Karnataka is an Indian state. Several etymologies have been suggested for the name Karnataka. The region was popularly referred to as 'kar nata’ literally meaning black soiled county in Indian history. However, historically, the names Karnatak or Carnatic have been misapplied to refer to the regions in or beyond the Western Ghats (Kodagu and Kerala) as well as to a region in present-day Andhra Pradesh (Telangana). The other accepted derivative comes from the Kannada words karu and nādu meaning elevated land, or from the Kannada words kal and nādu meaning rock country, referring to the rocky terrain of the state. One more derivative is "Karnad" meaning "land of Black soil" and other derivative is from Tamil words meaning that 'Karai' (கரை) meaning 'shore' and 'nataka' (நாடக) meaning dance.