Kannadigas


The Kannadigas or Kannadigaru, often referred to as Kannada people, are a Dravidian ethnic group primarily native to the southern Indian state of Karnataka and its surrounding regions. They natively speak Kannada, which belongs to the Dravidian language family. Kannada stands among 30 of the most widely spoken languages of the world as of 2001.
After the Mauryas, parts of Karnataka were variously ruled by dynasties who were from the outside. One theory posits that the Vijayanagara Empire, one of the region's most renowned, was founded by Kannadigas who served as commanders in the Hoysala Empire's army stationed in the Tungabhadra region.
The Kannada language has written inscriptions dating back as far as 450 CE. Kannada literature is mostly composed of treatises on various topics and poems on religious works. Kannada architecture is dominated by stone-carved sculptured palaces, temples and traditional wooden folk houses known as thotti mane and chowki mane. Many of religious architectures built during ancient and medieval period are today UNESCO World Heritage sites.

History

Minor dynasties that played an important role in the development of Kannada language, culture and polity were Tuluva Dynasty of Canara, Rattas of Saundatti, Guttas of Guttal, Banas of Kolar, Nolambas of Nolambavadi, Vaidumbas, Chengalvas, Kongalvas, Sendrakas of Nagarkhanda, Yalahanka Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, Sindas of Yelburga, Kadamba of Hangal.
In addition, other well known kingdoms that patronized Kannada poets and Kannada language were:

Architecture

and sculpture has been the epitome of art in Karnataka. Be it the musical pillars of Hampi, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ekashila statue of Gommateshvara Bahubali that was voted by Indians as the first of Seven Wonders of India the Yelu Sutthina Kote of Chitradurga cutting across hill or the wholesomeness of carvings of temples which bared down all desires to be left out of it and formless all encompassing — the inner garbhagrihas. The temples of Karnataka had in them many shaili or varieties to credit. A majority of the temples were built using the locally available stones.
Some of the places of interest are:
File:Aurangabad,ellora kailash temple.jpg|thumb|Kailasa Temple, Ellora built by Krishna I
Pioneer sculptors include:
Modern day contemporaries include visionary architects such as:
Modern Kannada art is primarily influenced by Raja Ravi Varma and his realism. Popular visual arts generally revolve around puppetry. Most traditional religious paintings include works that are very colorful.
These are many of the places where art is displayed.
is the literature of Bhakti movement composed by devotees in honor of Lord Vishnu or one of his avatars. Dasa is literally "servant" in Kannada and sahitya is literature. Haridasas were preachers of Bhakti to Vishnu. The bhakti literature of these Haridasas is collectively referred to as Dasa Sahitya. It is composed in the Kannada language.
The Haridasas richly contributed to the heritage of Karntataka music. They made an indelible impression on the religious and cultural life of Karnataka by spreading the didactic teachings in a musical form to the hearts of the common folk. Like other doyens of Indian classical music, these scholars offered prayer to Vishnu through music, called naadopasana. The Lord is described as Samagana priya, and bhakti through music is the most preferred path to 'reach' Him.
The Haridasa compositions are popularly known as Devaranamas. Compositions like Krishna Nee Begane Baaro, Venkatachala Nilayam, Jagadoddharana, Tamboori Meetidava are some of the many examples of their scholarly work.
Some noted Haridasas or composers of Dasa Sahitya are:
One of the oldest forms of music in the region is Karnataka Shastreeya Sangeetha which has evolved over ages. Both Hindustani and Karnataka variations are respected and nurtured by Kannadigas. Bhavageete and Sugama Sangeetha are some innovations. Other forms of music include Gamaka, Joogera Pada and Lavani. Yakshagana is considered a unique and indigenous form of both music and dance of Karnataka.
Contemporary musical thespians are:
Rangabhoomi or the theater culture is a tradition with Kannadigas. While a lot of is written in praise of the heroic characters of the epics and puranas, there are major works depicting the kings and their rule. These are called and Bayalata. As its etymology indicates, bayalu means open-air field and ata means theater. In southern Karnataka, the eastern and western varieties of Yakshagana are termed Bayalata, whereas in the north, several other distinct genres are included under the name.
Harikathe which covers an entire night is another form where one person tells a story in an outstanding manner accompanied by music at background. It is a common feature to narrate battles, stories, devotions or vratha in front of temples on auspicious days like Dasara and Maha Shivaratri. Harikathe is a composite art form composed of story telling, poetry, music, drama, dance, and philosophy. Today, late-night Harikathe sessions are organized overseas where Kannadiga population is considerable.
Togalu gombeyaata, is a unique puppet show form of shadow puppetry, Gombe ata involves story telling using character made from dolls, Whose performance is controlled by the humans in the background using invisible threads
Vasanta Habba, which means "spring festival" in Kannada is a cultural festival organized by the Nrityagram foundation in Bengaluru. It is a very popular event and is considered the classical Woodstock of India. First held in 1990, it now attracts the best musicians, dancers and cultural artists from across India. Similarly,'Bengaluru Habba (ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಹಬ್ಬ is a congregation of art performances at places in the city which is successfully celebrated every year. It aims to provide aesthetic entertainment to a wide cultural, social and demographic cross-section of the city's people by partnering with corporates and other stakeholders since 2003. In 2006, the Government of Karnataka tried to bring the folklore and art into the city of Bengaluru by initiating Jaanapada Jaatre which was hugely successful and received well by art lovers. It is usually held on select weekends in Lalbagh and other parts of the city.
Some famous theatrical, cinematic and television personalities like T P Kailasam, Gubbi Veeranna, C. Honappa Bhagavathar, G V Iyer, Dr. Rajkumar, Puttanna Kanagal, Kalpana, B. S. Ranga, B V Karanth, Girish Kasaravalli, Shankar Nag, T.S. Nagabharana, T N Seetharam have contributed for its richness.