On Wednesday, Karnataka marked its 50th anniversary, signifying a milestone for one of the world’s ancient regions with a documented history spanning over 2000 years. It was on November 1, 1973, that this historic area officially adopted the name Karnataka.
Happy Karnataka Rajyotsava to all
— South One (@SouthOneNews) November 1, 2023
ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವದ ಹಾರ್ದಿಕ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು
Namma kannada namma hemme😍#KannadaRajyothsava #KarnatakaRajyotsava2023 pic.twitter.com/U9rN0UjRgr
It started in 1912 when Shri Aluru Venkata Rao published Kannada Gatha Vaibhava, which literally means “The Glory That was Karnataka”. This book inspired thousands of Kannadigas and thus began the Karnataka Ekikarana Movement (Unification of Kannada).
Propelled by the Karnataka Ekikarana movement and decades of protests, following Independence, the Mysore kingdom integrated into the Union of India, and the majority of Kannada-speaking territories united to establish a larger Mysore state on November 1, 1956. However, the newly-banded State was named Mysore, and not Karnataka. Kannadigas from areas beyond the Mysore region were dissatisfied with the name “Mysore State” and advocated for its renaming to Karnataka, As it was well known earlier as Carnatic or Karnata from ancient times through the medieval period, the journey to which would take almost another decade-and-a-half.
In July 1972, the then Mysore State Assembly adopted a resolution to rename the state Karnataka. The Vijayanagara Empire established in 1336 was known as the Karnataka Empire or Karnataka Desha, not Vijayanagara. Vijayanagara, or today’s Hampi, was the capital of the Karnataka empire. Former Chief Minister D. Devaraj Urs is credited with renaming the Mysore state as Karnataka
Later, the resolution was enacted by Parliament a year later on 21 August 1973, through the Mysore State (Alteration of Name) Act, 1973.
Thus it was that 17 years after the unification, the Mysore State became Karnataka on November 1, 1973. Today marks 50 years since the inception of the Karnataka state.
Origin of the name Karnataka:
The oldest known mention, however, is found in the Sanskrit Mahabharata, dating back to approximately the 6th century BC. The word ‘Karṇaataah’ is used to refer to the place from where a battalion of soldiers had come to fight the Kurukshetra war.
Another possibility is the geographical basis of the etymology. “In Tamil, ‘karu’ means mountain, and ‘naatu’ means a village or town. The Deccan plateau is at an elevation compared to Tamil Nadu. Thus, the word ‘Karnaata’ could have meant an ‘elevated land or higher ground’,”
The term ‘Karnataka’ has been attributed by some to the ‘Kannaru’ community, a group of pastoralists who thrived in this area and possessed substantial wealth, particularly in cattle. This suggests they likely held extensive land holdings, indicating a significant level of influence. Others propose that the name originates from ‘Kari (or Karu) Naadu’, referring to the black soil prevalent in the State, which is important for cotton cultivation.
Historians argue that the Vijayanagara Empire, founded in 1336, has been called ‘Karnataka Desha’ in some inscriptions.
While the origin of the term ‘Karnataka’ can be linked to various texts and theories, scholars agree that each of these explanations encompasses the history, culture, language, people, geography, and way of life of the region.
