Raichur
Raichur
ರಾಯಚೂರು | |
|---|---|
City | |
 raichur.jpg | |
| Nickname: Golden City | |
| State |  Karnataka |
| Region | Bayaluseeme |
| District | Raichur district |
| Elevation | 407 m (1,335 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 232,456 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kannada |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 584101-103 |
| Telephone code | 91 8532 |
| Vehicle registration | KA-36 |
| Website | www |
Raichur is a city municipality in the district of Raichur in the south indian state of Karnataka. Raichur, located between Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, is the headquarters of Raichur district. It is located 409 km from the state capital, Bengaluru.
History
Raichur has a rich history, having been a part of various empires, such as the Bahmanis and Vijayanagara and Hyderabad. The city is famous for its imposing Raichur Fort.[1] Here, stone inscriptions have been found in Persian and Arabic which belonged to the bastion of the fort, referring to its construction in 1294.[2] Among the ruins of the immense fort are many irrigation tanks and old temples. The fort was built by Kakatiya king Rudra in 1284 CE which passed on to the Vijayanagar kingdom after the decline of the Kakatiyas. Thereafter the fort was under dispute for nearly two centuries. It was captured by the Bahmanis in 1323 CE. Saluva Narasimha Raya expressed a wish in his testament that the city of Raichur be recaptured. This had been in the mind of Krishnadevaraya since his coronation in 1509. In the year 1520 Krishnadevaraya sent Seyed Maraikar, a Muslim in his service, to Goa with a large sum of money to buy horses. Maraikar instead went to Adil Khan with the money and offered his services. Krishnadevaraya made a demand that Maraikar be returned along with the money which was duly refused. During the period of peace Krishnadevaraya made extensive preparations for a grand attack on Raichur doab. After the court decided that Raichur should be attacked the king invited all commanders (Nayakas) in his service to take part in the battle.
Raichur is very rich from the epigraphical point of view. It has already yielded hundreds of inscriptions, ranging from the Mauryan period up to the end of the Muslim period. The inscriptions are in a variety of languages such as Sanskrit, Prakrit, Kannada, telugu, Arabic, and Persian and belonging to almost all the dynasties that ruled over the Dekkan. The most important places from this point of view are Maski, Koppal, Kuknur,Hatti Gold Mines, Mudgal and Raichur.
Climate
| Climate data for Raichur | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.3 (86.5) |
33.2 (91.8) |
36.5 (97.7) |
38.5 (101.3) |
39.3 (102.7) |
34.9 (94.8) |
31.9 (89.4) |
31.8 (89.2) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.6 (88.9) |
30.2 (86.4) |
29.3 (84.7) |
33.3 (91.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.4 (65.1) |
20.4 (68.7) |
23.3 (73.9) |
25.8 (78.4) |
26.3 (79.3) |
24.0 (75.2) |
22.9 (73.2) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.7 (72.9) |
22.3 (72.1) |
20.0 (68.0) |
18.1 (64.6) |
22.3 (72.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 1 (0.0) |
1 (0.0) |
4 (0.2) |
20 (0.8) |
39 (1.5) |
86 (3.4) |
145 (5.7) |
140 (5.5) |
165 (6.5) |
93 (3.7) |
13 (0.5) |
6 (0.2) |
713 (28) |
| Source: en.climate-data.org | |||||||||||||
The climate of the district is characterized by dryness for the major part of the year and a very hot summer. The low and highly variable rainfall renders the district liable to drought. The year may be divided broadly into four seasons. The hot season begins by about the middle of February and extends to the end of May The South-west monsoon is from June to end of September. October and November are the post monsoon or retreating monsoon months and the period from December to the middle of February is the cold season.
The only meteorological observatory in the district is at Raichur. The data of this observatory may be taken as representative of the conditions in the district. December is the coldest month with the mean daily maximum temperature at 29.3 Degree C. (84.8 F) and the mean daily minimum at 17.7C (63.9F) The nights are generally cool in the season, but day temperatures sometimes reach 35 to 38 Degree C.The period from about the middle of February to May is one of continuous rise in temperatures, May is the hottest month, the mean daily maximum temperature being 39.8 (103.7 F) The heat is oppressive till the onset of the south-west monsoon by about the first week of June. Thereafter the weather becomes slightly cooler and continues to be so till the end of the South-west monsoon season. Day temperatures show a slight increase in October. From November, both day and night temperatures gradually decrease till December.
The highest maximum temperature ever recorded at Raichur was 45.6 degrees Celsius (114.1 F) on 23 May 1928 and lowest minimum temperature of 7.1 degrees Celsius (44.7 F) on Tuesday 11 January 2011, which is the lowest in the past 119 years as per the summary of observations recorded by the Indian Meteorological Department.
Geography
Raichur is located at 16°12′N 77°22′E / 16.2°N 77.37°E.[3] It has an average elevation of 407 metres (1335 ft).
Demographics
As of the 2001 India census,[4] Raichur had a population of 205,634. Males constituted 51% of the population and females 49%. <--!Raichur has an average literacy rate of 63%, higher than the national average of 62%: male literacy is 58%, and female literacy is 62%.--> In Raichur, 13% of the population was under 6 years of age.
The main language is Kannada, but Telugu, Urdu, and Hindi are also spoken.
