Kalaburagi district, formerly known as Gulbarga district, is one of the 31

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

state in southern

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), 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 and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Kalaburagi Kalaburagi, formerly known as Gulbarga, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kalaburagi district and is the largest city in the region of North Karnataka (Kalyana-Karnataka). Kalaburagi is 6 ...

city is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district is the headquarters of

Kalaburagi division Kalaburagi division, formerly known as Gulbarga division, is one of the four divisions of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has seven districts, namely: Bellary district, Bidar district, Kalaburagi district, Koppal district, Raichur district, ...

. This district is situated in

north Karnataka North Karnataka is a geographical region in Deccan plateau from elevation that constitutes the region of the Karnataka state in India and the region consists of 13 districts. It is drained by the Krishna River and its tributaries the Bhi ...

between 76°.04' and 77°.42 east longitude, and 17°.12' and 17°.46' north latitude, covering an area of 10,951 km². This district is bounded on the west by Bijapur district and

Solapur district Solapur District (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, olaːpuːɾ is a List of districts of Maharashtra, district in Maharashtra state of India. The city of Solapur is the district headquarters. It is located on the south east edge of th ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

state, on the north by

Bidar district Bidar district is the northernmost part of the Karnataka state in India. The administrative headquarters of district is Bidar city. Geographically, it resembles the "Crown of the State", occupying its northeastern end. It is bounded by Kamare ...

and Osmanabad district of Maharashtra state, on the south by Yadgir district, and on the east by

Sangareddy Sangareddy, is a city and district headquarters of the Sangareddy district in the Indian state of Telangana. It was named after the ruler Sanga, who was the son of Rani Shankaramba, a ruler of Medak during the period of Nizams. Government an ...

and

Vikarabad Vikarabad is also Known as Gangawaram(Ancient name) a town and mandal in Vikarabad district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in Vikarabad mandal of Vikarabad revenue division. History Vikarabad was known as Gangawaram ancient ...

districts of

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 35 ...

state.

History

The name of the area in Kannada is ''Kala-buragi'', meaning "stony land." In the 6th century CE, the district was under the control of the

Chalukyas The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty ...

. The

Rashtrakutas Rashtrakuta ( IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing the ...

briefly conquered the area, but were driven out by the Chalukyas who ruled the area for the next two centuries. The

Kalachuris The Kalachuris (IAST: Kalacuri), also known as Kalachuris of Mahishmati, were an Indian dynasty that ruled in west-central India between 6th and 7th centuries. They are also known as the Haihayas or as the Early Kalachuris to distinguish them ...

then conquered the area and ruled it until 12th century, when they were driven out by the Yadavas. Afterwards it was ruled by the

Kakatiyas The Kakatiya dynasty (IAST: Kākatīya) was an Indian dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region comprising present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and parts of eastern Karnataka and southern Odisha between 12th and 14th centuries. T ...

, who ruled until 1324, when their kingdom fell to the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

. The ambitions of the local governors led to the formation of the

Bahmani sultanate The Bahmani Sultanate, or Deccan, was a Persianate Sunni Muslim Indian Kingdom located in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan region. It was the first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan,

, who made Kalaburagi their capital. The Bahmanis eventually fell and left in their place a patchwork of 5

Deccan Sultanates The Deccan sultanates were five Islamic late-medieval Indian kingdoms—on the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range—that were ruled by Muslim dynasties: namely Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. ...

. Kalaburagi was ruled by the

Bidar sultanate Bidar sultanate was one of the Deccan sultanates of late medieval southern India. The sultanate emerged under the rule of Qasim Barid I in 1492 and leadership passed to his sons. Starting from the 1580s, a wave of successions occurred in th ...

until its annexation by

Bijapur Bijapur, officially known as Vijayapura, is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural i ...

in 1619. Soon the district would become part of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

, but the Asaf Jahi governors of the Deccan later broke away and formed their own

Hyderabad State Hyderabad State () was a princely state located in the south-central Deccan region of India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and ...

, and Kalaburagi was ruled by them. This state became a princely state of British India, until its annexation by India in 1948. Afterwards, Kalaburagi, along with Bidar and Raichur, became part of Karnataka and were known as the

Kalyana-Karnataka Kalyana-Karnataka is a region of the Indian state of Karnataka, which was part of Kingdom of Hyderabad ruled by the Nizams and the Madras presidency of British India. The region comprises Bidar, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal and Kalaburagi of Hyder ...

region. Since this time, this region has continuously been lagging the rest of the state in social indicators and is considered the most backward region of Karnataka.

