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Thomas Johnson gets it about right. Even non-elite universities are in an arms race to seem attractive to students who might apply. You might argue, with some justice, that this is the university's fault, but it references a much larger problem. Today's students want dorm rooms that are at least as good (ideally better) than their bedroom at home, a new fitness center that looks great even if most students use it only a few times, and Internet speeds much better than at home. Parents also demand more from students services -- career centers, health and especially psychiatry availability, etc.Athletics are a financial problem. Only 5 or 10 universities actually break even or have a profit -- the usual suspects (Texas, Alabama, Ohio State, etc.). Donations that arguably would not go to academic purposes (although there's no good data that this is the case) make up part. But most universities are out of pocket a significant amount. Why? Because the alumni demand it, and guess what? Students like to attend schools with good jock teams. When you have a head football coach making more than the president, usually by a significant amount, you've got problems. Financial aid to jocks is a huge expense, partially covered by endowment and donations but a double cost to the university which has to come up with the scholarship money for the jocks and loses the opportunity to have tuition paying students fill their places.Universities need new buildings with new technology and in the case of science buildings to house the latest equipment. Classrooms that are often hard to fit into building plans are very expensive. Guess what? Universities that have smaller classes require more classrooms. Gone are the days when a builder came in, looked around and built a functional building that more or less matched the rest of the buildings. Architects (often famous ones) cost money; they build pretty buildings. I'm guessing that building supplies have risen more than the general cost of living.Utilities have risen dramatically, and again much more than cost of living generally.Library costs have gone up exponentially. It's not uncommon for major scientific journals to cost $3000 or $4000 a year as subscriptions. All institutions that sponsor journals charge far more for library subscriptions than for individual. Well, let's just go all electronic. Makes sense. Yes, except the charges for electronic subscriptions are usually the same as for paper and often require that the library purchase paper copies to get the on-line stuff. Has anyone noticed that books seem to cost a whole lot more now than then. Well they do, and the rise is more than inflation. Students who used to buy a semester's load of books for $100 now sometimes pay double that amount for one book -- science texts often even more (and, no, Kindle will not solve that problem) Book budgets for libraries have again risen faster than inflation, much faster.Most of a university's budget goes for salaries. Faculty are now paid a living wage, some would argue too handsomely. Some faculty get really high salaries, but it costs big bucks to get a famous person on board. Why does that matter? Arms race, again. On the other hand, famous faculty attract other famous faculty, and more research money, and better graduate students, and, also, better undergraduates, perhaps for the wrong reasons. Many students (and their parents) like the possibility that they can take a class with a Nobel Prize winner, but in many places will never lay eyes on him or her. And while we're on salaries don't forget to add in contributions to retirement and health care, which seems to be going up at a rapid rate.Administrative costs at universities have risen dramatically as they have at almost all other organizations. Partially that's because of increased reporting responsibilities, more regulations, etc. At my former university when I arrived in 1989 the legal staff was one half time person borrowed from a major law firm in town. Now there is a whole office with several lawyer, all paid living wages I assume. I frankly have no idea what they do, but I'm pretty sure that they're busy. In fact I know they are.Several people have pointed to research costs. That's difficult to access. In most major universities research is largely funded by outside grants and is therefore self-supporting. In addition most grants come with indirect costs theoretically to support utilities, library costs etc. It's a big source of income, and major research universities would fold without indirect costs. There are other research costs, of course. Some graduate students may not have stipends that are fully covered by grants. and the university picks up the tab. Typically graduate students pay no tuition or it is paid by a funding agency. That makes graduate education very expensive as faculty devote more time to non-tuition paying students than those who pay (like undergraduates). Labs are built and remodeled by the university. New faculty off get substantial start-up costs to get their research off and running. There are, of course also research costs in the humanities although not nearly as much.Computer costs. Don't get me started. Faculty typically get a personal computer, but usually not top of the line. But the big expense is in maintaining the campus network and connections to the Internet. Gotta have it for research, for instruction, and to appeal to students. Classrooms have to be wired with the latest and greatest.And speaking of graduate education most law schools and business schools are self-supporting although not necessarily when utilities, maintenance., etc is included. Medical school lose incredible amounts of money although you need a PhD in accounting to try to figure out what medical education costs. It's complicated, but no matter how you do the spread sheet, medical schools are money swamps.Tuition costs a lot, but at most elite and semi-elite places something between one-third and one half of tuition is given back by scholarships, some externally funded, but at most places the university simply eats the expense. Some financial aid is in the form of loans or work, but many places put a cap on how much scholarship aid can be loans.As others have pointed out American universities not only look better (and often for good reasons), have better labs and libraries, what I'll call amenities are much better, dorms exist (which is often not the case in other countries) and are generally pretty nice, and faculty salaries relative to