Kollegal is one of the major
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 ...
s in the
Chamarajanagara
Chamarajanagar or Chamarajanagara is a town in the southern part of Karnataka, India. Named after Chamaraja Wodeyar IX, the erstwhile king of Mysore, previously known as 'Arikottara'. Chamarajanagara is the headquarters of Chamarajanagar distr ...
District of
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 ...
State in the south of
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 ...
. It is also the largest taluk in Karnataka, Kollegal is well known for its
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
industry which attracts traders from all over the state.
History
Until 1956, Kollegal was part of the
Coimbatore district
Coimbatore district is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Coimbatore is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is one of the most industrialized districts and a major textile, industrial, commercial, educ ...
of the
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 ...
. The
States Reorganisation Act
The States Reorganisation act, 1956 was a major reform of the boundaries of India's States and territories of India, states and territories, organising them along linguistic lines.
Although additional changes to India's state boundaries have b ...
of 1956 moved Kollegal to Karnataka primarily organising it along linguistic lines. Kollegal is the name derived from the names of two hermits namely 'Kauhala' and 'Galava' who were believed to be instrumental in the development of Kollegal. Kollegal, also called "Silk City", is famous for its handloom silk
saree
A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
* as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO
* bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO
* gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std= ...
industry. Kollegal is one of the larger taluks in Karnataka and was previously the largest. Plans are underway to divide Kollegal, making
Hanur
Hanur is a town in Chamrajnagar district of Karnataka State, India.
Economy
Hanur is a commercial centre for many nearby villages like Ramapura, Lokkanahalli, Bylore, Odeyarpalya, Martalli, Ajjipura, Bandalli, Cowdalli, Mangala, Kamagere, ...
the capital of the new taluk in the Chamarajanagara District. This separation has been ongoing for years is not yet entirely in effect.
Kollegal serves as a center for pre-university education in the region. Well known schools in Kollegal include Lions High School, Sree Vasavi Vidya Kendra, St. Francis Assisi High School, Nisarga Independent PU college, Seventh Day Adventist High School, and Mudigundam Gurukaar Subappa Veerappa (MGSV), and Mahadeshwara Degree College.
Singanalur, Kollegal is the hometown of Legendary Kannada thespian, the demigod of Karnataka,
Dr.Rajkumar
Singanalluru Puttaswamaiah Muthuraj (24 April 1929 – 12 April 2006), better known by his stage name Dr. Rajkumar, was an Indian actor and singer who worked in Kannada cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of Cinema of ...
. Kollegal was one of the areas which played host to the activities of
Veerappan
Koose Munisamy Veerappan (18 January 1952 – 18 October 2004) was an Indian bandit turned domestic terrorist who was active for 36 years, and kidnapped major politicians for ransom. He was charged with sandalwood smuggling and poaching o ...
, a notorious bandit who smuggled
sandalwood
Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...
and poached elephants for their tusks.
Many tourists visit the Kollegal area. The
Malai Mahadeshwara Hills
Male Mahadeshwara Betta (Kannada: ಮಲೆ ಮಹದೇಶ್ವರ (also ಮಾದೇಶ್ವರ))is a pilgrim town located in the Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district of southern Karnataka. It is situated at about 150 km from Mysore, ...
, and the waterfalls at
Hogenakkal near Male Mahadeshwara hills and the waterfalls of Gagana Chukki and
Barachukki
Shivanasamudra Falls is a waterfall on the border of Malavalli taluk, Mandya district and Kollegala taluk, Chamarajanagara district of the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated along the river Kaveri, which forms here the boundary to the ...
at
Shivanasamudra
Shivanasamudra Falls is a waterfall on the border of Malavalli taluk, Mandya district and Kollegala taluk, Chamarajanagara district of the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated along the river Kaveri, which forms here the boundary to the ...
(also known as Bluff) are popular destinations. In Kollegal, there is a small hill called "Maradi Gudda" which is located in the heart of the city. Gundal dam is just away from Kollegal. It also includes BRT Tiger Reserve (2011)
Biligiriranga Hills
The Biligirirangana Hills or Biligirirangan Hills (as referred to in biology and geology) is a hill range situated in south-western Karnataka, at its border with Tamil Nadu (Erode District) in South India. The area is called Biligiri Ranganatha ...
which is approximately 25–30 km from the town, which is a home to many fauna and flora including mammals like Tigers, Leopards, Indian Elephant, Indian Guar and the Sloth Bear.
Transportation
Kollegal is connected by two national highways:
*
NH 209
National Highway 948 (previously designated NH 209), is a highway in India which connects Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu with the city of Bengaluru. It is a spur road of National Highway 48. It passes through Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary. The r ...
this starts from Bengaluru-
Dindigul
Dindigul, also spelt Thindukkal (), is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. Dindigul is located southwest from the state capital, Chennai, away from Tiruchirappalli, away ...
via Coimbatore, Kollegal
*
NH 212 this starts from Kollegal to Calicut, via Narasipura, Mysuru
The nearest railway stations are Chamarajanagara and
Mysuru
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
(MYS) . The nearest airport is
Kempegowda International Airport (BLR), ,
Mysore airport
Mysore Airport , also known as Mandakalli Airport, is a domestic airport serving Mysore, a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located near the village of Mandakalli, south of the city, and is owned and operated by the Airports Aut ...
