Kittur or Kitturu, historically known as Kittoor, is a town and a taluk in the

Belagavi district Belagavi district, formerly also known as Belgaum district, is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The district is known as the sugar bowl of Karnataka with hectares being used for commercial production. It has overtaken Mandya distri ...

of the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of Karnataka. It was part of

Bailhongal Bailhongal or Bailahongala is a town, Taluk and one of the three Subdivisional headquarters in Belagavi district of Karnataka state in southern India. The taluk headquarters is about 44 km from the district headquarters. There are importan ...

taluka but was declared as an independent taluka on 23October 2012 by the Chief Minister of Karnataka on the inauguration of Kittur Utsav. It is 177th

Taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...

of Karnataka State. It is a place of historical importance because of the armed rebellion of

Kittur Chennamma Kittur Chennamma (14 November 1778 – 21 February 1829) was the Indian Queen of Kittur, a former princely state in present-day Karnataka. She led an armed resistance against the British East India Company, in defiance of the Paramountcy, i ...

(1778–1829),

Rani ''Rani'' () is a female title, equivalent to queen, for royal or princely rulers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It translates to 'queen' in English. It is also a Sanskrit Hindu feminine given name. The term applies equally to a ...

of the State of Kittur against the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

, during which a British Commissioner,

St John Thackeray St John Thackeray (1778–1824) was a collector and political agent, who was working in south India for British East India Company during the 1820s. Early life St John Thackeray belonged to Madras Civil Service, and was working as a colle ...

was killed. At the 2011 census, it was a village under Sampagaon C D Block with a location code number 598110.

History

Kittur was known as Geejaganahalli in the 12th century. In 1746, Kittur came under the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

when it was handed over to them by the Nawab of

Savanur Savanuru is a locality and taluk headquarters of Savanuru Taluk in Haveri District of Karnataka state, India. History Savanuru was one of the princely states of British India, under the Bombay Presidency, and later the Deccan States Agen ...

. In 1782, Mallasarja, the most powerful of the rulers of Kittur ascended the throne. His only son predeceased him, and so on his death in 1816, his second wife,

Chennamma Chennamma may refer to: * Chennamma Deve Gowda, spouse of former Indian prime minister H. D. Deve Gowda. *Kittur Chennamma (1778–1829), the queen of the princely state of Kittur in Karnataka who fought the British army *Keladi Chennamma Kel ...

succeeded him to the throne. She is famous for her campaigns against the British

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

. On the outskirts of the town lie the ruins of the palace within a fort. The palace was the residence of the Rani Chennamma. In the 18th century, Kittur was ruled by the

Marathas The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

, until the

Third Anglo-Maratha War The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire, Maratha Confederacy in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an in ...

, when it came under British suzerainty. In connection with a disputed succession to this chiefship in 1824, St John Thackeray, Commissioner of Dharwad, was killed in a battle when approaching the Kittur fort. Later another unit stormed Kittur and captured Queen Chennamma, who was imprisoned in Bailhongal Jail where she died. Rani Chennamma became a legend. Her death was followed by subsequent revolts by her general

Sangolli Rayanna Sangolli Rayanna (15 August 1798 – 26 January 1831) was an Indian military leader. Born in Sangolli, Belagavi district. His father was Bharamappa Rogannavar. His mother was Kenchava. He served as a senior commander in the military of Kittu ...

, who also waged several campaigns against the British East India Company. He was later hanged in 1831. The town lends its name to the fictitious coastal town in the 2008 novel ''

Between the Assassinations ''Between the Assassinations'' is a 2008 collection of short stories written by Aravind Adiga. It was published by Picador in India in 2008, and in Britain and the United States in 2009. While it reveals the beauty of the rural, coastal south w ...

'' by

Aravind Adiga Aravind Adiga (born 23 October 1974) is an Indian writer and journalist. His debut novel, '' The White Tiger'', won the 2008 Man Booker Prize. Early life and education Aravind Adiga was born in Madras (now Chennai), the capital of Tamil Nadu, o ...

(

Belagavi District Belagavi district, formerly also known as Belgaum district, is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The district is known as the sugar bowl of Karnataka with hectares being used for commercial production. It has overtaken Mandya distri ...

has no coast, which rules out the real Kittur being the setting).

References

{{Reflist

External links

Kittur Fort on Google Maps
Villages in Belagavi district Kittur State

History

See also

References

External links