Ilkal is a City in

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 ...

in 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 ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. The town is located in a valley that lies in south-east corner of

and is quite close to the borders of Kushtagi

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 the

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 ...

. Now Ilkal city becomes

previous the city falls within the jurisdiction of Hungund taluk and lies at a distance of about south of taluk headquarters. Between these two towns, Ilkal is an important centre of trade, commerce, education, and industry. Ilkal is well connected with state and national highways. It is also famous for its hospitality and education institutions.

Ilkal saree

Ilkal is famous for hand-loomed sarees, popularly known as Ilkal sarees. These sarees are worn in the

North Karnataka North Karnataka (kannada: ಉತ್ತರ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ''Transliteration: Uttara Karnataka'') is a geographical region in Deccan plateau from elevation that constitutes the region of the Karnataka state in India and the region consi ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

and

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

states. Ilkal sarees have a distinctive pattern and are usually made from cotton. They are best suited for weather conditions prevailing in the region. Recently, sarees made in Ilkal are worn by high society ladies as a fashion statement. There are many wide variety of sarees are made here with variable cotton and silk ratios.

Geography

Ilkal is located at . It has an average elevation of 585 m. Ilkal is famous for pink granite (ruby red), which is exported all over the world. The town is surrounded by the levelled surface and small hills in certain directions which has an abundant resource of the granite stones. The majority of the soil found here is the rich, fertile black soil with a semi-arid region type.

Demographics

, Ilkal had a population of 51,956. Males constituted 51% of the population and females 49%. Ilkal had an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy was 72%, and female literacy was 52%. In Ilkal, 14% of the population was under 6 years of age. Most people in the place have the occupation of weaving Ilkal sarees, known for its traditional and cultural value. The people of this occupation are mostly the Devangas and other OBC sectors. The caste diversity mostly includes that of the sects like Lingayats, Marwadis,

Kshatriya Kshatriya () (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority"; also called Rajanya) is one of the four varnas (social orders) of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

avajiand Devangas among

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and

Jains Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and ...

also constitute a major part and the

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

a minor part of the population.

Culture

Shri Vijay Mahantesh—A saint (ajja), who followed the foot prints of lord Basava and showed the way of living life with peace and harmony. It is believed that, he never disappoints his devotees. A temple (math or gaduge) is built in his name, by the devotees. Every year in the month of September (Shravan masa—Hindu calendar), i.e. last Monday of that month a fair is held, where a chariot decorated with flowers is being pulled by the devotees or followers of the math. A possession will be held in the evening in which a well decorated palanquin is taken around the town.

Industry

The main source of income is the granite business and weaving is a widespread occupation. The agricultural land is not arable, and it faces the threat of pollution because of the granite activities involved and water shortage. Hence, the agriculture provides a very little employment opportunity to the locals. Jowar, Sunflower are the major crops grown here, and the agriculture is rain dependent. As stated above, Ilkal is also famous for Ilkal sarees, which are a specific designed border. These will be dazzlingly authentic, to wear in any functions. The Ilkal pure silk saree costs anywhere between Rs.4000 and 12000, whereas an Ilkal chamka (alternate thread of cotton and silk) saree costs somewhere between 600 and 2000. Most of the handloom weaving culture is replaced by the powerloom weaving styles and the industry is gradually dwindling because of competitions, lack of creative skills and innovations and lack of support. The main competitor for the industry is Gajendragad. The granite brings in a lot of revenue and the business is well established. The quarries and mines nearby are excavated for the raw stone, processed and polished and marketed. It is an important export commodity from the place and the town has welcomed an immense urbanization from the states as far as Rajasthan and Orissa. Nearby villages like Hoolageri have been widely benefitted and influenced and it is a main form of employment for the people of the regions. Important products include ruby red and Ilkal chocolate.

References