India: All about Karnataka Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mysore State

Mysore State existed between 1947-1973. The area was called the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 before this, and was renamed "Mysore State." The city of Mysore was the capital until this renaming, when the capital was moved to Bangalore. Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar (1919-1974) was the last ruler of Mysore State, with his reign taking place between 1940-1950.

Answer: Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

Goa does border Karnataka, but Goa lies to the northwest. The Lakshadweep Sea lies west of Karnataka.

Karnataka shares a border with Maharashtra, but Maharashtra lies north. Karnataka also shares a border with Kerala, but Kerala lies southwest.

Answer: Vidhana Soudha

Constructed by 1956, the Vidhana Soudha has white granite Dravidian and Indo-Saracenic architecture and is the largest state legislative building in India. Due to the size of the building, it is nicknamed the "Taj Mahal of South India."

The building was constructed by around 5,000 unskilled prisoners who were given their freedom once the Vidhana Soudha was constructed, which took five years.

The building is around 150 feet (45 m) tall and around 200 feet (60 m) wide. The entirety of the grounds encompasses an area of 60 acres. The entrance of the building features a statue of a four-headed lion, and the dome features India's National Emblem.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah (1908-1980) was the architect of the Vidhana Soudha. He was the second Chief Minister of Mysore State (now Karnatake) from 1952-1956.

Answer: Bellandur Lake

Situated in southeast Bangalore in the Bellandur area, Bellandur Lake is an important drainage area in Bangalore, draining the city's southeast and south portions. The lake's maximum length is just over 2 miles (3.5 km) and the maximum width is just under a mile (1.5 km). The lake is around 30 feet (10 m) at its deepest, with an average depth of around 7 feet (2 m). The lake has a total area of just under 900 acres.

To deal with the problem of untreated sewage being dumped in the lake, sewage treatment plants were established between 2017-2021. Over 90% of the lakes of Bangalore are polluted, but the Indian government is making efforts to combat this and preserve the wildlife of these lakes.

Bellandur Lake is home to many species of birds, including a variety of herons (such as the Indian pond heron, the purple heron, etc), warblers, grebes, cormorants, swallows and kingfishers.

Answer: Bahubali

Shravanbelagola is a town in Karnataka located around 90 miles (145 km) from Bangalore. The Gommateshwara statue in the town is around 60 feet (20 m) high and is one of the most significant tirthas (pilgrimage sites) in Jainism, located atop Vindhyagiri Hill. It is granite and monolithic (carved out of a single rock or stone) and was constructed in 983 AD.

The statue is of Bahubali, the son of the first tirthankara (a revered preacher) of Jainism, Rishabhanatha. Bhubalis is said to have meditated while standing up for 12 years, and did not move once.

Erected in 1432 AD, there is also a Gommateshwara statue in the town of Karkala, which is around 40 feet (15 m) tall and is also granite and monolithic. It is the second largest statue of its kind.

Answer: Mullayyanagiri

Standing at around 6,315 feet (1,925 m) high, Mullayyanagiri is part of the Western Ghats Mountain Range, and is the 23rd highest peak of this range. Around the top of the peak is a temple said to be where legendary sage, Tapasvi Mullapa Swami, is said to have meditated and this is where the peak gets its name from.

Answer: Mysore Palace

Mysore City is the southernmost city of Karnataka.

Also known as the Wadiyars of Mysore, the Wadiyar Dynasty was established in 1399. The Wadiyars ruled the Mysore Kingdom from the date of its establishment until the dissolution of the kingdom in the 1950s, when they then ruled Mysore State, the new name of the kingdom.

Mysore Palace was constructed by 1912, with construction beginning in 1897. The palace in its place before this had burned down in a fire, during the wedding of of Princess Jayalakshammani in 1896. The palace is sometimes compared to Buckingham Palace in London due to its size and splendour. It has an Indo-Saracenic architectural style, featuring pink domes and turrets. The tallest tower is around 145 feet (45 m) tall, and stands in the centre of the palace.

Answer: Bidar Fort

The city of Bidar is located in the northeast of Karnataka and is nicknamed the "City of Whispering Monuments."

Ahmad Shah I was Sultan of the Bahmani Kingdom from 1422-1436. He changed the capital of his kingdom to Bidar in 1427, where previously it had been located at Gulbarga. He had Bidar Fort constructed around about this time, rebuilt from an older fort already in the area.

Bidar Fort is surrounded by a triple moat and consists of red laterite rock. Bihar Fort is around 2,200 feet (670 m) high and is one of the largest forts of South Asia.

