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Karnataka

Karnataka

Karnataka (ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ in Kannada) is one of the four southern states of India. Before 1973, the state was known as Mysore state, as it was formed out of the former Kingdom of Mysore in 1950, and enlarged in 1956 to include the Kannada-speaking regions of neighboring states. Karnataka's capital Bangalore is the only city in the state with a population of more than 1 million. Other major cities include Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Bellary and Belgaum. Kannada is the official language of Karnataka. As of 2001, it is one of 10 Indian states with a population greater than 50 million.

Geography

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 east and southeast, and Kerala to the southwest. It is situated at the angle where the western and eastern mountain ranges of South India converge into the Nilgiri Hills. The state has three principal physical zones;
- The coastal strip, between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, which is lowland, with moderate to high rainfall levels. This strip is around 320 km in length and 48-64 km wide.
- The Western Ghats, a mountain range inland from the Arabian Sea, rising to about 900m average height, and with moderate to high rainfall levels.
- The Deccan Plateau, comprising the main inland region of the state, which is drier and verging on the semi-arid. The humidity in these plains or maidans never exceeds 50 percent. There are several suggested etymologies for the name Karnataka. The most reasonable one is that it comes from "karu" + "nadu" meaning "elevated land". It is interesting to note that Karnataka has one of the highest average elevations of Indian states at 1,500 feet. The highest recorded temperature was 45.6 C (114.08 F) at Raichur on May 23, 1928. The lowest recorded temperature was 2.8 C (37.04 F) at Bidar on December 16, 1918.

Districts

see article Districts of Karnataka

Language

Language was the basis for the formation of the Indian states after independence and the new Karnataka state was formed by the inclusion of 9 new districts from the erstwhile Madras State (present day Tamil Nadu), Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh states in 1957. Certain larger districts were further divided for asdministrative convenience resulting in 27 districts in total. The predominant language of Karnataka is Kannada, which is its official language. Other languages include Tamil, Marathi, Konkani, Kodava Thakk, Tulu, Sankethi, Hindi and Urdu.

Economy

Karnataka is one of the more industrialised states in India. Its capital Bangalore has become a major hub of the Information Technology industry. 90% of India's gold production comes from Karnataka, and it is also the IT capital of india. Recently there has been a lot of activity in the extraction of manganese ore from the districts of Bellary and Hospet.

History

Hospet of Karnataka in the 13th century.]] The history of Karnataka dates back to the period of epics. The capital of Vali and Sugriva, 'Vanara Sena' of the Ramayana, is said to have been Hampi in the present day Bellary district. Hidimbasura of Mahabharatha, a cruel and fierce demon, is said to have lived in present day Chitradurga district of Karnataka, who was then exterminated by Bhima who came there along with the other Pandavas and their mother Kunti during the Vanavaasa. Stone transcriptions from the period of Ashoka are the oldest available archaelogical evidence. In the 4th century BCE, a local dynasty called Satavahana came to power, and its rule lasted nearly 300 years. With the disintegration of the Satavahana dynasty, the Kadambas came to power in the north, and the Gangas in the south of the state. The gigantic monolithic statue of Gomateswara is considered to be the monument of the Ganga period. The Chalukyas of Badami (500 to 735) ruled over a wider area, from the Narmada to the Kaveri from the days of Pulikeshi II (609 to 642) who had even defeated Harshavardhana of Kannauj. This dynasty created fine monuments at Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal, both structural and rock-cut. Aihole has been one of the cradles of temple architecture in the country. The Rashtrakutas (753-973) of Malkhed who succeeded them levied tribute on the rulers of Kannauj successively in the so-called Age of 'Imperial Kannauj'. Kannada literature developed in this period. Outstanding Jain scholars of India lived in their court. The Chalukyas of Kalyana (973 to 1183) and their feudatories, the Hoysalas of Halebidu built fine temples, encouraged literature and fine arts. Noted jurist Vijnaneshwara (work-Mitakshara) lived at Kalyana. The great religious leader Basaveshwara was a minister at Kalyana. The Vijayanagar empire (1336 to 1565) fostered indigenous traditions and encouraged arts religion and literature in Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil. Overseas trade flourished. The Bahmani sultans of Gulbarga (later capitals were Bidar and Bijapur) and the Adil Shahi sultans of Bijapur raised fine Indo-Saracenic buildings and encouraged Urdu and Persian literature. After the fall of Maratha Peshwa (1818) and Tipu Sultan of Mysore (1799) Karnataka came under the British. After Indian independence, the Wodeyar Maharaja acceded to India. In 1950, Mysore became an Indian state, and the former Maharaja became its rajpramukh, or governor. After accession to India, the Woyedar family was provided with a pension by the Indian state until 1975, and members of the family still reside in part of their ancestral palace in Mysore. On November 1, 1956 or Rajyotsava Day (Formation Day), Mysore State was enlarged to its present boundaries, incorporating the state of Coorg and the Kannada-speaking portions of neighboring Madras, Hyderabad, and Bombay states, with an elected Chief Minister and state assembly. On November 1 1973 the name of the state was changed to Karnataka.

Natural areas

Karnataka is home to several national parks, including Bandipur National Park in Mysore District, Bannerghatta National Park Savandurga forest Kempegowda Dhama Bangalore District, Nagarhole National Park in Mysore and Kodagu districts, Kudremukh National Park in Dakshina Kannada and Chickmagalur districts, and Anshi National Park in Uttara Kannada District. There are also a number of wildlife sanctuaries and nature preserves. Jog falls of Shimoga District is the highest waterfalls in Asia.

See also


- Cuisine of Karnataka
- List of Chief Ministers of Karnataka.
- List of famous people from Karnataka.
- List of political parties in the state
- Carnatic (region)
- Kannada
- Kannada Wikipedia

References


-

External links


- [http://kstdc.nic.in/ Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation]
- [http://www.karnatakatourism.org/ Karnataka Tourism]
- [http://www.karnataka.gov.in/ Karnataka State Government]
- [http://www.karnatakainformation.org/ Karnataka Government Information Department]
- [http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/kar/ Topics on Karnataka's History and Culture] Category:States and territories of India

Kannada language

Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ; also, less commonly, Kanarese) is one of the major Dravidian languages of southern India. Speakers of its various dialects number roughly 40 million people. It is the state language of Karnataka, one of the four southern states in India. It is written using the Kannada script.

History

Perhaps being the oldest language next to Sanskrit, Prakrit, and Tamil, Kannada country and language have a rich heritage. 'Kavirajamarga' of king Nripatunga Amoghavarsha of the Rashtrakuta dynasty(9th century A.D.) is believed to be the earliest literary work in Kannada (Ref: History of Kannada literature, Dr. Jyothsna Kamat). The first record on Kannada language is traced to Emperor Ashoka's Brahmagiri edict dated 230 BC. The development of Kannada as a distinct language from a proto-Dravidian language is probably impossible to date. However, the written tradition of this language is around 1500-1600 years based on the archeological evidences. The initial development of the Kannada language is similar to that of other Dravidian languages. During later centuries, Kannada, along with Telugu, has been highly influenced by Sanskrit vocabulary and literary styles. Kannada is a highly inflected language with three genders (masculine, feminine, neutral or common) and two numbers (singular, plural). It is inflected for gender, number and tense, among other things.

