varma, Neuro Surgeon, Founder Director of NIMHANS, Bangalore
Dr.Devi Prasad Shetty, Cardiovascular Surgery, Narayana Hrudhayalaya

List of Industrialists from Karnataka.

* N.R. Narayana Murthy, Infosys Technologies, Ltd.
* Vijay Mallya, UB Breweries, Kingfisher Beer.
* Azim Premji, Wipro Technologies, Ltd.
* Dr.Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Biocon India Ltd.
* Mark Mascarenhas, WorldTel.
* Phaneesh Murthy, iGATE Global Solutions, Ltd.
* Nandan Nilekani, Infosys Technologies, Ltd.
* Gururaj Deshpande, Tejas Networks, Sycamore Networks.
* K.V. Kamath, Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank
* Siddartha Hegde, Cafe Coffee Day.
* Vijay Sankeshwar, Vijayanand Group.
* R.N. Shetty, Murdeshwar Group.
* B.R. Shetty, NMC Group.
* Ammembal Subba Rao Pai, Founder of Canara Bank
* Shri A.B.Shetty, Founder of Vijaya Bank
* Upendra Ananth Pai, Co-founder of Syndicate bank
* Dr. T. M. A. Pai, Co-founder of Syndicate bank
* Vaman Srinivas Kudva,Co-founder of Syndicate bank

Great Kings and Nobles from Karnataka.

Pulakesi II , Vikramaditya II , Vikramaditya VI , Tailapa II , Vishnuvardhana , Veera Ballala II ,
Veera Ballala III , Amoghavarsha I , Dhruva Dharavarsha , Govinda III , Indra III , Krishna III ,
Mayuravarma , Durvinita , Chavundaraya , Rani Chennamma of Kittur , Rani Chennamma of Keladi , Sangolli Rayanna of Kittur , Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV , Jayachamaraja Wodeyar , Hyder Ali , Tippu Sultan , Kempe Gowda , Kantheerava Narasaraja Wodeyar , Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar , Raja Wodeyar , Bijjala II , Basaveshwara , Harihara I and Bukka Raya I , Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya , Krishnadevaraya , Aliya Rama Raya , Mahmud Gawan (Bahmani) ,
Ibrahim Adil Shah II , Chand Bibi.

List of people from Karnataka.

Arts and entertainment

Cinema

Aishwarya Rai , Ambareesh , Ananth Nag , Amrita Rao , Arjun Sarja , Arthi , B.R.Pantalu, B.S.Ranga , B.V. Karanth , Balakrishna , Bharathi , Bhavana , Comedy Time Ganesh, Chandulal Jain , Deepika Padukone , Dwarakesh , Feroz Khan , G V Iyer , Geetha , Girish Karnad, Girish Kasaravalli , Guru Dutt , Jaggesh , Kalpana , Kalyan Kumar , Kashinath , M.R. Vittal , M.S. Satyu , Manjula , Master Manjunath , Nagabharna , Nagathihalli Chandrashekar , Narasimha Raju , Pattabhirama Reddy , Pradeep Uppoor , Prakash Rai , Prema , Puneeth Rajkumar ,Puttana Kanagal , Raghavendra Rajkumar , Rajanikanth, Rajesh , Rajkumar , Rakshita , Ramesh , Ramya , Ravichandran , Rockline Venkatesh , Sadashiv Salian , Sakshi Shivanand , Sanjay Khan , Shankar Nag , Shashi Kumar , Shilpa Shetty , Shivarajkumar , Shyam Benegal , Siddalingiah , Sneha Ullal , Soundarya , Srinath , Sudha Rani , Suman Ranganath , Sunil Kumar Desai , Suniel Shetty , Tara , Tiger Prabhakar , Uday Kumar , Upendra , Vasundhara Das , Vishnu Vardhan , Vishwanath Ayengar , Yogeshwar.

