Karnataka,
called as Karunadu (elevated land) in ancient times. The course of Karnataka's
history and culture takes us back to pre-historic times. The earliest
find of the stone age period in India was a hand axe at Lingasugur in
Raichur district. The Ashoka's rock edicts found in the state indicate
that major parts of Northern Karnataka were under the Mauryas.Chandragupta Maurya, the great Indian emperor abdicated the throne and embraced Jainism at Shravanabelagola. Adding new dimensions to the cultural and spiritual ethos of the land, many great dynasties left their imprint upon the aesthetic development of Karnataka's art forms. Prominent among them were the Chalukyas, the Hoysalas and the mighty Vijayanagara Empire. The Chalukyan's built some of the very early Hindu temples in India. Aihole turned up as an experimental base for the dynamic creations of architects. The Hoysala's who ruled from the 11th to the 13th century chiseled their way into the pages of glory by building more than 150 temples, each one is a master piece in its own way.
The
Vijayanagara empire with its capital at Hampi fell a victim to the marauding
army of the Deccan Sultan in 1565 A.D. As a consequence of this, Bijapur
became the most important city of the region. This city is a land of monuments
and perhaps no other city except Delhi has as many monuments as Bijapur.
The Bahmani Shahis and the Adilshahis of Bijapur have played a notable
part in the history of Karnataka by their contribution to the field of
art and architecture and also by their propagation of Islam in the state.
