A Century of Research into Karnataka's History & Heritage
Founded in Dharwad on Vijaya Dashami, 28 September 1914, to awaken national consciousness through research, the Society has for over a century illumined the history, heritage, art and thought of Karnataka and of India.
Four Thematic Areas
The Society's research spans four enduring streams of enquiry into Karnataka's civilisation.
History, Philosophy, Art & Culture
The history of Karnataka and India, Indian philosophy, and the region's art and architecture.
Explore →
Vedic & Trans-Vedic Literature
The Vedic corpus and the literature, philosophy and commentary that grew from it.
Explore →
Languages & Linguistic Processes
The history, grammar and literature of Kannada and the region's languages.
Explore →
Socio-economic, Environment & Natural Resources
Historical research applied to society, the environment and natural resources.
Explore →Founding Visionaries
The Society was established on Vijaya Dashami, 28 September 1914, by a company of scholars and public figures devoted to Karnataka's past.
Milestones Through the Years
The Society is Established
Founded on Vijaya Dashami, 28 September 1914, at Dharwad, to awaken national consciousness through the study of history, culture, art and architecture.
Vijayanagara Sexcentenary
The Society organised the sexcentenary celebrations at Hampi, marking 600 years of the Vijayanagara Empire (founded 1336). The commemorative volume brought the Society All-India recognition.
Silver Jubilee
The Silver Jubilee was celebrated with Rao Bahadur K. N. Dikshit, Director-General of Archaeology, as chief guest, with conferences, lectures and exhibitions.
Foundation Stone Laid
A vacant site on College Road was granted by the Bombay Government, and the foundation stone of the Society's building was laid by Lal Bahadur Shastri on 23 June 1955.
School of Indian Palaeography
The School of Indian Palaeography was begun by Vidyaratna R. S. Panchamukhi, to train scholars in reading inscriptions and manuscripts.
Golden Jubilee
The Golden Jubilee was celebrated under Dharma Vira, Governor of Mysore State; the Society's building was completed in 1974.
Diamond Jubilee
The Society marked sixty years of research and publication.
Fifty New Volumes
For the Golden Jubilee of Karnataka State, the Society published fifty research books and a commemorative souvenir.
Centenary Year
The Society entered its centenary year (2014–15) — a hundred years of unbroken scholarship.
More than 150 volumes of original scholarship
Across history, philosophy, art and culture, the Society has published original creative work by many authors — in English, Kannada, Sanskrit and Hindi — widely referred to by researchers of Indian history.
Gift a Book to a School, Institution or Child
Support the reading of good books — endow thematic book-sets to libraries, students and institutions in someone's name or memory.