Social,
Environmental & Economic Sustainability
Our analysis of the rank of the district
Backwardness : 328
Sex Ratio Rank : 390 (Rank one is least sex ratio - Cenus 2001)
HIV Category District : A (HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2004 - 2006)
Disability : 108 (Census 2001)
Literacy Ratio : 303 (Census 2001)
Minority : Does not figure in MCD
Water : Flouride in Groundwater above permissible limits
Brief
About Belgaum District
Belgaum District sited in the Western Ghats in
Karnataka and also recognized by the nom de plum 'Venugrama' or
'Bamboo Village' and Malendu or 'Rain Country' is shrouded in
history dating back to antiquity. Strategically located midway
between the metropolis of Mumbai and Bangalore, Belgaum District
occupies 13,444 sq. km area.
The population indices are estimated to be 42,07,264.
Belgaum, renown for its exquisite cotton and silk weavings has
a predominantly agrarian economy, which is complemented by a multi-dimensional
industrial base.
Belgaum is a traveler's paradise with its verdant
landscape dotted with meandering rivers. The old British Cantonment,
majestic historical fort, Kamala Basti, Kapileshwar temple (South
Kashi), the hills of Vaijyanath, Ramtirth in Kanbargi and the
aerodrome at Sambra are worth visits. Other eminent sites include:
Gokak falls (Gokak)
Yellamma Temple (Saundatti)
Kamala Basti (Belgaum)
Rakaskop (Belgaum)
Belgaum Fort (Belgaum)
Kapileshwara Temple (Belgaum)
Naviltirtha (Saundatti)
Godachinmalki Falls (Gokak)
Origin
Belgaum district is a district in the state of Karnataka, India.
The city of Belgaum is the district headquarters. By the 2001
Census of India, it had a population of 4,214,505 of which 24.03%
were urban. The district has an area of 12,000 square kilometers,
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 Dharawad District
and Uttara Kannada districts, and on the southwest by the state
of Goa. The languages spoken in this district include Kannada
and Marathi.
History
Belgaum is the Divisional Head quarter of North Karnataka The
ancient name of the town of Belgaum was Venugrama, meaning Bamboo
Village. It is also called as Malnad Pradesh.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 Ghataprabha River
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.In
1836 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 it Belgaavi, Marathi people call it
Belgaon, North Indians call it as Belgaum.
The British had a sizable infantry post here,
having realised the military importance of its geographic location.
It 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 British
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 station.
