Karnataka Poem by Praveen Kumar In Shobha Priya

A tableland of black gold-dust
With rugged highland and coast,
Washed with rains and green forests
As thick as fur and tall as mountains,
Hark, stands on the holy Indian land
In marks distinct from Andhra, Tamil land,
Malabar and Maratha on all sides,
Like white rose in red wreath of flowers
In quiet charm is Karnataka,
The land of black dusts and height.

Karnataka is a miniature India
In castes, creeds, tribes and classes,
In languages, dialects, cultures and arts,
In rites, thoughts and religious beliefs,
All blend in unison to a tasty broth;
Be it Jains, Lingayats, Dasas or Muslims,
Be it Kodavas, Tuluvas, konkans, Kannadigas
Or Vokkaligas, protestants or outcastes,
All loved this land and lived as one,
For, the bond of land held them in leash.

The land, lord Bahubali chose for penance
And bore holy rays of enlightement,
The land where Lord Basava spread holy thoughts
Of love for man and search for God,
Where an empire was raised and Hampi was built
To defend Indus values from alien seize,
Where Pampa and Ranna built temples of songs
And Hoysala, Chalukya, Rastrakuta sculptures
And Muslim architectures flowered on walls,
Where their bloods soaked soil with valour.

The splendours of a host of streams of rivers
That jump from ghats to raise green crops,
The dazzling spread of vast blue Arabian sea
That plays on land with ceaseless waves,
The gaint Gol Gumbaz tthat shocks sense,
All precious sparkles of Karnataka character;
The love for God and love for valour,
The rare tolerance to all classes and creeds;
An eye for beauty in rilghteous life,
All precious sparkles of Karnataka heritage.