ABOUT BELGAUM

BELGAUM :

Belgaum (also known as Belagavi, Belgavi and Venugrama or "bamboo village")^[4][5] is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Belgaum division and Belgaum district. The Government of Karnataka has proposed making Belgaum the second capital of Karnataka, hence a second state administrative building Suvarna Vidhana Soudha was inaugurated on 11 October 2012.^[6]

Belgaum has been selected in first phase out of 20 cities, as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi'sflagship Smart Cities Mission.^[7]

History

Belgaum city 1896

Belgaum 1896 map

Belgaum was founded in late 12th century AD by the Ratta dynasty, who shifted from nearby Saundatti. A Ratta official called Bichiraja built a Jain temple dedicated to Neminatha in 1204, which came to be called Kamalabasti. Pillars found inside Belgaum fort have Kannada inscriptions in Nagari scripts, one from 1199 by Ratta King Kartaveerya IV. The city original name was Venugrama, a Sanskrit word which means "village of bamboo". Alternatively, it is referred to as Venupura in early Indian texts, which means "city of bamboo".^[8]

Belgaum became a part of the Yadava dynasty kingdom (Sevunas) in early 13th century. An inscription from 1261 of King Krishna belonging to the Yadava dynasty attests to this. The region was invaded by Khalji dynasty of Delhi Sultanate in 14th century. Shortly thereafter, the Vijayanagara Empire was founded, and Belgaum came under the rule of Vijayanagara. In 1474, the Bahmani Sultanate conquered Belgaum with an army led by Mahamood Gawan.^[9]

The Belgaum fort was strengthened by the Adil Shah dynasty Sultans and they built the Safa Mosque. A Persian inscription states that the mosque was built by Asad Khan, a Bijapur Commander. In 1518, the Bahamani sultanate splintered into five small states and Belgaum became part of the Bijapur Sultanate. The Adilshahis extended their control to the port of Goa, but retreated after the arrival and wars with the Portuguese. In 1686, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeboverthrew the Bijapur sultanate and Belgaum passed nominally to the Mughals, who called it "Azamnagar".^[9] However, the Mughal empire control collapsed after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707. The Maratha confederacy took control of the area during the rule of the Peshwas. In 1776, the region was overrun by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan after Hyder Ali's coup in the Kingdom of Mysore. The Peshwa regained Belgaum, after Tipu Sultan was defeated by the British forces. In 1818, the British annexed Belgaum and the region in the control of the Peshwa. Kitturu Chennamma (1778–1829) was the queen of the princely state of Kittur in Karnataka. In 1824, 33 years before the 1857 War of Independence in Murree, she led an armed rebellion against the British in response to the Doctrine of lapse. The resistance ended in her martyrdom and she is remembered today as one of the earliest Indian and the First Indian Queen to have fought for independence.^{[citation needed]}

Belgaum was chosen as the venue of the 39th session of the Indian National Congress in December 1924 under the presidency 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 Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, used forces from Belgaum to end Portuguese rule of Goa.

When India became independent in 1947, Belgaum and its district were part of Bombay State. In 1956, the Indian states were reorganised along linguistic lines by the States Reorganisation Act and Belgaum District (except Chandgad Taluk) 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.^[10]

City names

Earlier known as venugram, from the Sanskrit Velugrama, for Venugrama,^[11] i.e., "Bamboo village". Of late, the city has carved itself a new name as "Kunda nagari" because of its famous sweet dish, Kunda, made with milk, sugar and spices. The city is also known as the "Sugar Bowl of Karnataka", and the district as the "Sugar District" because of the enormous scope of its sugarcane cultivation and production facilities.

On November 1, 2014, the city's name was changed from Belgaum to Belagavi by the Karnataka government, with approval of the Central government of India along with 12 other cities.^[12][13]

Geography

Belgaum is located at 15.87°N 74.5°E.^[14] It has an average elevation of 751 metres (2,464 feet). The city is in the northwestern parts of Karnataka and lies at the border of two states, Maharashtra and Goa on the western ghats (50 km from the Goa state border). It is one of the oldest towns in the state, lying 502 km from Bangalore, 515 km from Hyderabad ,500 km from Mumbai, 75 . The district comprises 1278 villages with an area of 13,415 km² and a population of around 4.8 million according to the census of 2011. Belgaum district is the biggest district of Karnataka. Situated near the foothills of the Sahyadri mountain range (Western Ghats) at an altitude of about 779 m, 100 km from the Arabian Sea with the Markandeya river flowing nearby, Belgaum exhibits swift and kaleidoscopic changes in topography, vegetation and climate.