Theatre

A.S. Moorthi , Arundhati Nag , Ashok Mandanna , B.V. Karanth , Bhargavi Narayana , C.P. Krishnamurthy ,Chandrashekhar Kambara , Chindodi Leela , Enagi Baalappa , Enagi Nataraja ,
Garuda Sadashivarao ,Girish Karnad ,Gubbi Veeranna ,Jayashree ,K.V. Subbana ,Kalpana , Lokesh , Makeup Nani , Master Hirannayya , Mukhyamantri Chandru , Nagaratnamma , Prasanna , Preetham Venky , RJ Anjaan , Setumadhavarao Manvi , Shankar Nag , Shivananda ,
Sihikahi Chandru ,Subbayya Naidu , Subhadramma Mansoor , Sudhir , Umashree , Vajramuni ,
Vasanth Kavali , Vishaya Jevur , Yashwant Sardeshpande

Ancient Architecture & Sculpture
Amarashilpi Jakanachari
Gundan Anivaritachari
Ruvari Malithamma

Modern Artists - Painting & Sculpture

B.K.S. Varma , B.V. Rama Murthy , Biju Jose , K.K. Hebbar , K.K. Raghava , K.Venkatappa , M.S. Umesh , R.K. Laxman , R M Hadpad , Ramya Nagraj , Sheela Gowda , Yusuf Arakkal.

Music
Classical Music - Karnataka

Bidara Krishnappa , Gopala Dasa , Harikesanallur Muthayya Bhagavathar , Jagannatha Dasa ,
Kadri Gopalnath , Kamalesha Vittala , Kanakadasa , Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar , Mysore Manjunath , Mysore Nagaraj , Mysore Sadashiva Rao , Mysore V. Ramarathnam , Mysore Vasudevacharya , N. Ravikiran , Purandaradasa , R.K. Srikantan , R.R. Keshavamurthy , S. Seshagiri Rao , Sripadaraya , T. Chowdiah , Vadiraja , Vijaya Dasa , Vyasatirtha ,Veene , Doreswamy Iyengar , Veene Sheshanna , Veene Subbanna , Vittal Ramamurthy.

Classical Music - Hindustani

Abdulla Khaja (Bansuri) , Arjunsa Nakod (Vocal) , Ashok Huggannanavar (Vocal) , Bale Khan (Sitar) , Bapu Padmanabha(Bansuri) , Basavaraja Rajaguru (Vocal) , Bhimsen Joshi (Vocal) , Dhananjaya Hegde , Fayyaz Khan (Sarangi) , Ganapati Bhat (Vocal) , Gangubai Hangal (Vocal) ,
Gururao Deshpande (Vocal) , Hanumanna Nayak Dore (Vocal) , I.N. Kalaburgi (Vocal) , Jayateerth Mevundi (Vocal) , Keerti Kumar Badseshi (Vocal) , Krishna Hangal (Vocal) , Kumar Gandharva (Vocal) , Madhava Gudi (Vocal) , Madhava Rao Nayak , Mallikarjun Mansur (Vocal) ,
Nachiketa Sharma (Vocal) ,Nagaraja Rao Havaldar (Vocal) ,Omkarnath Havaldar (Vocal) ,
Panchakshari Gawai (Vocal) ,Panchakshari Swami Mattigatti (Vocal) ,Parameshwara Hegde(Vocal) , Pravin D. Rao (Tabla, Keyboards) , Pravin Godkhindi (Bansuri) , Puttaraja Gawai (Vocal) ,Raghunath Nakod (Tabla) , Rajabhau Sontakke (Vocal) , Rajashekhara Mansur (Vocal) ,
Rajeev Taranath (Sarod) ,Rajendra Kulkarni (Bansuri) , Rajendra Nakod (Tabla),
Ravindra Yavagal (Tabla) , Sanjeev Chimmalgi (Vocal) , Sangameshwara Gurav(Vocal) ,
Sawai Gandharva (Vocal) , Shantaram Hegde (Vocal) , Sheikh Hannumiya (Vocal) , Taranath Ram Rao Hattiangadi (Tabla) , Venkatesh Godkhindi (Bansuri) , Vinayak Torvi (Vocal) ,
Vishwanath Nakod (Tabla) , Vyasamurthy Katti (Harmonium) ,

