Bengaluru is the capital of the state of Karnataka, and ranks as the third most populated city of India with a population of 8.4 million. Known as the “Information Technology Capital” of India, this city is the leading exporter of Information technology (IT products and services) and a leading employer in this sector. Kannada is the official, administrative and native language across the entire state and is written in Kannada script that originated from Kadamba script. The city of Bengaluru comes under the Bengaluru Urban district and constitutes 15.75 percent of the total population of Karnataka. According to the census report of 2011, the district has a population of 9.6 million out of which 44 percent are in the working age. Only 5 percent are engaged in agricultural activities, 2 percent in the household industry and the bulk 93 percent in the services sector. Bengaluru is situated in the heart of Southern Deccan region, on a ridge-top that is running through the middle of the Mysore Plateau from West to East, at an average elevation of about 3000 feet. The district enjoys a very agreeable climate, without extreme weather conditions. During the British Raj, the city served as an important cantonment and several parks and gardens were laid out. Over the years, the economy has sustained well by the accessibility to raw materials, machinery, power, a large work-force, transportation and communication infrastructure, marketing opportunities and finance facilities for the growth and development of industries. The geographical location in terms of the vast plains has facilitated good communication systems since early times, which has in the present day resulted in the development of trade and commerce in the city and in the district, characterized by numerous old markets. The goods imported include electronic components and services, steel, platinum, nickel, silver, iron, non-edible oils, other raw materials for industries, drugs, medicines, grains, etc. Items exported are machinery and electronic equipment, vegetables, fruits, flowers, aircraft tools, electrical finished goods, cotton products and textiles, ready-made garments, dairy products etc. Kempe Gowda, a descendant of the Yelahanka line of feudal chiefs of the Vijayanagara Empire, is believed to have founded the town of Bengaluru in 1537 C.E. The oldest existing reference to Bengaluru is found on ninth-century western Ganga dynasty stone inscription in the Panchalingeshwara temple in Begur, off the Bangalore – Hosur Highway.
