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Bagalkot district | |
|---|---|
     Clockwise from top-right:Kudalasangama,Durga temple atAihole, Megaliths on Meguti hill, Sangameshwara Temple atPattadakal,Cave temple 1 atBadami | |
 Interactive map of Bagalkot district | |
| Coordinates:16°07′N75°27′E / 16.12°N 75.45°E /16.12; 75.45 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Karnataka |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founded by | Government of Karnataka |
| Headquarters | Bagalkot |
| Talukas | Bagalkot Rabkavi Banhatti Guledgudda Badami Hunagunda Jamakhandi Mudhol Ilkal Bilagi Terdal |
| Government | |
| • Type | Zilla Panchayat |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Sangappa (IAS) |
| • Lok Sabha constituencies | 1 |
| • Vidhan Sabha constituencies | 7 |
| Area | |
• Total | 6,593 km2 (2,546 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 524 m (1,719 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 1,889,752 |
| • Density | 286.6/km2 (742.4/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kannada |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 587101-587325 |
| Telephone code | + 91 (0)8354 |
| Vehicle registration |
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| Website | bagalkot |
Bagalkot district (/ˈbɑːɡəlkoʊt/), is an administrativedistrict in theIndian state ofKarnataka. The district headquarters is located in the town ofBagalkot. The district is located in northern Karnataka and bordersBelgaum,Gadag,Koppal,Raichur andBijapur. The new Bagalkot district was carved out of Vijayapura in 1997 viaGovernment of Karnataka directiveNotification RD 42 LRD 87 Part III.[1] The bifurcated Bagalkot district consists of tentaluks — Badami, Bagalkot, Bilagi, Guledgudda, Rabkavi Banhatti, Hunagund, Ilkal, Jamakhandi and Mudhol, Teradal.[2]
TheGhataprabha River,Malaprabha River andKrishna River flow through the district.Kudalasangama lies at the point of confluence of the rivers Krishna and Malaprabha and is famous for being the samadhi ofBasavanna.
Stone inscriptions identifyBagadige as the ancient name of Bagalkot. According to legends, the area was gifted byRāvana, lord ofLanka, to his musicians. Othertaluks in Bagalkot also have mythological origins. Badami, formerly known asVatapi, was named after anasura king who, according to theMahābhārata, ruled the area along with his brotherIlvala. Legend has it that bothasuras were vanquished by thesageAgasthya. The northwestern taluk of Jamkhandi derives its name from theChalukya temple dedicated toJambukeshwara, a form of the HindudeityShiva. The town of Aihole, formerly the capital of the Chalukyan Empire of Banavasi was previously known asAyyavole andAryapura meaningNoble city. The western taluk of Mudhol was traditionally known asMuduvollal, literallyLovely town. The ancient town of Pattadakal was previously known asRaktapura,red town, and later asPattadakal Kisuvoval.
TheGreek astronomerPtolemy previously identified many towns in the district of Bagalkot.Pattadakal was referred to asPetrigal, while Badami was known asBadiamaioi.[3]
Bagalkot district is divided into ten taluks; each taluk is further subdivided intohoblis and villages and habitations. There are 21 hoblis in the district:[citation needed]
Over 191Middle Palaeolithic localities have been discovered in theKaladgi basin of the district. The discovery of settlements in the village ofLakhamapura near the Malaprabha valley yielded the identification ofquartziticartefacts such ashandaxes andcleavers.[4] A pre-Chalukyan bricktemple was discovered at the foothills ofBachinagudda, in Pattadakal, where an idol depicting the bust ofChaturmukhaShiva was discovered. Evidence ofmegalithic habitation was also discovered at the foothills of Bachinagudda, as wereMarahathi andSatavahana coins of a later period.[5]
The first documented evidence of the existence of Bagalkot district dates back to the 2nd centuryCE, when the taluks of Badami, Indi and Kalkeri were mentioned in the works of theGreekastronomerPtolemy. In the 6th century CE, theHinduChalukya rulers ruled over much of presentSouth India. The Chalukyan kingPulakeshin I established Bagalkot as his administrative headquarters; the district retained its prominent status until the Chalukyan empire was sacked by theRashtrakutas in 753 CE. TheChinese explorerHieun-Tsang visited Badami and described the people as "tall, proud,...brave and exceedingly chivalrous".[6] He estimated the kingdom to be approximately 1,200 mi in circumference.
The period of rule of the Chalukyas of Badami, whose kingdom stretched from modern Karnataka toMaharashtra andGujarat, was a highlight of Bagalkot's history. Chalukya kingPulakeshin II further consolidated the empire by battling with theKadambas,Gangas,Mauryas of theKonkan,Gurjaras and EmperorHarshavardhana, whom he vanquished on the banks of theNarmada river[7] Accounts of war were inscribed on stone structures in the town ofAihole, now located in the taluk of Hungund.
