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Vol. XXXVIII
JAIN JOURNAL
No. 1 July
EPIGRAPHIA JAINIKA
Hampa Nagarajaih
Jain Education International
INTRODUCTION
Defining the geographical boundaries of Karnataka :
The total carpet area of Karnataka is bordered by Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh in the north, by Andhra and Tamilnadu on the west, by Kerala on the south, with a vast stretch of sea coast. Comprising of 27 Districts and 200 Talukas, Karnataka has a population of about four crores.
2003
The erst while Mysore State, now assimilated in the newly formed and reorganised Karnataka State, had only 9 Districts. After the state re-organisation in November 1956, the State still had the name of Mysore State. This nomen was officially changed to Karnataka in 1976, with Kannada as its lingua-franca. Kannada, one of the 25 Dravidian languages, branched off from the Proto-Dravidian in around 5th century B.C.E. The present nomenclature of Karnataka is derived from the geographical position and soil quality of the land. The literary and epigraphical records mention Karnataka from the early period of Current Era. It was then an integral part of the Imperial Mauryan kingdom.
Karnataka was a happy cradle of many religions and ruling houses. Major dynasties like the Pallavas, the Gangas, the Kadambas, the Calukyas of Bādāmi (Vātāpi), the Rashtrakutas, the Calukyas of Kalyāṇa, the Hoysalas, the Vijayanagaras and the Oḍeyars of Mysore. Minor dynasties and feudatories, who ruled Karnataka, have left behind their indelible imprints. They have consciously promoted religion and culture, thereby incorporating into their kingdom a large variety of cults and religious traditions, which explains the wealth of religious tolerance and imagery, found in inumerable monuments and epigraphs.
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