'Belgaum' (
Kannada: ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ,
Marathi: बेळगांव; ), also known as ''Belgaon'' and ''Belagaavi'', is a city and a
municipal corporation in
Belgaum district in the state of
Karnataka,
India.
It is situated nearly 2,500 ft (762 m) above sea-level and is the headquarters of
Belgaum district, which borders the states of
Maharashtra and
Goa.
History
The city of Belgaum was built in the 12th century AD by the
Ratta dynasty who were based at nearby
Saundatti. The fort of Belgaum was built in 1204 by a Ratta officer named Bichiraja. Belgaum served as the capital of that dynasty between 1210 and 1250, before the Rattas were defeated by the
Yadava Dynasty of
Devagiri. Belgaum then briefly came under the sway of the Yadavas of Devagiri. The
Khiljis of Delhi invaded the region at the turn of the 1300s and succeeded in ruining both the indigenous powers of the region, the Yadava and the
Hoysalas without providing a viable administration. This lacuna was supplied by the
Vijayanagara Empire, which had become the established power of the area by 1336. A century later, the town had become a bustling trading hub for diamonds and wood, owing to its favourable geographic location in the kingdom.
In 1474, the
Bahmani Sultanate, then ruling from
Bidar, captured the fort of Belgaum. Shortly afterwards, in 1518, the Bahamani sultanate splintered into five small states, and Belgaum became part of the
Adilshahi sultanate of
Bijapur. The Adilshahis reinforced the fort of Belgaum; much of the existing structure dates from 1519. In 1686, the Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb overthrew the Bijapur sultanate, and Belgaum passed nominally to the Mughals. However, the Mughal empire went into decline after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, and his principal detractors, the
Maratha confederacy, took control of the area during the rule of the
Peshwas. In 1776, the country was overrun by
Hyder Ali of
Mysore, but was retaken by the Peshwa with British assistance. In 1818, the
British deposed the last Peshwa and annexed his kingdom, which included Belgaum.
Belgaum was chosen as the venue of the 39th session of
Indian National Congress in December 1924 under the President ship of Mahatma Gandhiji. The city served as a major military installation for the
British Raj, primarily due to its proximity to
Goa, which was then a Portuguese territory. Once the British left
India, the Indian Government continued and still continues to have Armed forces installations in Belgaum. In 1961, the Indian government, under the Prime Ministership of
Nehru used forces from Belgaum to end Portuguese rule of Goa.
When India became independent in 1947, Belgaum and its district became part of
Bombay State. In 1956, the Indian states were reorganised along linguistic lines by the
States Reorganisation Act, and Belgaum District was transferred to
Mysore State, which was renamed
Karnataka in 1972.
In 2006, the
Government of Karnataka announced that Belgaum would be made the state's second capital and that the city would be a permanent venue for the annual 15-day session of the state legislature.
[1]
Etymology
Belgaum is anglicized name of Belgaon/Belagaavi. The names are possibly from the
Sanskrit ''Venugrama'', "Bamboo village".
The name Belgaum had been proposed to be changed to Belagaavi by the Karnataka government.
[2] However in August 2007, the Central Government refused permission to rename Belgaum while giving a go-ahead to rename 11 other cities in Karnataka.
[3]
[4]
Border Dispute
Main articles: Belgaum border dispute
The
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
[5]; about three-fourths of the total population.
[6]. Since then,
Maharashtra has claimed the district, and the case is now in
Supreme court of India.
Geography
Belgaum is located at
[7]. It has an average elevation of 751
metres (2463
feet).
The city is situated in the northwestern parts of
Karnataka and lies at the border of two states,
Maharashtra and
Goa. It is one of the oldest towns in the state, lying at a distance of 502 km from
Bangalore and 500 km from
Mumbai. The district comprises 1278 villages with an area of 13,415 km² with a population of around 5
lakh (500,000). Situated near the foothills of the Sahyadri mountain range (
Western Ghats) at an altitude of about 779m, 100km from the
Arabian Sea with the river Markandeya flowing nearby, Belgaum exhibits swift and kaleidoscopic changes in topography, vegetation and climate.
Climate
Belgaum is well known for its pleasant climate throughout the year, but the last few years, summers (April through June) have been warmer than usual. It is at its coldest in winter (November through February), and experiences continuous monsoon of medium intensity during July to September. The annual average rainfall is 50".
Demographics
As of 2001 India
census[8], Belgaum had a population of 399,600. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Belgaum has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 65%; with 54% of the males and 46% of females literate. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[9]
Culture
Belgaum enjoys rich cultural diversity stemming from its proximity to the states of Maharashtra and Goa. Kannada and Marathi are the main languages spoken. The customs and traditions of Belgaum have been influenced by both the Kannada and Marathi cultures. Traditional dressing in rural Belgaum is similar to the attires of people in the north Karnataka and south Maharashtra belt; the men wear a turban with a long tailpiece at the rear and a dhoti (a sarong worn in a manner that allows easier movement) and the women wear sarees but with the lower half drawn like a dhoti. However, in the city, the costumes are very much in tune with modern urban India. Belgaum's positioning has also made its cuisine a potpourri of central(Marathi)and north Indian flavours and the fast food is predominantly influenced by Marathi tastes (e.g. vada pav, missal) and other north Indian chaat.
Economy
Belgaum is an ideal location for vegetable trading, fish, wood & mining resource trading in north
Karnataka.
