Belgaum
Belgaum, officially known as Belagavi, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located near its northern western border in the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Belagavi division and Belagavi district. The Government of Karnataka has proposed making Belgaum the second capital of Karnataka alongside Bangalore, hence a second state administrative building Suvarna Vidhana Soudha was inaugurated on 11 October 2012.
Belgaum has been selected in first phase out of 20 cities, as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under India's flagship Smart Cities Mission.
History
Belgaum was founded in late 12th century AD by the Ratta dynasty, who shifted from nearby Saundatti. A Ratta official named Bichiraja built Kamal Basadi, a Jain temple, dedicated to Neminatha in 1204, which came to be called Kamalabasti. Pillars found inside Belgaum fort have Kannada inscriptions in Nagari scripts, one from 1199 by Ratta King Kartaveerya IV. The city's original name was Venugram, a Sanskrit word which means "village of bamboo". Alternatively, it is referred to as Venugram in early Indian texts, which means "city of bamboo".Belgaum became a part of the Yadava dynasty kingdom in early 13th century. An inscription from 1261 of King Krishna belonging to the Yadava dynasty attests to this. The region was invaded by Khalji dynasty of Delhi Sultanate in 14th century. Shortly thereafter, the Vijayanagara Empire was founded, and Belgaum came under the rule of Vijayanagara. In 1474, the Bahmani Sultanate conquered Belgaum with an army led by Mahmud Gawan.
The Belgaum fort was strengthened by the Adil Shah dynasty Sultans and they built the Safa Mosque. A Persian inscription states that the mosque was built by Asad Khan, a Bijapur commander. In 1518, the Bahamani sultanate splintered into five small states and Belgaum became part of the Bijapur Sultanate. The Adilshahis extended their control to the port of Goa, but retreated after the arrival and wars with the Portuguese. In 1686, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb overthrew the Bijapur sultanate and Belgaum passed nominally to the Mughals, who called it "Azamnagar". However, the Mughal empire control collapsed after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707. The Maratha confederacy took control of the area during the rule of the Peshwas. In 1776, the region was overrun by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan after Hyder Ali's coup in the Kingdom of Mysore. The Peshwa regained Belgaum, after Tipu Sultan was defeated by the British forces. In 1818, the British annexed Belgaum and the region in the control of the Peshwa. Kitturu Chennamma was the queen of the princely state of Kittur in Karnataka and in 1824 she led an unsuccessful armed rebellion against the British in response to the Doctrine of lapse.
Belgaum was chosen as the venue of the 39th session of the Indian National Congress in December 1924 under the presidency of Mahatma Gandhi. The city served as a major military installation for the British Raj, primarily due to its proximity to Goa, which was then a Portuguese territory. Once the British left India, the Indian government continued and still continues to have armed forces installations in Belgaum. In 1961, the Indian government, under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, used military forces from Belgaum to end Portuguese rule of Goa.
When India became independent in 1947, Belgaum and its district were part of Bombay State. In 1956, the Indian states were reorganised along linguistic lines by the States Reorganisation Act and Belgaum including 10 taluks of Bombay State were transferred to Mysore State, which was renamed Karnataka in 1973.
In 2006, the Government of Karnataka announced that Belgaum would be made the state's second capital, and that the city would be a permanent venue for the annual 15-day winter session of the state legislature.
City names
On 1 November 2014, the city's name was changed from Belgaum to Belagavi by the Karnataka government, with approval of the central government of India along with 12 other cities. Belgaum is known as Belgaon in Maharashtra and amongst Marathi people.Geography
Topography
Belgaum is located at. It has an average elevation of. The city is in the northwestern parts of Karnataka and lies at the border of two states, Maharashtra and Goa on the western ghats. It is one of the oldest towns in the state, lying from Bangalore, from Mumbai, from Hyderabad, and from Mysore. The district comprises 1278 villages with an area of and a population of around 4.8 million according to the census of 2011. Belgaum district is the biggest district of Karnataka. Situated near the foothills of the Sahyadri mountain range at an altitude of about, from the Arabian Sea with the Markandeya river flowing nearby, Belgaum exhibits swift and kaleidoscopic changes in topography, vegetation and climate.Climate
Belgaum has a tropical savanna climate. It is known for its pleasant year-round climate. Belgaum is at its coldest in winter and it experiences almost continuous monsoon rains from June through September. Belgaum sometimes receives hail storms during April.Demographics
Population
According to the 1881 census, 64.39% of the population of Belgaum district were Kannada speakers and 26.04% spoke Marathi.As per the 2011 India census, the population of Belgaum city is 490,045. Males constitute 246,537 of the population and females 243,508. Belgaum has an average literacy rate of 88.92%: 93.78% for males and 85.84% for females. 10.71% of the population is under 6 years of age. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 7.84% and 3.26% of the population respectively.
