Belgaum district

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
type = district
native_name = Belgaum
hq = Belgaum
area_total = 12000
latd =
longd =
locator_position = left
state_name = Karnataka
altitude =
abbreviation =
collector =
population_total = 4214505
population_as_of = 2001
population_density =
website = http://belgaum.nic.in/
footnotes =The Belgaum district is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The city of Belgaum is the district headquarters. By the 2001 Census of India, it had a population of 4,214,505 of which 24.03% were urban. [http://www.censusindiamaps.net/page/India_WhizMap/IndiaMap.htm] The district has an area of 12,000 square kilometers, and is bounded on the west and north by Maharashtra state, on the northeast by Bijapur District, on the east by Bagalkot District, on the southeast by Gadag District, on the south by Dharawad District and Uttara Kannada districts, and on the southwest by the state of Goa. The languages spoken in this district include Kannada and Marathi.

History

Belgaum is the Divisional Head quarter 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 Bijapur sultans in 1686, Belgaum passed to the Mughals. In 1776 the country was overrun by Hyder Ali of Mysore, but was retaken by the Peshwa with British assistance. In 1818 it was handed over to the British East India Company.In 1836 the southern district continuing to be known as Dharwad, the northern as Belgaum.

Kittur in Belgaum district is a place of historical importance. Rani Chennamma of Kittur (1778-1829) is known for her resistance to British rule; another person in the history of Belgaum known for his resistance to British rule is Sangolli Rayanna.

There are several names available for Belgaum city. Kannada people call it Belgaavi, Marathi people call it Belgaon, North Indians call it as Belgaum.

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.

Tourism

Tourism attractions of Belagavi District [cite web
url=http://www.gazetteer.kar.nic.in/data/gazetteer/postind/Kar_Handbook_2005_Chapter14.Pdf
title=Handbook of Karnataka, Tourism
publisher=
accessdate=2008-08-11]

* Hooli

Panchalingeshwara temple Hooli

9 km from Savadatti, one of the oldest village in the district, it is famous for "'Panchaligeswara temple". Other ruined Chalukya temples waiting for conservation and restoration.

* Saundatti

Famous for Savadatti Fort.

* Kamala Narayana Temple, Degaon ( Degamve / Devgram )

Degaon Kamala Narayana temple 5 km from Kittur.

* Kasamalgi Parshwanatha

Kasamalgi Parshwanatha, 5 km from Kittur

* Halasi

* Yallammagudda

* Navilateertha

* Jamboti, 20 km south-west of Belgaum, is a popular tourist spot with its evergreen hilltop forests.
* Varapoha Falls, where the Mandovi River plunges 60 meters, is a beautiful waterfall in Belgaum district.
* Gokak Falls

* Belgaum fort which is in the heart of the city. The kote lake is also a beautiful lake to visit. Inside the fort we can find an ancient jain temple of black stone. Just few metres walk to this temple you can find Ramkrishna Ashrama where you can relax. There is an ancient Masjid also in the fort.

* Belgaum Cantonment with both Portuguese and British style buildings,churches and schools.

* Parasgad Fort

* Kittur

Border dispute

Belgaum district was incorporated into the newly formed Mysore state (now Karnataka) with the passage of the "States Reorganisation Act" (1956), which reorganised India's states along linguistic lines, despite having a large Marathi-speaking population;cite news
author =Girish Kuber
title = District’s always been bone of contention
url = http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1309841,curpg-2.cms
publisher = The Economic Times
date = 2005-11-28
accessdate = 2006-11-1
language = English] about three-fourths of the total population.cite news
author =JAISHANKAR JAYARAMIAH
title = Karnataka caught in ‘language’ web
url = http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=109230
publisher = The Financial express
date = 2005-11-21
accessdate = 2006-11-1
language = English] Since then, Maharashtra has been claiming the district and the case is now in the Supreme Court of India.

Belgaum division

Belgaum is also the Divisional Headquarter, it includes the districts of Bagalkot, Belgaum, Bijapur, Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag and Uttara Kannada.

Administration

Administration of Belgaum District has been divided into 10 talukas. Chikkodi taluka is the largest with an area of 1,995.70 km² and Raybag taluka 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.

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 Fact|date=March 2007. 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 (Principal - Lt Col Sudhanshu Arya) 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 Indian Army.

References

External links

* [http://www.wikimapia.org/#y=15861123&x=74517517&z=13&l=0&m=h/ Belgaum on Wikimapia]