Kollegal
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| Kollegal | |
| — town — | |
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| Coordinates | 12°03′46″N 76°58′40″E / 12.0628°N 76.9777°ECoordinates: 12°03′46″N 76°58′40″E / 12.0628°N 76.9777°E |
| Country | India |
| State | Karnataka |
| District(s) | Chamarajanagar district |
| Population • Density |
52,607 (2001[update]) • 1,915.07 /km2 (4,960 /sq mi) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area |
27.47 square kilometres (10.61 sq mi) • 587 metres (1,926 ft) |
Kollegal (Kannada:ಕೊಳ್ಳೇಗಾಲ) is one of the major taluks in the Chamrajnagar District of Karnataka State in the south of India. Kollegal is well known for its silk industry which attracts traders from all over the state.
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[edit] History
Until 1956, Kollegal taluk was part of Coimbatore district of the Madras Presidency. After Independence, it was switched to Karnataka primarily for linguistic reasons. Kollegal is the name derived from the names of two hermits namely 'Kauhala' and 'Galava' who were believed to be instrumental to the development of the place.
This city is famous for its handloom silk saree industry. This city is also called "silk city". Kollegal is one of the larger taluks in Karnataka and was previously the largest. Plans are underway to divide Kollegal taluk with Hanur as the capital of the new taluk in the Chamrajnagar District. This separation has been ongoing for years but without becoming entirely effective yet. The population of Kollegal city in 2005 has been estimated as 52,000.[1] Kollegal serves as a centre for Pre-University education in the region. Well known schools in Kollegal are Lions High School, Sree Vasavi Vidya Kendra,Nisarga Independent PU college, St. Francis Assisi, Seventh Day Adventist, and Mudigundam Gurukaar Subappa Veerappa (MGSV). Mahadeshwara degree college is an addition to the education arena. Lions High School, run by the prestigious Lions Club of Kollegal, also started its Junior College in the 1990s offering courses in Science (PCMB) and commerce (EGCA). St. Francis Assisi, which was only Kannada medium before, has started English medium education for high school.
Kollegal was one of the areas which played host to the activities of Veerappan, a notorious bandit who smuggled sandalwood and poached elephants.
Many tourists visit the Kollegal area. The Malai Mahadeshwara Hills, and the waterfalls at Hogenakal near to Male Mahadeshwara hills and the waterfalls of Gagana Chukki and Bhara Chukki at Shivana Samudra (also known as Bluff) are popular destinations. In kollegal there is a small hill called "Maradi Gudda" this is the unique attraction of Kollegal, and Gundal dam is just 15 km (9.3 mi) away from Kollegal. Kollegal is connected by two national highways:
- NH 209 this starts from Bangalore-Dindugal via kollegal
- NH-212 this starts from Salem to Kozhikide(Calicut) kerala via kollegal.
The nearest Railway stations are Chamarjnagar 30 km (19 mi) and Mysore (MYS) 60 km (37 mi). Nearest airport is Bangalore International Airport (BIA), 150 km (93 mi) away. Kollegal is the main junction where you can enter Salem, Coimbatore, Ooty, Kozhikode, Mysore & Bangalore. The Biligiri Rangana Betta (known as BR hills) is just 30 km (19 mi) away from the town. The K.Gudi (Kyathadevara Gudi) Wilderness camp run by the Jungle lodges and resorts (a govenrment of Karnantaka undertaking) is near the B.R hills.
There are two bus routes from Bangalore to Kollegal:
- Bangalore->Maddur->Malvalli->Kollegal
- Bangalore->Kanakapura->Malvalli->Kollegal
[edit] Geography
Kollegal is located at 12°09′N 77°07′E / 12.15°N 77.12°E.[2] It has an average elevation of 588 m (1,929 ft). Since the town is on the foothills of the Western Ghats, it is home to a mixed topography. Temperature is moderate.[citation needed]
Geologically Kollegal is a safe place as no disasters like flooding,earthquake etc. occur.
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census"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. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01., Kollegal had a population of 52,450. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Kollegal has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 64%. In Kollegal, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
People in Kollegal speak a variation of Kannada distinct from that spoken in Mysore and Bangalore. This dialect of Kannada at times suffixes da when spoken among pals. Kannada as spoken in Kollegal was used in the 2005 film Jogi starring Shivarajkumar.
[edit] References
- ^ "2005 population estimates for cities in India". mongabay.com. http://www.mongabay.com/igapo/2005_world_city_populations/India.html. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Kollegal
[edit] External links
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