Ilkal is a City in

Bagalkot district Bagalakote district(), is an administrative district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The district headquarters is located in the town of Bagalakote. The district is located in northern Karnataka and borders Belgaum, Gadag, Koppal, Raichur an ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

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 ...

. The town is located in a valley that lies in south-east corner of

and is quite close to the borders of Kushtagi

taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

of the Koppal district.Now Ilkal city becomes

previous the city falls within the jurisdiction of Hungund taluk and lies at a distance of about south of taluk headquarters. Between these two towns, Ilkal is an important centre of trade, commerce, education, and industry. Ilkal is well connected with state and national highways. It is also famous for its hospitality and education institutions.

Ilkal saree

Ilkal is famous for hand-loomed sarees, popularly known as

Ilkal saree Ilkal sari is a traditional form of ''sari'' which is a common feminine wear in India. Ilkal sari takes its name from the town of Ilkal in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka state, India. Ilkal saris are woven using cotton warp on the body ...

s. These sarees are worn in the

North Karnataka North Karnataka is a geographical region in Deccan plateau from elevation that constitutes the region of the Karnataka state in India and the region consists of 13 districts. It is drained by the Krishna River and its tributaries the Bhi ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

and

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

states. Ilkal sarees have a distinctive pattern and are usually made from cotton. They are best suited for weather conditions prevailing in the region. Recently, sarees made in Ilkal are worn by high society ladies as a fashion statement. There are many wide variety of sarees are made here with variable cotton and silk ratios.

Geography

Ilkal is located at . It has an average elevation of 585 m. Ilkal is famous for

pink granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergrou ...

(ruby red), which is exported all over the world. The town is surrounded by the levelled surface and small hills in certain directions which has an abundant resource of the granite stones. The majority of the soil found here is the rich, fertile black soil with a semi-arid region type.

Demographics

, Ilkal had a population of 51,956. Males constituted 51% of the population and females 49%. Ilkal had an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy was 72%, and female literacy was 52%. In Ilkal, 14% of the population was under 6 years of age. Most people in the place have the occupation of weaving Ilkal sarees, known for its traditional and cultural value. The people of this occupation are mostly the

Devanga Devanga (also known as Lingayat Devanga, Devanga Shetty, Devanga Chettiar) is a Hindu caste from South India that traditionally followed the occupation of textile merchandise, weaving and farming mostly found in the Indian states of Karnataka ...

s and other OBC sectors. The caste diversity mostly includes that of the sects like

Lingayats Lingayatism or Veera Saivism is a Hindu denomination based on Shaivism. Initially known as ''Veerashaivas'', since the 12th-century adherents of this faith are known as ''Lingayats''. The terms ''Lingayatism'' and '' Veerashaivism'' have been ...

, Marwadis,

Kshatriya Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

avajiand Devangas among

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

and

Jains Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

also constitute a major part and the

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

a minor part of the population.

Culture

Shri Vijay Mahantesh—A saint (ajja), who followed the foot prints of lord

Basava Basaveshwara, colloquially known as Basavanna, was a 12th-century CE Indian statesman, philosopher, poet, Lingayat social reformer in the Shiva-focussed bhakti movement, and a Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chal ...

and showed the way of living life with peace and harmony. It is believed that, he never disappoints his devotees. A temple (math or gaduge) is built in his name, by the devotees. Every year in the month of September (Shravan masa—Hindu calendar), i.e. last Monday of that month a fair is held, where a chariot decorated with flowers is being pulled by the devotees or followers of the math. A possession will be held in the evening in which a well decorated palanquin is taken around the town.

Industry

The main source of income is the granite business and weaving is a widespread occupation. The agricultural land is not arable, and it faces the threat of pollution because of the granite activities involved and water shortage. Hence, the agriculture provides a very little employment opportunity to the locals. Jowar, Sunflower are the major crops grown here, and the agriculture is rain dependent. As stated above, Ilkal is also famous for Ilkal sarees, which are a specific designed border. These will be dazzlingly authentic, to wear in any functions. The Ilkal pure silk saree costs anywhere between Rs.4000 and 12000, whereas an Ilkal chamka (alternate thread of cotton and silk) saree costs somewhere between 600 and 2000. Most of the handloom weaving culture is replaced by the powerloom weaving styles and the industry is gradually dwindling because of competitions, lack of creative skills and innovations and lack of support. The main competitor for the industry is Gajendragad. The granite brings in a lot of revenue and the business is well established. The quarries and mines nearby are excavated for the raw stone, processed and polished and marketed. It is an important export commodity from the place and the town has welcomed an immense urbanization from the states as far as Rajasthan and Orissa. Nearby villages like Hoolageri have been widely benefitted and influenced and it is a main form of employment for the people of the regions. Important products include ruby red and Ilkal chocolate.

References