{{Short description|Indian website about Kannada cinema}} {{Italic title}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Use Indian English|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox website | name = Chitraloka.com | logo = Chitraloka dot com.png | logo_caption = | logo_upright = <!-- default: 1 --> | logo_alt = | type = Online portal | industry = Entertainment | predecessor = <!-- or: predecessors = --> | founded = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1999|7|3}} | founder = K. M. Veeresh | defunct = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | fate = | successor = <!-- or: successors = --> | area_served = Worldwide | key_people = | products = News and updates on Kannada cinema | owner = | num_employees = | num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) --> | parent = | website = {{URL|chitraloka.com}} }}
'''Chitraloka.com''' is an Indian website focused on the Kannada film industry. Launched on 26 June 2000 by K. M. Veeresh,{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} it was the first dedicated online portal for Kannada cinema. The website provides news, updates, and features on Kannada films and is available in both English and Kannada.<ref name="R" /> Alongside ''Viggy.com'', it was among the few websites in the early 2000s regularly covering Kannada cinema.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 March 2018 |title=Shivu Adda: Promoting Kannada films since a decade |url=https://newskarnataka.com/special/features/shivu-adda-promoting-kannada-films-since-a-decade |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031070813/https://newskarnataka.com/special/features/shivu-adda-promoting-kannada-films-since-a-decade |archive-date=31 October 2023 |access-date=30 October 2023 |website=NewsKarnataka.com}}</ref>
==History== K. M. Veeresh, a photographer and journalist, conceived the idea for ''Chitraloka.com'' during a vacation in Singapore, where he struggled to access updates on Kannada cinema. After acquiring a personal computer, he aimed to create a website to serve news on Kannada cinema, primarily for Kannada-speaking audiences overseas, particularly in the Gulf and the United States. Initially, he faced challenges in sourcing software that could support Kannada script.<ref name="R">{{Cite web |last=Riti |first=M. D. |date=1 July 2000 |title=Kannada film industry goes online |url=https://m.rediff.com/movies/2000/jul/01kan.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031070816/https://m.rediff.com/movies/2000/jul/01kan.htm |archive-date=31 October 2023 |access-date=30 October 2023 |website=Rediff.com}}</ref> The website was launched in 1999, with Parvathamma Rajkumar present at the event.<ref name="B">{{Cite web |date=3 July 2009 |title=Sandalwood in web maze |url=https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/sandalwood-in-web-maze/articleshow/22105949.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920173018/https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/sandalwood-in-web-maze/articleshow/22105949.cms |archive-date=20 September 2022 |access-date=30 October 2023 |website=Bangalore Mirror}}</ref><ref name="R" />
On its launch day, the website recorded 13,664 visits.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} In its early years, the website was primarily operated by Veeresh himself, with support from journalist colleagues as needed.<ref name="R" /> During the kidnapping of Rajkumar, ''Chitraloka.com'' provided comprehensive updates on the incident.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kannada.asianetnews.com/sandalwood/kannada-dr-rajkumar-veerappan-kidnap-story-in-chitraloka-vcs-qia48k|title=ರಾಜ್ಕುಮಾರ್ ಅಪಹರಣದ ರೋಚಕ ಕಥೆ;ಅಂತೆ ಕಂತೆಗಳಿಗೆಲ್ಲಾ ತೆರೆ ಬೀಳಲಿದೆ! [The exciting story of Rajkumar's kidnapping; all the scandals will be exposed!]|work=Asianet News|date=16 October 2020|language=kn}}</ref> Initially updated biweekly, the website's content is now refreshed frequently.<ref name="B" />
In 2009, ''Chitraloka.com'' was recognized by the Limca Book of Records for showcasing 3,000 Kannada film stills, ranging from ''Sati Sulochana'' (1935) to ''Namyajamanru'' (2009).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay.aspx?newsID=69042|title=Bangalore: Chitraloka.com Website Enters Limca Book of Records Again|work=Daijiworld Media|date=1 December 2009|access-date=25 November 2023|archive-date=25 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125022103/https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay.aspx?newsID=69042|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, the website's YouTube channel received the Silver Creator Award, making it one of the few Kannada-language channels to achieve this distinction.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kannadaprabha.com/cinema/news/2020/dec/02/chitraloka-got-youtube-creator-awards-433993.html|title='ಚಿತ್ರ ಲೋಕ' ಗೆ ಯು ಟ್ಯೂಬ್ ಸಿಲ್ವರ್ ಕ್ರಿಯೇಟರ್ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ [YouTube Silver Creator Award for 'Chitraloka']|date=2 December 2020|language=kn|work=Kannada Prabha|author=Nagaraja|access-date=25 November 2023|archive-date=25 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125023758/https://www.kannadaprabha.com/cinema/news/2020/dec/02/chitraloka-got-youtube-creator-awards-433993.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Indian film websites Category:Film review websites Category:Internet properties established in 1999 Category:Kannada cinema Category:1999 establishments in India