Governor of Karnataka is the constitutional head of Karnataka. The Governor is appointed by the President of India for a term of 5 years. The Governor"s powers and functions at the state level are similar to those of the President of India at Union level.

Since 1956, 18 people have served as the Governor of Mysore (as the state was known before 1st November 1973) and Karnataka. The first was Jayachamaraja Wodeyar in 1956 and the incumbent is Vajubhai Vala.

The Governors of Karnataka since the formation of the state is as follows:

Jayachamaraja Wodeyar
Jayachamaraja Wodeyar was the first Governor of Mysore from 1st November 1956 to 4th May 1964. He was also the 25th Maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore.

S. M. Srinagesh
S. M. Srinagesh was the second Governor of Mysore from 4th May 1964 to 2nd April 1965. He was an Indian Military Officer who served as third Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.

V. V. Giri
V.V. Giri became the third Governor of Mysore from 2nd April 1965to 13th May 1967. He was also the fourth President of India.

Gopal Swarup Pathak
Gopal Swarup Pathak became the fourth Governor of Mysore from 13th May 1967 to 30th August 1969. He was also the fourth Vice President of India.

Dharma Vira
Dharma Vira was the fifth Governor of Karnataka from 23rd October 1969 to 1st February 1972. He was the senior and most distinguished civil servant, and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan Award in 1999.

Mohanlal Sukhadia
Mohanlal Sukhadia was the sixth Governor of Karnataka from 1st February 1972 to 10th January 1976. He also served as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for 17 years.

U. S. Dikshit
U. S. Dikshit became the seventh Governor of Karnataka from 10th January 1976 to 2nd August 1977.

Govind Narain
Govind Narain became the eighth Governor of Karnataka from 2nd August 1977 to 15th April 1983. He is considered to be one of India"s most senior and respected civil servants.

A. N. Banerji
A. N. Banerji was the ninth Governor of Karnataka from 16th April 1983 to 25th February 1989. He was a bureaucrat from the Indian Administrative Service.

P. Venkatasubbiah
P. Venkatasubbiah was the tenth Governor of Karnataka from 26th February 1988 to 5th February 1990.

B. P. Singh
B. P. Singh became the eleventh Governor of Karnataka from 8th May 1990 to 6th January 1991. He is famous for giving training in weapons during the Sino-Indian War.

Khurshed Alam Khan
Khurshed Alam Khan became the twelfth Governor of Karnataka from 6th January 1991 to 2nd December 1999. Through his efforts, the Jamia Millia Islamia became an independent University.

V. S. Ramadevi
V. S. Ramadevi was the thirteenth Governor of Karnataka from 2nd December 1999 to 20th August 2002. She was the first woman to become Chief Election Commissioner of India.

T. N. Chaturvedi
T. N. Chaturvedi was the fourteenth Governor of Karnataka from 21st August 2002 to 20th August 2007.

Rameshwar Thakur
Rameshwar Thakur became the fifteenth Governor of Karnataka from 21st August 2007 to 24th June 2009. He had participated in Quit India movement.

Hansraj Bhardwaj
Hansraj Bhardwaj became the sixteenth Governor of Karnataka from 24th June 2009 to 29th June 2014. He holds the record of having the second longest tenure in Law Ministry since Independence, after Ashoke Kumar Sen.

Konijeti Rosaiah
Konijeti Rosaiah was the seventeenth Governor of Karnataka from 29th June 2014 to 31st August 2014.

Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala
Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala is the present and the eighteenth Governor of Karnataka from 31st August 2014. He holds the record of presenting budget in Gujarat Legislative Assembly; 18 times as the Finance Minister.