Belgaum district

Belgaum district
ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ
district

Gokak Falls in Belgaum district

Location in Karnataka, India
Coordinates: 15°51′N 74°33′E / 15.85°N 74.55°E / 15.85; 74.55Coordinates: 15°51′N 74°33′E / 15.85°N 74.55°E / 15.85; 74.55
Country  India
State  Karnataka
Region North Karnataka
Division Belgaum division
Headquarters Belgaum
Area[1]
 • Total 13,415 km2 (5,180 sq mi)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 4,778,439
 • Density 360/km2 (920/sq mi)
Languages
 • Official Kannada
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Vehicle registration KA-22,KA-23,KA-24,KA-49
Sex ratio 1.04 ♂/♀
Literacy 64.2%
Precipitation 823 millimetres (32.4 in)
Website belgaum.nic.in

Belgaum ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The city of Belgaum is the district headquarters in North Karnataka. It is also called as the second capital for the state of Karnataka, as it houses the Suvarna Vidhana soudha. According to the 2011 Census of India, it has a population of 4,778,439 of which 24.03% live in urban areas,[2] making it the second most populous district in Karnataka (out of 30), after Bangalore.[3] The district has an area of 13,415 square kilometers, and is bounded on the west and north by Maharashtra state, on the northeast by Bijapur District, on the east by Bagalkote District, on the southeast by Gadaga District, on the south by Dharawad District and Uttara Kannada districts, and on the southwest by the state of Goa.

History

Bhuvaraha Narasimha temple Halasi, Karnataka
Panchalingeshwara temple Hooli

Belgaum is the Divisional Headquarters of North Karnataka The ancient name of the town of Belgaum was Venugrama, meaning Bamboo Village. It is also called as Malnad Pradesh. The most ancient place in the district is Halsi; and this, according to inscriptions on copper plates discovered in its neighborhood, was once the capital of a dynasty of nine Kadamba kings. It appears that from the middle of the 6th century to about 760 the area was held by the Chalukyas, who were succeeded by the Rashtrakutas. After the break-up of the Rashtrakuta power a portion of it survived in the Rattas (875-1250), who from 1210 onward made Venugrama their capital. Inscriptions give evidence of a long struggle between the Rattas and the Kadambas of Goa, who succeeded in the latter years of the 12th century in acquiring and holding part of the district. By 1208, however, the Kadambas had been overthrown by the Rattas, who in their turn succumbed to the Yadavas of Devagiri in 1250. After the overthrow of the Yadavas by the Delhi Sultanate (1320), Belgaum was for a short time under the rule of the latter; but only a few years later the part south of the Ghataprabha River was subject to the Hindu rajas of Vijayanagara. In 1347 the northern part was conquered by the Bahmani Sultanate, which in 1473 took the town of Belgaum and conquered the southern part also. When Aurangzeb overthrew the Bijapura sultans in 1686, Belgaum passed to the Mughals. In 1776 the country was overrun by Hyder Ali of Mysore, but was taken by the Madhavrao Peshwa with British assistance. In 1818 it was handed over to the British East India Company, and was made part of the district of Dharwar. In 1836 this was divided into two parts, the northern district becoming Belgaum.[4]

Yadur is situated beside Krishna river, there is famous veerbhadra temple. Many devotees visit this place from Karnataka and Maharashtra. Hooli is one of the oldest villages in Belgaum district. There are many Chalukya temples in the village and the 'Panchaligeswara temple is very famous.

Kittur in Belgaum district is a place of historical importance. Rani Chennamma of Kittur (1778–1829) is known for her resistance to British rule.

The British had a sizable infantry post here, having realised the military importance of its geographic location. It is one of the reasons for Belgaum's sobriquet The Cradle of Infantry. Development of a rail network for movement of resources and later troops was one of the means employed by both the British East India Company and the British to exert control over India. Belgaum's railway station, the Mahatma Gandhi Railway Station was established by the British. A signboard declaring the sobriquet can be seen hung on Platform 1 at the station.

Border dispute

Belgaum district was incorporated into the newly formed Mysore state (now Karnataka) with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act (1956), which reorganized India's states along linguistic lines since majority of the people in the district spoke Kannada. Because of that linguistic disparity, the case is now in the Supreme Court of India.

Divisions

Administrative divisions

Administration of Belgaum District has been divided into 14 taluks. Athani taluk is the largest with an area of 1,997.70 km² and Raybag taluk is the smallest with an area of 958.8 km². The district comprises three revenue sub-divisions and six police sub-divisions. Apart from the Belgaum City Corporation, there are 17 municipalities, 20 towns, 485 gram panchayats, 1,138 habitated villages and 26 non-habitated villages. Belgaum is also the headquarters of the Belgaum Revenue Division.

Cities and towns

Saundatti Fort, Karnataka
Degaon Kamala Narayana temple 5 km from Kittur, Karnataka

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Belgaum district has a population of 4,778,439,[3] roughly equal to the nation of Singapore[5] or the US state of Alabama.[6] This gives it a ranking of 25th in India (out of a total of 640).[3] The district has a population density of 356 inhabitants per square kilometre (920/sq mi) .[3] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 13.38%.[3] Belgaum has a sex ratio of 969 females for every 1000 males,[3] and a literacy rate of 73.94%.[3] Kannada is the main language and is spoken by a majority of the population of the district (by 73%) although Marathi is the predominant spoken in the cities of Belgaum, Khanapur, Nipani, Ugar etc. and also in most of the villages in southern part of Belgaum and Khanapur taluka. There is also sizable population of Dakhini (a southern dialect of Urdu) and Konkani speakers in the district. Hindi and English are also spoken, the latter being the medium of instruction at the college and university level as also being the spoken language in most upper class and educated households of Marathi, Kannada and Muslim families. Almost 67% of the residents of Belgaum District are multilingual, conversant in Kannada, Marathi, Urdu-Hindi and to some extent, English.

Culture

Tourist sites

Kamal basadi Jain temple, Belgaum
Kasamalgi Parshwanatha, 5 km from Kittur

Tourism attractions of Belgaum District[7]

The Shanthinatha Jain temple of Shedbal was built in the year 1292 A.D. It is the birthplace of the well known Jain ascetic Elacharya Paramapujya Muni Sri 108 Vidyananda Maharaj. Under the guidance of Paramapujya Muni Sri Shanthisagar Maharaj Shanthisagar Chatra Ashram was built. The Chaturvamshathi tirthankara mandir with the 24 tirthankaras was built in 1952.

Notable personalities

Education

Visveswaraiah Technological University is located in Belgaum. All technical and engineering colleges in the Karnataka State come under this University. Belgaum is also known for the Airmen Training School, an Indian Air Force training centre located at Sambra. The Maratha Light Infantry has its regimental headquarters in Belgaum. The Commando School and School of jungle warfare and the Indian Army is also situated in Belgaum. The Karnataka Lingayat (K.L.E.) Education Society is in Belgaum. The K.L.E.S. Hospital of Belgaum is the second-largest hospital in Asia . The Medical Council of India has one of its regional research centre here, and the Indian Institute of Hydrology and Vaccine Institute are also situated here. Military School Belgaum is one of the five Military Schools in India. The School was set up in 1945 by King George VI for the wards of VCOs (present day JCOs) and NCOs of the Indian Army. Dr Sudarshan Gadad Young animal geneticist is from this district.

References

  1. 1 2 "2001 Census". Official Website of Belgaum District. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  2. ↑
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
  4. ↑  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Belgaum". Encyclopædia Britannica 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 668.
  5. ↑ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Retrieved 2011-10-01. Singapore 4,740,737 July 2011 est.
  6. ↑ "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-09-30. Alabama 4,779,736
  7. ↑ "Handbook of Karnataka, Tourism" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-08-11.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Belgaum district.
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Gadag district
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North Goa district, Goa Uttara Kannada district Dharwad district
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