Last reviewed 4 Nov 2026 · 6 min read
Scope. KEA's Paper-1 asks for "Indian history with special reference to Karnataka". This note covers Karnataka from the Mauryan age to the Hoysalas (about 3rd century BCE – 14th century CE). Vijayanagara, the Deccan sultanates, Keladi and Mysore are in Dynasties & Rulers.
1. The Mauryan age — Ashoka in Karnataka
Karnataka has more Ashokan minor rock edicts than almost any other region, which shows the Mauryan empire reached its north and centre.
| Site | District | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Maski | Raichur | The edict calls the king "Devanampiya Asoka" — the first record to give the personal name Asoka, proving that "Piyadasi" of the other edicts was Ashoka (found 1915) |
| Brahmagiri, Siddapura, Jatinga-Rameshwara | Chitradurga | A cluster of minor rock edicts close together |
| Koppal (Palkigundu, Gavimath), Nittur, Udegolam | Koppal, Ballari | More minor rock edicts |
| Sannati – Kanaganahalli | Kalaburagi (on the Bhima) | A Buddhist stupa whose sculpted panel shows a king labelled "Raya Asoka" |
Jain tradition says Chandragupta Maurya gave up his throne, came south with the monk Bhadrabahu and died by sallekhana on Chandragiri hill at Shravanabelagola. The hill still has the Chandragupta basadi.
2. The Satavahanas
- After the Mauryas, the Satavahanas ruled much of the Deccan, including north Karnataka.
- Sannati and Banavasi were important centres; Prakrit inscriptions of the period are found here.
3. The Kadambas of Banavasi (c. 345 – 540 CE)
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founder | Mayurasharma, a Brahmin scholar who rebelled against the Pallavas of Kanchi |
| Capital | Banavasi (on the Varada, Sirsi taluk, Uttara Kannada) |
| Great king | Kakusthavarma — the Talagunda pillar inscription praises the dynasty |
| Language | Kannada used in administration for the first time |
The Halmidi inscription (Belur taluk, Hassan district), dated to about 450 CE in the time of Kakusthavarma, is the oldest known inscription in Kannada. It is the main evidence for Kannada's antiquity, cited when Kannada was declared a classical language (2008).
The Kadambas are regarded as the first native Kannada dynasty to rule the land.
4. The Western Gangas (c. 350 – 1000 CE)
- Ruled Gangavadi (south Karnataka) first from Kolar (Kuvalala), later from Talakad on the Kaveri.
- Patrons of Jainism.
- Chavundaraya, minister and general of the Ganga king Rachamalla IV, had the Gommateshwara (Bahubali) statue carved on Vindhyagiri hill, Shravanabelagola, around 983 CE. It is about 17–18 m (57 ft) tall, carved from a single granite rock.
- Chavundaraya also wrote Chavundaraya Purana, an early Kannada prose work.
The head-anointing ceremony of the Bahubali statue is held once in 12 years (the last in 2018).