Dialects

There is also a sharp distinction between the spoken and written forms of the language. Spoken Kannada tends to vary from region to region. The written form is more or less constant throughout Karnataka, however. The ethnologue identifies about 20 dialects of Kannada. Notable of them are Kunda (spoken exclusively in Kundapura), Havyaka (spoken mainly by Havyaka Brahmanas of Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga, Sagara, and Udupi districts), Are Bhashe (spoken mainly in Sullia region of Dakshina Kannada), Soliga Kannada, Badaga Kannada, Gulbarga Kannada and Dharavada Kannada, Chitradurga Kannada.....

Classification

The written Kannada language has come under various religious and social influences in its 1600 years of known existence. Linguists generally divide the written form into four broad categories.
- Poorvada Halegannada (Pre-ancient Kananda) : This is the language of Halmidi scripture thought to be from fourth or fifth century.
- Halegannada (Ancient Kannada) : From ninth century CE onwards, until fourteenth century Kannada works were classified under 'Ancient Kannada'. In this period Kannada developed into a matured language. Mostly Jain and Saivite poets produced works in this period.
- Nadugannada ( Middle Kannada) : In this period Brahmanical Hinduism had a great influence on Kannada. A Kannada grammar based on Sanskrit grammar was developed by Keshiraja Bhatta. Language itself Sanskritized to a large extent. Non-brahmin Hindu saints like Kanakadasa also produced devotional poems in this period.
- Hosagannada ( Modern Kannada) : The Kannada works produced by the end of nineteenth century and later are classified under Hosagannada or Modern Kannada. However, till the beginning of twentieth century there were Kannada literary works that could still be classified under Middle Kannada. Most notable among them is poet Muddana's works. Sometimes, his works were described as the 'dawn of Modern Kannada'. Generally, linguists treat Indira Bai or Saddharma Vijayavu by Gulvadi Venkata Raya as the first literary work in Modern Kannada. Modern Kannada in twentieth century has been influenced by many movements. Notable among them are Navodaya, Navya, Dalita/Bandaya. Gulvadi Venkata Raya

Geographic distribution

Kannada is mainly spoken in Karnataka in India, and to a good extent in the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and in Kerala. There are significant Kannada speaking populations in the United States and the United Kingdom, and to a lesser extent in Canada and Australia.

Official status

Australia Kannada is one of the 22 official languages of India and is the official language of the state of Karnataka.

Kannada script

The language has 52 letters phonemic and according to academic profile 49 letters are present in Kannada language. These 49 letters are divided into two groups: Swaragalu (15 letters) and "Vyanjanagalu" (34 letters), similar to the vowels and consonants of English, respectively. The character set is almost identical to that of other Indian languages. The script itself, derived from brahmi script, is fairly complicated like most other languages of India owing to the occurrence of various combinations of "half-letters", or symbols that attach to various letters in a manner similar to diacritical marks (such as aigüe, grave, and cédille marks) in the Romance languages. The number of written symbols, however, is far more than the 52 characters in the alphabet, because different characters can be combined to form compound characters (ottaksharas). Each written symbol in the Kannada script corresponds with one syllable, as opposed to one phoneme in languages like English. The script of Kannada is also used in other languages such as Tulu, Kodava Thakk and Konkani.

Transliteration

Several transliteration schemes are used to type Kannada characters using a standard keyboard. These include Baraha (based on ITRANS) and Nudi, the government of Karnataka's standard for Kannada transliteration.

Unicode

Extinct Kannada Letters

Until thirteenth century, Kannada literary works employed letters 'rh', 'lh(zh)', whose manner of articulation most plausibly could be akin to those in present day Malayalam. Tamil is supposed to exhibit only 'lh' and not 'rh'. The later Kannada works replaced 'rh' and 'lh' with ರ(ra) and ಳ(La) respectively. Another letter (or unclassified vyanjana(consonant)?) that has become extinct is 'nh' or 'inn'(Again this has its equivalent in Malayalam). The usage of this consonant was observed until the 1980s in mostly coastal Karnataka(especially, Dakshina Kannada district) Kannada works. Now hardly any mainstream works use this consonant. This letter has been replaced by ನ್(consonant n).

The Dictionary

A German priest Reverend Ferdinand Kittel composed the first Kannada dictionary consisting of more than 70,000 words.

See also


- Languages of India
- List of national languages of India
- List of Indian languages by total speakers
- Bangalore kannada

External links

;General
- [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=KJV Ethnolouge report for Kannada]
- [http://brahmi.sourceforge.net/docs/KannadaComputing.html Description of the Kannada language]
- [http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/kar/literature/history1.htm History of Kannada Language and Literature]
- [http://www.hpnadig.net/blog/index.php/archives/2004/10/25/more-kannada-websites-on-the-net/ List of Kannada websites on the Internet] ;Learning Resources
- [http://learning.sampada.net/ Kannada Learning Center]
- [http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~kulki/kannada/varna.html Learn Kannada (with audio)]
- [http://www.bangalorebest.com/discoverbangalore/learnkanada/index.asp Learn Kannada]
- [http://www.udupipages.com/pages/kanada1.html Basic sentences in Kannada]
- [http://www.iit.edu/~laksvij/language/kannada.html Indian Language Converter] A means to transliterate from romanized English to Unicode Kannada Category:Abugida writing systems Category:Dravidian languages Category:Languages of India ja:カンナダ語

States and territories of India

India is subdivided into twenty-eight states, six union territories and the National Capital Territory.

History

Pre-independence

British India, which included all of modern-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan, but not Ceylon, was made up of two types of territorial divisions, provinces and Princely States.

Provinces

Provinces of India were ruled directly by British officials; a governor, chief commissioner, or Administrator, who were appointed by the Viceroy. By 1947 British India had fifteen provinces: Ajmer-Merwara, Assam, Baluchistan, Bengal, Bihar, Bombay, Central Provinces and Berar, Coorg, Delhi, Madras, Northwest Frontier, Orissa, Punjab, Sind, and United Provinces.

Princely States

Princely states were ruled by local, hereditary rulers, who acknowledged British sovereignty in return for local autonomy and British India had hundreds of princely states, which varied greatly in size, from Hyderabad, with a population of over ten million, to tiny states. Most of the princely states were under the authority of a British political agent responsible to the governor of a province. Two divisions, the Central India Agency and Rajputana Agency, consisted of numerous princely states which were governed by a political agent appointed by the Governor-General of India, rather than the governor of a province, and the four largest princely states, Hyderabad, Baroda, Mysore, and Jammu and Kashmir, were directly under the authority of the Governor-General.