Climate

Belgaum has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw). It is known for its pleasant year-round climate. Belgaum is at its coldest in winter (November - February temperatures dropping to 7 degrees Celsius; the minimum temperature in Karnataka state is usually recorded in Belgaum,^[15]) and it experiences almost continuous monsoon rains from June through September. Belgaum sometimes receives hail storms during April.

[hide]Climate data for Belgaum
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	33.2 (91.8)	36.1 (97)	37.4 (99.3)	39.1 (102.4)	40.0 (104)	37.2 (99)	34.3 (93.7)	34.0 (93.2)	35.6 (96.1)	34.1 (93.4)	33.8 (92.8)	33.5 (92.3)	40 (104)
Average high °C (°F)	28.8 (83.8)	31.5 (88.7)	34 (93)	36 (97)	34 (93)	28 (82)	25.4 (77.7)	25.5 (77.9)	27 (81)	29 (84)	28 (82)	28 (82)	29.6 (85.18)
Daily mean °C (°F)	21.9 (71.4)	23.7 (74.7)	26.5 (79.7)	28.3 (82.9)	27.8 (82)	24.6 (76.3)	23.2 (73.8)	22.9 (73.2)	23.7 (74.7)	24.2 (75.6)	22.8 (73)	21.8 (71.2)	24.28 (75.71)
Average low °C (°F)	13.5 (56.3)	15.4 (59.7)	18.4 (65.1)	20.4 (68.7)	21.1 (70)	20.9 (69.6)	20.2 (68.4)	19.4 (66.9)	19.2 (66.6)	18.2 (64.8)	16.4 (61.5)	14.2 (57.6)	18.11 (64.6)
Record low °C (°F)	6.2 (43.2)	6.3 (43.3)	11.6 (52.9)	15.0 (59)	14.8 (58.6)	18.0 (64.4)	17.2 (63)	16.8 (62.2)	16.0 (60.8)	10.7 (51.3)	9.3 (48.7)	9.1 (48.4)	6.2 (43.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	0 (0)	2 (0.08)	10 (0.39)	61 (2.4)	95 (3.74)	240 (9.45)	455 (17.91)	273 (10.75)	119 (4.69)	136 (5.35)	38 (1.5)	6 (0.24)	1,435 (56.5)
Average rainy days	0.1	0.3	1.0	3.8	6.3	14.9	20.6	20.0	10.6	6.1	3.3	0.4	87.4
Average relative humidity (%)	46	40	40	52	63	82	87	88	83	69	57	52	63.3
Source #1: NOAA (1971-1990)[16]
Source #2: DES[17]

Demographics

As per the provisional 2011 India census, the population of Belgaum is 588,292, and its urban / metropolitan population is 610,189.^[18]Males constitute 51% (309,689) of the population and females 49% (300,500). Belgaum has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 65%; of those literate, 54% are males and 46% are females. Eleven percent of the population is under 6 years of age.^[19] The local languages spoken in this city are Kannada and Marathi language and official language is Kannada. There are also minority number of Urdu, Konkani speakers. Hindi and English is also understood by the people of the city.

Economy

Belgaum is an important source of vegetables, fruits, meat, poultry, fish, mining production, and wood (due to heavy rainfall, rivers and the abundance of water). Trading in North Karnataka is mainly with Goaand Maharashtra along with major cities like Pune and Bangalore. Rich deposits of Bauxite are found in Belagavi district and have led to the creation of the Indian aluminium-producing company Hindalco Industries of the Aditya Birla Group.^[20] Uranium deposits have been found at Deshnur, a small village near Bailhongal town.^[21] Belgaum is a major producer of milk in the state, 30% of the state's production, and has the highest number of Sugar factories in Karnataka. It is also home to Ugar Sugar Works in Ugar, Shree Renuka Sugars, and other large-scale sugar factories.

