Where Did Karnataka Get Its Name?
The Indian State of Karnataka is located in India’s south-western region and was formed on November 1, 1956. The state was originally named as the State of Mysore but was renamed Karnataka in 1973 with the passing of the Mysore State (Alteration of Name) Act.
So, why was this name changed from Mysore State to Karnataka?
As per a New York Times report, the name of the state was changed to Karnataka after the language spoken there. The State of Mysore encompassed a large area of Kannada-speaking people. However, the name Mysore referred to only one of the five regions of the state that was earlier under the rule of the Maharaja of Mysore. Thus, it was believed that the name Mysore did not do justice to the entire state which needed to be renamed with a name that applied to the entire state. Thus, Karnataka was chosen as the replacement.
So, what does the name Karnataka actually mean?
Several etymologies have been suggested to explain the origin of the word “Karnataka.”
One of the most commonly accepted of these etymologies suggest that the term Karnataka has been derived from the Kannada words karu and nādu which means either "elevated land” or “black region”. The former refers to the high plateau land that forms the terrain of the state while the latter refers to the black cotton soil found in Karnataka’s Bayalu Seeme area.
Where was the term Karnataka first used?
The term Karnataka was probably first used in the Mahabharata, an ancient Indian epic. References to the term are also found in the Puranas and in the works of ancient Indian scholars like Pāṇini and others. The astrologer Varaha Mihira also mentions Karnataka in his work in the 5th century CE. Some historical accounts dating to the 7th century also refer to the people of the region as Karnatakabala. The term Karnata has been used to describe the region between the Godavari and Kaveri rivers in the 9th-century work Kavirajamarga, a Kannada classic. The 13th-century work by Andayya, a Kannada poet, also use the same term. A 16th century Telugu work also mentions the term. Thus, the term Karnataka or its other derivatives have been consistently used through Indian history.
An alternate theory
A less widely accepted but alternate theory related to the origin of the term “Karnataka” mentions that it could have been derived from the words Kabbu Nadu which mean the land of sugarcane. However, although Karnataka is well-known for sugarcane cultivation, the production of sugarcane in the region only boomed after the building of the KRS Dam in 1938. Prior to that, ragi cultivation was the main activity here. Thus, the relation of the ancient name to sugarcane cultivation seems less likely.
References:
1.http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/New-names-for-old/article14802447.ece
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