Bagalkot
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This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2011) |
| Bagalkot Bagalakote |
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|---|---|
| — Town — | |
 Bagalkot
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| Coordinates: 16°10′54″N 75°41′45″E / 16.1817°N 75.6958°ECoordinates: 16°10′54″N 75°41′45″E / 16.1817°N 75.6958°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Karnataka |
| Region | Bayaluseeme |
| District | Bagalkot District |
| Government | |
| • District Collector | |
| Area | |
| • Total | 48.25 km2 (18.63 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 770 m (2,530 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 112,068 |
| • Density | 2,300/km2 (6,000/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kannada |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 587101-105 |
| Telephone code | 08354 |
| Vehicle registration | KA-29,KA48 |
| Website | bagalkot.nic.in |
Bagalkot or Bagalakote is a town in the Indian state of Karnataka. Bagalkot is the district headquarters of the Bagalkot district. It is one of the major towns in North Karnataka.
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History [edit]
According to stone inscriptions in the surrounding area, the town's name was formerly Bagadige. According to legend, the town was gifted to the Bajantries (musicians) by Ravana, the king of Lanka who ruled this area. One of the Bijapur kings is said to have presented the town to his daughter as bangle money (a tradition in which the daughter is given money to buy bangles, sarees, gold ornaments from her parents after the marriage). Consequently the place acquired the name Bagdikot, which later became Bagalkot. Bagalkot remained under successive dominions of Vijayanagar emperors, Peshwas, Hyderali of Mysore, Maratha rulers, and finally the British in 1818. In 1865, it was established as a municipality and civic amenities were provided to the residents of Bagalkot. The place was a noted centre of freedom movement and the Unification movement.
Today, Bagalkot is divided into two parts - the new Bagalkot or Navanagar and the old Bagalkot town. The construction of new town became necessary following submergence of parts of old town due to construction of Almatti dam. Navanagar is a planned town with grid pattern layout with wide roads, parks, and other amenities.
Geography [edit]
Bagalkot is located at 16°11′N 75°42′E / 16.18°N 75.7°E.[1] It has an average elevation of 533 metres (1,749 ft). It is situated on the bank of the river Ghataprabha.
Education [edit]
Bagalkote has many famous educational institutions, including Basaveshwara Vidya Vardhaka Sangha and Sakri Sangha. Many colleges are affiliated with Rani Channamma University, Belgaum, Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka. Basaveshvara Engineering College (BEC),Bagalkot was established in 1963. S Nijalingappa Medical College, HSK (Hanagal Shree Kumareshwar) Hospital and Research Centre,Bagalkot is affiliated with Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Ramanagara.
The University of Horticultural Sciences (UHS) is headquartered in Navanagar, Bagalkote with its constituent colleges spread across the state. For list of schools in Bagalkot www.nammabagalkot.in
Holi Habba (Festival of Colours) [edit]
Bagalkot is famous for its "Holi Habba" i.e. Festival of Colours. It is said that Bagalkot ranks second to Kolkata in the way it celebrates Rang Panchami.[citation needed] The festive is celebrated across 4 days, with the first day for Kama Dahanam followed by 3 days of playing colours. Holi is celebrated with lot of alacrity and grandeur by the people of Bagalkot. It also symbolises religious unity and harmony where people of all sects come together to celebrate it. There are 5 different localities called as "Onees" namely jainpeth, hosapeth, halpeth, killa and venkatpeth hosapeth being the largest in area. In earlier times, Holi was celebrated over 6 days, with the each of last 5 days dedicated to the five "Onees" to celebrate colour separately. However, this was reduced to three days for security reasons.
Demographics [edit]
As of 2011[update] Census of India,[2] Bagalkot had a population of 97,377 with males constituting 52% of the population and females 48%. Bagalkot has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%, with 77% of the males and 61% of females literate. Some 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.[3] Kannada is the major language spoken here.
Transport [edit]
Road Bagalkot is well connected by road and railway routes. The National Highway NH-218 from Hubli to Humnabad passes through Bagalkot.
The state highway passing through Bagalkot connects NH-13 at about 40 km from Bagalkot. It is connected to Belgaum by road and connected to Hubli. World class State Highway Belgaum to Raichur passes through Bagalkot.
Railway Bagalkot is connected by a broad gauge railway line (Gadag-Hotgi line) to Bijapur on the South Western Railway (SWR) towards the north and to Gadag junction on the South Western Railway towards the south. Bagalkot is connected with direct trains to Bijapur, Solapur, Gadag, Dharwad, Bellary, Mysore, Bengaluru, Hubli and Ahmedabad.
Trains from Bagalkot:
Bagalkot is under South Western Railway (SWR)
Following is the complete list of trains running in Solapur Gadag Branch line
| 19405/19406 | Bengaluru <—> Ahmedabad AC Express via Hubli, Bijapur, Solapur | (Weekly) |
| 16201/16202 | Mysore <—> Shirdi Sainagar Express (via Bengaluru, Bellary, Bijapur, Solapur) | (Weekly) |
| 16535/16536 | Mysore <—> Solapur Gol Gumbaz Express (via Bengaluru, Hubli, Bijapur) | (Daily) |
| 17307/17308 | Mysore <—> Bagalkote Basava Express (via Bengaluru, Guntakal, Gulbarga, Solapur, Bijapur) | (Daily) |
| 11423/11424 | Solapur <—> Hubli Intercity Express | (Daily) |
| 01493/01494 | Hubli <—> Bijapur Intercity Express | (Daily) |
| 57641/57642 | Solapur <-> Gadag Passenger | (Daily) |
| 56903/56904 | Dharwad <-> Solapur Passenger | (Daily) |
| 56905/56906 | Hubli <-> Solapur Passenger | (Daily) |
References [edit]
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Bagalkote
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ^ "BAGALKOT DISTRICT 2001 CENSUS PROVISIONAL STATISTICS". Retrieved 16 December 2010.
