Bellary

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 15.1500° N 76.9333° E

Bellary ಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ
Bellary ಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ
State  - District(s)	Karnataka  - Bellary
Coordinates	15.1500° N 76.9333° E
Area  - Elevation	82 km²  - 444 m
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Population (2001)  - Density	398,745 (Unranked)  - ??/km²
Municipal commissioner	??
Deputy Commissioner	S.H.Chowdhari
Mayor	??
Codes  - Postal  - Telephone  - Vehicle	- 583 10x  - ++91 8392  - KA34,KA35
Website: http://www.bellarycity.gov.in

Bellary (Kannada: ಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ;Telugu: బళ్ళారి; pronunciation: ['bəɭɭari] (help·info) in Kannada and /'bəlari)/ (help·info) in English) is a city in Bellary District in Karnataka state, India.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Origins of the city's name 1.2 Timeline 2 City Features 2.1 The Rocks 2.1.1 Ballari Gudda 2.1.2 Kumbara Gudda 2.1.3 Others 2.2 Bellary Fort 2.3 Colonial Buildings 3 Education 4 Medical Facilities 5 Travel & Transport 5.1 Road 5.2 Railway 5.3 Air 5.4 Intra-city 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Origins of the city's name

There are several legends about how Bellary (ಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ) got its name.

• One of them is that a few devout travelling merchants halting in Bellary, could not find a Shiva Linga for their worship. They then installed a balla (ಬಳ್ಳ) (a measuring cup or seru (ಸೇರು) used to measure grain) upside down as a Shiva Linga and worshiped it. Eventually, that place was turned into a temple dedicated to Balleshwara (ಬಳ್ಳೇಶ್ವರ) or Shiva, which got distorted to Malleshwara (ಮಲ್ಲೇಶ್ವರ). This temple can still be found in the Fort area of the city, and an annual festival and fair dedicated to Shiva is conducted at the temple premises even today.

• Another legend is that the city is named after Indra, the king of Gods, who slayed a Rakshasa (demon) named Balla who lived around this place. Balla-ari means 'enemy of Balla' (ari – enemy in Sanskrit). One of the two hills at the heart of the city is called Balahari Betta (ಬಲಹರಿ ಬೆಟ್ಟ), and the Malleshwara temple is situated close by.

• The third legend derives the city's name from the old Kannada word Vallari and Vallapuri.

[edit] Timeline

Some of the events in the great epic Ramayana are related to this historical place. It is said that Rama while searching for Sita met Sugreeva and Hanuman at a place near Hampi, the celebrated capital of the Vijayanagara empire. The history speaks volumes about significant role it acquired during the period of the Satavahanas, the Kadambas, the Chalukyas of Kalyani, the Kalachuris, the Sevunas, and the Hoysalas. Apparently, a dynasty called Ballariya Naredu ruled Bellary under the Hoysalas. Bellary was once also known as Kuntala Desa.

An inscription during the Gangas of Talakadu in 725, speaks of a certain Sindha Vishaya (Vishaya - a territorial division or district of a kingdom), which today consists of Bellary and Dharwad districts.

After Hoysalas, the area was dominated by the Vijayanagara rulers. Bellary itself was ruled by the family of Hanumappa Nayaka, a Palayagara (ಪಾಳೆಯಗಾರ - vassal) of the Vijayanagara Rulers. The dominance of the Vijayanagara empire ended in 1565 with the Battle of Talikote/Rakkasa-Tangadi (ತಾಳಿಕೋಟೆ/ರಕ್ಕಸ-ತಂಗಡಿ), where they were defeated by a conglomerate of Deccan sultanates.

After the fall of Vijayanagara, Nayakas were subsidiary to Bahmani Sultanate of Bijapur until 1678, after which they were subsidiary to the Marathas under Shivaji. The story goes that as Shivaji was passing that way some of his foragers had been killed by the garrison, prompting him to occupy Bellary; but he restored it again to the Nayakas at once on condition that tribute should be paid to him.