From the early 1970s, Belgaum began developing into an important centre for the manufacture of heavy machine tools, including the manufacture of high-pressure oil hydraulics systems.

Belgaum is also a foundry Hub of Karnataka state, with about 200+ foundries producing automotive and industrial castings of ferrous base and supporting ancillaries like CNC and conventional machine shops which finish the castings that are produced in Belgaum.

Almost all of some areas in old Belgaum at Vadagaon, Khasbag and Shahpur are engaged in business with power looms. Belgaum is known for saris, which are sold under different brand names. Over 30,000 people are directly dependent on the power looms. There are also ready-made garment units, some of them export-oriented, besides those manufacturing Khadi cotton products.

Trade flourishes in Belgaum, and many areas of the city are dedicated to particular kinds of trade. For example, almost all automobile-related trade and manufacture happens in the Fort Road area of the city and Udhyambag.

Belgaum also is a strong industrial hub for machine shops catering to automotive manufacturing, especially crankshaft machining castings and helmets. The geographical location of the city is an advantage, since it is between Bangalore and Pune–Mumbai, which supports the major automotive and aerospace^{[citation needed]} companies along with other nearby industrial hubs such as Ichalkaranji and Kholapur.

A 300-acre (1.2 km²) Special Economic Zone (India's first Private Aerospace SEZ ) is being set up along the Pune-Bangalore National Highway (NH-4) to cater to the precision engineering requirements of the global aerospace, automotive and industrial verticals.^[22]

Construction has grown fast since year 2010, new residential projects has come from 2010, Bella Vista in Nanawadi near Cantonment area being one of the early ones.

Due to large export in Belgaum, the central government has established the DGFT (Director General of Foreign Trade) office the only state in India to have two offices, current office is in Bangalore the entire North Karnataka will come under Belgaum DGFT

Belgaum border dispute

The Belgaum border dispute is a dispute involving the Indian states of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Belgaum, currently a part of Karnataka and earlier the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, is claimed by Maharashtra on linguistic grounds.

On 11 November 2005, Karnataka rakshna vedike (KRV) activists daubed Belagaum Mayor Vijay More's face with black paint (and later surrendered to the police)^[23] in the wake of Belgaum City Corporation (BCC) passing a resolution^[24][25] to include the district of Belgaum into Maharashtra, a neighbouring state. Upon his return to Belgaum, Vijay More was served with several show-cause notices by the Government of Karnataka and later dissolved the council.^[26]

Following this incident, in the following year's election, Prashanta Budavi, wife of KRV (Karnataka Rakshana Vedike) City President Shantinath Budavi was appointed as mayor of the Belgaum City Corporation. Maharashtra has asked to bring 865 disputed villages including Belgaum under centre's rule until Supreme court's final verdict. N.D. Patil, head of legal-committee appointed by Maharashtra government said that Karnataka is intensifying the problem. He added that Marathi people of border region are not able to live with honour and dignity under Karnataka's rule pointing out to the 'unconstitutional' dissolution of Belgaum mahanagar palike and manhandling of Belgaum mayor by Kannada activists at Bangalore.^[27]

Defence training centres

Belgaum's 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 centre and cantonment, which it continues to be today for the Indian Armed Forces, along with an air force station of the Indian Air Force. The British had a sizeable infantry post here, having realised the military importance of its geographical location.

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, guerrilla 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 undertake the course. In between the military hospital and the commando training centre there lies the eminent Belgaum Military School, established in 1945 spread over an area of 64 acres (26 ha).

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police, ITBP, is building a full-fledged recreation and training centre in Belgaum at Halbhavi. Belgaum provides an excellent climate for recreation and ITBP will have large family bases in Belgaum for its soldiers after high altitude stressful duty.

The Central Reserve Police Force Institute of elite central paramilitary forces is setting up a national-level training institution (for jungle warfare) at Khanapur in Belgaum.

Tourism and attractions

Belgaum is 502 km from Bengaluru and 154 km from Panaji. 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. In the vicinity there are popular tourists places like Amboli, Sindhudurg district and Jamboti.

