Karnataka Rajyotsava Day: Karnataka Rajyotsava is celebrated as ‘Rajyotsava day’ on 1st of November every year. This celebration marks the birth of Karnataka state of Karnataka, on 1st November 1956 by way of merger of Kannada speaking regions of South India. Karnataka Rajyotsava Day is also known as Karnataka formation day or Karnataka foundation day.
Karnataka Rajyotsava Day
History: At the time of India’s independence, South India was being ruled by the State of Mysuru, Nizams of Hyderabad, Madras (now Chennai) Presidency and Bombay (now Mumbai) Presidency. For better administration, the process of redefining the regions based on language spoken by locals was initiated. In 1956, boundaries of Mysuru state were redefined to include Kannada speaking regions of other adjacent states. Neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh was also formed on the same day, consisting of Telugu speaking regions. The name was changed from ‘Mysuru’ to ‘Karnataka’ on 1st November 1973. Since then each year November 1 marks the celebration of state formation as Karnataka Rajyotsava Day.
Aluru Venkata Rao was the first person who dreamt of unifying the State as early as 1905 with the Karnataka Ekikarana movement. In 1950 India became republic and different provinces were formed in the country on basis of language spoken in the particular region and this gave birth to the state of Mysore including various places in south India, which were earlier ruled by the kings.
On 1 November 1956, Mysore state, comprising most of the area of the erstwhile princely state of Mysore, was merged with the Kannada-speaking areas of the Bombay and Madras presidencies, as also of the principality of Hyderabad, to create a unified Kannada-speaking sub-national entity. North Karnataka, Malnad (Canara) and old Mysore were thus the three regions of the newly formed Mysore state.
The newly unified state initially retained the name “Mysore”, which was that of the erstwhile princely state which formed the core of the new entity. But the people of North Karnataka did not favour the retention of the name Mysore, as it was closely associated with the erstwhile principality and the southern areas of the new state. In deference to this logic, the name of the state was changed to “Karnataka” on 1 November 1973.
Devaraj Arasu was the Chief Minister of the state when this landmark decision was taken. Other people credited for the unification of Karnataka include littérateurs like K. Shivaram Karanth, Kuvempu, Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, A. N. Krishna Rao and B. M. Srikantaiah.
This year in 2023 marks the 68th Karnataka Rajyotsava Day. Last year in 2022, on the 67th occasion of the celebrations took place honouring 67 personalities form various fields and their contribution to the state. The ‘Karnataka Ratna’ award was presented posthumously to actor Dr. Puneeth Rajkumar , who passed away in 2021.
Karnataka Rajyotsava, also known as Karnataka State Day, is a state public holiday and celebrated on 1 November of every year. This was the day in 1956 when all the Kannada language-speaking regions of south western India were merged to form the state of Karnataka.
Rajyotsava day is celebrated with great joy and vigour all over the state of Karnataka. The entire state wears a festive look on this day as the red and yellow Kannada flags are hoisted at different strategic locations across the state and the Kannada anthem (“Jaya Bharatha Jananiya Tanujate“) is chanted.
The celebrations are marked by multicoloured tableaux carrying the picture of the Goddess Bhuvaneshwari mounted on a decorated vehicle. The colourful procession is also accompanied by performances of the folk artists in the fields of drama (Bayalata), traditional dance (Dollu Kunitha, Kamsale, Veeragase, Kolata) and classical carnatic music.
Unknown Facts about Karnataka
Name of the State: Karnataka
Country: India
Previous Name: Mysore State ( It was formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956 )
Renamed to Karnataka in 1973
Its capital and largest city is Bengaluru (Bangalore).
Borders: Karnataka is bordered by the Lakshadweep Sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Telangana to the northeast, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the southeast, and Kerala to the southwest.
It is the only southern state to have land borders with all of the other four southern Indian sister states.
Total Area: 191,791 km2 (74,051 sq mi) ( 5.83 percent of the total geographical area of India )
It is the sixth-largest Indian state by area
Total population: 2011 Census: 61,130,704 ( eighth-largest state by population )
Population density: 320/km2
Total number of districts: 31
Official language: Kannada
Naming: Karnataka is derived from the Kannada words karu and nādu, meaning “elevated land”
Economy: The economy of Karnataka is the fifth-largest of any Indian state with ₹20.5 trillion (US$260 billion) in gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of ₹305,000 (US$3,800)
Dimensions: Length – 750 km (470 mi), Width – 400 km (200 mi)
Mullayyanagiri is the highest peak in Karnataka, India. Mullayyanagiri is located in the Chandra Dhrona Hill Ranges of the Western Ghats of Chikkamagaluru Taluk. With a height of 1,925 metres (6,316 ft), it is the highest peak in Karnataka
STATE EMBLEMS OF KARNATAKA
Karnataka State Song: Jaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate, (Victory to You Mother Karnataka, Daughter of Mother India)
State Bird: Indian roller
State Flower: Lotus
State Mammal: Indian Elephant
State Tree: Sandalwood
Rivers: The two main river systems of the state are the Krishna and its tributaries, the Bhima, Ghataprabha, Vedavathi, Malaprabha and Tungabhadra in North Karnataka, and the Kaveri and its tributaries, the Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavati, Lakshmana Thirtha and Kabini, in South Karnataka.
Total forest area: 38,284 km2 (14,782 sq mi) of Karnataka (i.e. 16% of the state’s geographic area) is covered by forests
National parks: Karnataka has five national parks: Anshi, Bandipur, Bannerghatta, Kudremukh and Nagarhole.
Karnataka also has 27 wildlife sanctuaries of which seven are bird sanctuaries.
Literacy rate: 75.60% ( 2011 census ), 82.85% of males and 68.13% of females
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