Belgaum

Karnataka > Belgaum

Hooli Panchalingeshwara Temple in belgaum

Belgaum, ancient Venugrama' (Bamboo village) is the District Head Quarters and was also Divisional Headquarters till recently, 502 kms away from Bangalore, on the Bangalore-Pune National Highway. It was the capital of the Rattas who shifted to this place from Saundatti during the close of 12th century A.D. The place has a fort inside which built by one Ratta Officer called Bichiraja in 1204 A.D. exhibits the execution of a totally refined style of temple architecture. It has excellently and artistically carved Kamala Basadi having huge protruding lotus petals of stone (Kamala) in its ceiling and this beautiful structure in Chalukyan style houses Neminatha Teerthankara image. The place came under the Sevunas (Yadavas) and Vijayanagara and later conquered by Mahamood Gawan in 1474 on behalf of the Bahamanis. The fort was strengthened by the Adilshahis and there is an excellent structure, Safa Mosque with three entrances, has rich floral and impressive calligraphic designs. Two of its pillars have Kannada Inscriptions in Nagari Scripts, one of 1199 of Ratta King Kartaveerya IV and another of 1261 is of Sevuna (Yadava) Krishna. The Persian Inscription here states that the mosque was built by Asad Khan, Bijapur Commander. The Jamia Masjid in the fort was built by Sher Khan in 1585-86,. There is a dargah of Khanjar Wali near it. Belgaum later came under the Mughuls (who called it Azamnagar) and the Marathas till its conquest by the British in 1818. Then the British founded their Cantonment here and made it the headquarters of Maratha Light Infantry. The St. Mary's Church here was built in 1869. The Maruthi temple here is quite vast and has some antiquities of Chalukyan times. The fort has Chalukyan Pillars spread all over. The Kapileshwar temple in Shahpur area was of Chalukyan times, now totally renovated. Shapur a suburb of Belgaum was in Sangli State. Vadgaon -Madhavapur another suburb of the Belgaum city was in a separate state called Junior Kurundawad. Near Vadgaon, a Satavahana settlement has been indentified with the head of stucco Buddha figure has been excavated. Belgaum has a City Corporation. It is a place with pleasant weather. It played a leading part in the freedom movement. The Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College here has a highly educative pathological museum.

History of Belgaum

Saundatti Fort in Belgaum

Belgaum, a delectable mid-sized town nestling high in the Western Ghats, grew out of a village Venugram or the 'village of bamboo over a course of 3,200 years at least. The Belgaum City was converted into Municipality in the year 1851. Belgaum has an enviable heritage and presents much to be discovered. It lies in the zone of cultural transition between Kamataka, Maharashtra and Goa with a known antiquity clearly traceable up to 2nd Century A.D.

Belgaum participated actively in the Freedom Movement with whole country. One of the prominent lady warriors Rani Channamma of Kittur along with Sangolli Rayanna and Babasaheb was first to start this movement. Belgaum was also chosen as the venue of the 39th session of Indian National Congress in December 1924 under the President ship of Mahatma Gandhiji. The then Shahapur Municipality which was near to Belgaum was merged in Belgaum Municipality on 4-7-1952.

The District Headquarters, Belgaum is a picture of contrasts. On one side is the old town area where the cotton and silk weavers still create magic with their fingers. And on the other side the modern, bustling, tree-lined Cantonment built by the British.

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.

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.

How to Reach to Belgaum

Air: The nearest Airport is Sambra Airport which is 10Kms from Belgaum City. It connects Bangalore and Bombay and has daily flights from here.

Rail: Belgaum is connected by rail to Bangalore (via Londa), Bombay(via Miraj), Vasco da Gama.

Road: Belgaum is connected by road via the National Highway #4 (connecting Maharashtra[ Now part of the Golden Quadrilateral], Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) and NH-4A (connecting Karnataka and Goa).

There are a number of Bus operators plying between a) Mumbai - Belgaum b) Pune - Belgaum c) Bangalore - Belgaum d) Hyderabad - Belgaum

Some of the prominent bus operators are - VRL (Vijayanand Road Lines), Pai Travels, Barde Travels, PVG

• Bangalore (502 Kms)
• Saundatti (70 Kms)
• Bombay (550 Kms)
• Halshi (36 Kms)
• Panji-Goa (150 Kms)
• Kittur (44 Kms)
• Hubli (100 Kms)
• Bijapur (205 Kms)
• Gokak (60 Kms)
• Badami (160 Kms)
• Karwar (135 Kms)