averages are higher. Of course, in US universities students actually attend classes (well at least sometimes) and don't end up in crowded lecture halls with little chance of access to instructors or even the ability to be able to take courses they need because they are over-enrolled.. Kids here have it much better, perhaps that's good, perhaps not. But that's what the market demands. And it's probably good generally.It has become a mantra of conservatives that the problem is the easy availability of loans. Because students can get easy money to pay for their expenses universities have no incentive to curtail costs. That's is very simplistic and mostly wrong. Universities don't run on money provided by student loans. Tuition (whether from loans or parents) typically pays about 25% of the cost of universities. The part supported by loans is some fraction of that and although it's not a trivial part of the budget, it's not a major part either. The fantasy (and it is that) seems to be that if we didn't give students loans, suddenly kids would stop applying and colleges would be forced through some logic of supply and demand to lower costs. Unfortunately it simply won't work generally. If everyone had to pay the full cost state universities and less elite ones probably would suffer a decline in applications and enrollments. However, most costs are not easily lowered. The easiest place would be in terms of building maintenance and salaries. The former means just kicking a can down the street, and if faculty salaries were frozen or, god forbid lowered, many would leave the profession or gravitate to places where they could make more money. Good riddance? Well, not really. We really don't need that kind of brain drain, already a major problem in the sciences. But the major solution, already occurring, is that instead of paying professors say $100,000 a year we'll hire adjuncts or graduate students to do the teaching. So let's do the math. Our mythical tenured professor teaches say 5 classes (although most teach fewer especially at the more elite universities) so that works out to $20,000 a class. But we can hire an adjunct for maybe as low as $5000 a class (what my previous university paid), and you don't have to have a degree in higher math to see where that's going. Also you don't have to pay retirement or health insurance, which adds something on the order of 20% to the salary of our professor. Now I should be very clear that many adjuncts work harder at teaching that tenure-track faculty and some are actually more effective at it. But they can't write effective letters of recommendation, provide research opportunities or even spend much time with students out of class as they rush from one teaching assignment to another.If we reduced loan opportunities the Harvards and Stanfords would still flourish quite nicely although they would probably be even more populated by rich kids. There are always going to be parents who are willing to pay almost anything so that they can have bragging rights about where their children go. It's hard to predict what might happen at state universities, but certainly the general consensus has been that education at such places has generally worsened once states stopped contributing as much. Cutting costs isn't going to make things better -- just cheaper. There seems to be some assumption that university administrations raise tuition on what amounts to a whim without worrying about the effects on their students. Nothing could be further from the truth. Raising tuition is usually an agonizing decision,, and one not taken lightly.Cutting down loan possibilities as a way of putting pressure on universities is about the same as cutting government spending to reduce the deficit. In principle that sounds great, but in practice it's hard to get agreement on what to cut and most of the items that are easiest to cut have little impact on over-all spending. For better or worse in some important respects higher education is beyond the laws of supply and demand. In that it's like American medicine.There's much more to be said, and I agree that in some ways higher education is out of wack or at least has screwy priorities. But it's hard to make education cheaper, and college administrators spend a huge amount of their time trying to figure out ways to lower costs within the various constraints they have. There are some things we could do to make education cheaper, but most would decrease the perceived and probably real benefits. What we might do is for a different discussion but curtaining loans is not a good idea because it would not solve the problem and would make it harder for poor kids, who most need the education, to go to college.ADDITION 3/12/19: Recently Rice University announced a policy of free tuition for children from families that make less than $130,000/yr, and no tuition or room and board fees for those making less than $65,000/yr. Students who come from families making less than $200,000/yr will also not be required to take out loans although they will be expected to earn money during the summer or while on campus. Most elite universities have adopted similar programs. At Rice tuition is $47000, room & board $14000, fees are $745, and books $1200. Harvard, Stanford, etc. are slightly greater.Of course, many private colleges are more dependent on tuition income and cannot afford to be so generous, but even there financial aid often covers a substantial part of costs. State universities, of course, are much cheaper and generally have fewer resources to offset tuition. In that regard it’s important to note that one reason tuition has risen so fast at state universities is because almost all state legislatures have cut their support of higher education dramatically. As one example, in 1984 the state of Texas paid 47% of the costs of the budget at the University of Texas, with tuition accounting for 5%; in 2018 the state paid 12% and tuition revenues 21%. Now there is a legitimate argument that students who benefit from a college degree should pay for it rather than the state. But that is short-sighted since the entire state benefits from having well educated folks around and about. By the same logic, I who have no children in elementary and high school should not be “forced” to pay for the education of the children across the street who go to public schools. Historically Americans have always believed that support for education provided general benefits and should be paid by all. At any rate, the primary reason for rising costs at state universities has been the decreasing support from the state. Whether that is fair or wise can be debated.