Other European Possessions


- Portuguese India included the coastal enclaves of Goa, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli,
- French India included five enclaves, Pondichery, Chandernagore, Yanaon, Karikal, and Mahe.
- Danish India (integrated into British India prior to independence

Post-independence

With the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, provinces and princely states were assigned to one country or the other, with two provinces, Punjab and Bengal, partitioned between India and Pakistan along religious lines. Hyderabad's Muslim ruler attempted to remain independent, but the Indian army intervened and Hyderabad was annexed to India. India and Pakistan contested for control of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir; the state had a Muslim majority, but its Hindu ruler acceded to India. The period from independence in 1947 to the beginning of the Indian republic in 1950 saw the consolidation of the former princely states into new provinces, usually governed by a rajpramukh, (governor) appointed by the Governor-General of India. In 1950, the Indian constitution took effect, the office of the Governor-General was abolished, and India created several different categories of states. Part A states, which were the former provinces, were ruled by an elected governor and state legislature. The nine Part A states were Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh (formerly Central Provinces and Berar), Madras, Orissa, Punjab, Uttaranchal, and Uttar Pradesh (formerly United Provinces). The eight Part B states were former princely states or groups of princely states, governed by a rajpramukh. They were Hyderabad, Saurashtra, Mysore, Travancore-Cochin, Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh, Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU), and Rajasthan. The ten Part C states included both former princely states and provinces. They were governed by a chief commissioner. The Part C states included Delhi, Kutch, Himachal Pradesh, Bilaspur, Coorg, Bhopal, Manipur, Ajmer, and Tripura. Jammu and Kashmir had special status until 1957. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands was established as a union territory, ruled by a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the central Indian government. The French enclave of Chandernagore voted to join India in 1949, and officially became part of India in 1952, becoming part of the state of West Bengal in 1954. The remainder of French India, Pondichery, Yanaon, Karikal, and Mahe, were administered by India after 1954, formally becoming a union territory in 1962. Dadra and Nagar Haveli was occupied by India 1954, and Goa, Daman, and Diu in 1961, and they subsequently became union territories. In 1953, the Telugu-speaking northern portion of Madras state voted to become the new state of Andhra Pradesh, the first of India's linguistic states.

The States Reorganization Act of 1956

In 1956, the States Reorganization Act took effect, which erased the distinction between parts A, B, and C states, and reorganized state boundaries along linguistic lines. The new states, mostly the former Part A states, were Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Bombay, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Mysore (later renamed Karnataka), Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Pondichery, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the Laccadive, Mincoy, and Amandivi Islands became union territories. The remainder of the states were merged into the new states or union territories. Several new states and union territories have been created out of existing states since 1956. Bombay State was split into the linguistic states of Gujarat and Maharashtra on May 1 1960. Haryana was created in 1966 out of Punjab. The union territories of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland were created out of Assam. In 2000 three new states were created; Jharkhand was created out of the southern districts of Bihar, Chhattisgarh was created out of eastern Madhya Pradesh, and Uttaranchal was created out of northwestern Uttar Pradesh. The Kingdom of Sikkim was annexed to India as a state in 1975. In addition, several union territories have become states, namely Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland.

See also


- List of states of India by population
- List of states of India by area
- List of capitals of subnational entities,
- List of Indian state and UT capitals
- States of India by size of economy
- ko:인디아의 행정 구역 ja:インドの地方行政区画

India

The Republic of India is a country in South Asia which comprises of the majority of the Indian subcontinent. India has a coastline which stretches over seven thousand kilometres, and shares its borders with Pakistan to the west, the People's Republic of China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, and Bangladesh and Myanmar on the east. On the Indian Ocean, it is adjacent to the island nations of the Maldives on the southwest, Sri Lanka on the south, and Indonesia on the southeast. India also claims a border with Afghanistan to the northwest. India is the fourth largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power parity. It is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of over one billion, and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. It is home to some of the most ancient civilizations, and a centre of important historic trade routes. Four major world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism have originated from India. Formerly a major part of the British Empire as the British Raj before gaining independence in 1947, during the past twenty years the country has grown significantly, especially in its economic and military spheres, regionally as well as globally. The name India , is derived from the Old Persian version of Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the river Indus; see Origin of India's name. The Constitution of India and general usage also recognises Bharat ( ), which is derived from the Sanskrit name of an ancient Hindu king, whose story is to be found in the Mahabharata, as an official name of equal status. A third name, Hindustan ( ) , or Land of the Hindus in Persian, has been used since the twelfth century, though its contemporary use is unevenly applied due to domestic disputes over its representiveness as a national signifier.

History

Stone Age rock shelters with paintings at Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh are the earliest known traces of human life in India. The first known permanent settlements appeared 9,000 years ago and developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation, which peaked between 2600 BC and 1900 BC. It was followed by the Vedic Civilisation. From around 550 BC onwards, many independent kingdoms came into being. In the north, the Maurya dynasty, which included Ashoka, contributed greatly to India's cultural landscape. From 180 BC, a series of invasions from Central Asia followed, with the successive establishment in the northern Indian Subcontinent of the Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian and Indo-Parthian kingdoms, and finally the Kushan Empire. From the 3rd century AD onwards the Gupta dynasty oversaw the period referred to as ancient India's "Golden Age". Gupta dynasty built by emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BC]] In the south, several dynasties including the Chalukyas, Cheras, Cholas, Kadambas, Pallavas and Pandyas prevailed during different periods. Science, art, literature, mathematics, astronomy, engineering, religion and philosophy flourished under the patronage of these kings. Following the Islamic invasions in the beginning of the second millennium, much of north and central India came to be ruled by the Delhi Sultanate, and later, much of the entire subcontinent by the Mughal dynasty. Nevertheless, several indigenous kingdoms remained or rose to power, especially in the relatively sheltered south. Vijayanagara Empire was notable among such kingdoms. During the middle of the second millennium, several European countries, including the Portuguese, Dutch, French and British, who were initially interested in trade with India, took advantage of fractured kingdoms fighting each other to establish colonies in the country. After a failed insurrection in 1857 against the British East India Company, popularly known in India as the First War of Indian Independence and most commonly known in the West as the Indian Mutiny, most of India came under the direct administrative control of the crown of the British Empire. British Empire, Orissa built in the 13th century, is one of the most famous monuments of stone sculpture in the world.]] sculpture in the 10th century AD.]] In the early part of the 20th century, a prolonged and largely non-violent struggle for independence, the Indian independence movement, followed, to be eventually led by Mahatma Gandhi, regarded officially as the Father Of The Nation. The culmination of this path-breaking struggle was reached on 1947-08-15 when India gained full independence from British rule, later becoming a republic on 1950-01-26. As a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, India has had its share of sectarian violence and insurgencies in different parts of the country. Nonetheless, it has held itself together as a secular, liberal democracy barring a brief period from 1975 to 1977 during which the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a "state of emergency" with the suspension of civil rights. India has unresolved border disputes with China, which escalated into a brief war in 1962, and Pakistan which resulted in wars in 1947, 1965, and 1971, and a border altercation in the northern state of Kashmir in 1999. India was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations. In 1974, India conducted an underground nuclear test, making it an unofficial member of the "nuclear club", which was followed up with a series of five more tests in 1998. Significant economic reforms beginning in 1991 have transformed India into one of the fastest growing economies in the world and added to its global clout.

