Hinduism in Karnataka

Kannada Hindus
ಕನ್ನಡ ಹಿಂದೂಗಳು
Kannaḍa hindūgaḷu
Bhutanatha temple complex, at Badami.
Total population
51,317,472 (2011)
84% of the total population
Languages
Sacred
Old Kannada and Sanskrit
Majority
Others

Hinduism is the most followed Religion in India and nearly 84% of the total population of Karnataka follows Hinduism, as per 2011 Census of India. Several great empires and dynasties have ruled over Karnataka and many of them have contributed richly to the growth of Hinduism, its temple culture and social development. These developments have reinforced the "Householder tradition", which is of disciplined domesticity, though the saints who propagated Hinduism in the state and in the country were themselves ascetics. The Bhakti movement, of Hindu origin, is devoted to the worship of Shiva and Vishnu; it had a telling impact on the sociocultural ethos of Karnataka from the 12th century onwards.

In current times, Hinduism has a significant role in the Karnataka politics and society and plays an important role in day-to-day life of the people.