(MYQ), and
Coimbatore International Airport
Coimbatore International Airport is the primary airport serving the industrial cities of Coimbatore and Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located in the neighbourhood of Peelamedu, about from the center of Coimbatore. It is the 18th-bus ...
(CJB), away. Kollegal is the main junction where you can enter
Salem,
Coimbatore
Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...
,
Ooty
Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
,
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...
from
Mysuru
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
&
Bengaluru. The Biligiri Rangana Betta (known as
BR hills
The Biligirirangana Hills or Biligirirangan Hills (as referred to in biology and geology) is a hill range situated in south-western Karnataka, at its border with Tamil Nadu (Erode District) in South India. The area is called Biligiri Ranganatha ...
) is just away from the town.
The K.Gudi (Kyathadevara Gudi) Wilderness camp run by the jungle lodges and resorts (a government of Karnataka undertaking) is near the B.R hills.
There are two bus routes from Bengaluru to Kollegal:
* Bengaluru >
Maddur >
Malavalli > Kollegal (Via NH 275) Bengaluru Mysuru highway, take left diversion at Maddur after 80 km from Bengaluru
* Bengaluru >
Kanakapura
Kanakapura is a town in the Ramanagara district of Karnataka on the banks of the Arkavathi river and the administrative center of the taluk of the same name. Previously belonged to Bangalore Rural District. It was formerly the largest constit ...
>
Halaguru > Malavalli > Kollegal (Via NH 209)
Karnataka government buses from Bengaluru ply from MCTC which is popularly known as Satellite bus terminal in Mysuru Road. Since the town was in
Coimbatore district
Coimbatore district is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Coimbatore is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is one of the most industrialized districts and a major textile, industrial, commercial, educ ...
in the past, buses run between Coimbatore and Kollegal.
Geography
Kollegal is located at . It has an average elevation of . Since the town is on the foothills of the
Western Ghats, it is home to a mixed topography. Temperature is moderate.
Demographics
India
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
Kollegal had a population of 57,149. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Kollegal has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 64%. In Kollegal, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.
People in Kollegal speak a variation of
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
distinct from that spoken in
Mysuru
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
and
Bengaluru. There are 25,000
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
native speakers in Kollegal Taluk. There was a trust for Tamil peoples welfare activity named
Kollegal Tamil Sangam
Kollegal is one of the major taluks in the Chamarajanagara District of Karnataka State in the south of India. It is also the largest taluk in Karnataka, Kollegal is well known for its silk industry which attracts traders from all over the stat ...
.
College and schools
MCKC High School, Lions School and PU college, Seventh Day Adventist English school, St. Francis Assisi School and PU college, RC mission, Sree Vasavi Vidya Kendra, Mahadeshwara College, JSS Women's College And College For Nursing are the oldest educational institutions in Kollegal offering best education. Manasa degree college and school and its PU college is a decade old private institution. Wisdom school is a recently opened private institution.
Image gallery
File:Kollegal road..Uthampally.agramampally.mterampally.jpg, Uttamballi Junction which connects NH 209 and NH 212
File:KollegalPaddyFields.jpg, Paddy fields-Ripe for harvest
File:Maradigudda at the heart of Kollegal City.jpg, Maradi Gudda Hill Steps
File:Swamy Sri Mahadeshwara's Foot Prints.jpg, Sri Mahadeshwara Swamy First Foot Prints
File:கொளெகல்.jpg, Maradi Gudda Hills
Location
See also
*
Hanur
Hanur is a town in Chamrajnagar district of Karnataka State, India.
Economy
Hanur is a commercial centre for many nearby villages like Ramapura, Lokkanahalli, Bylore, Odeyarpalya, Martalli, Ajjipura, Bandalli, Cowdalli, Mangala, Kamagere, ...
*
Male Mahadeshwara Hills
Male Mahadeshwara Betta (Kannada: ಮಲೆ ಮಹದೇಶ್ವರ (also ಮಾದೇಶ್ವರ))is a pilgrim town located in the Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district of southern Karnataka. It is situated at about 150 km from Mysuru a ...
* Musicians
References
External links
Kollegal Online Information WebsiteKollegal Municipal Corporation Official Website* {{cite news , url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/In-Kollegal-the-nights-buzz-with-sorcery/articleshow/21990602.cms , date=23 August 2013 , first=Manu , last=Aiyappa , title=In Kollegal, the nights buzz with sorcery , newspaper=The Times of India , access-date=1 June 2018
Cities and towns in Chamarajanagar district