Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has announced 71 recipients of the 2026 Rajyotsava Awards, recognising their contributions across various fields. Three personalities from Dakshina Kannada district figure in the list.
The awardees from Dakshina Kannada are:
- Vishwanath Suvarna – Media and Photography
- A C Bhandari – Social Service
- Dr. Indira Hegde – Literature
The awards will be conferred on the occasion of the 71st Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations. The government issued the order on October 30, listing individuals recognised for their significant contributions in their respective fields.
Complete list of 71 Rajyotsava Award recipients
The recipients, listed in the order given in the government annexure, are:
Folklore
- Davalasabha Attara – Koppal
- Gauramma – Chamarajanagar
- Pandappa Devalappa Lamani – Gadag
- A R Satyanarayana – Bengaluru South
- Eranna Rudrakshi – Raichur
- Sivalingappa, son of Ramanna – Koppal
- Suresh Ramachandra Joshi – Vijayapura
Music
8. CA Sridhar – Mysuru
9. Dr. A Narayana Swamy – Hassan
10. B Muruli – Bengaluru Rural
Dance
11. Dr. Satyanarayan Raju – Bengaluru City
Cinema and television
12. Babaji Venkataraman – Cinema, Dharwad
13. Ashok – Cinema, Bengaluru Rural
14. K S Ravindra Nath – Television, Bengaluru City
Yakshagana and Bayalata
15. Gopala Ganiga – Yakshagana, Udupi
16. Huligemma – Bayalata, Ballari
Theatre
17. D Kempanna, son of late Dyyappa – Bengaluru Rural
18. K Jayalakshmi Patil – Dharwad
19. G D Thimmaiah – Chitradurga
20. K R Sumathi – Mysuru
21. H V Puttaveerappa – Bengaluru South
22. Honna Nayak – Mysuru
Sculpture, painting and handicrafts
23. G V Hansananda Acharya – Sculpture, Vijayanagara
24. Kadappa – Sculpture, Belagavi
25. C B Someshetty – Painting, Bidar
26. Shantabai Mohan Kamble – Handicrafts, Bidar
Agriculture, environment and science
27. H K Srikanthu – Agriculture, Bengaluru South
28. B A Channappa Gowda – Agriculture, Bengaluru City
29. Dr. Swami Anand R – Environment, Mysuru
30. Prof. Rajasab A – Science and Technology, Kalaburagi
31. Dr. Rajasekhara Murthy – Science and Technology, Canada
Media
32. Umapati – Chitradurga
33. M P Susheel – Bengaluru City
34. Vishwanath Suvarna – Media and Photography, Dakshina Kannada
Other fields
35. Rukmini Bai Nagappa Vashtar – Bagalkote
36. D S Chowgale – Belagavi
37. Bellur Shankar Narayan Dwarkanath – Bengaluru City
38. B P Aradhya – Architecture, Bengaluru South
39. Ravi Praveen Norona – Bengaluru City
40. M R Jaishankar – Chikkamagaluru
41. Prasad Biddappa – Kodagu
42. Vasappa Yallappa Kusagura – Haveri
Social service
43. Jagadguru Dr. Annadaneshwara Mahashivayogi – Gadag
44. Basavaraju – Mandya
45. Kagodu Thimmappa – Shivamogga
46. Dr. S M L – Davangere
47. Dr. G S Chandra Shekhar – Adarsha Charitable Trust, Uttara Kannada
48. Dr. Sivananda Mahaswami – Kalaburagi
49. Kashnegowda, son of Venkatarayappa – Chikkaballapur
50. A C Bhandari – A.Bha Tulu Union, Dakshina Kannada
51. Guramma Hampayya Sankinamatha – Bagalkote
Medicine and administration
52. Dr. Vijayendra Honnurappa – Medicine, Bengaluru Urban
53. Dr. Sujatha Mallikarjuna Jali – Medicine, Belagavi
54. Teresa Bhattacharya – Administration, Bengaluru Urban
55. Dr. K S Somashekhar – Administration, Horanadu
Engineering
56. Dr. K N Venkata Krishnarao – Chikkaballapur
Literature
57. Dr. Indira Hegde – Dakshina Kannada
58. Veerahanuman – Raichur
59. Prof. Narayanaghatta – Tumakuru
60. C Maheshwarappa Chatnalli – Chikkamagaluru
61. Dr. Karigowda Beechanahalli – Tumakuru
62. Dr. Siddarama Honkal – Yadgir
Education
63. Fr. Joseph, Vice-Chancellor of Christ University – Bengaluru Urban
64. Shantappa Dashavanta – Vijayapura
65. Sangeeta N Kattimani – Kalaburagi
66. Dr. N S Rangaraju – Mysuru
Judiciary
67. B V Acharya – Udupi
Outside the state/country
68. Ramesh Gowda, former president of AKKA America
Sports
69. Jim Ravi – Kolar
70. Dr. A B Subbaiah – Kodagu
71. M Girish – Bengaluru Urban
The government order was issued by the Department of Kannada and Culture, directing the department to communicate the awards to the recipients.