Belgaum District: Encyclopedia - Belgaum District

Belgaum District

Belgaum District has, by the 2001 Census of India, a population of approximately 4.2 million. The district has an area of 12,000 sq. km., 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 Dharwad and Uttara Kannada districts, and on the southwest by the state of Goa. The languages spoken in this district include Kannada, the official language of Karnataka, and Marathi.

Belgaum District - Border Problem

Belgaum represents the intractable issue of border determination after the creation of linguistic states. On the surface, the district appears a perfect blend of Kannadigas and Maharashtrians. Except that the Maharashtrians have dinned into themselves the need to save their culture and values. "Shivaji and Ganesh Chaturthi processions have kept them alive.

Belgaum has 865 Marathi-speaking villages, which include the prosperous Belgaum city. Karanataka Govt administration promotes business and routine work to be conducted in Kannada. In protest, the shops of Marathis have billboards and hoardings in Marathi and English. Marathi Families go to Maharashtra to find brides and grooms for their wards. Belagum has five Marathi language news dailie they are Tarun Bharat, Pudari of Kolahpur, Ran Jhunjar, Vaarta and Swatantra Pragati. The Maharashtra Government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a merger of belgaum into Maharastra State.

Belgaum District - History

The ancient name of the town of Belgaum was Venugrama meaning Bamboo Village. 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 Ghatprabha 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 and was made part of the district of Dharwad. In 1836 this was divided into two parts, 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 Belgavi,Marathi people call Belgaon, North Indians call it as Belagam.

The British had a sizable infantry post here, having realised the military importance of its geographic 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'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 Railway Station.

Now the Visveswaraih Technological University is established in Belgaum. Under this university comes all the technical and engineering colleges in the Karnataka State. Belgaum is also known for the Air Force School, an Indian Air Force training centre located at Sambra. The Maratha Light Infantry has it's regimental headquarters in Belgaum. The Commando School of the Indian Army is also situated in Belgaum.

Belgaum District - Belgaum Division

Belgaum Division includes the districts of Bagalkot, Belgaum, Bijapur, Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag and Uttara Kannada.

This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, a publication in the public domain.

Categories: 1911 Britannica | Districts of Karnataka

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