Government

The Constitution of India states India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic. India is a federal republic, with a bicameral parliament operating under a Westminster-style parliamentary system. It has a three branch system of governance consisting of the legislature, executive and judiciary. The President, who is the head of state, has a largely ceremonial role. His roles include interpreting the constitution, signing laws into action, and issuing pardons. He is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President and Vice-President are elected indirectly by an electoral college for five-year terms. The Prime Minister is the head of government and most executive powers are vested in this office. He (or she) is elected by legislators of the political party, or coalition, commanding a parliamentary majority, and serves a five-year term incumbent upon enjoying this majority. The constitution does not provide for a post of Deputy Prime Minister, but this option has been exercised from time to time. The legislature of India is the bicameral Parliament which consists of the upper house known as the Rajya Sabha, or Council of States, the lower house known as the Lok Sabha, or House of the People, and the President. The 245-member Rajya Sabha is chosen indirectly through an electoral college and has a staggered six year term. The 545-member Lok Sabha is directly elected for a five year term, and is the determinative constituent of political power and government formation. All Indian citizens above the age of eighteen are eligible to vote. The executive arm consists of the President, Vice-President and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet) headed by the Prime Minister. Any minister holding a portfolio must be a member of either house of parliament. In India's parliamentary system, the executive is subordinate to the legislature. India's independent judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India. The Supreme Court has both original jurisdiction over disputes between states and the Centre, and appellate jurisdiction over the High Courts of India. There are eighteen appellate High Courts, having jurisdiction over a large state or a group of states. Each of these states has a tiered system of lower courts. A conflict between the legislature and the judiciary is referred to the President.

Politics

Chief Justice of India For most of its independent history, India's national government has been controlled by the Indian National Congress Party. Following its position as the largest political organisation in pre-independence India, Congress, usually led by a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family, dominated national politics for over forty years. In 1977, a united opposition, under the banner of the Janata Party, won the election and formed a non-Congress government for a short period after the unpopular 'emergency rule' imposed by Indira Gandhi in the previous Congress regime. In 1996, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a political party with a right wing nationalist ideology, became the largest single party, and established for the first time a serious opposition to the largely centre-left Congress. But power was held by two successive coalition governments, who stayed on with the support of the Congress. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) along with smaller parties and became the first non-Congress government to sustain the full five year term after it returned to power in 1999. The decade prior to 1999 was marked by short-lasting governments, with seven separate governments formed within that period. One however, a Congress government formed in 1991, lasted the full five years and initiated significant economic reforms. In the 2004 Indian elections the Congress party returned to power after winning the largest number of seats, by a narrow margin. Congress formed a government in alliance with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and with several mostly-regional parties called the United Progressive Alliance. The NDA, led by the BJP, currently forms the main opposition. All governments formed since 1996 have required party coalitions, with no single majority party, due to the steady rise of regional parties at the national level.

States and union territories

India is divided into twenty-eight states (which are further subdivided into districts), six Union Territories and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. States have their own elected government, whereas Union Territories are governed by an administrator appointed by the union government, though some have elected governments. India has had two scientific bases in Antarctica – the Dakshin Gangotri and Maitri, but has made no territorial claims so far.

Geography

Maitri in the north to Arunachal Pradesh in the far east making up most of India's eastern borders]] India's entire north and northeast states are made up of the Himalayan Range. The rest of northern, central and eastern India consists of the fertile Indo-Gangetic plain. Towards western India, bordering southeast Pakistan, lies the Thar Desert. The southern Indian peninsula is almost entirely composed of the Deccan plateau. The plateau is flanked by two hilly coastal ranges, the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats. India is home to several major rivers such as the Ganga (Ganges), the Brahmaputra, the Yamuna, the Godavari, and the Krishna. The rivers are responsible for the fertile plains in northern India which are conducive to farming. The Indian climate varies from a tropical climate in the south to a more temperate climate in the north. Parts of India which lie in the Himalaya have a tundra climate. India gets most of its rains through the monsoons.

Economy

monsoon India has an economy ranked as the tenth largest in the world in terms of currency conversion and fourth largest in terms of purchasing power parity. It recorded one of the fastest annual growth rates of 6.9% for the year ending March 2005. India's per-capita income by purchasing power parity is US$ 3,262, ranked 125th by the World Bank. India's foreign exchange reserves amount to over US$ 143 billion. Mumbai serves as the nation's financial capital and is also home to both the headquarters of the Reserve Bank of India and the pre-eminent Bombay Stock Exchange. While a quarter of Indians still live below the poverty line, a large middle class has now emerged along with the rapid growth of the IT industry. The Indian economy has shed much of its historical dependence on agriculture, which now contributes to less than 25 % of GDP. Other important industries are mining, petroleum, diamond polishing, films, textiles, information technology services, and handicrafts. Most of India's industrial regions are centred around major cities. In recent years, India has emerged as one of the largest players in software and business process outsourcing services, with revenues of US$ 17.2 billion in 2004 to 2005. Many small-scale industries provide steady employment to workers in small towns and villages. business process outsourcing While India receives only around three million foreign visitors a year, tourism is still an important but under-developed source of national income. Tourism contributes 5.3 % of India's GDP. The actual employment generation, both direct and indirect, is estimated to be 42 million, or about 10 % of India's work force. In monetary terms, it contributes about US$4 billion in foreign exchange. India's major trading partners are the United States, Japan, China and the United Arab Emirates. India's main exports items include agricultural products, textile goods, gems and jewellry, software services and technology, engineering goods, chemicals and leather products while its main import commodities are crude oil, machinery, gems, fertiliser, chemicals. For the year 2004, India's total exports stood at US$ 69.18 billion while the imports were worth at US $89.33 billion.

