Origin of Karnataka's name
Encyclopedia
Karnataka
is an India
n state. Several etymologies
have been suggested for the name Karnataka. One derivative is from Sanskrit where 'Karna' means ear, and 'atati' means wander, together giving a meaning for 'Karnata' as where ones ears would want to wander, since this is the birth place of the popular Carnatic music. The region was popularly referred to as 'Karnata desha' in Indian history. However, historically, the names Karnatak or Carnatic have been misapplied to refer to the regions in or beyond the Western Ghats
(Kodagu
and Kerala
) as well as to a region in present day Andhra Pradesh
(Telangana
). The other accepted derivative comes from the Kannada words karu and nādu meaning elevated land, or from the Kannada words kal and nādu meaning rock country, referring to the rocky terrain of the state. During the British Raj
, the words Carnatic or Karnatak were used to describe this part of the region in general. Another etymological derivative of the name comes from lear or black—a reference to the black cotton soil of the region. Mysore state
was renamed Karnataka in 1973.
make references to Karnataka in their ancient works. Later, in the 5th century CE, the term Karnataka was used by the astrologer
Varaha Mihira
in his work Brihatkatha and the Birur
plates of Kadamba Vishnuvarma call Shantivarma The master of the entire Karnataka region. In the 7th century CE, Rashtrakuta
inscriptions refer to the armies of Chalukyas of Badami
as Karnatakabala. The Tamil
classic Silappatikaram of the same time period calls the people of present day Karnataka region as Karunatakars..The Kalingathu parani , a war poem written by jayangkondar in tamil Literature calls a people of a region called 'Karunatiyar'. http://ta.wikibooks.org/wiki/2_%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B2%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%99%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D_%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%B0%E0%AE%A3%E0%AE%BF_%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%88_%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B1%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%81 In the 9th century CE, the Kannada classic Kavirajamarga
hails the entire region between the rivers Kaveri
and Godavari
as Karnata. In the 13th century CE, Kannada poet Andayya
's works use the same terminology. In the late 16th century, a Telugu
work Vasucharitamu refers to Tirumala Deva Raya (1570 CE), the first of the Aravidu (Aravithi) line of rulers of the late Vijayanagar Empire as the reviver of the Karnata Empire
. All this clearly shows that the name Karnataka has been in usage consistently since ancient times.
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
is an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state. Several etymologies
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
have been suggested for the name Karnataka. One derivative is from Sanskrit where 'Karna' means ear, and 'atati' means wander, together giving a meaning for 'Karnata' as where ones ears would want to wander, since this is the birth place of the popular Carnatic music. The region was popularly referred to as 'Karnata desha' in Indian history. However, historically, the names Karnatak or Carnatic have been misapplied to refer to the regions in or beyond the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
(Kodagu
Kodagu
Kodagu , also known by its anglicised former name of Coorg, is an administrative district in Karnataka, India. It occupies an area of in the Western Ghats of southwestern Karnataka. As of 2001, the population was 548,561, 13.74% of which resided in the district's urban centres, making it the least...
and Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
) as well as to a region in present day Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
(Telangana
Telangana
Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh, India and formerly was part of Hyderabad state which was ruled by Nizam. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa to the east...
). The other accepted derivative comes from the Kannada words karu and nādu meaning elevated land, or from the Kannada words kal and nādu meaning rock country, referring to the rocky terrain of the state. During the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, the words Carnatic or Karnatak were used to describe this part of the region in general. Another etymological derivative of the name comes from lear or black—a reference to the black cotton soil of the region. Mysore state
Mysore State
The Kingdom of Mysore was one of the three largest princely states within the erstwhile British Empire of India. Upon India gaining its independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Mysore merged his realm with the Union of India...
was renamed Karnataka in 1973.
Historical references
Scholars Pāṇini ( 520–460 BCE), Mrichchakatika and KathasaritsagaraKathasaritsagara
Kathasaritsagara is a famous 11th-century collection of Indian legends, fairy tales and folk tales as retold by a Saivite Brahmin named Somadeva....
make references to Karnataka in their ancient works. Later, in the 5th century CE, the term Karnataka was used by the astrologer
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
Varaha Mihira
Varahamihira
Varāhamihira , also called Varaha or Mihira, was an Indian astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer who lived in Ujjain...
in his work Brihatkatha and the Birur
Birur
Birur is a town located in Kadur Taluk in Chikkamagaluru district in the state of Karnataka, India.- Geography :Birur is located at . It has an average elevation of 833 metres . It is called as Gateway to Malnad region.- Transport :...
plates of Kadamba Vishnuvarma call Shantivarma The master of the entire Karnataka region. In the 7th century CE, Rashtrakuta
Rashtrakuta
The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian Subcontinent between the sixth and the 10th centuries. During this period they ruled as several closely related, but individual clans. Rastrakutas in inscriptions represented as descendants of Satyaki, a Yadava well known...
inscriptions refer to the armies of Chalukyas of Badami
Badami
Badami , formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for rock cut and other structural temples...
as Karnatakabala. The Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
classic Silappatikaram of the same time period calls the people of present day Karnataka region as Karunatakars..The Kalingathu parani , a war poem written by jayangkondar in tamil Literature calls a people of a region called 'Karunatiyar'. http://ta.wikibooks.org/wiki/2_%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B2%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%99%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D_%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%B0%E0%AE%A3%E0%AE%BF_%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%9F%E0%AF%88_%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B1%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%81 In the 9th century CE, the Kannada classic Kavirajamarga
Kavirajamarga
Kavirajamarga is the earliest available writing on rhetoric, poetics and grammar in the Kannada language. It was written by the famous Rashtrakuta King "Nripatunga" Amoghavarsha I and some say that it is based partly on an earlier Sanskrit writing, Kavyadarsa...
hails the entire region between the rivers Kaveri
Kaveri River
The Kaveri , also spelled Cauvery in English, is a large Indian river. The origin of the river is traditionally placed at Talakaveri, Kodagu in the Western Ghats in Karnataka, flows generally south and east through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and across the southern Deccan plateau through the...
and Godavari
Godavari River
The Godavari is a river that runs from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India. With a length of 1465 km, it is the second longest river in India , that runs within the country and also the longest river in South India...
as Karnata. In the 13th century CE, Kannada poet Andayya
Andayya
Andayya was a notable 13th-century Kannada writer during the rule of the Hoysala empire. Andayya was a Jain by faith and came from a family of accountants...
's works use the same terminology. In the late 16th century, a Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
work Vasucharitamu refers to Tirumala Deva Raya (1570 CE), the first of the Aravidu (Aravithi) line of rulers of the late Vijayanagar Empire as the reviver of the Karnata Empire
Karnata Empire
The Karnata Empire or Karnataka Empire is an alternate name for the Vijayanagara Empire. This name has been used in some important Vijayanagara inscriptions and literary works of the Vijayanagara times including the Sanskrit work Jambavati Kalyanam by King Krishnadevaraya and Telugu work Vasu...
. All this clearly shows that the name Karnataka has been in usage consistently since ancient times.
External links
- http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/31/stories/2006103108870500.htm The HinduThe HinduThe Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
article - http://www.ourkarnataka.com/states/history/historyofkarnataka6.htm OurKarnataka.com article on History of KarnatakaHistory of KarnatakaThe recorded history of Karnataka goes back more than two millennia. Several great empires and dynasties have ruled over Karnataka and have contributed greatly to the history, culture and development of Karnataka....