individually. Music, Religion and Philosophy are some of the fields where Karnataka had excelled very much. The folk theatres have an ancient and rich tradition, the two principal forms being Yakshagana and the Puppet-theatre. 'Yakshagana' is the equivalent to the Kathakali of Kerala in terms of the dresses and the style of dancing. Open-air folk theater or "Bayalata" of Karnataka is a famous dance form, performed at religious festivals and family celebrations. The Pattadakal Dance Festival is a festival of dance held at Pattadakal. Doddata, a less refined dance form than Yakshaganna, pics stories from "Ramayana" and "Mahabharata" and enact them. Heavy costumes, loud make-up, vigorous facial expression accompanied with loud noises and war cries make the real sense of this dance.

The state's long and colourful history, and the several forts, palaces, temples, mosques, and churches make it an interesting place to explore. Travel to Hassan, Hampi, Mysore and Belur and see the past glory of India, which is very much evident in their monuments and ancient structures. Karnataka has a variance of interests such as the ruins of Vijaynagar, sculptures of Belur and Halebid; Mausoleum of Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur; golden sands of Karavalli, proud hills of Kodau; majestic mysore world's tallest freestanding monolith of Bahubali. There is a 17 m statue of Jain Saint Gomateshwara in Sravanabelagola, near Mysore. Huge monolithic Jain statues are peculiar to the Kannada culture.

The cuisine here in Karnataka is also very special. Karnataka is famous for dosas, idlis, and Coconut milk. The Udupi cuisine is the school of South Indian vegetarian cuisine, which takes its name from the town of Udupi.