Modern musicians
Bapu Padmanabha , (Bamboo Flute) , C. Aswath , Sugama Sangeetha Singer , Balappa Hukkeri, folklorist , G.V. Atri , Bhavageete Singer in Kannada , Ganesh Hegde ,Choreography in Hindi movies , Lucky Ali , Singer and Cine artist , Mysore Ananthaswamy , Bhavageete Singer in Kannada , P. Kalinga Rao , Bhavageete Singer , Pravin Godkhindi , Flute player , Pravin D. Rao , Tabla and Keyboard Player , Shimoga Subanna , Sugama Sangeetha Singer .

Film Music
Arjun , Biddu , B. V. Karanth , Jayant Kaikini , C. Ashwath , G.K. Venkatesh , G. V. Iyer , Gurukiran , Hamsalekha , Mano Murthy , Prayog , Rajan-Nagendra , Ravichandran , Sadhu Kokila , Sandeep Chowta , Shankar-Ganesh , V. Manohar , Vijaybhaskar .

Fashion

Deepika Padukone
Prasad Bidapa

Dr. Rajkumar (Kannada Cinema Legendary Actor)

Dr. Rajkumar (Puttaswamayya Muthuraju, April 24, 1928-April 12, 2006) was the most popular actor in Kannada film industry. He mainly worked in Karnataka and usually seen as a role model to Kannadigas.
"Dr. Raj" or "Natasarvabhouma" or "Annavru"(Big Brother) to millions of his fans, he was also called as the John Wayne of South Indian cinema. He acted in more than 200 Kannada movies in a career spanning over five decades. Most of his movies were epic films in Kannada film industry. He was also a well-known singer, as a playback singer as well as of devotional songs. His voice is referred as kogile kanta. Rajkumar is the only Indian actor who has received national awards for both acting and singing.

Early life
Rajkumar was born on April 24, 1928 in a Kannada speaking family at Gajanur, a village on the border of Karnataka and Tamilnadu His mother tongue is Kannada. His father, Singanalluru Puttaswamayya, who was a famous theater artist and his mother, Lakshmamma, named their eldest son Mutturaju after Lord Muthathi Raya. His name was changed to "Rajkumar" (meaning Prince) after his film debut.

Film career
Rajkumar started his career as a theater artist with his father in a troupe led by the legendary Gubbi Veeranna. It was here that Rajkumar honed his acting and singing skills.
Bedara Kannappa, a 1954 Kannada language movie, marked his entry into the film world. This movie was directed by H L N Simha who also christened him Rajkumar. Rajkumar would use the same name for the rest of his life. He later forayed into film production with the hugely popular Ranadheera Kanteerava which he produced with another legend of Kannada cinema, Balakrishna. This movie which was made exclusively with technicians from Karnataka also marked the beginning of full fledged film making in Karnataka.
Dr. Rajkumar was also one of the most versatile actors in Indian cinema. His character depictions ranged from comedy to action, from lover to double/triple roles, from mythological characters to portrayal of modern day social causes. He acted with the most popular heroines in southern Indian cinema, such as Kannada's Pandaribai, Leelavathi, Jayanti, Bharati, Arati, Jayaprada, Madhavi, Geetha, Sarita and others from neighbouring states. He acted with many directors of the south Indian cinema from B.R. Pantulu, Puttanna Kanagal to Shankar Nag and Nagabharana. He was known for only acting in Kannada movies, even though he got many offers from different movie industries in India. Actors who have acted with him considered it an achievement of their lifetime. Prithviraj Kapoor acted in the movie Saakshatkara in the role of Dr. Rajkumar's father.
In his lifetime, Dr. Rajkumar acted in 206 Kannada movies, excluding guest appearances. He owned a film production company called Vajreshwari Production, which produced films under the banner of Dakshayani Combines. Bhagyada Bagilu was his 100th movie and Devatha Manushya was his 200th movie.
Two of his most famous performances were in his own productions: Kaviratna Kalidasa and Shankar-Guru. He produced movies based on famous Kannada novels. He was ably supported by his friend and script writer Chi. Udayashankar. He signed films only after consultation with his brother, S.P. Varadaraju. He chose stories that usually had a social message for the audience. He also made many movies against social evils. One such movie is Shabdavedi which is against the evil of drugs.
He never smoked a cigar/cigarette or acted as an alcoholic in any of his movies (excepting a few in the early days of his career). In real life too, he was a non-smoker and non-alcoholic and maintained a very high standard of living, performing daily Yogasanas and following a strict diet.
Though he had numerous chances to try his hand at Indian politics owing to his mass following, he shied away from active politics focusing his energy toward art and cinema. His last movie was Shabdhavedi, in which Jayaprada played the female lead.

