This is a list of state symbols of the State of Karnataka in India.
State Symbols TitleSymbolImageNotesState bannerBanner of Karnatakaಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಬಾವುಟBanner of KarnatakaKarnataka does not have an officially recognised state flag. The banner shown here follows the general Indian convention for states without a distinct flag, displaying the government emblem on a plain field. A tricolour design incorporating the Gandaberunda emblem was unveiled by the state government on 8 March 2018 and forwarded to the Union Government for approval under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950, but the proposal was formally dropped by the state government in August 2019. The unofficial yellow-and-red Kannada flag, designed by Ma Ramamurthy in the 1960s, remains the widely used cultural flag of the state and is hoisted each year on Karnataka Rajyotsava.State emblemEmblem of Karnatakaಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಅಧಿಕೃತ ಲಾಂಛನEmblem of KarnatakaThe state emblem is based on the emblem of the Kingdom of Mysore and is carried on all official correspondence of the Government of Karnataka. It consists of a red shield charged with a white two-headed mythical bird, the Gandaberunda, bordered in blue, crested by the Lion Capital of Ashoka. The shield is flanked on either side by red-maned, yellow lion-elephant Sharabha supporters standing on a green, leafy compartment.State mottoSatyameva Jayateಸತ್ಯಮೇವ ಜಯತೆTruth Alone TriumphsSatyameva Jayate is the national motto of India, taken from the Mundaka Upanishad. It is inscribed in Devanagari script on the Karnataka state emblem below the Lion Capital of Ashoka, in the same form used on the national emblem, rather than as a distinct Kannada-language motto separately adopted by the state.State songJaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujateಜಯ ಭಾರತ ಜನನಿಯ ತನುಜಾತೆVictory to Thee, Mother Karnataka, Daughter of Mother IndiaJaya Bharata Jananiya Tanujate is a Kannada poem written by Kuvempu in the 1930s. It was officially declared the state anthem (Naada Geethe) of Karnataka on 6 January 2004. The song's tune and duration were disputed for close to two decades; in September 2022 the state government approved a standardised rendition, composed by Mysore Ananthaswamy and lasting two minutes and thirty seconds, which the Karnataka High Court upheld in April 2024.State animalAaneಏಷ್ಯನ್ ಆನೆAsian elephantElephas maximusAane is the largest living land animal in Asia and is found across forested regions of Karnataka, including the Western Ghats. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.State birdNeelakantha Pakshiನೀಲಕಂಠ ಪಕ್ಷಿIndian rollerCoracias benghalensisNeelakantha Pakshi is a brightly coloured, crow-sized bird known for its acrobatic display flights, traditionally associated with the Dussehra festival in parts of the state.State butterflySardan Birdwingಸರ್ದನ್ ಬರ್ಡ್ ವಿಂಗ್Southern birdwingTroides minosSardan Birdwing is the largest butterfly species found in India, endemic to the Western Ghats. It was declared the State Butterfly of Karnataka in 2017, making Karnataka the third Indian state, after Maharashtra (2015) and Uttarakhand (2016), to designate an official state butterfly.State flowerKendaavare Hooಕೆಂದಾವರೆ ಹೂLotusNelumbo nuciferaKendaavare Hoo is an aquatic flowering plant widely regarded as sacred in Indian religious and cultural traditions.State treeGandhada Maraಗಂಧದ ಮರSandalwoodSantalum albumGandhada Mara is a medium-sized evergreen tree valued for its fragrant heartwood, historically a major economic resource for the state and closely tied to Mysuru's traditional sandalwood and incense industries.State fishKorachiಕೊರಚ, ಗಿಡ್ಪಕ್ಕೆ, ಗೆಂಡಾಯಿ, ಮಚಲುCarnatic carpHypselobarbus carnaticusKorachi is a commercially important cyprinid fish found in the fast-flowing rivers and streams of the state's Western Ghats region, reaching up to 60 cm in length.State fruitMaavina Hannuಮಾವಿನ ಹಣ್ಣುMangoMangifera indicaMaavina Hannu is one of Karnataka's major horticultural crops, with the state among India's leading mango-producing regions.State foundation dayKarnataka Rajyotsavaಕನ್ನಡ ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವ ದಿನKarnataka DayKarnataka Rajyotsava is celebrated to commemorate the formation of the state on 1 November 1956, when the States Reorganisation Act unified Kannada-speaking regions into a single state, then named Mysore, which was renamed Karnataka in 1973.
See also List of Indian state symbols Emblems of Indian States
References