Kolar district

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Kolar District
v • d • e
Karnataka • India
Headquarters Kolar

Postal Code 563101 Telephone Code +91-8152
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)

Coordinates: {{{latd}}}° N {{{longd}}}° E

Someshwara Temple, Kolar.
Someshwara Temple, Kolar.

Kolar ಕೋಲಾರ pronunciation (help·info) is a district in Karnataka state of India. Kolar town is the district headquarters. Kolar is popularly known as the golden land of India, for it is at the famous Kolar Gold Fields of this district that gold mining was first undertaken during modern times.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Kolar District is situated in the state of Karnataka, India and belongs to its semi-arid drought-prone region. It lies between 77° 21' to 78° 35' east longitude and 120 46' to 130 58' north latitude, extending over an area of 8,225 km². Kolar district is located in the southern region of the State and happens to be the eastern-most district of the Karnataka State. The district is bounded by the districts of Bangalore and Tumkur on the west and on all other sides by the districts of the adjoining States of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. On the north, it is bounded by Anantapur district; on the east by Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh and on the south by the districts of Krishnagirii and Vellore of Tamil Nadu.

[edit] Old City

Someshwara Temple, Kolar.
Someshwara Temple, Kolar.

The old city of Kolar mainly consisted of the four areas of Kurubarapet, Gowripet,Aralepet and Kataripalya. Kote or the fort area once encompassed the temples of Kolaramma, Someshwara and was bordered by the Kolaramma Lake. Now the fort is all but gone, disappeared into new residential areas, the collapse of old town was hastened by the British Christian Missionaries who constructed a Church and school next to the temples.

[edit] History

Formerly, Kolar was known variously as Kolahala, Kuvalala and Kolala. Kolar was called Kolahalapura during the Middle Ages, but later came to be known as Kolar. Kolahahapura in Kannada meant "violent city", as it was the battlefield for the warring kingdoms of Chalukyas in the north and Cholas to the south. It was the capital of the Gangas till 4th century AD when they shifted the capital to Talakad in Mysore. In 1004 A.D., the Cholas annexed Kolar till 1116 A.D,. Vishnuvardhana (1108-1142AD) freed Gangavadi from the Cholas, and in commemoration of his victory, built the celebrated Vijayanarayana (Chennakeshva) Temple at Belur.

The major and important temples in the town are Kolaramma Temple and Someswara Temple. Someswara Temple is a fine example of Vijayanagara style while the Kolaramma temple is of Dravida vimana Style built in Ganga Tradition(11 century-A.D).

[edit] People and Culture

As a district headquarters, Kolar has room for many communities and represents a mini-India. The primary languages spoken here is Kannada. Kolar Gold Fields(KGF) is a town in Kolar district which was once the primary gold mines in the country. Set up by the British, this town which is close to the border of Andhra Pradesh has a Tamil and Anglo-Indian Population. Tamils were employed by the British and brought to KGF to work in the mines.

[edit] Festivals

[edit] Facts

The district, with an area of 8223 km², has its greatest length of about 135 km from north to south with almost the same distance from east to west. The district occupies the table land of Mysore, bordering the eastern ghats. The general plateau surface is interrupted by a number of hills and peaks of varying heights, particularly in the north. The principal chain of mountains is the Nandidurga range which runs north from Nandi towards Penukonda and Dharmavaram of Andhra Pradesh. The rivers of the district, are small and seasonal. Palar, Uttara Pinakini and Dakshina Pinakini are the important rivers which originate in the elevated regions in the district.

[edit] Economy

The major sources of employment are agriculture, dairy and sericulture, hence it is popularly known as the land of "Silk, Milk and Gold". Farmers in Kolar are totally dependent upon borewell water for irrigation and drinking. The gold mines in Kolar Gold Fields was closed in the 2003s due to reducing deposits and increasing costs.

[edit] Statistics

The district, at present comprises 11 talukas. It has 15 towns and 3,321 villages (2889 inhabited villages and 432 uninhabited villages). Total population of the district according to 2001 census was 2,536,069 of which 24.67% were urban. [ www.censusindiamaps.net/page/India_WhizMap/IndiaMap.htm]

  • Area (km²) - 8,223
  • Density (per km²) - 269
  • Sex ratio (females/1,000 males) - 966
  • Literacy rate (%) - 68.35

[edit] Places of Interest

Kolar has many historic places like

[edit] Famous people from Kolar

  • K.H.Muniyappa Union minister for Road Transport, Shipping & National Highways Government of India.
  • K. Srinivas gowda-Member of legislative and Chairman of iffco tokiyo,Chairman of Karnataka state marketing feduration.
  • R.L.Jalappa-Member of Parliament and Chairman of Sri Devaraj Urs medical College.
  • S.Manjunath-IOC official.
  • Dr M.Nagappa - popular physician.
  • A.N.Prahlada Rao - Highest Crossword Writer in Kannada-INDIA
  • Soundarya-Film actress
  • [B suresha]- social worker,president medal awardee[meritorious service in home gaurds],journalist representing pti since 1986 & kannada prabha state kannada daily since 1997
  • Amarnath Gowda - Attorney At Law, President of AKKA, President of VPA, Convener of IAFC, First Foreign Lawyer to be licensed in Michigan, United States of America
  • A.V.Ravi-Bodybuilder
  • I.H.Sangam Dev - Editor in chief of Kannada Eveninger Sanje Nudi.

[edit] Educational Institutions

[edit] Local Newspapers

  • Kolara Patrike First Kannada Daily and most popular of Kolar District
  • Kolaravani Popular & Largest Circulated Daily Of Kolar District
  • Honnudi First local daily published with every day Editorial-Founder editor: A.N.Prahlada Rao.
  • Kolara Varthe

[edit] External links


State of Karnataka


Karnataka Topics | History | Politics | Karnataka people
Capital Bangalore
Divisions Bangalore • Belgaum • Gulbarga • Mysore
Districts Bagalkot • Bangalore Rural • Bangalore Urban • Belgaum • Bellary • Bidar • Bijapur • Chamarajanagar • Chikmagalur • Chitradurga • Dakshina Kannada • Davanagere • Dharwad • Gadag • Gulbarga • Hassan • Haveri • Kodagu • Koppal • Kolar • Mandya • Mysore • Raichur • Shimoga • Tumkur • Udupi • Uttara Kannada
Taluks of Karnataka
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