Demographics

India is the second most populous country in the world, with only China having a larger population. By 2030, India is expected to surpass China with the world's largest population, estimated at 1.6 billion. Language, religion, and caste are major determinants of social and political organisation within the highly diverse Indian population today. Its biggest metropolitan agglomerations are Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Delhi, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and Chennai (formerly Madras). Chennai]] India's literacy rate is 64.8 % with 53.7 % of females and 75.3 % of males being literate. The sex ratio is 933 females for every 1000 males. Work Participation Rate (WPR) (the percentage of workers to total population) stands at 39.1 % with male WPR at 51.7 % and female WPR at 25.6 % inote|eu{inote|demostats{inote|religion{ref|languages{inote|tongues{see2|Christianity in India|Jews in India{seealso3|List of Indian languages by total speakers|List of cities in India|Religion in India{main|Culture of India{seealso4|List of World Heritage sites in India|Indian architecture|Indian family name|Cuisine of India{main|Sports in India{main|Holidays in India{Official Holidays of India{Topics related to India{portal{sisterlinks|India{wikitravel{wikicities|india|India{explain-inote{Web reference | title=India facts and figures | work=Embassy of India| URL= http://www.indianembassy.org/dydemo/indiaprofile/profile.htm | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Forex reserves up by $1bn | work=Economic Times| URL= http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1093864.cms | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= India Economy | work=Travel Document Systems |URL= http://www.traveldocs.com/in/economy.htm | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Services | work=India in Business| URL= http://www.indiainbusiness.nic.in/india-profile/ser-infotech.htm | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Destination India: An Unpolished Diamond | work=Times of India | URL= http://timesfoundation.indiatimes.com/articleshow/819309.cms | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= US, UAE, UK, China, Japan among India's top trade partners | work=Indian Express| URL= http://www.indianexpress.com/news/business/20050102-0.html | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= CIA Factbook : India | work=CIA Factbook | URL= http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/in.html | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Provisional Population Totals 2001 Census| work=Census of India| URL=http://www.censusindia.net/results/resultsmain.html | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Debating India & India's literacy rate | work=Debating India | URL= http://india.eu.org/1963.html | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= India – Country profiles | work=indexmundi.com | URL= http://www.indexmundi.com/India/ India | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Census of India 2001, Data on Religion | work=Census of India | URL= http://www.censusindia.net/results/religion_main.html | date=August 14 | year=2005{Web reference | title= Languages of India | work=India image | URL= http://indiaimage.nic.in/languages.htm| date=August 14 | year=2005{Book reference | Author=K.M. Matthew | Title=Manorama Yearbook 2003 | Publisher= Malaya Manorama | Year=2003 | ID=ISBN 8190046187{mnb|afgh|1{mnb|LoC|2{South Asia{Asia{Commonwealth of Nations{SAARC{Life in India{Link FA|sv{Link FA|sv

Kingdom of Mysore

The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, which was founded about 1400 AD by the Wodeyar dynasty, who ruled the state until the independence of India in 1947, when the kingdom was merged with the Union of India.

Early History

The kingdom origined as a small state based in the city of Mysore, and was established by two brothers, Vijaya and Krisha Wodeyar. It remained a kingdom tributary to the Vijayanagara empire until the collapse of the latter in the second half of the 16th century. In common with every other feudatory of that Empire, Mysore, under the Wodeyar dynasty, then assumed the trappings of independence. It was in the reign of Raja Wodeyar and his successor, the celebrated Kantheerava, in the mid-1600's, that the kingdom really asserted its independence, and expanded to include most of the southern part of modern-day Karnataka, as also parts of neighbouring states.

The Arasus of Kalale

After Chamaraja Wodeyar VI, the failure of the direct male line not only necessitated the adoption of an heir, but also precipitated a minority. The Arasus (feudal barons) of Kalale came to hold sway over the affairs of the Kingdom of Mysore, and the position of "Dalavoy" or supreme commander of the Royal army, became effectively hereditary to that family. The situation was compounded by extensive intermarriage between the royal family of Mysore and that of the Arasus of Kalale. The influence of the family is regarded as having been benign, given the continuance of the legitimate dynasty, as also the similarity and alliance between the two families. This influence continued even into the 20th century; HH Maharani Kempa Nanjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana Avaru, regent of Mysore (1894-1902) and mother of HH Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, hailed from this family.

Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan

During this period, Hyder Ali, who joined the army as a foot soldier, came to prominence. By many accounts, he enjoyed the confidence of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar II, and hence essayed a meteoric rise in the affairs of the Kingdom. During the minority of Maharaja Nanjaraja Wodeyar, Hyder Ali rose to become the de facto ruler of the state, retaining the Wodeyars as nominal rulers. His son Tipu Sultan dispensed with this charade and assumed full royal powers. Tipu Sultan prosecuted a brilliant military career; his rule contributed a golden chapter to the history of India. Both Hyder and Tipu brought in many technological innovations, modernizing the Mysorean army and expanding Mysore's foreign trade. They also aligned themselves by and large with the French, whose French East India Company was politically very active in southern India at the time. By the end of the eighteenth century, the Mysore Kingdom found itself in a series of four wars with the British East India Company, which was then expanding its control in India. In 1799 Tipu Sultan was finally defeated by the British in the fourth Mysore War, led by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, the future 1st Duke of Wellington. The British, who purported to wage that war in support of the legitimate dynasty, reinstated the Wodeyars on the throne in the person of the 5-year-old Krishnaraja Wodeyar III.

The British Period

After the final defeat of Tipu Sultan, the British annexed a large part of Mysore state, the remainder becoming a princely state in British India. The 5 year old Krishnaraja Wodeyar III ascended the throne under the regency of his adoptive grandmother, HH Maharani Lakshmi Ammani Avaru, relict of HH Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. Diwan Purnaiya was appointed diwan or first minister. The capital was moved to Bangalore in 1830. Charging the Wodeyars with financial mismanagement, the British took direct control of Mysore in 1831 and retained it for half a century. This act manifests the greed for land that characterised the British East India Company in the run up to the indian rebellion of 1857, and is of a piece with its annexation, in the same period, of other princely states like Thanjavur, Satara, Sind, Avadh and Jhansi. The Maharaja chose to argue his case in British courts, and a favourable verdict resulted in the Rendition of 1881, which restored the Wodeyar dynasty to the throne. Mysore again took its place as one of the three highest-ranking princely states in India. For the next seventy years, Mysore enjoyed the reputation of being a model state.

A New Era

India became independent on 15 August, 1947, and a new republican order was established. All the princely states were merged with the Union of India, and provinces were later reorganised on the basis of language. Inevitably, the kingdom of Mysore lost its distinct identity. HH Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, signed the Instrument of Accession on 9 August, 1947 and the state acceded to the Dominion of India. With the merger of Mysore with the Union of India, the reign of the Wodeyars came to an end. The kingdom initially became a separate state within the union of India and in 1956 Kannada-speaking areas belonging until then to the neighbouring provinces of Madras, Bombay and Hyderabad were merged with Mysore to create a create a Kannada-speaking state that retained the former name. The name of the state was changed to Karnataka in 1973.

