Gadag district is a

district 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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

in the state of Karnataka, India. It was formed in 1997, when it was split from

Dharwad district Dharwad or Dharawada is an administrative district of the state of Karnataka in southern India. The administrative headquarters of the district is the city of Dharwad, also known as Dharwar. Dharwad is located 425 km northwest of Bangalo ...

. As of 2011, it had a population of 1064570 (of which 35.21 percent was urban). The overall population increased by 13.14 percent from 1991 to 2001. Gadag district borders

Bagalkot district Bagalkot district (), is an administrative district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The district headquarters is located in the town of Bagalkot. The district is located in northern Karnataka and borders Belgaum district, Belgaum, Gadag distr ...

on the north,

Koppal district Koppala district, officially known as Koppala district is an administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. In the past Koppal was referred to as 'Kopana Nagara'. Hampi, a World heritage center, covers some areas of Koppala District ...

on the east, Vijayanagara district on the southeast,

Haveri district Haveri is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. As of 2011, it had a population of 1,597,668, out of which 20.78% were urban residents. The district headquarters is Haveri. Ranebennur is the biggest city in Haveri district with populatio ...

on the southwest,

on the west and

Belgaum 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 ...

on the northwest. It is famous for the many monuments (primarily Jain and Hindu temples) from the

Western Chalukya Empire The Western Chalukya Empire ( ) ruled most of the Deccan Plateau, western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalyani, today's ...

. It has seven talukas:

Gadag Gadaga-Betageri is a city municipal council in Gadag district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Gadag District. The original city of Gadag and its sister city Betageri (or ''Betgeri'') have a combined ...

Gajendragad Gajendragad (also called Gajendragada) is a Town Municipal Council city in Gadag district, Karnataka, India, with population of 32,359 as of 2011 Census data. It has an average elevation of 643 metres (2109 feet). It is about 55 kil ...

Ron Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

, Shirhatti, Nargund, Lakshmeshwar and

Mundargi Mundaragi is a municipal town in Gadag district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Mundargi is close to two district headquarters, being from Gadag and from Koppal. It is 99 kilometers from Gajendragad. Mundargi is also the taluka headquart ...

Historical sites

;

The town has 11th and 12th century monuments. The temple of Veera Narayana and the Trikuteshwara complex are sites of religious and historic importance. One of the two main Jain temples is dedicated to

Mahavira Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ...

. ''Trikuteshwara temple complex'': The Trikuteshwara temple was built by the early

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 dynas ...

between the sixth and the eighth centuries, exemplifying Chalukya architecture. The temple is dedicated to

Saraswati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...

. ''Veeranarayana Temple'': The temple, believed to have been built during the 11th century, attracts many devotees. ;

Lakshmeshwara Lakshmeshwara is a town, and newly created Taluk place along with Gajendragad in Gadag district, in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is about 40 km from Gadag and 55 km from Hubli. It is an agricultural trading town. Lakshmeshwara ...

Lakshmeshwara is in Shirahatti taluka and is known for its Hindu & Jain temples and mosques. The Someshwara temple complex has a number of temples to

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

in its fort-like compound. ; Sudi Chalukya monuments include the Jodi Gopura and twin towered Mallikarjuna temple and large Ganesha and Nandi statues. Hulkoti ''Known for the co-operative movement in Karnataka
Hulkoti got a score of 90% for providing clean water for drinking, good roads, having 82.23% literacy and a good drainage system.
' ;

Lakkundi Lakkundi, also referred to as Lokkugundi, was a major city before the 14th century, and is now a village in Gadag District of Karnataka, India. By 10th century, it was already a major economic and commercial center working with mint operation ...

About from Gadag, Lakkundi was the residence of the Chalukyan kings. It is known for its 101

stepwell Stepwells (also known as vav or baori) are wells, cisterns or ponds with a long corridor of steps that descend to the water level. Stepwells played a significant role in defining subterranean architecture in western India from the 7th to the ...

s (known as ''kalyani'' or ''pushkarni'') and its Hindu & Jain temples. A sculpture gallery is maintained by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

. ; Dambal Dambal is known for its 12th-century Chalukya Doddabasappa Temple. ;

This is the biggest city after Gadag in Gadag district.

is known for its hill fort and Kalakaleshwara temple, Nagavi, the famous Yellammadevi temple and a hill-view choultry under construction. It is 55 km from Gadag and is a politically rich village. ;

Harti Harti () is a Somali clan that traces its lineage back to Saleh Abdi Harti. They are a sub-clan of the larger Darod clan. Notable sub-clans within Harti include the Majeerteen, Warsangali, Warsengeli, Dishishe, and the Dhulbahante. They predomi ...