Languages
and Marathi are the predominant languages. Urdu is spoken by 19.82%, while Konkani, Hindi and Telugu are also spoken.Government and politics
Administration
Belgaum city is administered by the Belagavi City Corporation, headed by a mayor and deputy mayor.The Belagavi City Corporation is the local government of the city of Belgaum. The administrative head of the Belagavi City Corporation is the municipal commissioner, appointed by the state government. There are 58 wards in the city corporation, each represented by an elected councillor.Belgaum is located in the Belgaum Lok Sabha constituency.
Assembly session
In 2006, the Government of Karnataka decided to hold one week sessions of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly every year during the winter season at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha administrative building, constructed and inaugurated in Belgaum in 2012.Belgaum border dispute
The Belgaum border dispute is a dispute involving the Indian states of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Belgaum, currently a part of Karnataka and earlier the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, is claimed by Maharashtra on linguistic grounds. In 1956, the States Reorganization Act incorporated the Belgaum district including the 10 taluks in the Mysore state, which became Karnataka in 1973. Though according to the 1881 census, 64.39% of the population of Belgaum were Kannada speakers and 26.04% spoke Marathi.In 1948, the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, a Belgaum based regional organisation fighting for the merger, was formed. On 17 January 1956, Marathi activists against the inclusion were shot by the police forces of Mysore state. Since then, 17 January is observed as the 'martyr's day' by Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti.
On 11 November 2005, Karnataka Rakshna Vedike activists daubed Belgaum Mayor Vijay More's face with black paint in the wake of Belgaum City Corporation passing a resolution to include the district of Belgaum into Maharashtra, a neighbouring state. Upon his return to Belgaum, Vijay More was served with several show-cause notices by the Government of Karnataka and later dissolved the council.
Following this incident, in the following year's election, Prashanta Budavi, wife of KRV City President Shantinath Budavi was appointed as mayor of the Belgaum City Corporation. Maharashtra has asked to bring 865 disputed villages including Belgaum under centre's rule until Supreme court's final verdict. N.D. Patil, head of legal-committee appointed by Maharashtra government said that Karnataka is intensifying the problem. He added that Marathi people of border region are not able to live with honour and dignity under Karnataka's rule pointing out to the 'unconstitutional' dissolution of Belgaum city corporation and manhandling of Belgaum mayor by Kannada activists at Bangalore.
Even though case is pending in supreme court, in 2019, Deputy CM of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar called for the incorporation of Belgaum along with Karwar and Nipani area in Maharashtra citing it was of dream of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, a statement reiterated by CM Uddhav Thackeray in January 2021. Thackeray went on to term the region as 'Karnataka-occupied areas'. The case regarding the dispute is pending before the Supreme Court for many years.
Economy
The city's humble industrial growth begin when an entrepreneur named Babu Rao Pusalkar set up a small unit in city over a century ago and that transformed Belgaum city into foundry and hydraulics base.Belgaum is an important source of vegetables, fruits, meat, poultry, fish, mining production, and wood. Trading in North Karnataka is mainly with Goa and Maharashtra along with major cities like Pune, Bangalore and Mangalore. Rich deposits of Bauxite are found in Belgaum district and have led to the creation of the Indian aluminium-producing company Hindalco Industries of the Aditya Birla Group. Uranium deposits have been found at Deshnur, a small village near Bailhongal town.
The Belgaum District Report provides detailed information about the local agricultural economy. The report describes the work of the pastoralists who herd large numbers of sheep and goats - some settled in communities and others operating nomadically. They are supported by the Workers Development Union an NGO that provides a shepherd training program in sheep care, modern medicines and modern breeding practices.
A Special Economic Zone is being set up along the Pune-Bangalore National Highway to cater to the precision engineering requirements of the global aerospace, automotive and industrial verticals.