Karnataka pronunciation is one of the four southern states of India. The pre-historic culture of Karnataka, the hand-axe culture, compares favourable with the one that existed in Africa. The early rulers of Karnataka were predominantly from North India. Parts of Karnataka were subject to the rule of the Nandas and the Mauryas.


Karnataka is a treasure of ritualistic dances, all denoted by the generic term Kunitha. The Ramanavami celebrations herald the music season in the Garden City, when music lovers are treated to a fare of traditional live music concerts at the Fort School Grounds at Chamrajpet in south Bangalore.The People of Dakshina Kannada perform an elaborate ritual called Nagamandala to appease the serpent spirit.

Karnataka is bordered by the Arabian Sea in the west, Goa in the northwest, Maharashtra in the north, Andhra Pradesh in the east, Tamil Nadu in the south and Kerala in the southwest. Topographically, Karnataka consists of the Arabian Sea Coast , Western Ghats , Deccan Plateau and Eastern Ghats .