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Extending over 192000
sq. km on the Western half of the Deccan Plateau
bounded by Andhra Pradesh in the east, Maharashtra
in the north and Tamil Nadu/Kerala on the south;
Karnataka emerges through the mists of antiquity.
The historian is thrilled by the array of dynasties
that marched their armies to battle and ruled over
this land. The Chalukyas, Kadambas, Rastrakutas,
Hoysalas, Gangas, Vijaynagar Rajas, Hyder Tippu and
the Wodeyars have left their king sized footprints
on its sand. It is here the skilled artists have
treated stone like ivory and executed filigree work
of great finesse.
It was to Sravanbelgola, Karnataka, in the 3rd
century BC that Chandragupta Maurya, India's first
great emperor, retreated after he had renounced
wordly ways and embraced Jainism. Many centuries
later, the mighty 17 metre high statue of
Gomateshvaras, which celebrated its 1000th
anniversary in 1981, was erected at Sravanbelgola.
Fifteen hundred years ago at Badami in the north of
the state, the Chalukyan built some of the earliest
Hindu temples in India. All later south India temple
architecture stems from the Chalukyan designs at
Badami. In 1346 Halebid was annexed by the Hindu
kingdom of Vijaynagar, founded in 1336 with its
capital at Hampi. Hampi is one of the most
beautiful, extensive and fascinating of India's
ruined kingdoms.
Following the demise of rulers of Vijaynagar, the
Wodeyars of Mysore gradually grew in importance and
established their own rule over a large part of
southern India. Their capital was at Srirangapatnam.
Their power remained more or less unchallenged until
1761 when Hyder Ali (one of the generals) rose to
great strength and deposed them. These were the
years of bitter rivalry between the British and
French for control of the Carnatic, and Hyder Ali,
followed by his son Tipu Sultan, were assisted by
the French in consolidating their hold over the area
in return for assistance in fighting the British. In
1799, however, the British finally defeated Tipu
Sultan (who himself was killed in the battle).
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