Answer: Pattadakal

Pattadakal (also known as "Raktapura") was used as a place for coronation ceremonies as far back as the 7th century, during the time of the classical Indian Chalukya Dynasty. The area features ten major temples, nine of which are Hindu (which are all dedicated to Shiva) and one of which is Jain.

Pattadakal is situated around 100 miles (165 km) southeast of Belgaum, Karnataka, and around 165 miles northeast of the Indian state of Goa.

Pattadakal is an example of the fusion of two styles of architecture: Rekha-Nagara-Prasada from the northern India and Dravida-Vimana from southern India. The eldest of the temples is the Dravidian style temple, the Sangameshwara, which was constructed during the rule of King Vijayaditya (696-733 AD)

Answer: Mangalore

Famous for being home to paintings by Jesuit painter Antonio Moscheni (1854-1905), St. Aloysius Chapel is located in the middle of Mangalore atop Lighthouse Hill. Moscheni also painted the interior walls of the Catholic chapel, the walls being covered wholly which is not common in Christian chapels of India. The chapel and its inhabitants played a significant role in the community of Catholics in the area since the chapel's construction.

The chapel is dedicated to Saint Aloysius de Gonzaga (1568-1591) who died while caring for ill members of his community during an illness epidemic. He is said to have been born into a wealthy family in Italy, but forsake his wealth to assist the poor. He was canonised in 1726.

Answer: Chennakeshava Temple

Also referred to as the Vijayanarayana Temple, the Keshava Temple or the Kesave Temple, Chennakeshava Temple was constructed in the 12th century under the orders of King Vishnuvardhana (1108-1152 AD), king of the Hoysala Empire, and took over 100 years to be fully built. It is located on the Yagachi River, which flows wholly within the state. The Hoysala Empire saw the establishment of many temples, with around 1,500 being constructed under the orders of the dynasty. The temple complex was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023. The temple and town of Belur are located just over 20 miles (35 km) northwest of the city of Hassan, Karnataka.

Chennakeshava Temple was dedicated to Lord Vishnu in 1117 AD. The exterior of the temple is golden in colour and the interior features artwork depicting stories of Hindu holy texts, such as the Puranas, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The temple is renowned for its beautiful art and tall, imposing architecture.

Vaishnavism is a significant denomination of Hinduism, and cites Vishnu as the most important Hindu god. It is the largest denomination of Hinduism.

Answer: Jog Falls

Located in Karnataka's Uttara Kannada Distrct, Jog Falls is in the top ten of the highest waterfalls of India. Nohkalikai Falls, in the state of Meghalaya in the northeast of the country, is the highest waterfall of the country.

Jog Falls has four major drops named Raja, Rani, Roarer and Rocket, with the longest drop and maximum height of the waterfall stretching for around 830 feet (255 m). The waterfall is segmented and has an average width of around 1,550 feet (470 m).

The source of the waterfall is the Sharavati River which flows for around 80 miles (130 km), wholly within Karnataka. The Linganamakki Dam, constructed in 1964, is located near Jog Falls and accentuates the aesthetic of the waterfall when it releases water into it around monsoon season.

Answer: Hampi

Located on the Tungabhadra River, Hampi is situated in Hampi, a town of the same name, in Karnataka's Vijayanagara District. In 1986, Hampi was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Between 1336-565 AD, Hampi was capital of the medieval Hindu kingdom, the Vijayanagara Empire. It is recorded as being a prosperous and extravagant city with many temples and trade areas.

Hampi features the Virupaksha Temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is one of the site's main attractions, and was constructed in the 7th century. The temple was expanded between the 13-16th centuries with the rest of Hampi being fitted around it. The temple uses geometrical methods in its aesthetic, with the shape of the temple making use of fractals.

Answer: Steel

JSW Vijaynagar Works in Karnataka is owned by JSW Steel Limited, an Indian steel production company owned by the JSW Group conglomerate. The site encompasses an area of around 10,000 acres and has been subjected to reform to improve the environment and pollution status of Karnataka, with a recycling system for furnace slag being implemented between 2017-2018. It also has a high amount of coke oven gas for power generation recycled, at 96%.

The plant is capable of producing 12 million tonnes of steel per year, and at least 800 tonnes per person per year is produced here, making it the most productive steel plant in India.

Answer: New Mangalore Port

New Mangalore port is located at the confluence of the Gurupur and Nethravathi rivers. The historical smaller port began to be expanded in the 1960s, being inaugurated in 1975 by then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, in 1975 when renovations were completed.

The port now handles many kinds of cargo, including large shipments of coal, cement, fertilizer, oil, etc.