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Karnataka is also known as Karunadu.Kannada is the principal language used to communicate by the people of Karnataka which is also mother tongue of the most.Citizen of Karnataka or who speaks Kannada is known as Kannadiga.The present Karnataka state consists of three different geographical regions namely Karavali or coastal, Malenadu or Western ghats and Bayalu seemae or plains( plateau). Arabian sea is on western side of Karnataka. The Karavali region lies between Arabian sea on the west and Malenadu(western ghats ) on the east. The region which is east of Malenadu is Bayalu seemae. The human population of Karnataka as per 2011 C.E census is around 6.25 crores or 62.5 millions.The Karnatka has rich and diversified culture. Many ancient art forms are practiced like Yakshagana, Dollu Kunita etc.

The earliest records of a place named 'Bengaluru' are found in a 9th century temple in an area that is now known as 'Old Bangalore'.

Legend has it that the feudal lord Kempe Gowda was once hunting in this area, a rabbit turned and attacked his dog. This made a great impression on Gowda and he gave the place a title of gandu bhoomi (the place of heroes) and in 1537, with the assistance of the local king, he constructed three districts protected by a walled fort on the site.

During the next three centuries, Bangalore existed very much in the shadow of its neighboring city Mysore, and control of the town changed hands many times. The year 1831 marked a major turning point for the city. Claiming misrule by the king Krishna Raja Wodeyar III, the British took control of the Mysore Kingdom and, possibly influenced by the city's salubrious climate, moved the administrative capital to Bangalore. New telecommunication systems were laid, rail connections built, fine government buildings constructed, and the city's famous parks and gardens established. After independence, Bangalore maintained its position as the Karnataka state capital, and continues to flourish.

For many years, Bangalore was known throughout India as the most green, liberal and forward-thinking city. In recent years, these attributes have propelled Bangalore to the forefront of the high-tech industry boom in India, and it currently ranks as India's most developed city and one of the world's fastest growing urban areas.

The name Bangalore appears to come from an Anglicisation of the native name "Bengaluru" - an adaptation of the earlier name in Kannada: Benda Kaalu Uru (The Town of Boiled Beans). Apparently this rather humble name was bequeathed to the city by King Vira Ballala. Once while lost in the area, he was offered boiled beans by an old woman, and it was out of gratitude that he named the area after this simple offering.

The city has recorded history dating back a thousand years and a mythical history which explains the origin of the name - apparently, this was the place where the demon Mahishasura was slain by the Goddess Chamundi. You will find a statue of the demon on Chamundi hill which commemorates this event.

In recorded times, the city rose to prominence when it became the capital of a breakaway feudatory of the Vijayanagara empire named Chamaraja Wodeyar in 1584. In 1610, he shifted the capital to nearby Srirangapatna. Hyder Ali who was a commander in the army usurped power in the late 18th century. Hyder Ali was succeeded by his son Tipu Sultan, who fought and lost a war with the British, dying in battle in 1799.

The British restored the Wodeyars as their puppet rulers and shifted the capital back to Mysore. The Wodeyars had substantial internal autonomy and the princely state of Mysore (which comprised a large portion of present-day Karnataka) was probably the best administered in India. After independence, the state was merged back to the Indian Union and the capital of Mysore state was shifted to nearby Bangalore where the British maintained their army. The name of the state too was eventually changed to the more accurate "Karnataka" in 1973.

The dynasty is still well-loved and the people of Mysore are still nostalgic for the grandeur of the earlier times. The palaces built by the Wodeyars and the yearly celebration of Dusshera are holdovers of that period.

Mysore has evolved from being a quiet and sleepy city, to a city that is touted to being the most important one in the state after Bangalore. With apartment complexes, supermarkets, a couple of proposed malls, new and improved roads, the advent of IT and BPO firms and a growing young and dynamic workforce , this regal city is trying to strike a balance between the good old days while to keep up pace with the changes affecting it.

A city that is old, yet new. A modern-day paradox in the making, anyone who lives in Mysore for long enough can't help falling in love with this place.

Mysore is also well known for its yoga centres like Ashtanga yoga which originated here. There are many Ashtanga yoga centres in Mysore. The Gokulam suburb contains the most renowned yoga schools (such as S.K. Pattabhi Jois' Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute).