Kolar district

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Kolar District
type= district
district_image_desc = Taluk-level map of Kolar district
latd = 13.6
longd = 77.9
state_name = Karnataka
division_name = Bangalore
hq = Kolar
vehicle_code_range = KA-07, KA-08

Kolar ಕೋಲಾರ audio|Kolar.ogg|pronunciation is a district in Karnataka state of India. The town of Kolar is the district headquarters. Due to the modern discovery of the Kolar Gold Fields, Kolar has become popularly known as the "Golden Land" of India.

Geography

Kolar District is situated in the state of Karnataka, India and belongs to its semi-arid drought-prone region. It lies between 77° 21' to 78° 35' east longitude and 120 46' to 130 58' north latitude, extending over an area of 8,225 km². Kolar district is located in the southern region of the State and happens to be the eastern-most district of the Karnataka State. The district is bounded by the districts of Bangalore Rural and Tumkur on the west; on the north, by Anantapur District, on the east by Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh and on the south by Krishnagiri and Vellore of Tamil Nadu.

The district, at its greatest length, reaches about 135 km from north to south with almost the same distance from east to west. It occupies the table land of Mysore, bordering the eastern ghats. The general plateau surface is interrupted by a number of hills and peaks of varying heights, particularly in the north. The principal chain of mountains is the Nandidurga range which runs north from Nandi towards Penukonda and Dharmavaram of Andhra Pradesh. The rivers of the district, are small and seasonal. Palar, Uttara Pinakini and Dakshina Pinakini are the important rivers which originate in the elevated regions in the district.

History

Formerly, Kolar was known variously as Kolahala, Kuvalala and Kolala.Kolar was called "Kolahalapura" during the Middle Ages, but later came to be known as Kolar. Kolahahapura in Kannada meant "violent city", as it was the battlefield for the warring kingdoms of Chalukyas in the north and Cholas to the south.It was the capital of the Gangas till 4th century AD when they shifted the capital to Talakad in Mysore. In 1004 A.D., the Cholas annexed Kolar till 1116 A.D,. Vishnuvardhana (1108-1142AD) freed Gangavadi from the Cholas, and in commemoration of his victory, built the celebrated Vijayanarayana (Chennakeshva) Temple at Belur.

The major and important temples in the town are Kolaramma Temple and Someswara Temple. Someswara Temple is a fine example of Vijayanagara style while the Kolaramma temple is of Dravida vimana Style built in Ganga Tradition(11 century-A.D).

Old City

The old city of Kolar mainly consisted of the five areas of Kurubarapet, Gandinagar, Gowripet, Aralepet and Kataripalya. Kote, or the fort area once encompassed the temples of Kolaramma, Someshwara and was bordered by the Kolaramma Lake. Now the fort is all but gone, disappeared into new residential areas. The collapse of old town was hastened by the British Christian Missionaries who constructed a Church and school next to the temples.

People and Culture

As a district on the cross-roads of the three states, Kolar is home to many communities and represents a mini-India. The primary languages spoken here is Kannada. Other languages spoken are Telugu, Tamil, Urdu.It is one of the best place in karnataka.

Kolar Gold Fields(KGF) is a town in Kolar district which was once the primary gold mines in the country. Set up by the British, this town which is close to the border of Andhra Pradesh and has a Tamil and Anglo-Indian Population. Tamils were employed by the British and brought to KGF to work in the mines.

Festivals

* Karaga
* Theppothsava
* Dyavara

Economy

The major sources of employment are agriculture, dairy and sericulture, floriculture hence it is popularly known as the land of "Silk, Milk and Gold".Farmers in Kolar are totally dependent upon borewell water for irrigation and drinking.The gold mines in Kolar Gold Fields was closed in the 2003 due to reducing gold deposits and increasing costs of production.

Statistics

The district comprises 5 talukas (From North to South -Chintamani, Srinivasapura,Kolar, Mulbagal,Malur, Bangarpet) . It has 15 towns and 3,321 villages (2889 inhabited villages and 432 uninhabited villages). Total population of the district according to 2001 census was 2,536,069 of which 24.67% were urban. [http://www.censusindiamaps.net/page/India_WhizMap/IndiaMap.htm]
*Area (km²) - 8,223
*Density (per km²) - 269
*Sex ratio (females/1,000 males) - 966
*Literacy rate (%) - 68.35

Famous people from Kolar

*Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya - The architect of modern Karnataka.
*D. V. Gundappa - Kannada poet
*K. C. Reddy - first Chief Minister of Karnataka
*Maasti Venkatesh Ayengar - Kannadigan writer, Jnanpith awardee.
*Soundarya - Film actress.
*Hyder Ali - Father of Tipu Sultan.
*A.N.Prahlada Rao - Crossword writer.

Educational Institutions

* Navodaya Vidya samasthe, Kurboor Village, Chintamani Taluk, Kolar
* Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, Kolar
* Smt.Danamma Chanabasaviah PU and degree college, KOLAR
* Mahila Samaja school, KOLAR
* St Anne's convent High school, KOLAR
* Dr.T.Thimmaiah college of engineering, KGF
* First Grade College, KGF
* Beml High School, Beml Nagar
* Parkinson Memorial School, KGF
* Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College, KGF
* Sri Byraveshwara Vidya Samaste, Srinivasapur

Local Newspapers

* "Kolara Patrike" - The first Kannada daily periodical.
* "Kolaravani" - Largest circulated daily of the Kolar District.
* "Honnudi" - First locally published daily with editorial, founder-editor, A. N. Prahlada Rao.

External links

* [http://www.adats.com Agricultural Development and Training Society]
* [http://www.kolar.bsnl.co.in Kolar Telecom District]
* [http://www.templenet.com/Karnataka/kolar.html Temples of Kolar District]
* [http://www.sdumc.ac.in Sri Devaraj urs Medical College]
* [http://www.poemhunter.com/p/m/poem.asp?poet=166899&poem=3281228 Heart in Kolar]
* [http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/07/02/stories/2005070202170100.htm]