Belgaum – Geography & Expanse
Belgaum is located at 15.87 ° N 74.5 ° E. It has an average height of 751 meters (2,464 feet).
- The city is located in the northwestern part of Karnataka and is surrounded by two provinces, Maharashtra and Goa west of the ghats (50 km) from the border of Goa district.
- It is one of the oldest cities in the province, located 502 km (312 mi) from Bangalore, 500 km (310 mi) from Mumbai, 515 km (320 mi) from Hyderabad, and 600 km (370 mi) from Mysore .
- The district has 1278 homes and an area of 31,415 km2 (12,129 sq mi) with an estimated population of 4.8 million according to the 2011 census.
Belgaum to Belagavi – Belgaum’s Etymology
On November 1, 2014, the city’s name was changed from Belgaum to Belagavi by the Karnataka government, with the approval of the Indian government and 12 other cities. Belgaum is known as Belgaon in Maharashtra and among the Marathi people.
Powerful Dynasties Rule Belgaum
➢ Belgaum was founded in the late 12th century AD by the Ratta Dynasty, founded in nearby Saundatti.
➢ The Ratta monk Bichiraja built the Kamal Basadi, a Jain temple dedicated to Neminatha in 1204, later known as the Kamalabasti.
➢ Columns found inside the Belgaum fort have Kannada inscriptions in Nagar text, one from 1199 of Ratta King Kartavirya IV.
➢ The real name of the city was Venugrama, a Sanskrit word meaning “bamboo valley”.
➢ Besides, it is called Venupura in the original Indian texts, which means “city of bamboo”.
➢ Belgaum became part of the Yadava (Sevunas) dynasty in the early 13th century.
➢ An inscription dated 1261 of King Krishna of the Yadava dynasty confirms this.
➢ The region was invaded by the Khalji dynasty of Delhi Sultanate in the 14th century.
➢ Shortly thereafter, the Kingdom of Vijayanagara was established in the Deccan plain.
➢ Belgaum came under the rule of Vijayanagara.
➢ In 1474, the Bahmani Sultanate defeated Belgaum with an army led by Mahamood Gawan.
➢ In 1518, the Bahamian monarchy split into five smaller provinces, and Belgaum became part of the Bijapur Sultanate.
➢ The Belgaum fort was fortified by the Sultan of Bijapur and they built the Safa Mosque.
➢ A Persian inscription states that the mosque was built by Asad Khan, the ruler of Bijapur.
➢ Earlier in the day, the Bijapur Sultanate extended its control to the port of Goa, but withdrew after coming to war with the Portuguese.
➢ In 1686, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb overthrew the Bijapur empire and Belgaum moved to the Mughals, whom he called “Azamnagar”.
➢ But Mughal rule lasted until 1707 – the death of Aurangzeb – and then the Maratha movement occupied Belgaum.
➢ It was under Marathais that Peshwas’ rule began.
➢ The Maratha coalition took power during the reign of the Peshwas.
➢ In 1776, the region was overthrown by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan after Hyder Ali’s uprising in the Mysore Empire.
➢ Pesha regained Belgaum, after Tipu Sultan was defeated by British troops.
➢ In 1818, the British annexed Belgaum and the province that ruled Pesha.
- Belgaum was elected as the 39th session of the Indian National Congress in December 1924 under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi.
- The city was a major military base for British Raj, close to Goa, a Portuguese colony.
- When the British left India, the Indian government continued to send troops to Belgaum.
- In 1961, the Indian government, under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, deployed Belgian troops to overthrow the Portuguese government in Goa.
- When India gained independence in 1947, Belgaum and its vicinity were part of Bombay State. In 1956, the regions of India were reorganized according to language lines under the International Coordination Act and the Belgaum Region (excluding Chandgad Taluka) was transferred to Mysore State, renamed Karnataka in 1972.
- In 2006, the Karnataka government announced that Belgaum would be made the country’s second capital, and that the city would be a permanent place for a 15-day winter session of the state legislature.
The Belgaum border dispute is a dispute between the Indian states of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Belgaum, currently part of Karnataka and the former President of Bombay, is wanted by Maharashtra for language reasons.
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