From the early 1970s, Belgaum began developing as an important centre for the manufacture of heavy machine tools, including the manufacture of high pressure oil hydraulics.
Trade flourishes in Belgaum, and many areas of the city are dedicated to certain kinds of trade. For example, almost all automobile-related trade and manufacture happens in the Fort Road area of the city. Also the Raviwarpeth area is know as the whole-sale market which sells commodities like Grains, Tea, etc.
Belgaum also is a strong industrial hub for Machine Shops catering to Automotive Manufacturing, Specially in Crank-shaft machining. Belgaum has friendly conditions for foundry and casting businesses.
The geographical location is at an advantage being situated right in between Bangalore and Mumbai(Pune) to support the major automotive and aerospace companies.
Defence Training Centres
Its salubrious climate, proximity to the coast and strategic position near
Portuguese Goa commended it to the British as a suitable location for an army training center and
cantonment, which it continues to be today for the
Indian Armed Forces, along with an
air base of the
Indian Air Force.
The British had a sizable
infantry post here, having realised the military importance of its geographical location. Perhaps that 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
East India Company and the British to exert control over India.
Belgaum houses the Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre (MLIRC). It also houses the Commando Training Wing which is a part of the Infantry School,
Mhow, where the country's infantry commandos are trained in endurance, escape and evasion, guerilla and commando warfare techniques and to live off the land. The Commando course at Belgaum is mandatory for all infantry officers. Officers of other arms and services and even some foreign officers undergo the course.
Tourism and attractions
Belgaum is located 502 km from
Bangalore and 125 km from
Goa. Nestled in the foothills of the
Western Ghats, it enjoys a cool, salubrious climate and is surrounded by natural beauty in the form of rivers, hills and dense evergreen forests. Inside the city, the old town area of Vadgaon and Angol with its cotton and silk weavers stands beside the modern, bustling, treelined British Cantonment area. The Belgaum fort is a huge construct present in the heart of the town. It is said that its 15-
meter deep moats were filled with ravenous crocodiles to ward off enemies in the early days. A wide variety of historical sites, temples and churches exist in and around the city, most notably the fort Kamala Basti, Kapileshwar temple (South Kashi), the hills of Vaijyanath, Ramtirth in Kanbargi, the aerodrome at Sambra and others.
Jamboti, 20 km south-west of Belgaum, is a popular tourist spot with its evergreen hilltop forests. The
Vajrapoha Falls on the
Mandovi river are located 26 km from Belgaum. At distance of about 60
km from Belgaum, are the Godchanmalki falls. They are stepwise falls which are approximately 100
metres in length, with a step at every 30 metres.
Buildings
Belgaum houses many interesting monuments, including the famous Belgaum fort which dates back to 1519 AD (Refer to the
'History' section).
In fort area there is a Jain temple which is built in 890 AD. Its architecture is marvellous.
.
The foundation of the ''Suvarna Vidhana Soudha'', a legislative administrative office complex, was laid in Belgaum in August 2007 to celebrate the golden jubilee celebrations
of its formation[10].
Food
Belgaum is renowned for its sweet dish ''Kunda''. It is prepared from milk and is available in sweet marts across the city. Belgaum is also known for other sweet dishes such ''Balushais'' . Unlike normal sweets this sweet lasts over a period of time.
Educational Institutions
Belgaum is also an important educational center.
From the late 1970s onwards, Belgaum began seeing a substantial increase in the number of professional education institutions. While initially this was seen largely in the medical and engineering fields, Belgaum today hosts institutions from a number of other professional streams as well. Apart from these, Belgaum also has a large number of law, science and arts colleges, affiliated to the
Karnatak University.
The establishment of the
Visvesvaraya Technological University in 1998, with the affiliation of more than 140 engineering colleges, raised the importance of Belgaum as a centre of education in
Karnataka. Belgaum hosts many medical collages too.
The impact of this growth has considerably changed the cultural, linguistic and industrial profile of the city, due to the influx of students from across India (and even across the world), some of whom made Belgaum their home base after completion of their education there.
For a list of educational institutions, please see the articles on
Karnatak University and
Visvesvaraya Technological University.
The
KLE Society and Karnatak Law Society [KLS] among others have contributed immensely towards education in Belgaum and surrounding districts of Karnataka.
Transportation
Road
Belgaum is connected by road via the National Highways 4 (connecting
Maharashtra,
Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh and
Tamil Nadu) and 4A (connecting
Karnataka and
Goa).
Air
Belgaum is directly connected with
Bangalore,
Goa,
Mumbai,
Miraj and
Kolhapur. The airport currently serving the city is
Belgaum Airport. Schedules have been erratic, as the air connectivity is primarily provided by feeder airlines.
Rail
Belgaum is on the main
Indian Railways grid being part of
HubliDivision and is well connected by rail to major destinations such as
Bangalore (via
Hubli),
Mumbai (via Miraj) and
Goa.
References
1. http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=418913
2. http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/oct82006/index2044162006107.asp
3. Federal nod to renaming of 11 cities in Karnataka
4. Central government refuses to rename Belgaum as Belagavi
5. District’s always been bone of contention
6. Karnataka caught in ‘language’ web
7. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Belgaum
8.
9. Census of India
10. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20070824223020&Page=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0
External links
★
Municipal Corporation of Belgaum
★
Government website on Belgaum district
★
Zilla Panchayat, Belgaum
★
Belgaum on Wikimapia
★
Karnatak Law Society
★
KLE University
★
Vishveshvaraya Technological University
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