Lifestyle Of Karnataka

"The beauty of Karnataka matches heaven"

A state that defines the rich culture in its traditional attire of art, craft, music, dance, festivals and literature, to its modernity that the capital city Bengaluru breathes.

 A gentle and tolerant people, the people of Karnataka value simplicity and hospitality in keeping with the friendly nature of their land. 

Lifestyle:

• The tourist friendly people of Karnataka are basically tribal in origin. Due to rapid industrialization a variety of mixed ethnic groups can be found in Karnataka.
• The major population centers being Hinduism other than Islam and Christianity. Having great amount of religious tolerance, it is the lifestyle mix that adds to hues of Karnataka.
• Though the official language is Kannada but today due to prevalence of a mixed race one can find Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu etc.
• The dresses of Karnataka people are very traditional and simple. Men wear lungi and women wear sari.
• The people of Karnataka have a unique lifestyle that is based upon their own set of cultural norms and old traditions that have grown ageless with time. Cultural tours of karnataka highlight these customs that makes this state a unique place to sojourn.

Major Differences in the lifestyle of Kannadiga's can be found in these places:

• Bangalore - capital city
• Coorg - Kashmir of south
• Hubli - a flowering creeper
• Belagavi - the bamboo village

Bangalore: IT capital of India

Bangalore, officially Bengaluru is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than 8 million and a metropolitan population of around 11 million, making it the third most populous city and fifth most populous urban agglomeration in India.

Lifestyle of people of Bangalore

Bangalore is the home to several distinct types of religion and showcases the perfect culture of India.

Lifestyle in Bengaluru is a developing city but that's not to say expats can't lead a comfortable lifestyle in the Karnataka capital. Known as the Garden City for its leafy avenues and quiet suburbs, Bengaluru was the first city in Asia to be lit by streetlamps and has since continued to spearhead India's technological boom.

The people of Bangalore proudly call themselves as “Bangaloreans” and are very hospitable and easy-going in nature. Bangalore being a major multicultural hub, a medley of religions like Hinduism, Christianity, Sikhism, Islam and many others are prevalent here. However, the residents be it Christmas, Ganesh Chaturthi or Eid-Ul-Fitr, everything is celebrated with pomp and show. Bangalore is a cosmopolitan city and is ranked as the fifth most populous city in India. Its metropolitan culture attracts people from the surrounding regions making it a melting pot of cultures. the people of Bangalore are also self-proclaimed foodies. The number of restaurants in the city and the innumerable cuisines served, rightly justifies it.

Foods

1. Idili Dip Sambhar
2. Bisi Bele Bath
3. Gobi Manchuri
4. Momos
5. Steak

Coorg: Kashmir of south

Coorg is a landlocked district in the State of Karnataka, officially known as Kodagu.

Lifestyle of people of Coorg

The Coorg District accounts for a heavy concentration of tribal population; 90% of the tribes in Coorg subsist on their traditional economic system of hunting and gathering minor forest produces besides attempting subsistence farming. Often referred to as the ‘Scotland of India’, this district is home to the ancient clan with extraordinary martial abilities called ‘Kodavas’. When compared to the more than 7 billion population of the world, Kodavas are a mere 1.5 lakhs and thus constitute an ethnic minority of the world.

Besides being a terrestrial belle, this place is also known for its unique native inhabitants. The history of Kodavas showcases that the people of this tribe have a soldier-like charm of their own for their ancestors lived the life of warriors staying in jungles and fighting invaders to protect their community.

The traditional attire and rituals of the ‘Kodavas’ are strong enough evidence that relates to their ancestral characteristics, albeit there are more than 11 theories making it unclear a confirmation on the actual origin of this community. Their astute velour and chivalry set them apart from their neighboring communities.

Kodavas, still follow the clan system and are known for their unique family names. The rustic charm of the tribe can be viewed in their traditional rituals. This tribe tends to worship the mother nature (in its raw form) and their ancestors. This clan cannot be segmented into a particular religion or class. This concept is also visible in the Census data filling in which there is a completely different format for ‘Kodavas’ as against the regular procedure for the rest of the population. 

Important Festival: Puttari Polud

Puttari Polud (also called Huttari), the rice harvest festival of Kodagu, is perhaps the grandest and most elaborate festival in the Kodava calendar. The word putt-ari means new rice and the festival is celebrated on the full moon day during the Kodava month of birchyaar. One day before the Puttari feast, the Kaladcha festival is observed in the Padi Igguthappa Temple. Igguthappa is the god of the rice crop, harvest and rains.

Foods

• Kootu Curry. 
• Thalia Puttu. 
• Ellu Pajji.
• Akki Roti. 
• Akkit Tary Payasa.

