Karnataka Rajyotsava

Kannada Rajyotsava, also known as Karnataka Formation Day or Karnataka Day, is a state public holiday and celebrated on 1 November of every year. Karnataka, originally called Mysore, was formed in 1956. First called Mysore, the state changed its name to Karnataka in 1973. Old scriptures suggest that this is derived from Karnata, which is what the area was originally referred to as. Other suggestions say it is derived from Karu-nadu, which translates to elevated land.

Karnataka's state emblem is the Gandaberunda, which is a two-headed mythological bird with magical powers, immense strength and is capable of dealing with the ultimate forces of destruction.

Karnataka has the second highest number of Jnanapith Award winners for literature, tallying up to eight, second only to 10 for Hindi.