culture of Karnataka

Culture, Custom and Traditional Lifestyle of Karnataka

3 years ago

Karnataka- a southern state of India was formed on 1 November 1956, and from then Karnataka celebrates Karnataka Rajyotsava every year on the 1st of November. Karnataka has a unique culture and tradition different from all the other states of India. Its heritage, culture, and tradition might amaze you.  

Heritage of Karnataka

Karnataka is very famous for its historical monuments and cultures. The tourism sector of Karnataka is increasing day by day, as most of the tourists are attracted to the heritage of the state. Most of the monuments in Karnataka have great historic relations. Tipu Sultan Palace, Mysore Palace depicts a great history of the King of Mysore, who once defeated Britishers from acquiring the region. Hampi is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites here. Many old temples and old monuments have a great contribution to the state’s integrity. Chamundeshwari Temple, ISKCON Temple, plays a great role in profiting the tourism sector of Karnataka. Bangalore is the capital of Karnataka, also known as Silicon city which settles many of the World’s top-Class Companies. People in Karnataka usually like trekking, many of the tourists visit Nandi hill, Shivaganga hill, and Savan Durga hill to feel the beauty of nature. There is no seasonal tourism, people from all over the world visit Karnataka to enjoy the culture, tradition, and food, and mostly to discover the Heritage, which the state had occupied from dynasties.

Culture, Custom and Traditional Lifestyle of Karnataka
Culture of Karnataka: Heritage Site of Hampi

Art and Culture of Karnataka

Karnataka has a peculiar tradition of Art and Culture. Art is one of the major ornaments which the state is carrying forward from dynasties. Many of the monuments encrypted with sculptures define the Art and Culture tradition of the state. During that period the artists were the most skilled workers, whose works make us believe in the ancient traditions. Most of the places like Mysore Palace, Chamundeshwari Temple, Cave Temple, and many other ancient monuments define the Art and Culture tradition of Karnataka. Karnataka artist uses wood, paper, and clothes as the base to make a painting. Karnataka has many art forms one of them is the Hase Chitra mud painting which is one of the traditional paintings.

Culture, Custom and Traditional Lifestyle of Karnataka
Culture of Karnataka : Art form of Karnataka

Music and Dance Forms of Karnataka

Karnataka is very unique among all in music. It is one of the states which has a combination of northern Hindustani music and southern Carnatic music which is very pleasant and soulful to listen. Purandara Dasa who is a very famous music composer has 740,000 Sanskrit and Kannada songs.

Yakshagana is one of the traditional dances, which is continuing its royalty for 5 centuries. The tradition of dance defines the culture of the community. Many dance forms in Karnataka have a unique and special appearance that defines state integrity and culture. Dammam dance is also one of the traditional dances of the state. The nature-loving culture of Kannadigas enhanced the preservation of tribal dances, some of the folk dances of Karnataka are Dollu Kunitha, Krishna Parijatha, and Bhootha Aradhane, Nagamandala, etc.

Culture, Custom and Traditional Lifestyle of Karnataka
Culture of Karnataka: Yakshagana Dance form of Karnataka

Languages of Karnataka

Karnataka is a state where people of every religion and tradition share their common interests. It is a state full of joy where people live together and respect their respective languages. The most common language used in the state was “Kannada” which is the basic language of the people who lives there. It is one of the most interesting facts that India is a country which comprises many languages and cultures. Most of the people in Karnataka use Kannada as their mother language. People also use Hindi and English, as most of the tourists and people living there don’t know Kannada. People who want to visit can assure that language is not a barrier. Almost the majority of the native peoples speak Kannada. Other main languages used are Tulu, Konkani, Kodava, and Urdu. Kannada is the linguistic language and also the administrative language assured by the government of Karnataka.

Customs, Religions, and Traditions in Karnataka

Karnataka is a state where people of all religions stay, mostly you will observe Hindu traditions and customs. The tradition is replete with showing proper respect to elders and even every part of nature. Karnataka houses many temples and their custom says many things while entering a temple, you should remove your footwear outside the temple, women should not wear any tights or any other revealing dress, and men should not wear half pants or half-sleeved shirts. These rules are strictly monitored in almost every temple in Karnataka.

Other than temples Karnataka is also famous for big Churches, Christianity also resides here. Many places in Karnataka are the roots of Muslims, Tipu Sultan’s dynasty proves that. Muslims believe that women are respectable, hence they follow a unique custom that women don’t go to mosques to pray so that no unknown man can see them with bad intentions.