Rajkumar's discipline
Rajkumar was a highly disciplined man. He would wake up and perform yoga and pranayama at 4am. He practiced Carnatic music for one hour each in the morning and in the evening. He never smoked or drank alcohol in real life and in movies. He never swore nor did he drink and smoke, on or off the screen. He was always punctual for any shooting and programmes. His dress code consisted of only white or ivory dhoti and white shirt, with sandals. He was always clean shaven. He spent most of his vacations at his native place, Gajanur, near the forest area where he was later kidnapped. During shooting he insisted that all the members of the unit have the same menu and food must be of high quality. He has been this way since his early career days.

Family
Rajkumar had a brother, S.P. Varadaraju, who worked with him in his production company. He had 2 sisters, Sharadamma and Nagamma.
He was married to Parvathamma, who later became a film producer. They have three sons, Shivaraj Kumar, Raghavendra Rajkumar and Puneet Rajkumar, and two daughters, Lakshmi and Poornima. All his three sons are popular actors in Kannada films.

Awards and honours
Rajkumar received numerous state, national and international awards. He received an honorary doctorate from Mysore University in 1976.
He won 10 Filmfare awards for the best actor category — the second highest in the history of Indian films.
He won nine state awards in the best actor category. (State awards for films were started by the Karnataka government in 1967 when Rajkumar's career was half over. But still he managed to win the most awards in the Kannada film industry.)
He won a National award in best singer category for "Naadamaya ee Lokavella" song in Jeevana Chaitra movie.
He received the Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India in 1983 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1995, in recognition of his contributions to the Kannada film industry.
He was rewarded Karnataka Ratna in the year 1993 by the Government of Karnataka.
In 1985, Rajkumar won the prestigious Kentucky Colonel award presented in Bangalore by the then-governor of Kentucky, U.S..
His fans have conferred him the title "Nata Saarvabhowma" (The Emperor of Acting).

Karnataka (ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ)

Karnataka (ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) is a state in the southern part of India. It was created on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as the State of Mysore, it was renamed Karnataka in 1973.

Karnataka is bordered 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.

Karnataka state covers an area of 191,791 km² (74,051 sq mi) or 5.83% of the total geographical area of India. It is the eighth largest Indian state by area, the ninth largest by population and comprises 29 districts. Kannada is the official and most widely spoken language.

Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ)

Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ) is one of the major Dravidian languages of India, spoken predominantly in the southern state of Karnataka. It is the 27th most spoken language in the world, with native speakers called Kannadigas, Kannadigan, Kannadigaru (ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರು) numbering roughly around 53 million (2001). It is one of the official languages of India and the official and administrative language of the state of Karnataka.
The first written record in the Kannada language is traced to Emperor Ashoka's Brahmagiri edict dated 230 BC. At present, a committee of scholars is seeking a classical language tag for Kannada based on its antiquity.
The Kannada language is written using the Kannada script. The other native languages of Karnataka, Tulu, Kodava Takk and Konkani are also written using the Kannada script. Contemporary Kannada literature is the most successful in India, with India's highest literary honor, the Jnanpeetha awards, having been conferred seven times upon Kannada writers, which is the highest for any language in India.