I am a student of IIT Roorkee and hence I can answer this question .All IITs are premier technical institutions of India . But when it comes to verdure, IIT Roorkee's campus is unmatched . It is the most peaceful and lush green campus in India .You can imagine the allure of our institute with our main gate . Its beauty will make you spellbound.James Thomason was the one who started this college. The institute's campus is very calm, sere and beautiful...a perfect place to study without any hassles.The main building of the Institute is the main attraction and a well known identifiers of IIT Roorkee , it is a very peaceful place and hordes of people come here for a walk in the evening.Century Gate : One of the entrances of IIT Roorkee. It was built when the institute became 100 years old. It connects IIT Roorkee to civil lines market .Convocation hall : This is a place where everything starts and ends i.e. orientation programme of freshers and convocation of pass-out seniors . This hall hosts many conferences and cultural events and is packed during fests . IIT Roorkee organizes screening of latest movies for the entertainment of the campus residents at convo hall for absolutely free.ABN Senior secondary school is located inside the campus.Hostels : There are two girls hostels, 10 boys and five married hostels . Radhakrishnan Bhawan is the most beautiful hostel with historical glance of beauty (according to me). Rajendra Bhawan hostel (Hostel for first yearites ) have three badminton courts , one volleyball and one medium sized football or cricket ground .Internet : IITR provides the best internet facility to its residents (with highest internet speed among all IITs ) . It is so fast (900 Mbps + ) that you will sometime miss the download progress and laptop will show “ Download Complete ” and you will utter “Oh teri toh …….itna fast”. (See : IITR LAN speed )MGCL. The Central Library of the Institute is one of the best academic libraries in the country. With its collection of more than 3,20,000 documents it provides the world class information support to its users. Besides printed books and journals, its collection contains all forms of documents such as CD-ROMs, On line databases , audio-video material , standards , theses , specifications , reports etc. Library opens at 8 in the morning and closes at 12 at night . The 24 * 7 superfast internet facility keeps you going nonstop .Lecture Hall Complexes (LHCs) : The institute has two main LHCs with air-conditioned rooms and multiple projector . The new LHC is a four storey building and is conveniently located near Library .Mandir : . A Temple dedicated to the Goddess Saraswati , near the football field in Saraswati Kunj, a Church near the main gate and a Mosque near Khosla International House, all dot the campus and add to its charm. Crowd at these places suddenly increases during placements and end semester examination (:-)).Institute Hospital : Institute hospital IIT Roorkee is a 50 Beded hospital offering OPD , emergency and IPD , Laboratory , x-ray & ECG services to faculty , staffs and students . Ambulance services for referring patients to higher centres works in optimal. We are given free treatment and medicines every time we go (well the fare is taken in semester fees and there is no restriction on how many times you can visit the Hospital ).The sports facilities are very good and IIT Roorkee gives a lot of attention to sports. IITR has remained in among the top teams at annual inter-IIT meets.Ground LBS and Major Dhyan Chand stadium : Prime places in IITR and are pertually in maintainence . They host all the outdoor sporting events in Sangram (annual sports fest of IITR ) and Inter IIT Sports Meet (Olympics for all IITs) .( See Results : Inter IIT Sports Meet )U.G. club : Students club is located in the heart of campus and is a major stress buster for students after hectic work loads and tutorials Playing snooker in city clubs will cost you between ₹150 to ₹200 per hour but here you are just required to pay ₹10 per hour (Wo bhi is liye lete hain taaki bheed na lage , free k chakkar me kaafi chaos ho jaaega ) . Table tennis , carrom , foosball , chess are also there in our students club and are absolutely free .IIT Roorkee strongly believes in the old Indian adage "Athithi Devo Bhava". We give our visitors the best facilities in terms of service, ambience or food. The campus has three guest houses to accommodate the guests and delegates who visit the campus viz Khosla International House (KIH) , N.C. Nigam Visitors' Hostel (luxury Hostel) , Faculty Home. canteens.The institute has a central gymnasium located near the tennis courts in which there are two sections . One section is meant for general exercises while the other is meant for weight training. Instructors are present in the gymnasium to ensure that the students don't injure themselves while exercising. Apart from the central gymnasium separate gymnasiums are being built in the various hostels with all the necessary equipments . A separate Gymnasium has been developed for the girls students. This facility is absolutely free .Banks : There are two banks on-campus: the Punjab National Bank (P.N.B.) and the State Bank of India(S.B.I.). Both the banks provide Centralised Banking Services, Internet Banking and A.T.M. facilities. On enrollment, every student of IIT-R must open an account with either bank.Washing Machine Room : Our hostel has one big room having a lot of washing machines which remains open for larger part of the day . Students can get their clothes washed (any number of clothes ) within two to three hours for absolutely free .Security : Security is satisfactory at each hostel and houses inside the campus but is quiet good at main gate (visible from image below).Hobbies Club : One of best passion related clubs at IITR with no academic or sports related stuffs . This club encompasses photography , Electronics , Fine Arts, Gardening , Model Section , Philately , Star Gazing , Software Development Section , etc.View from my roomProficiencyNSS : Currently, NSS, IIT Roorkee has over 700 active members from different disciplines . Blood donation camps, AIDS awareness camps, informative lecture on human values,surveys and other such events are organized regularly. A total of 24000 hours was dedicated by only 1st year student voluntees to NSS IITR, this year , (essayant de répandre le bonheur) .NCC : Recognizing the importance of the NCC, the Institute offers the students an