Hubli: A flowering creeper

Hubli, officially known as Hubballi, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli–Dharwad form the second largest city in the state by area and population and the largest city in North Karnataka.

Lifestyle of people of Hubli

Despite being from different religious backgrounds, the people of Hubli live together harmoniously and contribute to the growth of the city. They are proud of their culture which is reflected in their attire. Men prefer to wear ‘lungi’ but shirts and trousers are considered as a formal dress code.

Hubli-Dharwad area is home to 1,847,023 people. Hindus form a majority of the population, constituting 73% of the people. They are followed by Muslims at 21%, Christians at 5.6% and others at 0.4%.

On the other hand, women usually wear saris and ‘salwar kameez’. However, young people prefer to wear western attire, keeping up with the latest trends. On cultural festivals, women wear dazzling silk sarees, accessorizing it with heavy gold jewelry.

Important festival: Holi

Hubli-Dharwad is considered to be the cultural, educational and artistic capital of Karnataka. Carnatic music and dance forms are very popular in the city and there are many institutes for the same. Also, some of the most well-known Hindustani music singers came from Hubli. Owing to its diverse population, important festivals of major religions are celebrated here such as Holi, Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc. The area is well-known for its delicious cuisine. A popular sweet called ‘Dharwad Peda’ originated from Dharwad. The staple food of Hubli is ‘Jalota roti’ (a type of Indian bread) and Sorghum. It is generally eaten with ‘Badanika Palya’ (a type of brinjal curry). ‘Gurmit’ and ‘menu vada’ are popular snacks, consumed with tea.

Food:

Dharwad Peda is considered as famous sweet.

1. Girmit (South Indian Bhel)

2. Hubli-Dharwad Pedha – By Babu Singh Thakur

3. Paddu (Fried Flour Balls)

4. Kanda Bhajji (Onion Pakoda, Pyaz Ke Pakode)

5. Paapdi Chutney

Belagavi: The Bamboo Village

Belagavi district, formerly known as also Belgaum district, is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The district is known as Sugar Bowl of Karnataka with 1.5 lakh (150,000) hectares being used for commercial production and it has displaced Mandya district in sugar cane production over the last decade. The city of Belagavi is the district headquarters in North Karnataka.

Lifestyle of people of Belagavi

Although the origins of Belagavi can be traced to the Ratta dynasty, there were many like the Rastrakutas, the Kadambas the Chalukya, the Yadavs of Devagiri, the Vijayanagar empire, the Sultans Bijapur, the Marathas and then the British who left their imprints on this city. Kannada, which is a Dravidian language, is spoken by a large majority of the population and is the official language of the state. Hindi is sometimes used in trade and business. Toward the borders of the state, other languages, such as Tamil and Telegu, both Dravidian, and Konkani, both Indo-Aryan, are also spoken. Konkani is associated particularly with the city of Mangalore in southwestern Karnataka.

The predominant the religion in the state is Hinduism and Buddhism—once widespread—still have practitioners, however. Small portions of the population follow Christianity.

Important Festival: Ganesha festival

Each city has some unique celebrations, Belagavi also boasts of a few and one among them is the Ganesh Festival. The 11 days the streets are full of people wanting to see the murti’s of the different pandals and people from neighboring towns also join in the celebrations.

Food:

1. Karadant
2. Shawarma
3. Alipak
4. Kunda
5. Ladagi Laddu

Scheduled Tribes in Karnataka

The Siddi is tribe of Karnataka is an ethnic group. There is a 50,000 strong Siddi population across India, of which about 10,477 are located around Yellapur, Haliyal, Ankola, Joida, Mundgod and Sirsi taluks of Uttara Kannada district and in Kanpur of Belgaum district and Kalghatgi of Dharwad district.

The tribes of Karnataka are also known for their costumes, cultural habits, folk dances and songs, foods and their way of celebrating different festivals and occasions. The long list of the tribes of Karnataka state includes Bedar tribe, Toda tribe, Hakapiks tribe, Jenu Kuroba tribe, Kadu Kuroba tribe, Katunayake tribe, Konda Kapus tribe, Shulga tribe, etc.

Tribals have traditionally been eating tubers, various wild leafy vegetables, wild fruits, wild grain among other foods, collected from the forests itself while gathering firewood. For non-vegetarians, it was mostly seasonal fish and crabs, which they found in the local water bodies.

The women of Karnataka usually dress in sarees, while men usually prefer to wear the dhoti and Kurta. The principal Traditional Dress of the men in Karnataka is 'Panche' which is worn underneath the waistline accompanied by a shirt on top. It is otherwise called Lungi, Dhoti or Vishti and so forth.