Listing of the Maharajas of Mysore

Wodeyars of Mysore (1399-1950) #Yaduraya (1399-1423) #Hiriya Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyar I (1423-1459) #Thimmaraja Wodeyar I (1459-1478) #Hiriya Chamaraja Wodeyar II (1478-1513) #Hiriya Bettada Chamaraja III Wodeyar (1513-1553) #Thimmaraja Wodeyar II (1553-1572) #Bola Chamaraja Wodeyar IV (1572-1576) #Bettada Devaraja Wodeyar (1576-1578) #Raja Wodeyar I (1578-1617) #Chamaraja Wodeyar V (1617-1637). #Raja II Wodeyar (1637-1638) #(Ranadhira) Kantheerava Narasaraja Wodeyar I (1638-1659) #Dodda Devaraja Wodeyar (1659-1673) #Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar (1673- 1704) #Kantheerava Narasaraja Wodeyar II (1704-1714) #Dodda Krishnaraja Wodeyar (1714-1732) #Chamaraja Wodeyar VI (1732-1734) #(Immadi) Krishnaraja II Wodeyar (1734-1766) #Nanajaraja Wodeyar (1766-1770) #Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyar VII (1770-1776) #Khasa Chamaraja Wodeyar VIII (1766-1796) #Interregnum, during which the following rulers held power ## Hyder Ali ## Tipu Sultan #(Mummudi) Krishnaraja III Wodeyar (1799-1868) #Chamaraja Wodeyar IX (1868-1894) #(Nalvadi) Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV (1894-1940) Under the regency of his mother, H.H. Maharani Kempa Nanjammani Vani Vilasa Sannidhana, from 1894 to 1902. #Jayachamaraja Wodeyar (1940-1950). Category:Historical Indian regions Category:Karnataka Category:Kings of Mysore Mysore Category:Former monarchies Category:Former countries Category:History of India

Bangalore

Bangalore (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು) (pronounced /'/ in Kannada and /'/ in English) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is India's 3rd largest city [http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=1134410619&men=gcis&lng=en&gln=xx&dat=32&srt=pnan&col=aohdq&pt=c&va=&geo=-104] and India's 5th largest metropolitan area [http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=1134410619&men=gcis&lng=en&gln=xx&dat=32&geo=-104&srt=pnan&col=aohdq&va=&pt=a], with a 2001 population of about 6.5 million . Plans have been announced to change the city's official name to Bengalooru in 2006. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051212/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_india_bangalore;_ylt=AosQuO8FvVJ0Vd3RebwSpmVvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--] After India gained independence in 1947, Bangalore evolved into a manufacturing hub for heavy industries such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Indian Space Research Organization. Within the last decade, the establishment and success of high technology firms in Bangalore have led to the growth of Information Technology (IT) in India. IT firms in Bangalore employ about 30% of India's pool of 1 million IT professionals. The city is also the Training Center for the Indian Air Force, the Madras Engineering Group (MEG) and Central Military Police, the latter two being arms of the Indian Army. Bangalore is the scientific hub of India and it has the world renowned and the oldest Research University, Indian Institute of Science. The other research institutes are the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, the Raman Research Institute, the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, the National Center for Biological Science and the Indian Statistical Institute.

Origin of name

The name Bangalore, is an anglicized version of the Kannada word Bengaluru (IPA /'/),The earliest reference to the name Benguluru was found in a 9th century Ganga inscription on herostone. This inscription was found in Begur and Benguluru is referred to as a place in which a battle was fought. Most scholars believe that the name has a floral origin and is derived from the tree Benga, also known as the Indian Kino (Pterocarpus marsupium roxb.). A popular anecdote, but one contradicted by historical evidence, tells that Hoysala king Veera Ballala, while on a hunting expedition, lost his way in the forest. Tired and hungry, he came across a poor, old woman who served boiled beans. One popular version states, that the grateful king named the place benda kaluru (literally, town of boiled beans), which eventually got corrupted into Bengaluru. The Imperial Gazeteer of British India, states that word of this incident eventually spread and the town that sprang up around the village was eventually called Bengaluru. That town, now called Halé Bengaluru (Old Bangalore) exists to the north of present-day Bangalore, besides Kodigehalli village. It was Kempe Gowda I, who named present-day Bangalore as Bengaluru, since his mother and his wife hailed from Halé Bengaluru. The earliest mention of Bengaluru, is on an inscription from a 9th century commemorative stone, honouring soldiers who fought in battle at Begur village, 14 km south-west of Bangalore. According to this inscription, Begur was then ruled by the Ganga dynasty, which pre-existed the Hoysalas. This negates the claim that Veera Ballala founded the city. On December 11 2005, chief minister Dharam Singh announced that the state government accepted Jnanpith awardee U R Ananthamurthy's suggestion to rename Bangalore to its Kannada name, Bengaluru. The new name will be effective from November 1, 2006.

History

Pottery dating back to 4000 BCE and silver coins of Roman emperors Augustus, Tiberius and Claudius have been excavated in and around present-day Bangalore district, but have not revealed much about its then inhabitants. The inscription stone found near Begur reveals, that the district was part of the Ganga kingdom ruled from Gangavadi until 1004 and was known as 'Benga-val-oru', the City of Guards in Telugu. The Cholas of Tamil Nadu captured the city in 1015 AD and collected taxes through the local chieftans until 1116. The district came under the rule of the Hoysalas until the establishment of the Vijayanagara empire in 1336. Kempe Gowda I (1510 - 1570), whose ancestor had immigrated from Kancheepuram to the neighborhood of Bangalore due to a personal feud with the chief of Kancheepuram established the city of Bangalore under the Vijayanagar empire. The document describing the city as he conceptualised it, written in Telugu the commonly spoken language of this region, is still preserved. This language is still spoken in the villages of Bangalore, Yelahanka, Devanahalli, Doddaballapur, Hoskote, Anekal and Hosur districts. After the fall of the Vijayanagara empire, Bangalore changed hands several times. It was captured by the Maratha chief Shahaji Bhonsle, father of Shivaji, then working for the Adil Shahi sultans of Bijapur in 1638. During the seige of Bangalore, Shivaji's elder brother Shambaji was treacherously killed by Shahaji's rivals, led by the Ghorpade of Mudhol, for which Shivaji was to later exact a terrible revenge. After conquering the Sultanate of Bijapur, the Mughals then conquered Bangalore, which was then ruled by Shivaji's brother Vyankoji Bhonsale as a jagir (fief) of Bijapur in 1686; Vyankoji retreated further south. The Mughals in turn leased Bangalore to the subsidiary Kingdom of Mysore's ruler Chikkadeva Rayya Wodeyar in 1689. In 1759, the Wodeyar's Commander-in-Chief Haider Ali made himself the de facto ruler of the Mysore Kingdom, including Bangalore, but maintained the Wodeyars as a figurehead. When Hyder died, his son Tipu deposed the Wodeyar, proclaimed himself Sultan and renamed the kingdom as the Sultanate of Khodadad (Khodadad or Khudadad means "given by God"). However, Tipu's ambitions precipated him into wars with all his neighbors and the British under the then Viceroy and Governor-General Lord Cornwallis defeated him in 1799 and restored the kingdom to the child Mummudi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, whom they found had been reduced to a beggar in a slum in Srirangapatinam.

Plague-Crisis of 1898

Bangalore was hit by a plague epidemic in 1898. The epidemic took a huge toll and many temples were built during this time, dedicated to the goddess "Mariamma". The crisis caused by this epidemic catalyzed the improvement and sanitation of Bangalore and, in turn, improvements in sanitation and health facilities helped in modernizing Bangalore. sanitation Telephone lines were laid to help coordinate anti-plague operations. Regulations for building new houses with proper facilities of sanitation came into effect. A health officer was appointed in 1898, the city was divided into four wards for better coordination and the Victoria Hospital was inaugurated in 1900 by Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy and Governor-General of British India.

