https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Etymology_of_KarnatakaEtymology of Karnataka - Revision history2026-07-31T03:39:32ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Etymology_of_Karnataka&diff=116978&oldid=prev>BrownHairedGirl at 18:21, 29 April 20212021-04-29T18:21:28Z<p></p>
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{{Karnataka History}}<br />
{{Culture of Karnataka}} <br />
'''[[Karnataka]]''' is an [[India]]n [[States and territories of India|state]]. Several [[etymology|etymologies]] have been suggested for the name Karnataka. The region was popularly referred to as 'kar nata’ literally meaning black soiled county 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]]).<ref>[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V09_308.gif Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 9, page 302 - Imperial Gazetteer of India - Digital South Asia Library<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> 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. One more derivative is "Karnad" meaning "land of Black soil" <ref name="karnad">{{cite web |title=Karnataka Plateau |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Karnataka-Plateau}}</ref> and other derivative is from Tamil words meaning that 'Karai' (கரை) meaning 'shore' and 'nataka' (நாடக) meaning dance.<ref name="EB1911">{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Carnatic}}</ref><br />
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==References from Hindu texts==<br />
The earliest known references to ''Karnataka'' are found in the ''Sabha Parva'' and the ''Bhishma Parva'' of [[Mahabharata]], an [[History of India|ancient Indian]] [[Epic poetry|epic]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/31/stories/2006103108870500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001015326/http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/31/stories/2006103108870500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2007-10-01|title=Article from ''The Hindu'' national newspaper of India|access-date=2007-03-10 | location=Chennai, India|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=2006-10-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourkarnataka.com/states/history/historyofkarnataka6.htm|title='Antiquity of Karnataka' - article from OurKarnataka.com Portal|access-date=2007-03-10}}</ref> The ''Matsya Purana'', ''Skanda Purana'', ''Markandeya Purana'' and the ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'' also make references to the name ''Karnata''. The celebrated Kannada folk song of antiquity ''[[Punyakoti]]'' (''Govina Haadu'') also refers to the region as "''Mereyutiha Karnata Desha''" (Flourishing ''Karnata'' country), finds a reference in [[Padma Purana]].<br />
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In Canto 5 - Chapter 6 of the ''Bhagavata Purana'', ''Karnata'' is mentioned while narrating the life of [[Rishabhadeva]]. It is said in the ''Bhagavata'' that the Lord in [[Rishabhadeva]]'s form ended his ''avatara'' in the ''Kutakachala'' hill in ''Karnata'' province. Kutakchala is a hill in present-day Karnataka near [[Kollur, Udupi district|Kollur]] in the [[Western Ghats]].<ref name="bhagavata1">[http://www.srimadbhagavatam.org/canto5/chapter6.html SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 5- CHAPTER 6<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref name="bhagavata2">[http://www.vedabase.net/sb/5/6/en1 Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 5 Chapter 6<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><br />
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==Historical references==<br />
Sanskrit grammarian [[Pāṇini]] and the ancient Sanskrit work [[Mrichchhakatika]] ({{circa|5th century CE}}) make references to ''Karnataka''. In the 5th century CE, the term ''Karnataka'' was used by the [[astrologer]] [[Varahamihira|Varaha Mihira]] in his work ''Brihatkatha'' and the [[Birur]] plates of [[Kadamba Dynasty|Kadamba]] Vishnuvarma call Shantivarma ''The master of the entire Karnataka region''.<ref>Dr. Suryanath U. Kamat, ''Concise history of Karnataka'', 2001, MCC, Bangalore (Reprinted 2002)</ref> In the 7th century CE, [[Rashtrakuta]] inscriptions refer to the armies of [[Chalukyas]] of [[Badami]] as ''Karnatakabala''.{{Citation needed|date=June 2008}} The [[Tamil language|Tamil]] classic ''[[Silappatikaram]]'' of the same time period calls the people of present-day Karnataka region as ''Karunatakars''.{{Citation needed|date=June 2008}}.The Kalingathu parani, a war poem written by jayangkondar in Tamil Literature calls a people of a region called 'Karunatiyar'.<ref>{{cite web|url=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 |access-date=18 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061229031340/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 |archive-date=29 December 2006 }}</ref> In the 9th century CE, the Kannada classic ''[[Kavirajamarga]]'' hails the entire region between the rivers [[Kaveri river|Kaveri]] and [[Godavari river|Godavari]] as ''Karnata''.<ref name="Godavari">Prof. K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, ''History of South India'', Arthikaje, ''History of Karnataka''</ref> [[Kathasaritsagara]] of 11th century CE makes mentions of the name. In the 13th century CE, Kannada poet [[Andayya]]'s works use the same terminology. In the late 16th century, a [[Telugu language|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]]''.<ref name="vasucharitamu">Prof. K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, ''History of South India'',Archaeological Survey of India, ''Telugu Inscriptions from Vijayanagar Empire'' [http://inscriptions.whatisindia.com/], vol.16</ref> All this clearly shows that the name ''Karnataka'' has been in usage consistently since ancient times.<ref>Dr. Suryanath U. Kamat, Concise history of Karnataka, 2001, MCC, Bengalooru (Reprinted 2002)</ref><br />
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==Alternate theories==<br />
Karnataka's name may have originated from the two words ''Kabbu Nadu'', which means land of sugarcane. This etymology might be possible as Karnataka is a huge sugarcane-cultivating land. But, this theory might not be very factual as sugarcane production boomed in South Karnataka only after the building of KRS Dam by Sir M. Vishweshwarayya. Before that the very same region of Karnataka was known for ragi production.<br />
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==References==<br />
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==External links==<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071001015326/http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/31/stories/2006103108870500.htm ] [[The Hindu]] article<br />
* http://www.ourkarnataka.com/states/history/historyofkarnataka6.htm OurKarnataka.com article on [[History of Karnataka]]<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Etymology Of Karnataka}}<br />
[[Category:History of Karnataka]]<br />
[[Category:Place name etymologies|Karnataka, Etymology of]]<br />
[[Category:Names of places in India|Karnataka, Etymology of]]</div>>BrownHairedGirl