There is a most famous culture among Kannadigas called theatre culture also known as Rangabhoomi. Natakas on literature related to epic and Puranas are also done in public in praise of the heroic characters. Also on some special occasions like Dasara and Maha Shivratri, stories and devotions are narrated or sung in public to increase the awareness of their culture and traditions.        

Karnataka Culture Dress

Karnataka has a common traditional dress like that of most of the northern Indian states. Women wear sarees in which Ilakal Saree and Mysore Silk are famous. The Saree style varies from place to place in Karnataka, areas like Kodagu, south and north Karnataka, and Karavali has different styles of draping Sarees. Davani is one of the famous traditional dresses among young females. Dhoti is the traditional clothing for men’s flok, which is commonly known as Panche at the place. In South Karnataka, Mysore Peta is a traditional headgear, while in northern parts of Karnataka pagadi or patanga (like a turban) are preferred. In their marriage women wears sarees and men wear dhoti and kurta, which depends on the area. In urban areas, Kannadigas wear modern outfits too.

Culture, Custom and Traditional Lifestyle of Karnataka
Culture of Karnataka: Mysore Peta

Karnataka Culture Food

There is a unique style of serving cuisine in Karnataka, Kannadigas use banana leaves as a plate to serve dishes. Mangalorean fish curry from Mangalore and Bisi Bele Bath a rice-based dish are some popular cuisine relished by the people of Karnataka. The Mysore Pak, a sweet (mithai) from Mysore has fascinated the world. Other famous sweets are Karadantu of Gokak, Amingad, Belgavi Kunda, and Dharwad Pedha. In North Karnataka palm jaggery is used as a common ingredient, also Jolada Rotti and Sorghum are the staple food of Karnataka. In South Karnataka, rice-based and ragi-based foods are much preferred. Udupi which has its branches all over the world is famous for its Sambhar. Masala Dosa, Meddu Vada, Uppittu, Ragi Mudde, and Jolada Rotti are some famous food in Karnataka.

Karnataka Work Culture

Karnataka offers a wide range of occupations to not only Kannadigas but people from other parts of India and even to people from other countries. Karnataka is full of greenery, farming and cattle rearing are some of the occupations, in coastal areas people do fishing and sell them in the market which gives them another source of earning. Karnataka has India’s oldest gold mines and hence it has many gold mining industries and provides occupation. Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka also known as the IT hub of India has many software industries which is one of the major parts of occupation in Karnataka. ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) is there is Bengaluru, the pride of India also resides in Karnataka only, where Indian scientists do various researches and help in the development of the country.  

Karnataka Festivals

In Karnataka, many local and national festivals are celebrated in their unique tradition and style. They have different rituals and traditions for celebrating each festival. Ganesh Chaturthi also is known as Vinayaka Chavithi in Kannada is celebrated on a large scale with their local delicacies offered to Lord Ganesha on his birthday like Payasams, and Kosambhari. The people of Karnataka use willows to make thalis. Apart from these festivals they also celebrate festivals like the Hampi festival to show the richness of culture in the region of Karnataka through fireworks, music shows and pomp procession. Festivals like Gowri Habba which is celebrated one day before Ganesh Chaturthi are one of the significant festivals in Karnataka which celebrate Lord Gowri (mother of Ganesha). Folk dance festivals like Karaga Festival and Pattadakal Dance Festival are celebrated by giving honour to gods and goddesses by performing the folk dance as a ritual. There is also a festival celebrated in Dakshina Kannada districts named Kambala Festival which is celebrated by performing a unique and traditional buffalo race popular among the farming community. These types of the festival in the state of Karnataka shows us the various parts of the culture and tradition of the people.

Harvesting Festivals like Pongal and Ugadi is celebrated as New Year’s Day as per the Hindu calendar. Some festivals are also popular in different regions in Karnataka like in the Mandya district, the entire city can bee is seen in a festival mood during Vairamudi Festival. A huge procession is being held to the sacred Melukote temple in Mandya. Festivals like Karnataka Rajyotsava is celebrated as the formation day on 1 November of each year. Varamahalakshmi Pooja is celebrated here in different ways and rituals from other states to propitiate Goddess Lakshmi who grants boons. It is one of the important festivals where Vrata is performed by women in Karnataka. Festivals like Dussehra famous all over the country are also celebrated in its own unique and different way in Karnataka. Also known as Vijayadashami, it is the Nadahabba (state festival) of Karnataka. Cities in Karnataka like Mysore is very famous for this festival as it is celebrated as one of the biggest and most prominent festivals of Karnataka.

Culture, Custom and Traditional Lifestyle of Karnataka
Culture of Karnataka : Festivals of Karnataka

Snehal Mishra

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