Karnataka is a large state in southwest India, stretching from the Arabian Sea coast across the forested Western Ghats to the Deccan plateau. It combines the UNESCO-listed ruins of Hampi, the Hoysala temples of Belur and Halebidu, the royal city of Mysuru, coffee-covered Coorg hills, and the beaches of Gokarna and Udupi, with Bengaluru as India's technology capital.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Karnataka.
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1
Ashokan edicts
Mauryan Emperor Ashoka inscribes rock edicts at Brahmagiri and Siddapura in northern Karnataka
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2
Kadambas of Banavasi
Mayurasharma founds the first native Kannada dynasty
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3
Badami Chalukyas
Pulakeshin I makes Vatapi (Badami) his capital
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4
Pulakeshin II vs Harsha
Chalukya king defeats Harsha of Kanauj on the Narmada
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5
Gomateshwara statue
Chavundaraya commissions the Bahubali statue at Sravanabelagola
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6
Chennakeshava Temple, Belur
Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana completes the temple after victory at Talakad
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7
Vijayanagara founded
Harihara and Bukka establish the empire on the Tungabhadra at Hampi
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8
Bahmani Sultanate
Hasan Gangu establishes the first Deccan sultanate at Gulbarga
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9
Bidar capital
Ahmad Shah Wali moves the Bahmani capital to Bidar
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10
Battle of Talikota
The Deccan sultanates defeat Vijayanagara; Hampi is sacked
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11
Gol Gumbaz completed
Muhammad Adil Shah's mausoleum finished at Bijapur
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12
Fall of Srirangapatna
Tipu Sultan dies in the siege; Wodeyars restored
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13
Mysore Palace completed
Present palace finished after the 1897 fire
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14
State unification
Kannada-speaking regions unified on 1 November
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15
Renamed Karnataka
Mysore State renamed Karnataka on 1 November
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16
UNESCO Hampi
Group of Monuments at Hampi inscribed on the World Heritage List
Historical sites
Places where Karnataka's past comes alive.
Group of Monuments at Hampi (UNESCO)
Ruined capital of the Vijayanagara Empire spread over about 4,100 hectares along the Tungabhadra, with the Virupaksha and Vittala temples, Royal Enclosure, Hazara Rama Temple and Lotus Mahal. UNESCO inscribed it in 1986.
Where: Hampi, Vijayanagara district
Admission: Vittala/Lotus Mahal ticket INR 40 (~$0.4) Indian; INR 600 (~$6) foreign (ASI); many temples free
Group of Monuments at Pattadakal (UNESCO)
Ten temples in northern (nagara) and southern (dravida) styles including the Virupaksha Temple built by Queen Lokamahadevi around 740 CE and the Sangameshwara Temple. UNESCO inscribed in 1987.
Where: Pattadakal, Bagalkot district
Admission: INR 40 (~$0.4) Indian; INR 600 (~$6) foreign (ASI)
Badami Cave Temples and Bhutanatha Group
The Chalukya capital Vatapi, with four rock-cut caves above Agastya Lake, the Bhutanatha temples on the lake shore and hilltop forts. Cave 3 (578 CE) holds a 6 m Trivikrama panel.
Where: Badami, Bagalkot district
Admission: INR 40 (~$0.4) Indian; INR 600 (~$6) foreign (ASI)
Aihole Temples (Durga Temple and Lad Khan)
A 'cradle of Indian temple architecture' with some 120 temples in an ancient township, including the apsidal Durga Temple and the pillared Lad Khan Temple. The Meguti Jain temple carries the 634 CE Ravikirti inscription.
Where: Aihole, Bagalkot district
Admission: INR 40 (~$0.4) Indian; INR 600 (~$6) foreign (ASI)
Chennakeshava Temple, Belur (UNESCO)
Vishnuvardhana built this soapstone temple in 1117 CE to mark victory over the Cholas at Talakad. Bracket figures (madanikas) and friezes cover the outer walls. Part of the Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas (UNESCO 2023).
Where: Belur, Hassan district
Admission: Free; ASI-managed; small fees for camera/guide
Hoysaleswara Temple, Halebidu (UNESCO)
Twin-shrine star-shaped temple started around 1121 CE at the Hoysala capital Dorasamudra, with a frieze of 2,000 elephants and Ramayana scenes. Included in the 2023 UNESCO listing.