A wide variety of historical sites, mosques, temples and churches are in and around the city, most notably the Kamala Basti fort, Kapileshwar temple (South Kashi), the hills of Vaijyanath, Ramtirth waterfalls, Revan Siddeshwr Temple at Hunshevari in the valleys of Kakati, Siddeshwar Temple in Kanbargi, the aerodrome at Sambra, Kittur Fort, Suvarna soudha.

Gokak Falls

Kamal Basati Jain temple in Belgaum

Dudhsagar Falls during rainy season (monsoon) in the dense forest

In and near the city are:

• Belgaum Fort, a huge construction in the centre of the town. It dates back to 1519. 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 the unification of Karnataka.^[28]
• Kamal Basati is a Jain temple within the walls of Belgaum fort. It has a Neminatha idol in black stone (idol found in a forest nearby) that is deified on a stone carved pedestal here as Moolnayak. It was built in the Chalukyan style in 1204 AD. The pillars that support the roof with the lotus pendant are founded on plinths. Some pillars made of black basaltic stones (said to have magnetic characteristics) are highly polished. It is named as the Kamal Basadi since the tower of the temple depicts kamal (lotus) with 72 petals, which presently displays images of the past 24 Tirthankaras but can depict the present and future thirthankars. Other idols seen in the temple are of Bhagwan Sumatinath in the kayotsarga posture, Bhagwan Parshvanath under the shade of seven-hooded serpent (Nagaraj), Bhagwan Adinath in the padmasana posture and the Navagraha.
• Chikki Basadi, in ruins now, was once considered as a “remarkable piece of Jain architecture”.
• Hunshevari, the holy place of the "Shree Revan Siddeshwar Temple", in the valleys of Kakati village, 7 km from Belgaum on the Pune-Bangalore national highway.
• Siddeshwar Temple in Kanabargi village is a famous temple in a hill cave.
• Yellur Gad, on a hill surrounded by a circular wall, is a popular location visible from a long distance.
• The handloom cottage industries and silk weavers located in Vadgaon and Angol are known for exquisitely designed saris.
• The Belgaum Cantonment area with its lush cover of greenery. The MLIRC (Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre) is based here.
• Jamboti, 25 km southwest of Belgaum, is a popular tourist spot with evergreen hilltop forests.
• Vajrapoha Falls on the Mandovi River are 26 km from Belgaum.
• Godchinamalaki Falls is a popular destination about 60 km from Belgaum. The falls are approximately 100 metres in length, with a stepwise fall every 30 metres.
• Gokak Falls is yet another resplendent waterfall 62 km from Belgaum and 6 km from Gokak town.
• Amboli hill station (Maharashtra) is a little-known coastal highland area, around 70 km from Belgaum, popular during the monsoon season with its thick forests, curving misty ghats and shades of vibrant green.
• Asha Kiran Planetarium, School of Astronomy and Audio-Visual Education Research Centre, is in Ganeshpur.^[29]
• Dudhsagar Water Falls, around 80 km from Belgaum, is a scenic waterfall. The spot also provides various options for trekkers. The best time to visit is during or soon after the Monsoon.
• International Golf Course (18-hole) at Desur, 10 km from the city.
• Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary (Khanapur)
• Anshi National Park (Karwar, Khanapur)
• Swami Vivekananand Smarak a tourist place in Belgaum at a very peaceful location.
• Mal Maruti Temple, one of the best Hanuman temples, with a Udbhava Murty carving
• Kalavati Aai temple (Hari mandir)
• Siddeshwar Temple from Nagaramunnoli, which is very famous in Belgaum.
• Sulebhavi Mahalakshmi Temple is 20 km from Belgaum.
• Military Hindalga Ganapati Temple is at Raichur–Vengurla Highway (State Highway 20 (Karnataka))
• Veera Soudha, also known as congress well, is a beautiful memorial and garden within the city limits.
• Halasi near Khanapur is a historical place famous for its monuments and temple.

One can also visit Buthramanhatti Park, Hidkal Dam, jungles, and many waterfalls quite close to the city.

For more details you can visit travel agency in belgaum