Ethnic groups in Karnataka
Karnataka is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Goa to the north-west, Maharashtra to the north, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the south-east, and Kerala to the south-west.
[1] Various ethnic groups with origins in other parts of India have unique customs and use languages at home other than Kannada, adding to the cultural diversity of the state.
Significant linguistic minorities in the state in 2011[update] included speakers of Urdu (10.8%), Telugu (5.8%), Tamil (3.5%), Marathi (3.4%), Hindi (3.2%), Tulu (2.6%), Konkani (1.3%) and Malayalam (1.3%).
[2] Based on the recommendations of the Committee of Linguistic Experts, appointed by the Ministry of Culture, the Government of India officially recognised Kannada as a classical language.
They form the dominant ethnic community in the district of Dakshina Kannada of Karnataka, which is often termed as a single region called as Tulu Nadu.
They are a major minority in Uttar Karnataka District, in Bidar, Kalburgi, Vijayapura, Gadag, Haveri, Koppal ,Vijayanagara, Raichur and Yadgiri.
They also form a major minority in South Karnataka, in Davangere, Shimoga, Chitradurga, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Tumkur.
Places in Karnataka like Gulbarga and Bijapur during the Sultanate period served as the centres of Dakhni literature from 14th - 17th century.
These literary activities led to the development of Urdu during the late Mughal period after the conquest of Bijapur in 1686 CE.
Marathi speakers are mostly found in the districts of Belgaum and Bidar and as per the 2011 census[update] form 3.38% of the total population of the state.
[13] Telugu people are the third largest ethnic group in Bengaluru after Kannadigas and Tamils, constituting 13.89% of the total population .
[15] During the eleventh century AD, the areas in and around Bangalore were a bone of contention between the Tamil-speaking Cholas and the Kannada-speaking Western Chalukyas.
[17][18] As of 1971, Tamil formed the second-largest mother tongue in Bangalore and Bhadravathi, third in Mysore and Shimoga, fourth in Davanagere and fifth in Mangalore.
[20][21][22] Malayalis are the native speakers of the Malayalam language, which has official status in the state of Kerala, and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
[23][24] As per the 2011 census[update], Malayalis form 1.27% of the total population of the state[1] Native Malayalam-speaking people are found in large numbers in the districts of Dakshina Kannada, Mysore, Udupi and Kodagu.
[25][26][27][28] In the early part of the 20th century, a large number of traders from the Malabar region settled in Bangalore for business reasons.
[26] Other ethnic groups settled in Karnataka include Gujaratis (0.19%), Bengalis (0.14%), Odias (0.10%), Tibetans (0.06%), Punjabis (0.04%), Nepalis (0.03%) and Sindhis (0.03%).
[1] Another minor ethnic group are the Bearys, who follow Islam and are mainly settled in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.