Susequently, in 1685, Bellary fell to the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's relentless campaign in the Deccan. In 1713 Asif Jah I was appointed as the Subedar of the Deccan with the title Nizam-ul-mulk, and Bellary came under the Nizam. In 1724, the Nizam broke away from Mughal control to establish Hyderabad as a separate state, beginning the Asaf Jahi dynasty.

About 1761, Bellary became tributary to Basalat Jang, the brother of the Nizam Salabat Jang and the Subedar of Aadavaani (Adoni) and Raichur. Around 1769, the Nayaka rulers refused to pay tribute Basalat Jang, which prompted the him to occupy Bellary. The Nayakas then pleaded Hyder Ali of Mysooru (Mysore) to rescue Bellary. Hyder Ali forcefully expelled the occupiers, after which the Nayakas were tributary to him.

At the partition of Tipu Sultan's territory in 1792 by the British, the district fell to the Nizam. Soon after, the Nizam, troubled by the Marathas and Tipu Sultan, opted to get British military protection under Lord Wellesley's doctrine of Subsidiary Alliance. After the defeat and death of Tipu Sultan in 1799 at Srirangapattanam (Seringapatam), the Mysore territories were further divided up between the Wodeyars, the Nizam and the British. As part of the Subsdiary Alliance agreement, the Nizam ceded a large portion of the acquired territory, including Bellary, to the British in 1800, to be added to the Madras Presidency as 'Bellary District'. This area was also known as the Ceded Districts, a term still used for the areas, and was considerably larger than the present district, including the present districts of Kadapa (Cuddapah), Anantapuram and much of Karnoolu (Kurnool).

All through these political changes, the Nayakas were the de facto rulers - while their masters contstantly changed, locally their powers were absolute. All this changed with the arrival of Major Thomas Munro, the first collector of the Ceded Districts (1800-1807), who disposed off the eighty palayagars of the districts either with pensions or assimilation of their estates and established the Ryotwari system - land revenue collected directly from the tiller of the soil. This also marked the fading away of traditional subsistence farming, and the dominance of commercial farming absolutely controlled by the British East India Company.

In 1808 , this area was split into two districts, Bellary and Kadapa. Bellary did not become the head-quarters of the district until 1840; the Collector until that year lived in Anantapuram. In 1882, the Anantapuram district was carved out from this area, further reducing the size of Bellary District. The Maratha princely state of Sandur was surrounded by Bellary district.

In 1867 the Bellary Municipal Council was created.

On October 1, 1953, the district was transferred to the erstwhile Mysore state from Madras State.

With the re-organisation of the districts during 1997, the number of taluks was reduced to seven. The Harapanahalli taluk was transferred to Davanagere district.

In 2004, the Bellary City Municipal Council was upgraded to a City Corporation.

On 1 November 2006, on the occasion of Golden Jubilee of the formation of Karnataka state (Suvarna Karnataka), Bellary was renamed as Ballary.

[edit] City Features

The city stands in the midst of a wide, level plain of black cotton soil.

[edit] The Rocks

Granite rocks & hills form a prominent feature of Bellary, and granite quarrying is big business, though many times unregulated & illegal. The city is spread mainly around two huge rocky granite hills, the Ballari Gudda (ಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ ಗುಡ್ಡ) and Kumbara Gudda (ಕುಂಬಾರ ಗುಡ್ಡ) (Gudda - hill in Kannada). These two hills are dominant features of the city, and are visible from every part of the city.

[edit] Ballari Gudda

Ballari Gudda has a circumference of nearly 2 miles and a height of 480 feet. The length of this rock from north-east to south-west is about 1150 ft. To the East and South lies an irregular heap of boulders, but to the West is an unbroken monolith, and the North is walled by bare rugged ridges. This hill is also said to be the world's second largest monolithic hill.

[edit] Kumbara Gudda

The other hill is called Kumbara Gudda. This hill, when viewed from the south-east looks like the profile of a human face and is also known as Face Hill.

