Hassan, Karnataka

For other uses, see Hassan (disambiguation).

Hassan (Kannada: ಹಾಸನ, hāsana) is a city and district headquarters of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The town is situated 934 mts above sea level with fine weather similar to Bangalore. The town is home to the Master Control Facility of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was founded in the 11th century, by Channa Krishnappa Naik, a Palegar (chieften). The place is called Hassan after the Goddess "Haasanamba", the goddess and presiding deity of the town. It can be called the temple-architectural capital of Karnataka

History

Hassan, the main city in the Hassan district,which has an area of 6814 sq.kms dates back to the 11th century, during the Hoysala dynasty, which lasted from the eleventh to the fourteenth century. Their capital was at Dwarasamundra (Dwaravati-pura), the ruins of which are still to be seen scattered round the town of Halebidu(ಹಳೆಬೀಡು).

The earlier kings were of the Jain faith, but the finest temples were dedicated to Shiva by the later monarchs in the dynasty. While the Hoysalas were at the zenith of their power, much of southern India was under their influence.

Belur is one of the famous tourist place near Hassan. Belur was the early capital of the Hoysala Empire. With Halebidu which is only 16 km away, this is one of the major tourist destinations in Karnataka, India. The main attraction in Belur is the Chennakesava temple complex which contains the Chennakesava Temple (dedicated to Chennakeshava, meaning handsome Vishnu) as the centre piece, surrounded by the Kappe Chennigraya temple built by Shantaladevi, queen of king Vishnuvardhana.

Shravanabelagola is a city located in the Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is 158 km from Bangalore. It is one of the most important Jain pilgrim centers. It reached a peak in architectural and sculptural activity under the patronage of Gangas of Talakad.The 57 feet monolithic statue of the Bhagavan Gomateshwara Bahubali is located on the Vindyagiri.[1] It is considered to be the world's largest monolithic stone statue and was erected by Chavundaraya, a general of King Gangaraya. The base of the statue has an inscription in Prakrit, dating from 981 AD. Every twelve years, thousands of devotees congregate here to perform the Mahamastakabhisheka, a spectacular ceremony in which the statue is covered with milk, curds, ghee, saffron and gold coins. The next Mahamastakabhisheka will be held in 2018.

Transport

The bus station in Hassan city

Hassan is the hub of Broad gauge railways to Birur, Bangalore and Mysore. The line to Mangalore is fully converted to broad gauge under Project Unigauge in 2006. Goods traffic was started in May 2006 and passenger trains were commissioned on December 8, 2007. At present two express trains plying between Bangalore and Mangalore connect Hassan with Bangalore and Mangalore. Hassan-Shravanabelagola new broad gauge line was commissioned in February 2006. It also has a full-fledged bus terminus operated by Karnataka State Bus Transport Service, besides this it is also well connected by private bus services to all the major cities across south and west India. The nearest airports are Mysore (115 km), Bangalore (117 Miles/187 K.M) followed by the one in Mangalore. The national highway 48 which connects port city of Mangalore to capital city Bangalore passes through Hassan.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Hassan district had a population of 2,117,386. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Hassan has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 75%. In Hassan, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. Kannada is the local language and is the language of the majority of the people in Hassan.