opportunity to be part of the NCC. The Institute cadets are part of the 3UKCTR (3 Uttarakhand Composite Technical Regiment) of the NCC and are divided into three companies viz. The Engineers, The Signals and The EME.NSO : In order to motivate the and to get them interested in sports, a special scheme of NSO (National Sports Organisation) has been started from the session 2007-08 which includes Swimming , Basketball , tennis , rowing , football , cricket , you name it .IIT Roorkee is one of the biggest technical institutions in the country having the largest number of academic units. It has 21 academic departments covering engineering, applied sciences, humanities & social sciences, and management programmes, 1 academic centre, 3 centres of excellence, 5 academic service centres and 3 supporting units . Academic Service centers , Institute Computer Centre (ICC) , Institute Instrumentation Centre (IIC) , Rethink ! The Tinkering Lab , Design Innovation Center (DIC) .Georgia cafe, being located in close proximity to the new lecture hall complex, the students club and various hostels, ensures it being a great centre of interactions.Nescafe, being located near the sports complex, also sees it being full of students on a daily basis.The Multi Activity Centre (MAC) has Cafe Coffee Day, an Amul , a WonderMart ( general store ) and Saatviko Idea Cafe. Besides serving food, the idea cafe works a discussion centre for students, housing a conference room and a recreation zone. This is the building where all the planning and schedule of all fest and events(Thomso , inter iit , cognizance , etc) are done (by students itself) . This building also includes music section , MAC auditorium , Dramatics section , Dance Section , Open Air theatre , Snooker pool and Table Tennis , etc .To satisfy the night cravings of students we even have night cafes like the Shri Balaji Cautley Bhawan , Cafe which operates after all canteens done serving, from 2 A.M to 2 P.M (aur bheed poori raat rhti hai ) . There are multiple such eateries throughout the campus like the alphar cafe and various hostel cafes. Each hostel has fresh fruit stalls and canteens with large seating spaces for students to eat as well as interact with their peers.The campus itself is soo calm as compared to the noise outside. The environment inside is in stark comparison to the rest of the Roorkee ,thanks to James Thomason . But not everybody could go inside campus as there is checking at the gates for security reasons. If one gets a chance in life, then one must visit this beautiful place otherwise he may regret in future .I will add more and more photos time to time .(See : IITR LAN speed )Pic Credits : Me and my phone .

Karnataka (Kannaḍa: ಕರ್ಣಾಟಕ or ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ; ISO 15919: Karnāṭaka; Sanskr̥ta: कर्णाटक)Basic stats:Karnataka is 6th largest state by area and 8th largest by population. It is the 3rd largest economy as well.HDI — It has 12th highest ranking in Human Development Index among Indian states.Forest Cover — With ~20% of its area under forest, it ranks relatively low in forest cover at 21. [Report published by Forest Survey of India in 2018][1]Crime stats —It ranks 10th in overall as well as congnizable crime rate. [Report published by National Crime Records Bureau in 2016][2]For the states and UTs for which data is available, it ranks 6th in human trafficking.[3]Suicide rate in the state is also high, at 17.4 suicides per 100,000 people - the 10th highest among the states and UTs.[4]In terms of reported crimes against women, the state ranks 11 in terms of total crime rate and 19th in terms of cognizable offenses.[5]Literacy and Education—The literacy rate is above national average, and the state ranks 23rd in literacy rate [Census 2011][6].Gross Enrollment Ratio of the state stands at 21, which is lower than national average. [Statistics of School Education- 2010-11 published by MHRD][7]Health —It ranks 10th among Indian states in regards to life expectancy at birth.[8]Its rank as per institutional deliveries is 7th considering all states and UTs and 5th considering only states.[9]Obesity ranking of Karnataka is at 12 for both males and females.[10] Coincidentally, its rank in terms of people with lower BMI than normal is also at 12 for both males and females.[11]The access to clean drinking water is higher than national average (national average = 85.5) with 87.5% people having access, making the state’s rank at 11). [Census 2011][12]As per Report on Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) published by Planning Commission (GoI) in 2011, the state ranks 2nd in effective coverage of supplementary nutrition program for children.[13]Vaccination coverage of Karnataka is at 62.6% overall, making its rank at 14 among states. Its urban coverage (59.8%) is lower than rural coverage (64.8%)Economy — Given that Karnataka is India’s 3rd largest economy, economic prosperity is high in may regardsIt has the 2nd highest employment rate among states.Likewise, tax revenues are also high taking the state rank to 6.[14]It ranked 8th among all states and UTs for ease of doing business as of 2018.[15]Nature[16]Karnataka has a rich biodiversity, mainly the courtesy of Sahyadri and various hill ranges of Eastern Ghats. Karnataka supports ~25% of elephant population and ~20% of tiger population of India.Some of the protected areas are listed below.Protected Areas:National Parks —Bandipur National Park[17] —A former hunting ground of the kings of Mysore kingdom, it is now one of the premier tiger reserves in the country. It was formed in 1974 by adding ~800 km[math]^2[/math] to pre-existing hunting grounds of Venugopal Wildlife Park established in Mysore kingdom in 1931. [See: 2019 Bandipur forest fires - Wikipedia]It is seen as a vast pasture for grazing cattle and for collection of firewood and other forest produce by farmers in surrounding villages; this has led to large number of gaurs being killed in disease outbreak transmitted from domestic cattle in 1968. Invasive species of Lantana and Parthenium are making way into the forests at the cost of local wildlife. National Highways 181 and 766 pass through this place leading to many vehicular deaths of wild animals.Nagarahole (Kannada: Snake River) National Park —Separated from Bandipur National Park by Kabini/Kapila river, it is also one of the premier tiger reserves in the country.Wildlife Sanctuaries —Biligiriranga Swamy Wildlife Sanctuary[18] —Created around Biligiriranga Swamy (Kannada: Lord of the stage i.e. Viṣṇu residing on white hill) Temple, this wildlife sanctuary is located in Biligiriranga hills that link southern ranges of Eastern Ghats with Sahyadri, therefore, forming a critical wildlife corridor.The sanctuary suffers considerably from illegal quarrying.Melkote Temple Wildlife Sanctuary located near Melkote temple[19] —It is a small sanctuary known primarily for once abundant Cycas circinalis[20], a species of cycad found only in southern India, and now under the brink of extinction.Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary[21] —Named after the presiding deity of the temple within the sanctuary, it houses Sitanadi nature camp run by Karnataka Forest Department. A rainforest research station was established by herpotologist Romulus Whittaker in the nearby Agumbe village.Bird Sanctuaries —Bohnal Bird Sanctuary[22] —The sanctuary has its origin in Bonal tank, constructed by Pam Naik, the ruler of Shorapur in 17th century. The tank was subsequently enlarged by British administrator of Shorapur Meadows Taylor, and the tank started attracting migratory birds.Dangers to flora and fauna:Karnataka’s wildlife faces severe problem of poaching, habitat destruction and consequent human conflicts, pollution and invasive species.Habitat Destruction —Destruction of forest land for agriculture and other purposes: large tracts of forest land have been cleaned up for monoculture plantations like teak, coffee and rubber. This has led to the destruction of species that were dependent on the forest. An example of this is loss of special habitats in such as Myristica swamps and high altitude grasslands. In the dry zone, they have adversely affected several species dependent on large tracts of scrub such as wolf and Great Indian bustard.Construction of Linganamakki reservoir in Shimogga district led to extinction of Hubbardia heptaneuron grass. Dams and reservoirs cause large scale destruction of wildlife habitats.Illegal mining scars large tracts of open lands, leading to forest destruction. This includes Kudremukh Iron Ore Company that mines in the protected areas of Kudremukh.Human-Wildlife Conflicts —To keep wildlife away from villages, people often use [illegal] electric fencing and nets. Electric fencing often causes deaths of land animals due to electrocution, particularly elephants. Farms are protected from birds using nets bound on nearby trees — these nets instead of killing instantly, cause dismemberment of wings and legs, leading to a slow agonizing death.→ A male plum headed parakeet meets a tragic death in a net set by hunters. He would have died slowly and painfully after having his body parts partially or completely torn off. (Source: Illegal Trapping of Birds in Uttara Kannada, Karnataka)Pollution —Release of industrial waste and human effluents into rivers have caused significant damages to species that reside in rivers and riverbanks.Air pollution has caused significant discoloring of foliage in Bengaluru. Of the 22 species of lichen plants noted in Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens[23] in 1980, 18 were no longer present in 1997, just 17 years later.Invasive species —Introduction of the carnivorous African Catfish has caused significant decline in local fish populations in Karnataka’s rivers.Weeds like Eupatorium, Lantana and Parthenium have invaded large tracts of land causing destruction. Lantana is a dry bush that easily catches fire; this excacerbated the Bandipur fires of 2019 causing loss of ~17000 acres of forest land. Eupatorium houses ticks that are vectors of Kyasanur forest disease that has 10% morbidity rate among humans.Natural Wonders:Dodda Alada Mara (Kannada: ದೊಡ್ಡ ಆಲದ ಮರ Big Banyan Tree)[24] —A special mention is deserved by the state’s largest banyan tree. Dodda Alada Mara is located in Bengaluru. It covers an area of ~3 acres. In 2000s, the main trunk and roots succumbed to natural disease, making the tree look like many separate trees.It is a special tree since less than 150 banyan trees now survive in India.Panoramic view of Dodda Alada Mara (Source: File:BIG banyan tree.jpg - Wikipedia)Waterfalls —Karnataka has some of the highest waterfalls in India.[25]Kuchikal Falls[26] formed by Varahi river is the highest waterfall in India, at a height of 455m. It is located in Shimoga district. It is cascade type waterfall.Dudhsagar (Sea of milk) Falls[27] , a 4-tiered waterfall is India’s 5th tallest, with a height of 310m. It is formed over Mandovi river. It is shared among Karnataka and Goa.Barkana Falls[28] formed over Seetha river is 9th highest in India at 259m. It is also located in Shimoga district.Gerusoppe falls[29] , the 10th highest at 253m also lies in Shimoga district. It is also the 2nd highest plunge waterfall in India. It is formed over Sharavati river.→ Gerusoppe falls (Source: File:Jog Falls 05092016.jpg - Wikipedia)Along with above mentioned waterfalls, other spectacular waterfalls of the state include Magoda falls (198m) over Gangavalli river and Keppa falls (1116m) in Uttara Kannada district, Hebbe falls (168m) and Kalhatti falls (122m) in Chikkamagaluru district.Education[30][31]The foremost and most famous higher education institute in Karnataka is likely Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru. It was established in 1909. It has ranked 1st in the 'university' and 'overall' category for the last 3 consecutive years (2016-18) in NIRF rankings (by Government of India). Research students constitute more than 70% of the students on the campus and Ph.D. degrees are offered in 40 different disciplines. The institute is the 1st Indian institute to provide Masters degree courses.The 3rd oldest Indian Institute of Management, IIM-B in Bengaluru was established in 1973.[32] Nadathur S. Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (NSRCEL) was set up in 2002 to aid the entrepreneurial activities of its students.The country’s 1st National Law University as well as one of the first in the country to offer the five-year integrated undergraduate law degree — National Law School of India University (NLSIU)[33] — was established in Bengaluru in 1986.University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) was established in 1917, under the name Government Engineering College by Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya. It is the country’s 5th oldest engineering institute.South Asia’s largest university is located in Karnataka - Bangalore University. NLSIU is located in BU’s Jnan Bharati Campus.Indian Institute of Science (भारतीय विज्ञान सन्स्थान​) [34][35] —Source: File:Indian Institute of Science logo.svg - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_Institute_of_Science_logo.svg)IISc deserved special mention in higher education institutions of not just Karnataka, but entire India, since the story of its establishment is in itself mind blowing.Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the founder of Tata Group had a chance meeting with Svami Vivekananda in 1893 on a voyage from Japan to Chicago. They discussed Jamsetji’s plan to bring steel industry in India, and 5 years later, the project started with Jamsetji’s funding and Vivekananda’s supervision.The committee so formed presented a draft proposal to George Curzon in 1898. Subsequently, Scottish chemist and Nobel laureate William Ramsay[36] proposed Bengaluru as the most suitable site.The then ruler of Mysore kingdom, Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV[37] donated land and other facilities. The biggest monetary donation was made by Hyderabad kingdom’s ruler Mir Osman Ali Khan[38].English chemist and William Ramsay’s co-worker - Morris William Travers[39] became its 1st director. Dr. Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman[40] became its 1st Indian director and 4th director overall.Dr CV Raman was succeeded by Jnan Chandra Ghosh[41], a chemist and a student of acclaimed scientist Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray. The 2nd head of ISRO (after Dr. Vikram Sarabhai) - Dr. Satish Dhawan also served as the institute’s director.Economy[42]Not only Karnataka is India’s 3rd largest economy, it also enjoys 2nd lowest unemployment and 3rd highest FDI inflow.Agriculture and Livestock:Agriculture is the backbone of Karnataka’s economy, with ~65% land under cultivation. At the same time, agriculture is heavily dependent on monsoon, since the extent of aridity here is seconded only by that of Rajasthan.Karnataka is India’s largest producer of mulberry, coffee, coarse cereals, raw silk and tomatoes.The state also occupies 2nd place in production of flowers.Source: File:Traditional ploughing - Karnataka.jpg - Wikipedia→ Haystacks on stilts in paddy fields (Source: File:UKanaraHaystack.jpg - Wikipedia)Agriculture demands water and therefore Karnataka’s irrigation needs are met through canals and reservoirs. India’s largest and Asia’s 2nd largest irrigation tank - Shanti Sagar[43] - is located on Bhima river in Channagiri, Karnataka.→ Shanti Sagar [Source: File:View of Shanthi Sagar (Soole Kere) ಸೂಳೆ ಕೆರೆ near channagiri,davengere karnataka.JPG - Wikipedia]Industry:Karnataka is the hub of some of the largest public sector undertakings.Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is headquartered in Bengaluru and employs ~20,000 people.Manufacturing —Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has its headquarters in Bengaluru. It employs ~9500 people in Karnataka, making it one of the largest public sector employers in the state. National Aerospace Laboratories, Indian Telephone Industries, Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Bharat Electronics Limited, Hindustan Machine Tools are also all headquartered in Bengaluru.Indian subsidiaries of Volvo and Toyota are also headquartered in Bengaluru.TVS and Tata Motors have manufacturing plants in Mysore and Dharwad respectively. Many companies manufacture machinery and electrical equipment here like Kirloskar, ABB, L&T etc. BASF and Bosch also manufacture in Karnataka.Minerals —The only company in India that produces gold by mining and extracting it from the ore is Hutti Gold Mines Limited[44] that has plants at Hutti and Chitradurga. The famed Kolar Gold Fields are now closed.Software Industry[45] —Karnataka stands first among all the states of India in terms of revenue generated from software exports. Most of the industry is located in Bengaluru. The story of Karnataka’s IT industry starts with Texas Instruments setting up its base in Bengaluru. A total of 1973 companies (as on writing this answer) in the state are involved in Information Technology-related business.The earliest startups in Bengaluru are now multi-billion companies — Wipro, Infosys, Mindtree etc. Flipkart also originated in Bengaluru.→ Infosys headquarters in Bengaluru (Source: File:BangaloreInfosys.jpg - Wikipedia). Infosys is India’s 2nd largest IT company.Banking —7 of the country’s leading banks originated Karnataka: Canara Bank, Syndicate Bank, Corporation Bank, Vijaya Bank, Karnataka Bank, Vysya Bank and State Bank of Mysore. Between 1880 and 1935, 22 banks were established in coastal Karnataka, 9 of them in Mangalore.Energy generation and consumptionOverview:40% of the state’s energy needs are met by its oldest power plant - Raichur Thermal Power Station[46]. Additional 35% is met by Linganamakki reservoir.Despite this, the state is India's top producer of solar energy, with an installed capacity of 5.16 GW, and total capacity from renewable sources being 12 GW of the installed 27 GW in the state. SELCO Solar Light private limited[47] has been promoting solar energy’s use in rural areas of the state, and has twice won Ashden Award (Green Oscars).Hydro-electricity:India’s 2nd oldest hydro-power plant is located in Karnataka in the island town of Shivanasamudra over Shivanasamudra falls on Kaveri river. It is also one of the oldest hydro-power plants in Asia.Krishna Raja Sagara (Sanskr̥ta: कृष्ण राज सागर​)[48] a.k.a. KRS—The name of the reservoir, the dam that makes it and the nearby settlement.The gravity dam, made of mortar, lies just below the confluence of Kaveri with Lakshmana Tirtha and Hemavati. It was commissioned in 1911 and completed in 1924. It was built during the reign of Kr̥ṣṇa Rāja Wāḍiyāra IV, the then king of Mysore kingdom under the supervision of the kingdom’s chief engineer Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya. The dam became the 1st dam in India to employ automatic crest gates, instead of spillways, to prevent over-topping of the dam.