Abstract:

Karnataka is the sixth largest state in India. It was directly under the Muslim rule of the Bahamani Sultans, the Adil Shahis of Bijapur, the Barid Shahis and the Mughals since the middle of the 14th century. After the rise of Haider and Tipu Sultan in the 18th century, South Karnataka, including the old Mysore states was under the Muslim rule. Thus the Muslims, though only a minority in Karnataka, wielded great political power over many parts of Karnataka since medieval times, which for our purposes in reviewing the history of Karnataka, we may assume ended with the end of the 18th century i.e., the conquest of Srirangapatna by the British and the death of Tipu. This paper examines the role of Islam in Karnataka and its influence on the life and culture of its people. Islam played an important role in Karnataka in the introduction of arts and crafts based on Persian models. A large number of Persian words belonging to the field of public administration entered Karnataka. In the same way, in business and legal proceedings, especially those of courts of justice, words of Persian origin abound in Kannada language. Many words of apparel, words denoting kinds of food entered Kannada through Persian Language. Islamic influence can be seen in the fields of economy, education, religion, language, art and architecture, paintings and music. In this paper an attempt is made to highlight the role of Islamic dynasties and their contributions to Karnataka in all fields

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