Harti has a number of Hindu temples. The Shri Basaveshwara Temple has an annual festival featuring a procession. Other temples, such as the Parvati Parameshwara temple (Uma Maheshwara Temple), have stone carvings from the Chalukya period. ;

Kotumachagi Kotumachagi is a village located in the Gadag taluk, Gadag district of Karnataka state, India.Village code= 602006 It is approximately 23 km from the district headquarters. Connectivity Kotumachagi has the best public transport faci ...

About from Gadag, the agricultural village is also known for its Someswar and Durgadevi temples.

Chamarasa Chamarasa (c. 1425) was a 15th century Virashaiva poet in the Kannada language, during the reign of Vijayanagar Empire, a powerful empire in Southern India during 14th - 16th centuries. A contemporary and competitor to a noted Brahmin Kannada poe ...

, author of the '' Prabhulingaleele'', was born nearby. ; Naregal Home to the largest Jain temple built by the Rastrakuta dynasty ; Hombal About from Gadag, the village is known for old temples. ; Belavanaki Rayar temple

Belavanaki is about 33 km from Gadag. The village is known for the statue of Veerabhadra which is considered to be best sculpture of its kind in recent times. Earlier, the village was part of Belavalanaadu-300 or Belvola-300 therefore from that its name was derived. It is also the Birthplace of well known social activist S. R. Hiremath. ;

Ron's historic monuments include Anantsayee Gudi, Isvara Gudi, Isvara Temple, Kala Gudi, Lokanatha Temple, Mallikarjuna Gudi, Parsvanath Jain temple and the Somlingesvara temple. ; Kurtakoti About from Gadag, the agricultural village is known for the Shri Ugra Narsimha, Dattatreya, Virupakhshalinga and Rama temples. Statues of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita were installed by Brahma Chaitanya. Writer and critic Kirtinath Kurtakoti hailed from the area. ; Nargund Nargund is an over 1000 year old hilltop fort from the times of the

Rashtrakuta dynasty The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal Indian polity ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the 6th and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their rule from Manapu ...

. In 1674, Maratha ruler Chatrapati

Shivaji Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...

built a citadel here. It is also known for its role in the

1857 revolt Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Janu ...

when Bhaskar Rao Bhave, the ruler of Nargund revolted against the British, and the 1980s' Peasant movement during Gundu Rao's Chief Ministership of Karnataka and also as the birthplace of senior leader of Jana Sangh Jagannathrao Joshi. ;Doni Tanda About from Gadag, and known for

wind power Wind power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity ge ...

generation ;Beladhadi About from Gadag, and known for its Shri Rama Temple and statues of Sri Rama, Lakshmana and Sita ;Antur Bentur About from Gadag, the agricultural village is known for the Shri Jagadguru Budimahaswamigala Sanstan math Antur Bentur – Hosalli. The

matha A ''matha'' (; , ), also written as ''math'', ''muth'', ''mutth'', ''mutt'', or ''mut'', is a Sanskrit word that means 'institute or college', and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism.

is cared for by both Muslims and Hindus.

Gadag inscription

* The 'Gadag inscription' of

Vikramaditya VI Vikramaditya VI (r. 1076 – 1126 CE) became the Western Chalukya King after deposing his elder brother Someshvara II, a political move he made by gaining the support of Chalukya vassals during the Chola invasion of Chalukya territory.Sen ...

, records that ''Taila took the head of Panchala by the terror of the pride of his arm in battle''. * The inscription reveals that the battle was fought on the bank of the Godavari & ocean river and a certain Keshava (son of Madhava), fought in the battle and ''won Taila’s admiration''. * At the command of Sattiga (Satyashraya) in 1006 A.D., a Lenka Keta fell fighting at the battle of Unukallu, probably against the

Cholas The Chola dynasty () was a Tamil dynasty originating from Southern India. At its height, it ruled over the Chola Empire, an expansive maritime empire. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd cen ...

. An inscription', dated in ''Saka 930 (1008 A.D.)'' of the reign of ''Satyashraya'' refers to the siege of the agrahara Kaldugu in the Belvola 300 by ''Desinga'' and the destruction of the forces because of the treachery of king ''Perggade''. * The inscription of Ballala recounts his victory as "And by force, he, the strong one, defeated with cavalry only, and deprived of his sovereignty, the general Brahmana whose army was strengthened by an array of elephants and who acquired 60 tusked elephants with a single tuskless elephant, when, on account of an insult, he was tearing the royal fortune from the family of the

Kalachuris of Kalyani The Kalachuris of Kalyani, also Southern Kalachuris, were a 10th-12th-century Indian dynasty, who ruled over parts of present-day northern Karnataka and Maharashtra. This dynasty will rise to its peak power in the Deccan region between 1156 ...