[edit] Others

Apart from these two hills, there are a number of other smaller granite hills within the city, the prominent among them being :

1. The Kaage Gudda (ಕಾಗೆ ಗುಡ್ಡ) opposite the Municipal Junior College, which also houses a water tank & pumping station.
2. The Eeshwara Gudda (ಈಶ್ವರ ಗುಡ್ಡ), behind the Anaadi Lingeshwara Temple in Parvati Nagar-Shastri Nagar area.
3. The one housing a water tank, adjascent to the Bellary Central Jail
4. Adjacent to St.John's High School in the Fort Area

It is also very common to find small boulders and rocks at numerous places within the city.

[edit] Bellary Fort

The Bellary Fort is built on top of the Ballari Gudda or the Fort Hill. The Fort was built round the hill during Vijayanagara times by Hanumappa Nayaka. Hyder Ali, who took possession of the Fort from the Nayaka family in 1769, got the fort renovated and modified with the help of a French Engineer. Legend has it that the unfortunate French Engineer was hanged, for overlooking the fact that the neighbouring Kumbara Gudda is taller than Ballari Gudda, thus compromising the secrecy & command of the fort. His grave is believed to be located near the East Gate of the fort, though some locals believe it to be the grave of a Muslim holy man.

The fort is divided as the Upper Fort and the Lower Fort.

• The Upper fort is a polygonal walled building on the summit, with only one approach, and has no accommodation for a garrision. The upper fort consists of a citadel on the summit of the rock at 1976 feet, guarded by three outer lines of fortification, one below the other. It contains several cisterns, excavated in the rock. Outside the turreted rampart are a ditch and covered way. The main turret on the east currently features a huge painting of the Indian Flag. There is only one way upto the fort, which is a winding rocky path amongst the boulders. On the top, outside the citadel is a small temple, the remains of some cells and several deep pools of water. Within the citadel are several strongly constructed buildings, and an ample water supply from reservoirs constructed in the clefts of the rocks. Muzzaffar Khan, the Nawab of Kurnool was confined here from 1823 to 1864 for the murder of his wife.

• The Lower fort lies at the eastern base of the rock and measures about half a mile in diameter, and probably had an arsenal and barracks. It consists of a surrounding rampart numerous bastions, faced by a deep ditch and glacis. The entrance to the lower fort is via two gates, one each on the western and eastern sides. Just outside the eastern gates of the lower fort is a temple dedicated to Hanuman - the Kote Anjaneya Temple (Kote - fort in Kannada). Later additions to the lower fort by the British include the Commissariat stores, the Protestant church, orphanage, Masonic lodge, post-office and numerous private dwellings. Now the lower fort contains a number of public buildings, government offices, schools & educational institutions and churches.

[edit] Colonial Buildings

The following is a list of buildings built during the British period. Despite many of them having been partially modified, they retain the typical British style architecture.

• Bellary Central Jail
• St.Philomena's School Complex
• St.John's School Complex
• St.Joseph's School Complex
• The main building of VIMS

This was originally the Allipur Jail during the British rule. Famous personalities of the freedom movement were imprisoned here, such as C.Rajagopalachari, V V Giri and Tekur Subramanya. This jail was closed in 1958 and the old buildings and entire area of 173 acres was converted into the Medical College campus in 1961.

• The Government Wellesly TB & Chest Diseases Hospital.
• The Tehsildar's Office
• The DC's Office
• The District and Sessions Court
• The Jail Superindent's Residence
• The District Chief Judge's Residence
• The DC's Residence
• The Residence of Superindent of Police
• The Railway Stations (both City & Cantonment)

[edit] Education

The following is a list of prominent Educational institutions in the city.

• Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS)
• Taranath Ayurvedic Medical College
• Law College on Kappagal Road (run by the Veershaiva Vidyavardhaka Sangha)
• Government Polytechnic in Fort
• Teacher's Training Institute in Radio Park
• Veerashaiva College in Cantonment (run by the Veershaiva Vidyavardhaka Sangha)
• St. Philomena's High School & Good Shepherd Convent in Cantonment
• St. Joseph's High School in Radio Park
• St. John's High School & Junior College in Fort
• Wardlaw College

Founded as a school in 1846 by Rev. R.S.Wardlaw, D.D. of the London Mission, and raised to second grade college in 1891. For a long time, it was the only Arts college in the Ceded Districts. In 1903-4 it had an average daily attendance of 319 students, of whom 17 were in F.A.Class (data from the Imperial Gazetteer of India -2).