TheKalyani Chalukyas, descendants of the Badami Chalukyas, conquered the area before the dawn of the 10th century CE. Their rule was interspersed with wars against theCholas andHoysalas. The Kalyani Chalukyas moved their capital from Badami to Kalyani, in the present day district ofBidar.Akkadevi, sister of the Kalyani ChalukyaJayasimha II ruled in the area for more than 40 years from 1024 CE. During the course of her rule of the area, then known asKisukadu, seventy villages from Bagalkot district were added to her administration. The Chola kingVīrarajendra seized the area by defeatingSomeshvara I at Koodalasangama. By the 11th century CE, all of Karnataka including Bagalkot fell into the dominion of the Hoysala Empire, first consolidated byVeera Ballala and later subordinated to the Sinda kings.
TheYadavas ofDeogiri annexed Bagalkot in 1190 CE and ruled until approximately the thirteenth century. TheDeccan invasion by theMuslimKhalji dynasty, led byAla ud din Khalji in 1294 brought an end to the rule of the Yadavas. In the 14th century, much of this territory was overrun byMuhammad Taghlaq. That the Taghlaqs were undisputed overlords of this territory cannot be established sinceHarihara, first king of theVijayanagara Empire, is supposed to have possessed territories as far north as Kaladgi in 1340 and because a fort was built under permission from Harihara in Badami during that period.[8] In the late 15th century, theAdil Shahi dynasty founded byYusuf Adil Shah established an independent state withBijapur as its capital. It is from this time that Bagalkot's history is homogeneous to that of Bijapur's. In 1818, after having lost their kingdom to theBritish, theMarathaPeshwas ofSatara were crowned underlords of the kingdom. With the failing of their brief reign which ended in 1948, the district passed into the hands of theBritish Raj and was incorporated into the dominion of theBombay Presidency.
India gainedindependence from the British in 1947; thereafter, theStates Reorganisation Act of 1956 allowed for the creation of a Mysore State, renamed Karnataka in 1971, and for Bijapur (and therefore Bagalkot) to be included in its dominion.[9] A separate district of Bagalkot was carved out from the existing Bijapur district in 1997.
The district of Bagalkot is situated entirely on theNorth Karnataka Plateau, which is part of the largerDeccan Plateau. Located in north-central Karnataka, Bagalkot is surrounded byBelgaum District to the west,Bijapur District andKalaburagi district to the north and north-east,Raichur District to the east andKoppal District,Gadag District andDharwad District to the south-east, south and south-west respectively. It is positioned at16°12′N75°45′E / 16.200°N 75.750°E /16.200; 75.750 and covers an area of 6593 km2. Bagalkot district has ten taluks —Bagalkot,Ilkal,Badami,Hunagunda,Mudhol,Jamkhandi,Bilgi,Rabkavi Banhatti,Terdal,Guledgudda.[2] The average elevation in this area reaches approximately 610 m. Owing to its elevated geographical location, the district undergoes a temperate climate in accordance with established Indian meteorological norms. The region maintains a warm and dry climate year-round, with precipitation being moderate yet relatively sparse, particularly in the eastern expanse of the district. The average rainfall in Bagalkot district is approximately 662 mm annually.[10] The months of September and December account for about 52% of the total annual rainfall.
The total extent of forest area of Bagalkot division is 83,893 hectares which constitute about 12.76 of its geographical area of 6,575 km2. The division is spread over six taluks, viz., Bagalkot, Badami, Hungund, Bilagi, Mudhol and Jamkhandi. Bagalkot town is the divisional headquarters. The division has two sub-divisions, namely, Bagalkot and Jamkhandi, and comprises six ranges, namely, Badami, Bagalkot, Hungund, Bilagi, Jamkhandi and Mudhol. The division has in all 32 sections and 57 beats. Bagalkot division has one Wildlife Sanctuary, namely, Yadahalli Wildlife Sanctuary, which is situated in the forests of Bilagi and Mudhol taluks to protect the Chinkara (Indian Gazelle). The Sanctuary covers an area of 9,636 hectares.[11] TheKrishna River,Ghataprabha River andMalaprabha River flow through the region but are nonperennial. Soil in the area can be categorised as either the majorityblack or minorityred.[6] Black soil retains moisture and is often used for the cultivation ofcotton.Rabi andjowar are primarily cultivated in Bagalkot, as aregroundnut, cotton,maize,bajra,wheat,sugarcane andtobacco.[12] The district is also rich in mineral wealth. The village of Kaladgi, located 24 km from the town of Bagalkot, harbourscopper.Iron ore also exists in the southern part of the district. Like much of Karnataka, thegneiss is the most common rock family. Common rock types in the region includegreenstone,quartzite,sandstone andlimestone. The management of the water supply to agricultural areas within the district is overseen by theUpper Krishna Project. Bagalkot has not been affected by majorseismic activity due to it being located in the stable Zone II.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 466,200 | — |
| 1911 | 490,668 | +0.51% |