Demographics

According to the 2011 census the district has a

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 1,064,570. This ranks it 426th in India (out of a total of

640 Year 640 ( DCXL) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 640 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming y ...

). The district has a population density of . Its

population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to 8.2 billion in 2025. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 70 million annu ...

from 2001 to 2011 was 9.61 percent. The district has a

sex ratio A sex ratio is 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. However, many species deviate from an even sex ratio, ei ...

of 978

females An organism's sex is female (symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and male ...

for every 1000 males and a

literacy rate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

of 75.18 percent. 35.63% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 16.36% and 5.79% of the population respectively. Hindus are in majority in the district with 85.27% of the population. Muslims are second with 13.50% of the population. There is still a sizeable population of Jains in the district, around 6,000, which are the third largest religion.

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

is the main language of the district and is spoken by 85.32% of the population.

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

is the second-largest language and is spoken by 8.37%, mainly in urban areas.

Lambadi Lambadi, Lambani, Lamani or Banjari is a Western Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Banjara people across India. The language does not have a native script. Regional dialects are divided between the Banjara of Maharashtra (written in Devanaga ...

is spoken by 3.06% of the population.

Magadi Bird Sanctuary

The Magadi Bird Sanctuary, created at the Magadi reservoir, is from Gadag on the Gadag-Bangalore Road, from Shirhatti and from Lakshmeshwar. It is known for migratory species such as the

bar-headed goose The bar-headed goose (''Anser indicus'') is a goose that breeds in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near mountain lakes and winters in South Asia, as far south as peninsular India. It lays three to eight eggs at a time in a ground nest. It ...

, which feed on fish and agricultural crops.

Cooperative movement

The first

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...

in India was founded over 100 years ago in

Kanaginahal Kanaginahal is a village in the Gadag district of Karnataka State in India. The first co-operative society of India was registered in 1905 at Kanaginahal village. Sri Narayana Temple Gadag is famous for the Sri Narayana Temple built during the ...

, and K. H. Patil aided in its modernisation. Education Institutions - Gadag Institute Of Medical Sciences , Gadag.
(Now changed to K. H. Patil Institute of medical sciences )
- Karnataka State Rural Development And Panchayat Raj University, Nagavi - Gadag. - Jagaduguru TontadaryaCollege Of Engineering, Gadag. - Rural Engineering College, Hulkoti - Gadag. - Government Engineering College, Nargund. - Karnataka University PG Centre , Gadag. - KLE's J T College, Gadag. - KLE's S A Manvi Law College, Gadag. - KSS College, Gadag. - Govt PU College, Gadag.

Wind-power generation

The district generates wind power at Kappatagudda, Binkadakatti, Hulkoti, Kurtkoti, Beladhadi, Kalasapur, Mallasamudra, Mulgund , Kanaginahal, Harlapur, Halligudi, Abbigeri and

Notable people

* Kumara Vyasa – 15th century Kannada poet, known for his epic ''Karnata Bharata Kathamanjari'', was born in Koliwada *

– 15th century Kannada poet, known for his epic ''Prabhulingaleele'' * Panchakshara Gawai *

Bhimsen Joshi Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi (; ; 4 February 1922 – 24 January 2011), also known by the honorific prefix Pandit, was one of the greatest Indian vocalists in the Hindustani classical tradition from the Indian subcontinent. He is known for the ''kha ...

– Hindustani singer, was born in Ron *

Puttaraj Gawai Pandit Puttaraj Gawayigalu (3 March 1914 – 17 September 2010) was an Indian musician in the Hindustani classical music, Hindustani classical tradition, a scholar who authored more than 80 books in Kannada, Sanskrit and Hindi, a music teacher a ...

* Sunil Joshi (cricketer) * Jagannathrao Joshi * Chennaveera Kanavi *

Aluru Venkata Rao Aluru Venkata Rao (also sometimes referred as Aluru Venkata Raya) (12 July 1880 – 25 February 1964) was an Indian historian, writer and journalist. He is revered as Karnataka Kulapurohita (''High priest of the Kannada family'') in the Karn ...

* Durgasimha ( Author of The Panchatantra Tales ) * Fakkirappa Annappa Mulgund - Freedom Fighter and Noted Gandhian * Andanappa Doddameti - Freedom fighter * Mundaragi Bheemaraya - Freedom fighter * Bhaskar Rao Bhave ( Also known as Babasaheb Bhave) - Freedom fighter * Venkusa Bhandage ( Freedom fighter) * Siddanagouda S Patil ( Founder of Asia's first Co Operative Society )

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gadag district Districts of Karnataka 1997 establishments in Karnataka Belgaum division kn:ಗದಗ