Bellary Cantonment, was a cantonment area in

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...

in the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

Bellary Bellary, officially Ballari, in the eponymous Bellary district, is a city in the state of Karnataka, India. History Bellary was a part of Rayalaseema (Ceded Districts) which was part of Madras Presidency till 1 November 1956. The Ball ...

, today in

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, came under British administration in 1800, and was the headquarters of the

Bellary District Bellary, officially known as Ballari (pronounced ), is a major district in Karnataka. It is located at north-eastern part of Karnataka. This district belongs to Kalyana-Karnataka. This district was one of the biggest districts in Karnataka unt ...

, in the Southern Division of Madras, in 1840. ''

The Imperial Gazetteer of India ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'' was a gazetteer of the British Indian Empire, and is now a historical reference work. It was first published in 1881. Sir William Wilson Hunter made the original plans of the book, starting in 1869.< ...

'' (1909) states, "Until the British made Bellary a cantonment it contained little but its fort". Bellary Cantonment, situated to the west of the fort. The cantonment had golf links, race course, a large military hospital and barracks for all segments of the army. Wellington and Edward Williams served as officers in this cantonment. After Bellary was merged with the Madras Presidency in 1800, the British wanted to set up three jails here. The first prison was established in 1872 after the First War of Independence and came to be known as the Central Jail. The second, Allipur open-air jail, and third at TB Sanatorium. The prisoners of war (PoW) of the world war were kept here by the British. As of now the cantonment is without any military activity. Even though, the area is still called as 'Cantonment' and with some urbanization. The Ballari Central Jail is still being used, whereas the other two are closed.

References

Bellary Madras Presidency Forts in India Cantonments of British India {{India-struct-stub