| 1921 | 467,062 | −0.49% |
| 1931 | 502,540 | +0.73% |
| 1941 | 570,522 | +1.28% |
| 1951 | 661,645 | +1.49% |
| 1961 | 771,602 | +1.55% |
| 1971 | 931,651 | +1.90% |
| 1981 | 1,151,005 | +2.14% |
| 1991 | 1,390,259 | +1.91% |
| 2001 | 1,651,892 | +1.74% |
| 2011 | 1,889,752 | +1.35% |
| source:[13] | ||
According to the2011 census Bagalkot district has apopulation of 1,889,752,[14] roughly equal to the nation ofLesotho[15] or the US state ofWest Virginia.[16] This gives it a ranking of 249th in India (out of a total of640).[14] The district has a population density of 288 inhabitants per square kilometre (750/sq mi) .[14] Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 14.46%.[14] Bagalkot has asex ratio of 984females for every 1000 males,[14] and aliteracy rate of 69.39%. 31.64% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 16.89% and 5.14% of the population respectively.[14]
Bagalkot is the second largest district in theBelgaum Division and the 15th most populous district in Karnataka. With over 1,651,892 inhabitants[2] (of which 28.97% were urban),[17] Bagalkot accounts for over 18% of the total population of the Belgaum Division. Bagalkot has 6 taluks, comprising a total of 18 hoblis and 627 villages. Of the 6 taluks, two are categorised as "More Backward Taluk" and one as "Most Backward Taluk". The district has 163Gram Panchayats and 12urban agglomerations. Bagalkot, with a decadal growth rate of about 19% is one of the ten fastest growing districts in Karnataka.
Over 86% of the population in the district is Hindu, while 11% of the population is Muslim.Jains account for a little over 1% of the population, whileChristians account for 0.17%.[18] Communal tensions are fairly uncommon in Bagalkot.
Kannada, the state language of Karnataka, is the most widely spoken language in the district by 86.07% of the population.Urdu is the second largest language, spoken by 9.30% of the population.Marathi andLambadi are spoken by 1.48% and 1.47% of the population respectively.[19]
Theliteracy rate of the district is 57.3%, higher than national levels (52%) but lower than the mean literacy rate of the state (66.6%). Bagalkot ranks 22nd out of the 27 districts in Karnataka for adult literacy. Thepopulation density of Bagalkot is approximately 251 persons per square kilometer. Housing conditions in the district were identified as above average, per India's 2001 national census. About 96% of the houses surveyed were recorded as either "Good" or "Livable".Mass media (radio,transistor,television) penetration was about 67%.
Primary workers constitute about 43% of the district's population. Of these, 65% work inagriculture related activities. Thesex ratio of the district is 980 females per 1000 males, considerably higher than the national average — 927. The district'sNet Domestic Income isUS$ 5.8 billion. Theper capita income of the district is about US$350 annually.
Bagalkot has a number of educational institutions, including Basaveshwara Vidya Vardhaka Sangha and Sakri Sangha. A number of colleges are affiliated withRani Channamma University, Belgaum,Visvesvaraya Technological University,Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences,Ramanagara.Basaveshvara Engineering College (BEC) was established in 1963. S Nijalingappa Medical College, P.M. Nadagouda Memorial Dental College & Hospital, HSK (Hanagal Shree Kumareshwar) Hospital and Research Centre, Bagalkot is affiliated withRajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences.
The University of Horticultural Sciences (UHS) is headquartered in Navanagar, Bagalkot with its constituent colleges spread across the state.
Bagalkot houses the Krishi Vignan Kendra.[20]
Agriculture is the largest employer in Bagalkot, with over 65% of the working population engaged in it; approximately 80% of female workers in Bagalkot are engaged in agriculture. Like most of north Karnataka, Bagalkot is very rich in black soil which is conducive to the cultivation of cotton. Bagalkot'seconomy was valued at US$5.6 billion, making it the 12th largest economy in Karnataka. The approximate per capital income is US$360. The chief crops cultivated are rabi and jowar, as well as groundnut, cotton, maize, bajra, wheat, sugarcane and tobacco. Jowar is largely cultivated because it can be grown duringrainy seasons as well as during the winters. The crop also is the chief supply of food for the people. Pulses are also grown in the region, primarilytuvar daal,gram,kulthi, andmūng daal.Castor oil,linseed andsesamum are also grown in Bagalkot. Water supply for irrigation includes reservoirs such as the Kendur reservoir, which is six miles from Badami and the Muchkundi reservoir, which is 4 miles from Bagalkot. Famine due to lack of adequate rains is quite common in Bagalkot. A famine that struck the region in 1901 inflicted considerable financial loss to the agricultural industry in Bagalkot. The district has the fifth highest farmer suicide rate in Karnataka.[21] Efficient water management techniques and government sops have only marginally mitigated the repercussions of thedrought stricken district.
Lesotho 1,924,886
West Virginia 1,852,994
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