1900s

In 1906, Bangalore became the first city in Asia to have electricity, supplied by the hydroelectric plant situated in Shivanasamudra. The plague of 1898 also led to the expansion of Bangalore. Basavanagudi (named after the Basaveshwara Temple or the Bull Temple in the village of Sunkenahalli) and Malleshwaram (named after the Kadu Malleshwara Temple in the old Mallapura village) were created during this time. Kalasipalyam (near the old fort) and Gandhinagar? were created between 1921-1931. Kumara Park came into existence in 1947 and Jayanagar in 1948. Bangalore is a former military cantonment that was expanded after 1881 and its streets are named according to military conventions: Artillery Road, Brigade Road, Infantry Road and Cavalry Road. The South Parade (presently Mahatma Gandhi Road) was to the south of the Parade Ground. Within the cantonment area lived a Resident to the Kings of Mysore and his quarters was called the Residency and hence the Residency Road. In around 1883, three developments were added to the cantonment, namely, Richmond Town, Benson Town and Cleveland Town. Today the metropolitan area extends from the Peenya Industrial Area in the west to Indiranagar and Whitefield, India in the east; from Yelahanka Town in the north, to J.P. Nagar in the south.

Garden City

Prior to developments in the last few decades, Bangalore was a well laid out city with many spacious gardens, which provided it the moniker, the Garden City. It therefore served traditionally as a retreat for people from the surrounding South Indian regions. Pensioners from Madras, Coimbatore, Cochin and, to a lesser extent, Hyderabad]] owned [[vacation homes in Bangalore and they used Bangalore as a place for retirement, relaxation and rejuvenation, thus giving rise to the other nickname 'Pensioner's Paradise'.

Current infrastructure crisis

However, development plans for Bangalore in the post-Independence period failed to provide for the infrastructural stresses a modern city would have. This lack of planning, coupled with government corruption, has led to its current infrastructure crisis: the city has been overwhelmed by the growth in population and in haphazard constructions and development of neighborhoods; streets have deteriorated and are inadequate for the traffic, and the city's drainage was not able to cope with the recent heavy rains in October 2005. Demands by the I.T. sector, crucial to the city's economy, for improvement in the city's infrastructure have been met with jingoistic calls for the I.T. sector to employ more Kannadigas.

Climate

Kannadigas Kannadigas Bangalore is situated in the Deccan Plateau, with an average elevation of 920 m above sea level. Due to its elevation Bangalore enjoys a pleasant and equable climate throughout the year. The highest temperature recorded is 38.9 °C (102.0 °F) on May 22,1935 and the lowest is 7.8 °C (46.06 °F) in 1884. Winter temperatures rarely drop below 12 °C (54 °F) and summer temperatures seldom exceed 38 °C (100 °F). [http://www.imd.ernet.in/section/nhac/dynamic/kkimd.htm] [http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/global_monitoring/temperature/tn43295_1yr.gif] Bangalore receives about 900 mm of rain annually, the wettest months being September, October and May in that order. The summer heat is moderated by fairly frequent thunderstorms and occasional squalls cause power outages and local flooding. The heaviest rainfall recorded in a 24 hour period is 179.7 mm recorded on October 1, 1997. Most of the rainfall occurs during late afternoon/evening or night and rain before noon is infrequent. October of 2005 has been recorded as one of the wettest months in Bangalore with heavy rains causing some limited flooding and closure of a number of organisations for over a day.[http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/global_monitoring/precipitation/sn43295_1yr.gif]

Culture and education

1997]]Bangalore is the largest city in the state of Karnataka and is a cosmopolitan city. Kannada, the state language of Karnataka. Many people are fluent in more than one language. Kannadigas form over 45% of Bangalore's six million population. Other major languages spoken include Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. Bangalore is home to the prestigious Indian Institute of Science, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM, Bangalore), the National Law School of India University, Bangalore Medical College, St. John's Medical College and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences. All of these institutions are renowned for their academic excllence - the National Law School is consistently ranked as the top law school in the country, and both St. John's and Bangalore Medical College are consistently ranked among the top ten medical schools in India. There are several excellent secondary schools in Bangalore. The historic Bishop Cotton Boys' School and it's sister institute, the Bishop Cotton Girls' School, are colonial boarding schools on St. Mark's Road. The "high-status" Mallya Aditi International School, one of the most discerning and selective schools in southern India, is also a prominent school in Bangalore.

Economy

Mallya Aditi International School's Legislative assembly]] One of the important factors spurring Bangalore's growth was that the Central Government invested heavily in public sector industries in Bangalore, partially due to the fact that it is geographically disconnected from India's rivals Pakistan and China. This led to the concentration of technical and scientific manpower in Bangalore, and is a factor in leading the "IT revolution" in Bangalore. Newsweek proclaimed Bangalore to be one of the 12 "Capitals of Style", along with Paris, London and Los Angeles.

Manufacturing industries

Long before Bangalore was called the Silicon Valley of India, the city made its name as headquarters to some of the largest national heavy industries of India. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) headquarters was based in Bangalore, and was for the most part dedicated to R&D activities for indigenous fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force. Today, HAL develops and maintains an impressive fleet of fighter aircraft and trainers for the Indian Airforce including Sukhoi 30 Flankers and Jaguars. Airshows showcasing inventories from HAL and international corporations such as Sukhoi, Lockheed Martin, Mirage, and BAE Systems are held at the Yelahanka Airforce base near Bangalore once every two years. The National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) is also headquartered in Bangalore and is dedicated to the development of aerospace technologies. NAL has a staff strength of over 1,300 employees and often works in conjunction with HAL.

Space technology

In June 1972, the Government of India set up the Space Commission and Department of Space (DOS). India's premier space research organization, the ISRO was created under the DOS and headquartered in Bangalore. The main objective of ISRO includes development of satellites and launch vehicles. Aryabhata, India's first satellite, was developed and successfully launched by ISRO. Since then, the organization has successfully launched numerous other satellites such as Bhaskara, Rohini, APPLE, and the INSAT series, and successfully deployed PSLVs and GSLVs. ISRO also heads India's ambitious moon program. Bangalore is also a major manufacturing base and houses such public sector manufacturing giants as Bharat Heavy Electronics Limited (BHEL), Bharat Electronics Limited, Indian Telephone Industries(ITI), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) as well as large private sector manufacturers like Volvo India, Toyota.

