Kerala Travel Info

Visa & Immigration
A general visa and other immigration rules that apply to rest of India also apply for visiting Karnataka.

Getting In
The best way of getting into Karnataka is either by flight or train.

Airports:
Airports in Karnataka act as gateways for tourists descending on the state. At present, Karnataka has five functional airports at Hubli, Mysore, Belgaum, Mangalore and Bangalore. The Bangalore airport is extremely well connected with the rest of the country. International flights also operate out of the Bangalore airport.

Besides the major airports, the Karnataka Government proposes to establish domestic airports in district towns so as to provide better connectivity to tourist hotspots. The State has identified Hubli, Gulbarga, Mysore, Bellary and Hassan for the construction of minor airports to handle 50 seater aircraft initially.

After Bangalore, Mangalore airport has become the second airport in Karnataka to operate flights to international destinations. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been entrusted the responsibility of developing small airports in secondary cities and potential industrial and tourist destinations.

Bengaluru International Airport (IATA: BLR, ICAO: VOBL) is an international airport serving the city of Bengaluru (Bangalore), Karnataka, India. The airport is located 4 km (2.5 mi) south of Devanahalli and is 40 km (25 mi) from the central business district of Bengaluru (30 km (19 mi) from the Bangalore City Railway Station) and covers 4,000 acres (1,600 ha). It replaced the old HAL Bangalore International Airport. Construction of the airport began in July 2005, after a decade long postponement. It was expected to inaugurate on 30 March 2008 but due to delays in air traffic control (ATC) services, it started its operations on the night of 23 May 2008, just before midnight.

Future plans for the airport site envisage expansion of the terminal and runways and generous commercial development, including business centers, tax-free shops, entertainment centers, malls and office space.

Mangalore International Airport (IATA: IXE, ICAO: VOML) (formerly Bajpe Airport) is a domestic and international airport serving the coastal city of Mangalore, India. The airport was opened in 1951 as the Bajpe Aerodrome and the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru arrived on the maiden flight. In 2007-08 the airport handled 10,019 aircraft movements as compared to 6,268 the previous year.

The airport is located near Bajpe, around 20 km (12 mi) north-east of the city centre. Daily domestic flights are available to Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Kochi, Kozhikode and Chennai. Until 2005, its small 5,200 ft (1,585 m) runway meant that it could only handle Boeing 737-sized aircraft. Now Kingfisher Red use the Airbus 320 while Air India use an Airbus 319.Jet Airways and Air India Express operate the Boeing 737NG aircraft's. Kingfisher Airlines operates short-haul flights from Bajpe Airport using ATR 72-500 aircraft's.

The operation of international flights started in 2006 with Air-India Express flying to Dubai. While currently the airport has the status of a customs aerodrome, it is likely to get international status in the near future after the addition of the required infrastructure.

Climate of Karnataka
Karnataka experiences the best climate in the Southern India. It is one of the wettest regions in the country. Seasonal monsoon dominates the climate of Karnataka. The temperature usually spans between 26 degree and 30 degree. Mysore Plateau comprising the southern apex is a considerably dry area with dark volcanic soil in the north and quartzite granite area in the south.

The climate of Karnataka like the most of the state of India is typical tropical climate. It rings under the severe heat in the months of April and May and experiences monsoon during the month of June till August. The winters are not too cold but pleasant enough to have a great time.

Western Coast receives 1500mm of rainfalls from June to July. So generally June to September can be classified as wet season in this region. The temperatures are modified by the altitude in the regions around Bangalore and Mysore (In the Plateau Region). Generally, it is pleasant to travel around Karnataka from September to May.

The central and Northern part gets considerably hot in April and May and often exceeds 35 degrees centigrade at a time. However, monsoon does bring cooling effect but increases humidity sharply. This effect can best felt in the Coastal Lands of Karnataka

Festivals of Karnataka

Vairamudi Brahmotsava
On April 4th 2009, Vairamudi Brahmostava is celebrated at Melkote. This is an annual festival which gathers more than 2 lakh devotees of Lord Cheluva Narayana.