→ KRS Dam [Source: File:Krishna raja sagara dam.JPG - Wikipedia]TransportThe state has a well developed transport system.Railways:The headquarter of South-Western Railways lies in Hubbali.Airways:Kempegowda Internation Airport[49] in Bengaluru is the 3rd busiest airport in India by passenger traffic and 29th busiest in Asia. It also became Karnataka’s 1st fully solar powered airport.Mangalore International Airport is the 2nd busiest airport in Karnataka (after KIA) and is one of the only 3 airports in India to have tabletop runways (others being Kozhikode airport in Kerala and Lengpui airport in Mizoram)Waterways:The state has 11 ports — 1 major and 10 minor ports.New Mangalore Port[50] is the state’s only major port and the 7th largest port in the country.Roadways:The state run Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation is a popular mode of transport by general public in the state.An excellent answer on KSRTC by Goutham R (ಗೌತಮ್ ಆರ್): Goutham R (ಗೌತಮ್ ಆರ್)'s answer to What makes KSRTC special?.Architecture[51]Karnataka became the origin point of Karnata Dravida architecture which comprises architectural and sculptural innovations of Kadamba, Chalukya, Hoysala, Rashtrakuta and Karnata empires. The temples in Karnataka display fusion of Nagara and Drāviḍa temple style along with many of their own experimentations.Karnataka has many spectacular monuments in Aihole, Pattadakkal, Badami (Vatapi), Gadag, Hampi (Vijayanagara), Srikalahasti, Halebidu, Alampur, Mahakuteshvara, etc.Karnataka also has examples of Sikh, Indo-Islamic, Neo-Drāviḍa, Tibetan, and Christian (particularly Neo-Gothic) styles.To keep the answer short, only some places would be listed.Some unique examples of architecture in Karnataka —Murdeshwar Śiva Temple : Neo-Drāviḍa StyleMurdeshwar Śiva Temple houses the tallest entrance tower and tallest Śiva statue in India. It follows a blend of Drāviḍa style and modern architecture.The sole entrance tower of Murdeshwar is ~76m tall and has 20 stories. The statue of Śiva is 37m high — it is the tallest Śiva statue in India, and 2nd tallest in the world (after Kailashnath statue in Nepal)Source: File:Murudeshwar temple statue.JPG - WikipediaVidhana Soudha and Vikasa Soudha : Neo-Drāviḍa StyleVidhana Soudha is the seat of Karnataka’s legislature. Vikasa Soudha is a replica built as an annexe.Source: File:Vidhana Souda , Bangalore.jpg - WikipediaBhuvaraha Narasimha temple at Halasi : Kadamba ArchitectureBhuvaraha Narasimha (ISO 15919: Bhūvarāha Narasimha; Sanskr̥t: भूवराह नरसिम्ह​) temple at Halasi is one of the earliest specimen of Kadamba architecture. Halasi was the 2nd capital of Kadambas who had Banvasi as their primary capitalSource: File:Halasi 12.jpg - WikipediaPattadakal Group of Monuments : Early/Eastern/Vatapi Chalukya architecture[52]Pattadakal is a UNESCO World Heritage site having 10 temples. It was used as coronation site for Vatapi Chalukyas, who were earlier fuedatories of Kadambas.The largest of these temples is Virupaksha temple, also called Shri Lokeshvara Mahasila Prasada after its sponsor Queen Lokmahadevi. It was inspired from Kailashanathar temple in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu and itself served as inspiration for Kailashanatha Temple in Ellora.→ Shri Lokeshvara Mahasila Prasada (ISO 15919: Śrī Lōkēśvara Mahāśilā Prasāda) [Source: File:Pattadakal, Virupaksa Temple (9842959473).jpg - Wikipedia]Vitthala Temple at Hampi : Hoysala architectureVitthala (ISO 15919: Viṭṭhala) temple is noted for its musical pillars, which when tapped, produce musical notes. The activity of tapping them, though, is now prohibited to prevent their deterioration.Source: File:View of dilapidated main mantapa at the Vitthala templein Hampi.jpg - WikipediaGol Gumbaz (Kannada: ಗೋಲ ಗುಮ್ಮಟ) in Vijayapura: Indo-Islamic architecture[53]It is the mausoleum of Mohammad Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur. Running around the inside of the dome is a whispering gallery where even the softest sound can be heard on the other side of the mausoleum due to the acoustics of the space.It is the 2nd largest pre-modern dome in the world (after Hagia Sophia in Turkey)Source: File:GolGumbaz2.jpg - WikipediaMysore Palace[54] in Mysuru : Indo-SaracenicIt is the official residence of Wadiyar dynasty and is located in the middle of the city. Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV and his mother Kempananjammanni, commissioned the British architect Lord Henry Irwin to build a new palace.Source: File:Mysore Palace Morning.jpg - WikipediaBahubali statuesThere are 5 monolithic statues of Jain figure Bahubali, all made of granite and taller than 6m.Gommatagiri Bahubali statue, at ~6m is the smallest among the five, located at Gommatagiri, in Mysore district. It was constructed in 1100 CE. The hill on whose top it is located, has stairs cut into it leading to the statue.Source: File:Statue of Bahubali at Gommatagiri, Mysore.JPG - WikipediaVenur Bahubali statue on the banks of Phalguni river in Venur is the 4th tallest at ~11m. It was constructed in 1604 CE by Timanna Ajila, and sculpted by the legendary sculptor Janakachari. The statue faces westwards.Source: File:Venur - Bahubali.JPG - WikipediaDharmasthala Bahubali statue, at ~12m is the 3rd tallest, located in Dharmasthala. It was installed in 1973 CE by Veerendra Heggade, the hereditary administrator of Dharmasthala temple (Manjunatha Temple).Source: File:Towering Grace.jpg - WikipediaKarkala Bahubali statue is the 2nd tallest, measuring ~13 m in height, and located in Karkala. The statue is made of a single block of granite, and was completed in 1432 CE during the reign of King Vira Pandya on insistence of the kingdom’s head priest and the king’s mentor Lalitakirti.Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fi...Gomateshwara Statue in Vindhyagiri (Vindhya hill), Shravanabelagola, is the tallest free standing monolithic icon in the world, measuring at ~17 m in height. The statue is supported only till lower legs and partially the upper legs, by the rock itself from which it is carved out of.It was constructed circa 938 CE during the reign of Karnataka Gaṅgā dynasty (Western Gaṅgā dynasty; 350–1000 CE), commissioned by the minister Cāvundarāya.Source: File:Shravanabelagola Bahubali wideframe.jpg - WikipediaKabini Bridge : Gothic StyleKabini Bridge is the oldest bridge with both railway line and road on the same bridge in India. The bridge was used as a meter-gauge railway bridge until 2007, post which the railway activities were stopped as railways moved on the broad-gauge. It was built in 1735 CE.Source: File:Nanjangud Oldest Bridge.jpg - WikipediaThegchog Namdrol Shedrub Dargye Ling in Bylakuppe[55] : Tibetan ArchitectureThegchog Namdrol Shedrub Dargye Ling (Tibetan: བོད་ཡིག ཐེག་མཆོག་རྣམ་གྲོལ་བཤད་སྒྲུབ་དར་རྒྱས་གླིང་།) is one of the largest centres on Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. The city Bylakuppe is the third largest Tibetan settlement in the world (after Tibet and Dharmashala).