Economy
It has been a traditional agricultural based economy. Major agricultural produce has been Rice and Cotton. Ground nut and pulses are also produced. There are many rice processing industries and Cotton processing industries here. Service industry located here caters to needs of the surrounding area. Medical Services,Fertilizers,Agricultural implement repairers are the major services available. There are two medical colleges, Three Engineering colleges, Two dental colleges,One Agricultural Engineering College, one agricultural college(UAS RAICHUR) Numerous schools and colleges providing various courses including MBA One of the most visited places in Raichur is the Raichur Thermal Power Station in Shakthinagar. It has 8 units, producing 210 MW each, employing ISO 14001, an internationally accepted specification for environmental management systems (EMS).
Transport
Raichur is well connected by road and rail to Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other major cities. The airport[5] construction, is a promise unfulfilled to the citizens, basically an extension of existing air-strip near a village called Yermarus (Around 8 km from Raichur).
Local transport
Auto rickshaws and Rayaratha buses are available for getting around the city at fairly reasonable rates. NEKRTC city buses circulate within the city and also travel to the nearby towns and villages.
Long-distance bus routes
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs a bus service to other cities and villages. There are also various private bus services. There are many private services running Volvo buses between Bangalore and Raichur, and between Hyderabad and Raichur.
Railways
Raichur railway station is served by the Solapur-Guntakal line which is part of Mumbai-Chennai line and is well connected by trains to all major parts of India such as Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, Kanyakumari, Pune, Bhopal and Agra, Gadwal, Kacheguda, Bellary.
Monuments
The Raichur Fort is the most popular attraction of Raichur city. The fort was built by the Kakatiya rulers in 1294 AD. It is surrounded by double rows of massive low circuit walls on its three sides and is built on an 88 m high hill. Its inner wall is constructed by huge blocks of stones that are attached together without any cementing material.
However, the main attraction of this fort is a large stone slab having a length of 41 ft. This slab carries records in Telugu along with a scene where huge slabs are hauled up a hill with the help of buffalo driven carts.
Other outer fortifications of this structure include five massive gateways namely the western Mecca Darwaza, the northern Naurangi Darwaza, the eastern Kati Darwaza, and the southern Khandak Darwaza. Its fifth gateway lies in its south-east direction and is known as the Doddi Darwaza. Its inner walls also have two gateways known as the Sailani Darwaza, situated in its western direction and the Sikandari Darwaza situated in its east. This fort is also popular for its stone inscriptions in Persian and Arabic. These inscriptions are said to belong to Ali Burj. In the premises of this fort, several tanks and ruins of ancient temples are also seen.
The Jami Masjid is a significant religious site of Raichur city and one of its most beautiful and biggest mosques. This structure has two entrances and six gigantic pillars. At this masjid, there is also a cemetery belonging to the Adil Shahi dynasty along with several remains of an ancient palace and fort.
Ek Minar ki Masjid is a significant mosque situated in Raichur city. This mosque is built in the Persian architectural style and comprises a two-storied 20 m high minaret. It also has a winding staircase leading to its top, providing a panoramic view of Raichur city.
Raichur is also home to the Tomb of the Muslim saint, Pir Sailani Shah. The structure of this tomb is built in the Bijapur style of architecture. Its main attraction is a rectangular hall and a dome.
Devasugur is a small village situated in the Raichur Taluk of the district. This village lies on the right bank of Krishna River and is mainly famous for Sugureshwara or Veerabhadra Temple. This temple is known for its annual ‘jatra’, which is held in the Hindu month of Margashirsha.
Gabbur village is situated in the Deodurg Taluk, of Raichur District and is famous for its old temples. In earlier times, this place used to be a centre of education and was recognised by the name of Gopuragrama. Basaveshwara, Ishwara, and Hanuman Temple
Manvi is an important town of the Raichur District of Karnataka as well as one of its talukas. This place is the hometown of the great Madhva follower and dasa, Sri Jagannatha Dasa, who also wrote ‘the Harikathamruthasara’.
The main attraction of this town is the temple of Jagannatha dasaru and the ruins of an old fort. It also has several Hindu deities like Sri Chowdeshwari and Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy whose temples are situated on its hilltops and cover the town in a semi-circle. It is also home to Sri Annamayya Taata, who is a popular holy man with large number of followers. The town also has a famous Hindu ‘matha’ called the Kalmath. Near the manvi town sri harvi Basaveshwara Temple, Harvi Village is one of the famous temple in the taluke has Statues of Sri shiva, Sri Basaveshwara. sri Veerabhadreshwara, sri ganapathi etc. and has very big wide space to organize holy events in this place.
- MASKI:
It is also known as masingapura, the main attraction of this place is Mouryan king Ashoka (Devanampriya) who lived here during his peace journey. The name of the place is "Ashoka lipi". It is picnic spot. Another attraction is Sri Mallikarjuna swamy temple, which is located on the top of the hill.
Politics/Elections
Participating candidates for 2014 MP/Loksabha elections is available at http://affidavitarchive.nic.in/DynamicAffidavitDisplay/CANDIDATEAFFIDAVIT.aspx?YEARID=May-2014%20(%20GEN%20)&AC_No=6&st_code=S10&constType=PC
References
- ^ "Welcome to Mera Raichur". meraraichur.com. Retrieved 2006-10-17.
- ^ "Stone inscriptions". museums.ap.nic.in/. Archived from the original on April 10, 2009. Retrieved 2006-10-17.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Raichur
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Develop airstrip at Raichur into airport".
External links