Where: Halebidu, Hassan district
Admission: Free; ASI museum entry approx INR 5 (~$0.05)
Chennakesava Temple, Somanathapura (UNESCO)
Star-shaped triple-shrine temple built by Somanatha, general of King Narasimha III, on a raised platform with intricate friezes. Part of the 2023 UNESCO listing.
Where: Somanathapura, Mysuru district
Admission: INR 25 (~$0.3) Indian; INR 300 (~$3) foreign approx (ASI)
Mysore Palace
Seat of the Wodeyars after the old wooden palace burned in 1897; rebuilt in Indo-Saracenic style by Henry Irwin and completed in 1912.
Where: Mysuru
Admission: INR 100 (~$1)
Gol Gumbaz
Mausoleum of Muhammad Adil Shah with a dome of about 44 m diameter and four octagonal seven-storey towers. Its whispering gallery echoes sounds several times.
Where: Vijayapura
Admission: INR 25 (~$0.3) Indian; INR 300 (~$3) foreign (ASI)
Ibrahim Rauza, Vijayapura
Tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah II and his queen Taj Sultana, with a twin building with slender minarets, a mosque and a garden. Said to have inspired the Taj Mahal.
Where: Vijayapura
Admission: Approx INR 25 (~$0.3) Indian; INR 300 (~$3) foreign
Bidar Fort
A moated 15th-century fort built by Bahmani Sultan Ahmad Shah Wali after moving the capital from Gulbarga in 1427, with the Rangin Mahal, Solah Khamba Mosque and Diwan-i-Am.
Where: Bidar
Admission: INR 25 (~$0.3) Indian; INR 300 (~$3) foreign (approx)
Bahmani Tombs, Ashtur (Bidar)
A row of domed mausoleums of the Bahmani sultans, including Ahmad Shah Wali's tomb with Persian-style painted interiors and calligraphy.
Where: Ashtur, Bidar
Admission: Approx INR 25 (~$0.3) Indian; INR 300 (~$3) foreign
Mahmud Gawan Madrasa, Bidar
College built in 1472 by Prime Minister Mahmud Gawan with a three-storey library, lecture halls and a 32 m minaret tiled in blue.
Where: Bidar
Admission: Approx INR 25 (~$0.3) Indian; INR 300 (~$3) foreign
Gulbarga Fort and Jami Masjid
The first capital of the Bahmani Sultanate, with a fortress of 15 towers and a covered Jami Masjid built in 1367 without an open courtyard, resembling Cordoba's Mezquita.
Where: Kalaburagi
Admission: Approx INR 25 (~$0.3) Indian; INR 300 (~$3) foreign
Chitradurga Fort
A stone fortress with seven concentric walls across granite hills, with temples, granaries and the Onake Obavva Kindi where Obavva held off Hyder Ali's soldiers in 1779.
Where: Chitradurga
Admission: INR 25 (~$0.3) Indian; INR 300 (~$3) foreign (approx)
Srirangapatna: Tipu Sultan's Fort, Daria Daulat and Gumbaz
An island fortress on the Kaveri where Tipu Sultan died in the 1799 siege by the British. Includes the Daria Daulat Bagh summer palace (1784), Tipu's dungeon and the Gumbaz mausoleum, and the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple.
Where: Srirangapatna, Mandya district
Admission: Daria Daulat approx INR 25 (~$0.3) Indian; INR 300 (~$3) foreign
Gomateshwara (Bahubali) Statue, Sravanabelagola
A 57 ft monolithic Jain statue of Bahubali, commissioned by Chavundaraya in 981 CE. The Mahamastakabhisheka anointing takes place every 12 years (last in 2018).
Where: Sravanabelagola, Hassan district
Admission: Free; climb of about 600 steps up Vindhyagiri
Lakkundi Temples
Over 50 temples and step-wells at the mint town of Lakkundi, including the Kasivisvesvara Temple, with detailed stone lattice and doorway carving.
Where: Lakkundi, Gadag district
Admission: Free; ASI-protected
Bangalore Fort and Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace
A two-storey wooden palace on K.R. Market road begun by Hyder Ali and completed by Tipu in 1791, with carved pillars and Indo-Islamic arches; the adjoining Bangalore Fort was built by Kempegowda in 1537.
Where: Bengaluru
Admission: INR 15-25 (~$0.2-0.3) Indian; INR 200-300 (~$2-3) foreign approx