→ Entrance Gate [Source: File:Namrodoling Monastery Bylakuppe2.jpg - Wikipedia]→ Outer View [Source: File:Temple Sculpture.jpg - Wikipedia]Guru Nanak Jhira Sahib in Bidar[56] : Sikh ArchitectureSource: File:Bidar Gurudwara Nanak Jhira Sahib.jpg - WikipediaThis gurudwara was constructed in 1948 dedicated to Guru Nanak. Bidar being home to one the 1st 5 Sikhs — Sahib Singh — has a long association with Sikhism. Its tank is fed from water from a natural spring nearby.Unfortunately, the spring’s recharge zone - the nearby hills - are being built at a rapid rate, leading to septic tanks and soak pits sending contaminated water below surface. This implies that the gurdwara tank may run dry or suffer from contaminated water.Places of interest for Karnataka’s architecture:Pattadakal - Wikipedia — A UNESCO World Heritage Site having monuments of Vatapi ChalukyasAihole - Wikipedia — The cradle of experimentation of Vatapi Chalukyas, experimentation in architecture and arts that began in Aihole yielded the monuments in PattadakalBadami cave temples - Wikipedia — A collection of magnificent Vatapi Chalukya era cave temples in the city that served as their capital Vatapi, now BadamiHampi - Wikipedia — A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the erstwhile capital of Karnata empire.Halebidu (town) - Wikipedia — The erstwhile capital of Hoysala empire, housing some of their finest architectural examplesBelur, Karnataka - Wikipedia — The capital of Hoysalas after Dwarasamudra (Halebidu) was ransacked, housing some of their finest architectural examplesSports[57]Sports infrastructure of Karnataka is mostly concentrated in Bengaluru. The city also hosted the 4th National Games in 1997. It also houses the headquarters of Sports Authority of India.The most popular sport in Karnataka is cricket, and the state team has won Ranji trophy 7 times, seconded only by Mumbai.Kodava Hockey Festival[58] taking place in Kodagu district is one of the largest field hockey tournaments in the world. Kodagu is considered the cradle of Indian hockey, as more than 50 players from this place have represented India in international hockey.On an ending note, the state symbol of Karnataka — Gandabherunda (Kannada: ಗಂಡಭೇರುಂಡ gaṇḍabheruṇḍa) — a 2 headed bird considered a form of Viṣṇu. The bird features on the state emblem as well.Source: File:GBerunda.JPG - Wikipedia→ Emblem of Karnataka (Source: File:Seal of Karnataka.svg - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Seal_of_Karnataka.svg))I would be really thankful to anyone who could get me a relevant quote in Kodava. I wished to start my answer with that.More answers about KarnatakaShivaprasad Poovandur's answer to What is the importance of Barkur in Karnataka's history?Nitin Bhargava (ನಿತಿನ್ ಭಾರ್ಗವ)'s answer to Are there any recent fascinating discoveries related to Kannada and its history?Rajiv Satyanarayana's answer to Which are some of the very old prehistoric sites in and around Karnataka which are related to Kannada-Karnataka culture?Empires and kingdoms of Karnataka:Nitin Bhargava (ನಿತಿನ್ ಭಾರ್ಗವ)'s answer to What are the contributions of the Kannada origin dynasties to Indian history, culture and Sanatana Dharma? Which are the places they ruled in India in different time periods?Shivaprasad Poovandur's answer to What was the administrative system like in the Rashtrakuta Empire?Nitin Bhargava (ನಿತಿನ್ ಭಾರ್ಗವ)'s answer to Which was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire?Temples of Karnataka:Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple: Goutham R (ಗೌತಮ್ ಆರ್)'s answer to What are the special facts about Gavipuram, Bengaluru?Restaurants in Karnataka:Goutham R (ಗೌತಮ್ ಆರ್)'s answer to Why and how did the Sagar named restaurants become so famous in Bengaluru?Goutham R (ಗೌತಮ್ ಆರ್)'s answer to What is special about a Brahmin’s cafe? There are several Brahmin’s Cafes in various parts in the city of Bengaluru, India. Do they serve food only to Brahmins, and are these run by Brahmins?Quora profiles to visit:Aditya KulkarniGoutham RNitin Bhargava (ನಿತಿನ್ ಭಾರ್ಗವ)Gopalkrishna VishwanathRajiv SatyanarayanaFootnotes[1] Forest cover by state in India - Wikipedia[2] List of states and union territories of India by crime rate - Wikipedia[3] Indian states and territories ranked by incidents of human trafficking - Wikipedia[4] List of states and union territories of India by suicide rate - Wikipedia[5] Indian states and territories ranked by safety of women - Wikipedia[6] List of Indian states and union territories by literacy rate - Wikipedia[7] Indian states ranked by school enrollment rate - Wikipedia[8] List of Indian states by life expectancy at birth - Wikipedia[9] Indian states ranking by institutional delivery - Wikipedia[10] Obesity in India - Wikipedia[11] Indian states ranking by underweight people - Wikipedia[12] List of Indian states and union territories by access to safe drinking water - Wikipedia[13] List of Indian states by Child Nutrition - Wikipedia[14] List of states and union territories of India by tax revenues - Wikipedia[15] Ease of doing business ranking of states of India - Wikipedia[16] Wildlife of Karnataka - Wikipedia[17] Bandipur National Park - Wikipedia[18] Biligiriranga Hills - Wikipedia[19] Melukote - Wikipedia[20] Cycas circinalis - Wikipedia[21] Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary - Wikipedia[22] Bonal Bird Sanctuary - Wikipedia[23] Lal Bagh - Wikipedia[24] Dodda Alada Mara - Wikipedia[25] List of waterfalls in India by height - Wikipedia[26] Kunchikal Falls - Wikipedia[27] Dudhsagar Falls - Wikipedia[28] Barkana Falls - Wikipedia[29] Jog Falls - Wikipedia[30] Education in Karnataka - Wikipedia[31] List of institutions of higher education in Karnataka - Wikipedia[32] Indian Institute of Management Bangalore - Wikipedia[33] National Law School of India University - Wikipedia[34] Indian Institute of Science[35] Indian Institute of Science - Wikipedia[36] William Ramsay - Wikipedia[37] Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV - Wikipedia[38] Mir Osman Ali Khan - Wikipedia[39] Morris Travers - Wikipedia[40] C. V. Raman - Wikipedia[41] Jnan Chandra Ghosh - Wikipedia[42] Economy of Karnataka - Wikipedia[43] Shanti Sagara - Wikipedia[44] Hutti Gold Mines Limited - Wikipedia[45] Software industry in Karnataka - Wikipedia[46] Raichur Thermal Power Station - Wikipedia[47] SELCO | Innovative Energy Solutions[48] Krishna Raja Sagara - Wikipedia[49] Kempegowda International Airport - Wikipedia[50] New Mangalore Port - Wikipedia[51] Architecture of Karnataka - Wikipedia[52] Pattadakal - Wikipedia[53] Gol Gumbaz - Wikipedia[54] Mysore Palace - Wikipedia[55] Namdroling Monastery - Wikipedia[56] Guru Nanak Jhira Sahib - Wikipedia[57] Sports in Karnataka - Wikipedia[58] Kodava Hockey Festival - Wikipedia