Economy

In 2006 the

Ministry of Panchayati Raj The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a branch of the Government of India. Ministry of Panchayati Raj looks into all matters relating to the Panchayati Raj and Panchayati Raj Institutions. It was created in May 2004. The ministry is headed by a ...

named Kalaburagi one of the country's 243 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the five districts in Karnataka currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Places of interest

Historical places

Sannati Sannati or Sannathi is a small village, located on the banks of the Bhima River in Chitapur taluk of Kalaburagi district of Northern Karnataka. It is famous for the Chandrala Parameshwari Temple and the excavations by the Archaeological Survey ...

, a small village, located on the banks of the

Bhima River The Bhima River (also known as Chandrabhaga River) is a major river in Western India and South India. It flows southeast for through Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana states, before entering the Krishna River. After the first sixty-five k ...

Chitapur Chitapur or Chittapur is a Town and Taluk in Kalaburagi district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is also the headquarters of the Chittapur taluk. It is known for polished stones and toor dal. Geography Chitapur is located at . It is situ ...

taluk is known for its

Ashokan edicts The Edicts of Ashoka are a collection of more than thirty inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, attributed to Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire who reigned from 268 BCE to 232 BCE. Ashoka used the expres ...

, Buddhist

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circum ...

and sole surviving image of

Emperor Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, ...

(r. 274–232 BC) himself. *

Manyakheta Malkhed originally known as Manyakheta (IAST: Mānyakheṭa, Prakrit: "Mannakheḍa"), and also known as Malkhed,Village code= 311400 Malkhed (J), Gulbarga, Karnataka is a town in Karnataka, India. It is located on the banks of Kagina river i ...

, a village located on the banks of the Kagina river in

Sedam Sedam or Seram is a town in Kalaburagi district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also the headquarters of the Sedam Taluka. Geography The town is spread over an area of .The population and area of major towns in Karnataka has been menti ...

taluk was the Capital city of the

Rashtrakuta Rashtrakuta ( IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing the ...

dynasty. This village is 40 km southeast to the District Headquarters

and 18 km west to the Taluk Headquarters

. *

Kalaburagi Fort The Gulbarga Fort is located in Kalaburagi in the Kalaburagi district of North Karnataka. It was subsequently significantly enlarged in 1347 by Al-ud-din Hasan Bahmani of the Bahmani Dynasty after he cut off his ties with the Delhi Sultanate; ...

built in 1347 Kalaburagi's old moated fort is in a much deteriorated state, but it has a number of interesting buildings inside, including the Jama Masjid, reputed to have been built by a

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or s ...

architect during the late 14th or early 15th century who imitated the great mosque in Cordoba, Spain. The mosque is unique in

, with a huge dome covering the whole area, four smaller ones at the corners, and 75 smaller still all the way around. The fort itself has 15 towers.

also has a number of imposing tombs (Haft Gumbaz) of Bahmani kings.

Geography

Kalaburagi is situated in Deccan Plateau located at and the general elevation ranges from 300 to 750 meters above mean sea level. The main river is the

Bhima In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The '' Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. ...

Subdivisions

Kalaburagi district presently comprises the following 11 talukas after the separation of Yadgir district from it. #

# Aland #

Afzalpur Afzalpur is a panchayat town in Kalaburagi district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also the headquarters of the Afzalpur taluk. Geography Afzalpur is located at . It has an average elevation of 408 metres (1338 feet). The to ...

Jevargi Jevargi is a town in Kalaburagi district of Karnataka, India. It is the headquarters of the Jevargi Taluk. Geography Jevargi has an average elevation of . The town is spread over an area of .The area of major towns in Karnataka has been mentio ...

# Shahabad #

Kalgi Kalagi is a new taluk in Kalaburagi, earlier it was a Hobli and Village in Chittapur Taluka in the southern state of Karnataka, India.Village code 322500. Kalgi, Gulbarga, Karnataka It is located in the Chitapur taluk of Kalaburagi district ...

# Kamalapur #

Chincholi Chincholi is a panchayat town and a taluka in Kalaburagi district in the state of Karnataka, India. Geography Chincholi is located at . It has an average elevation of 462 metres (1515 feet). The town is spread over an area of 6 k ...

# Yedrami

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Kalaburagi district has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 2,566,326, roughly equal to the nation of

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...

or the US state of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. This gives it a ranking of 162nd in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 17.94%. Gulbarga has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species dev ...

of 971

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...

for every 1000 males, and a

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

of 64.85%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 25.28% and 2.54% of the population respectively.

Languages

According to the 2011 census, 65.70% of the population spoke

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

, 18.15%

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Lambadi, 4.08%

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

, 2.47% Marathi and 2.05%

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

as their first language.

References

External links

Gulbargians most interactive website

Official Website of Gulbarga district

Official Website of Gulbarga City Corporation

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalaburagi district Districts of Karnataka Minority Concentrated Districts in India