Dasara
Dasara is the festival of celebrating women power. Chamundeshwari is the personification of courage, strength and power. Praying to her is believed to help one to be blessed with all these qualities, especially during Dasara. When the male gods failed to destroy the demon, it was the Devi who stood up to the occasion.

More festivals >>

Languages Spoken in Karnataka
Kannada is the State Language of Karnataka. Kannada - aptly described as 'sirigannada' (known to few as Kanarese) is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and is spoken in its various dialects by roughly 45 million people worldwide.

The Kannada language has been spoken for about 2500 years, with the Kannada writing system being in use for about the last 1900 years. The initial development of the Kannada language is similar to that of other Dravidian languages, notably Tamil and Telugu. During later centuries, Kannada, along with Telugu, has been highly influenced by Sanskrit vocabulary and literary styles.

Kannada is a highly inflected language with three genders (masculine, feminine, neutral or common) and two numbers (singular, plural). It is inflected for gender, number and tense, among other things.

There is also a sharp distinction between the spoken and written forms of the language. Spoken Kannada tends to vary from region to region. The written form is more or less constant throughout Karnataka, however. The ethnologue identifies about 20 dialects of Kannada. Notable of them are Kodava (spoken in Coorg district), Kunda (spoken exclusively in Kundapura), Havyaka (spoken mainly by Havyaka Brahmanas of Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga, Sagara, and Udupi districts), Are Bhashe (spoken mainly in Sullia region of Dakshina Kannada), Soliga Kannada, Badaga Kannada, Gulbarga Kannada, Hubli Kannada, etc. (Source: Wikipedia.org)

Kannada is one of the 22 official languages of India and is the official language of the state of Karnataka.

Kannada has now received the Classical Language status effective November 1, 2008. After years of bitter struggle, Kannada has finally got the classical language status. The Union government announced that Kannada, besides Telugu, would get the classical tag on the occasion of Rajyotsava day.

Food in Karnataka
The Cuisine of Karnataka includes many vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisines. The varieties reflect influences from the food habits of many regions and communities from the three neighbouring South Indian states, as well as the state of Maharashtra to its north. Some typical dishes include Bisi bele bath, Jolada rotti, Chapathi, Ragi rotti, Akki rotti, Saaru, Huli,Vangi Bath, Khara Bath, Kesari Bath, Davanagere Benne Dosa, Ragi mudde, and Uppittu. The famous Masala Dosa traces its origin to Udupi cuisine. Plain and Rave Idli, MysoreMasala Dosa and Maddur Vade are popular in South Karnataka. Coorg district is famous for spicy varieties of pork curries while coastal Karnataka boasts of many tasty seafood specialities. Among sweets, Mysore Pak, Dharwad pedha, Chiroti are well known.

Although the ingredients differ from one region to another, a typical Kannadiga Oota (Kannadiga meal) includes the following dishes in the order specified and is served on a banana leaf: Kosambari, Pickle, Palya, Gojju, Raita, Dessert (Yes, it is a tradition to start your meal with a dessert - Paaysa), Thovve, Chitranna, Rice and Ghee.

After serving ghee to everyone, one may start the meal. This is done to ensure that everyone seated has been served all the dishes completely.
What follows next is a series of soup like dishes such as Saaru, Muddipalya, Majjige Huli or Kootu which is eaten with hot rice. Gojju or raita is served next; two or three desserts are served; fried dishes such as Aambode or Bonda are served next. The meal ends with a serving of curd rice.

It is believed that every meal is a wholesome meal containing essential components of a healthy meal such as proteins, carbohydrates and vitamins. There is some diversity in core food habits of North and South Karnataka. While northern-style dishes have joLa and rice as the primary cereals the south uses ragi and rice.