• Bala Bharati educational institution in Gandhinagara.
• London Mission Telugu Primary School (LMT) near Gadigi Channappa Circle.
• Shettra Gurushantappa Junior College on Kappagal Road (run by the Veershaiva Vidyavardhaka Sangha)
• Muncipal Junior College on Ananthapur Road

This school is over 150 years old. One of the oldest institutions in the town, it was started as a composite school for students from the Class IV elementary to Class VI form school final with English as the medium of instruction along with other languages like Telugu, Kannada and Urdu, besides ancient languages such as Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian. John Neale was the first headmaster of the school, followed by eminent people such as Ranganath Mudaliar, T D Logan, Arcot Bheemachar, K S Vedantham, B Madhava Rao, and "Bahadur" S Seshagiri Rao. The foundation for the present building on Anantapur Road was laid on July 16, 1926 by R G Grieve, Director of Public Instruction, Government of Madras when Nagaroor Narayan Rao was the chairman of the Bellary Municipality.

• Moulana Abul Kalam Azad High School (MAKA High School) in Fort

The Municipal High School was bifurcated in the 1950s and the Municipal Muslim High School located in the Fort area was later renamed Moulana Abul Kalam Azad High School. Janaab Meer Mohammed Hussain became the headmaster of the new school.

• Vijaynagar Engineering College in Cantonment
• Bellary Engineering College in Allipura
• Allam Sumangalamma Memorial College for Women in Gandhinagar (run by the Veershaiva Vidyavardhaka Sangha)

[edit] Medical Facilities

The following are the main government hospitals in the city, and are facilities under the jurisdiction of VIMS:

• Government Medical College Hospital

Commissioned in 1966 and has bed strength of 680 beds. It is located in Cantonment.

• Women & Children's Hospital or The District Hospital

Popularly known as Ghosha hospital. Situated in the heart of city and is spread over an area of 15 acres and has bed strength of 210 for Paediatrics, Gynecology and Post Mortem cases. A 20 bedded Infosys ward has been added recently for the treatment of Japanese Encephalitis cases. This hospital is soon to be shifted to the VIMS campus.

• Government Wellesley Tuberculosis & Chest Diseases Hospital

Locally known as just TB Sanitarium/Sanatorium. Started in 1929 during British rule, over a spacious area of 20 acres in Cantonment.

• The Urban Health Center

Was constructed in 1999 in the heart of the City and has a daily intake of about 120-140 outpatients.

Apart from these, there are numerous private and/or charitable hospitals.

[edit] Travel & Transport

[edit] Road

• The main inter-city bus station is located just outside the city, in the now empty Nalla Cheruvu (Telugu - Black Lake or Tank) basin. This is a new improvement over the cramped older bus stand located near Gadigi Chennappa Circle. The old bus stand still serves private and state owned buses connecting rural locations.
• An excellent truck stationing facility, located in the Nalla Cheruvu basin, serves lorries and hauliers.

[edit] Railway

• Two Railway stations serve the city, both built during the British rule - The city station (Bellary Junction) and the Cantonment station (Cantonment). The city is served by the Hubli-Guntakal line and the extended Bellary-Rayadurga-Chitradurga line and falls under the jurisdiction of South Central Railway.

[edit] Air

• The civilian Bellary Airport, located at the far end of the Cantonment area, used to have infrequent flight links to Bangalore run by the state owned Vayudoot. After many years, this airport has come to life again, with frequent Air Deccan flights linking Bangalore and Goa.

[edit] Intra-city

• The intra-city transport network is serviced by buses connecting important points within in the city over the city's appalling roads.
• The city is also served by private but unregulated auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws.

[edit] References

Lt. Colonel Mark Wilks, History of Mysoor the Imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume 7, pages 158-176

[edit] External links

Lewis, Barry. Bellary District Graves. Govt. of Karnataka. Bellary District - A Profile. GeoHive [1]. Bellary City Municipal Council upgraded to corporation Steering success Falling Rain Genomics-Bellary, India Page