Bellary (District)

Bellary ; District ಬಳ್ಳರಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ
State	Karnataka
Division :	Gulbarga
Administrative headquarters :	Bellary
Area :	8,411 km²
Residents :	2,532,383 (2011)
Population density :	300 inhabitants / km²
Website :	bellary.nic.in

The Bellary District ( Kannada : ಬಳ್ಳರಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ ) is a district in the Indian state of Karnataka . The administrative seat is the eponymous city Bellary (Ballari).

geography

Rocky landscape on the Tungabhadra River in Hampi

The Bellary District is located in eastern central Karnataka on the border with the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh . Neighboring districts are Chitradurga and Davanagere in the south, Haveri in the west, Gadag in the northwest, Koppal in the north, Raichur in the northeast (all Karnataka) and in Andhra Pradesh Kurnool in the east and Anantapur in the southeast.

The area of the Bellary District is 8,411 square kilometers. The district area belongs to the Dekkan Plateau and lies at an average altitude of 400–600 meters above sea level. The terrain presents itself as a plateau from which rugged rock formations rise occasionally. At Sandur , a mountain range up to 1,100 meters high runs straight through the district and divides the Bellary district into a western and an eastern part. In the north, the Tungabhadra , one of the largest rivers in Karnataka, forms the border of the district. The river to the Tungabhadra reservoir is dammed west of Hospet . In the east, the Tungabhadra tributary Hagari flows through the district and in parts represents the border with Andhra Pradesh.

The Bellary District is divided into the seven taluks Hadagalli, Hagaribommanahalli, Kudligi, Hospet, Sandur, Bellary and Siruguppa.

history

Historical view of Fort Bellary (Thomas Fraser, 1802)

Today's Bellary district was the heartland of the Vijayanagar empire from the 14th to the 16th centuries , which ruled over large parts of southern India and is considered the last great Hindu kingdom. The capital of the same name, Vijayanagar, today's Hampi , was founded in 1336. After the Vijayanagar Empire collapsed in 1565 after its defeat by the Dekkan Sultanate , the area of today's district was under the control of local rulers who were tributaries to the Sultanate of Bijapur . At the end of the 18th century Hyder Ali conquered Bellary from Mysore , but his son Tipu Sultan ceded the area to Hyderabad in 1792 . The Nizam of Hyderabad in turn ceded Bellary to the British in 1800 .

The British incorporated the area into the Madras Presidency and founded the Bellary District. This also included the present-day district of Anantapur until 1882 . Within the Bellary district was the small princely state of Sandur , which was nominally allowed to retain its independence. After Indian independence, Sandur joined India in 1949 and was incorporated into the Bellary District. In 1953, the Telugu-speaking northern part of the state of Madras became the new state of Andhra . The Bellary district was divided: The eastern part, in which Telugu was the predominant language, was added to the Kurnool district and came to Andhra. The remaining district, however, was attached to the state of Mysore because of its predominantly Kannada- speaking population, which was reorganized in 1956 and has been named Karnataka since 1973 .

population

Construction workers in Hampi

According to the 2011 Indian census, the Bellary district has 2,532,383 inhabitants. The population is growing rapidly: Between 2001 and 2011, the population grew by 24.9 percent. The growth rate is well above the average in Karnataka (15.7 percent) and is only exceeded by the Bengaluru Urban district . The population density of the district of Bellary is 300 people per square kilometer, only slightly below the state average (319 people per square kilometer). At 36.3 percent, the proportion of the urban population also corresponds to the mean value of Karnataka (38.6 percent). The literacy rate at 67.9 percent, on the other hand, is well below the state average (76.1 percent).

According to the 2001 census , Hindus make up the majority of the residents of the Bellary district with 85.8 percent. There is also a Muslim minority of 12.7 percent. The 2001 census classified 18.0 percent of the district population as members of the tribal population (cf. Adivasi ). These are almost exclusively members of the Naikda .

In addition to Kannada , the main language of Karnataka, Urdu , which is spoken by the majority of Muslims like in most parts of the state, and Telugu , the language of the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh, are common in the Bellary district . Urdu has the status of an associated official language in the Bellary and Hospet talks of the Bellary district due to the high proportion of its speakers in the population.

Attractions

Ruins of the Vithala Temple in Hampi

With Hampi , one of the most important cultural and historical sites and major tourist attractions of Karnataka is located in the Bellary district. Hampi, now a small village, was the capital of the empire of the same name from the 14th to the 16th centuries under the name Vijayanagar . The ruins of the former city are scattered over a wide area in the rocky terrain on both sides of the Tungabhadra River. The large Virupaksha temple in the town center is still in use, several other monumental temple buildings such as the Vithala temple or the Achutaraya temple, the palace complexes and other buildings, on the other hand, only exist as ruins. Since 1986 Hampi is part of the World Heritage of UNESCO . Hampi has developed into an important tourist destination and is one of the biggest attractions in South India, especially for backpackers. In addition, Hampi is a destination for numerous Hindu pilgrims.

economy

The main occupation in the Bellary district is agriculture, which according to the 2001 census employs two thirds of the working population. The area of the district has little precipitation, but since the construction of the Tungabhadra Dam, irrigation projects have increased the agricultural yield. The main crops are cotton, sorghum, peanuts, rice, sunflowers and cereals.

The Bellary District is rich in mineral resources. Mainly iron ore is mined, along with smaller amounts of manganese ore . Since the turn of the millennium, Bellary has experienced an uncontrolled mining boom due to rising raw material prices, which has led to enormous environmental problems. It is estimated that around 90 percent of mining activity in Bellary District is illegal.

Cities

city	Population (2001)
Bellary	317,000
Donimalai	6,555
Hoovina Hadagalli	23,404
Hospet	163.284
Kamalapuram	21,811
Kampli	35,386
Kotturu	22,667
Kudligi	21,855
Sandur	27.601
Siruguppa	42,862
Tekkalakota	23,578