"Silicon Valley"

moon moon moon Bangalore is called the "Silicon Valley of India" due to the large number of information technology companies located there. Many multinational corporations, especially computer hardware and software giants, have operations in Bangalore. Electronics City, located in the southern outskirts of Bangalore, is an industrial park spread over 330 acres (1.3 km²). Whitefield, located in the northeastern outskirts of the city is another technology hot spot. The government has plans to develop a Information technology corridor linking Whitefield and Electronics City. Over 200 Information Technology corporations have facilities in Bangalore. At the peak of the dot-com boom in the late 1990s, Koramangala - a suburb of Bangalore, was believed to have had the highest density of telecom software companies per square mile in the world. Infosys and Wipro, India's 2nd and 3rd largest software companies, are headquartered here and are now billion-dollar companies, expecting to reach 2 billion in 2005. In August of 2005, however, the Bangalore Forum for IT (BFIT), which consists of 18 major multinational IT firms including Texas Instruments, Philips, Novell, vMoksha, Synopsis, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola, threatened to boycott the Bangalore IT in convention. The proposed boycott was designed to send a loud signal to the city government that the infrastructure is in shambles and that it is becoming increasingly difficult for international standards to be maintained with the poor roads and traffic managment problems. Increasingly new IT centers are being built away from this city based upon long commute times, poor infrastructure, high land and labor costs, increasing environmental problems, and due to labor retention issues. Still, many young IT'ers see Bangalore as the Mecca of the Indian IT world, and are happy to endure bunking in cramped quarters and enduring long, smog-filled commutes, as the city is considered the stepping stone to plum positions abroad.And according to latest news from A.M.D. The worlds second largest chip manufacturing company,its setting up a new F.A.B city in bangalore, the city which is already known for its hi-tech environment and infrastructure.there are other competators in this race but their main drawback or lackness is the history of I.T. F.A.B means its the procss and manufacturing of making chips(semiconductors).The bangalore city already has around 3 lakh software engineers and over 200 information technology corporations.information provided by devraj ankalagi(bangalore)

Biotechnology

Koramangala companies.]] Biotechnology is a growing field in the city. Bangalore accounts for at least 97 of the approximately 240 biotechnology companies in India. Interest in Bangalore as a base for biotechnology companies stems from Karnataka's comprehensive biotechnology policy, described by the Karnataka Vision Group on Biotechnology [http://www.bangaloreit.com/html/helpdesk/docs/visiongroup.doc]. In 2003-2004, Karnataka attracted the maximum venture capital funding for biotechnology in the country - $8 million. Biocon, headquartered in Bangalore, is the nation's leading biotechnology company and ranks 16th in the world in revenues. Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB) which is initiated by Biotechnology vision group, ICICI, Biocon which is located in ITPL is trying to shape revolutionary scientists in the field. Like the software industry which initially drew most of its talent from the local public sector engineering industries,the biotechnology industry had access to talent from the National Center of Biological Sciences(NCBS)and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

Urban life

Bangalore is known as the "Garden City of India", and there are many public parks, including the Lal Bagh and Cubbon Park which attract a lot of people, tourists and locals alike, especially over the weekends. The URBAN locals are generally referred to as Bangaloreans and the definition permeates class, religion and even language. Bangaloreans are mostly first or second generation migrant populations. Bangalore has significant proportions of groups that would otherwise be considered minorities in India, including Muslims, Christians and Anglo-Indians specifically in the cantonment area set up by the British. It is suspected that Bangalore will lose out to competition from other cities like Chennai and Hyderabad. Bangalore may be Bangalored is the phrase oft-used to described the above [http://news.com.com/Indian+challengers+sneaking+up+on+Bangalore/2100-1022_3-5938272.html]. Bangalore's infrastructural woes have led to protests by students and IT workers in the city. In July 2004 Wipro's Azim Premji threatened to pull his company out of the city unless there was a drastic improvement in infrastructure over the next few years. There have been conflicts of interest between the goals of the state government, which caters to the interests of all Karnataka, as opposed to the goals of Bangalore. In 2005 the Central and State Governments allocated sizeable funding from their annual budgets towards the improvement of Bangalore's infrastructure. The new international airport and the planned metro system will be funded. The State Government also announced plans to improve the city's roadways and introduce new traffic management plans.

Airport issues

metroThe city's roads were not designed to accommodate the massive traffic that now prevails in Bangalore. As the city expands and absorbs other towns into it, the necessity for proper planning and road infrastructure to commute through the city increases. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited owns and operates the current airport that is used for commercial civil aviation by the Government of Karnataka. Most airports are controlled by the Airports Authority of India. This led to a prolonged three way tussle for operational ownership between the HAL, the Government of Karnataka and the Indian Air Force, which tests many of its indigenous aircraft there. Eventually a full scale international airport is planned at Devanahalli, 30 kilometers from Bangalore. The project, initially conceived in 1991, was repeatedly delayed due to red tape and tussles between the private companies involved and the Central and State Governments. Clearance for the construction of the $288 million airport was eventually granted in June 2004. The major stakeholders of this project include Siemens-Zurich Airport-L&T consortium, Airports Authority of India and Karnataka State Investment and Industrial Development Corporation. Construction work on the airport began in March 2005. Direct international flights to Bangalore are currently limited. Lufthansa, British Airways and Air France serve Bangalore with nonstop flights from Frankfurt, London and Paris respectively. SriLankan Airlines, Air India, Indian Airlines, Gulf Air, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways also fly direct to many parts of Asia including Singapore, Sri Lanka, Bangkok, Bahrain, Dubai, Sharjah and Muscat. Liberalization has also meant an increase in the number of domestic carriers within India. Several low-cost carriers now operate flights between Bangalore and other major Indian cities. The low-cost carrier with the greatest number of flights into and out of Bangalore is Air Deccan, which has located its hub in Bangalore. Other low-cost domestic carriers flying to Bangalore include SpiceJet and Kingfisher Airlines. Additional entrants into the market are expected, but could find expansion of routes into Bangalore difficult due to space constraints that should be alleviated upon construction of the new International airport.

Slum population

According to the Census of India 2001 results, 345,200 people or 8% of the population live in slums in Bangalore. The sex ratio of the slum population was 948 females/1000 males, as compared to the overall sex ratio of Bangalore of 915 females/1000 males. Slum Jagathu is a Bangalore based magazine for and by slum dwellers.

Bangalore Division

Bangalore Division comprises the districts of Bangalore (Urban and Rural), Chitradurga, Davangere, Kolar, Shimoga, and Tumkur. The administrative headquarters of the division is Bangalore.

See also


- List of cities in India
- Thirty largest cities in the world
- List of cities in the world
- List of cities known as Silicon Valleys

External links

;Government
- [http://www.bdabangalore.org Bangalore Development Authority]
- [http://www.bmponline.org Bangalore Mahanagara Palike]
- [http://www.cyberpolicebangalore.nic.in/ Bangalore cyber police]
- [http://www.bangaloreit.com/html/govtinformation/services.htm Links to various departments] ;Writings
- [http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/bangalore/ My Own Private Bangalore: A photo essay by Krishnanand Kamat]
- [http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/Bangalore/Home.nsf Worlding the City: The Futures of Bangalore]

References

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- ;Encyclopedias
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- Category:Cities and towns in Karnataka Category:Indian state-capitals simple:Bangalore

Mysore

:This article is about Mysore City. For information about Mysore District and Division, see Mysore District. Mysore is the second largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. Mysore is the administrative seat of Mysore District and