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Revision as of 23:10, 16 November 2004
Belgaum is a town and district of India, in north western Karnataka. The town is situated nearly 2500 ft (762 m) above sea-level; The population of the district, by the 2001 Census of India, is approximately 4.2 million. The district of Belgaum has an area of 12,000 sq km.
INDAL (Indian Aluminium Company) is located at Belgaum. Belgaum also has a number of training centres of the Indian Armed Forces, and an air base of the Indian Air Force.
History
The ancient name of the town of Belgaum was Venugrama. 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. Queen Chennamma of Kittur (1778-1829) is known for her resistance to British rule; another person in the history of Belgaum, known for his resistane to British rule, is Sangolli Rayanna.
Attractions
- Gokak Falls - waterfall of the Ghataprabha river
- Belgaum fort, built in 1519
- Kapileshvara temple
- Sambhaji Garden and Shivaji Garden
- Jamia Mosque
Languages
The languages spoken in this district include Kannada, the official language of Karnataka, and Marathi.
External Links
Statue of Queen Chennamma at Bangalore
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)