Kundgol also spelled as Kundagola is a

panchayat town A nagar panchayat (town panchayat; ) or Notified Area Council (NAC) in India is a settlement in transition from rural to urban and therefore a form of an urban political unit comparable to a municipality. An urban centre with more than 12,000 ...

Dharwad district Dharwad is an administrative district of the state of Karnataka in southern India.The administrative headquarters of the district is the city of Dharwad, also known as Dharwar. Dharwad is located 425 km northwest of Bangalore and 421&nbs ...

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 ...

Introduction

Kundgol is Located in Dharwad District of Karnataka is about 14 km south-west of

Hubli Hubli, officially known as Hubballi, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli–Dharwad form the second largest city in the state by area and population and the largest city in North Karnataka. Hubli is in Dharwad distr ...

and 32 km south-west of

Dharwad Dharwad (), also known as Dharwar, is a city located in the north western part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Dharwad district of Karnataka and forms a contiguous urban area with the city of Hubballi. It was merge ...

. This town is the birthplace of Rambhau Kundgolkar (popular as Pandit Sawai Gandharva), a well known Hindustani musician.

Gangubai Hangal Gangubai Hangal (5 March 1913 – 21 July 2009) was an Indian singer of the ''khayal'' genre of Hindustani classical music from Karnataka, who was known for her deep and powerful voice. Hangal belonged to the Kirana gharana. Early life G ...

Bhimsen Joshi Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi BR (; ; 4 February 1922 – 24 January 2011), also known by the honorific prefix Pandit, was one of the greatest Indian vocalists from Karnataka, in the Hindustani classical tradition. He is known for the '' khay ...

were his disciples.

History

Kundagol also comes under the core area of

Western Chalukya Empire The Western Chalukya Empire ruled most of the Deccan Plateau, western Deccan, South India, between the 10th and 12th centuries. This Kannada people, Kannadiga dynasty is sometimes called the ''Kalyani Chalukya'' after its regal capital at Kalya ...

. The existence of ''11th century'' Shri Shambhulingeshwara temple supports this claim. Prior to 1948, Kundgol was a non-contiguous part of the princely state of Jamkhandi.

Hindustani music and Kundgol

* Pandit Sawai Gandharva Rambhau Kundgolkar, popularly known as Sawai Gandharva, was born here in 1886. *

Bharat Ratna The Bharat Ratna (; ''Jewel of India'') is the highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferred in recognition of "exceptional service/performance of the highest order", without distinctio ...

Pandit

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi travelled all over the country looking for an elusive guru. Finally a musician advised him to return home as the best guru was actually very near to his home, Sawai Gandharva in Kundgol. At first the guru rejected Joshi saying his voice is not good but, finally agreed to take him after seeing his determination and thirst for music. According to

, Late Abdul Karim Khan visited Dharwad in 1900 and taught Sawai Gandharva, a guru who produced many great disciplines like Dr Hangal and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi. The Nadgir family of Kundgol is known for patronising Hindustani music. To cater to the needs of cultural activities the Dharwad city boasts of an opera house Savai Gandharava Natyagraha named after the great Hindustani Musician Savai Gandharva the native of Kundgol town near Hubli, on the Hubli - Bangalore rail line. The great celebrity in Hindustani music of the modern times. Dr. Smt. Gangubai Hangal also hails from this place and a resident of Hubli. * Dr. Smt. Gangubai Hangal was born in the family of musicians on 5 March 1913 at

. Her mother Smt Ambabai was a renowned carnatic singer and father Sri Chikkurao Nadiger of Ranebennur was an agriculturist. Dr Gangubai was Initiated into music by her mother. She learnt music under the guidance of Sri Krishnamacharya Hulgur and later under Sri Sawai Gandharv alias Sri Rambhau Kundgolkar a disciple of late Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, the main architect of kirana gharana school of music.

Tourism

* Shambhulinga Temple At Kundgol there is a huge

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

temple from the 11th century called Shri Shambhulingeshwara Temple, built by Western Chalukyas. It is built with highly polished stones, which are dovetailed into one another. The carvings and images on the pillars are well cut. On the side of the door steps of the temple, carvings of the ''Lion face'' a long scroll issuing from its mouth. This temple is dedicated to Lord

and Parvati. Although damaged, the exterior of the temple is decorated with lotus and kirtimukha faces and apparently hundreds of Brahmanical images. This temple was a victim of Muhammadans. It was repaired by a former chief (During 1808-9).

Geography

Kundgol is located at . It has an average elevation of 615 metres (2017 feet).

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 in ...

, Kundgol had a population of 16,837. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Kundgol has an average literacy rate of 64%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 54%. In Kundgol, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Kundgol Religion Data 2011

Population, 18,726 Hindu, 74.11% Muslim, 25.21% www.census2011.co.in

Transport

There are KSRTC buses from Hubli and Dharwad and nearest towns to Kundagol. This town is also connected by Railway network and its Railway Station code is KNO.

External links

Kundgol Shambulingeshwara temple on Google Maps
1. SAMAVASARAN (Research Articles-2015), Dr. Appanna N. Hanje, Vidyashree Prakashan, Alagawadi. Cell-9886592927

References

{{Hindu temples in Karnataka Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century Hindu temples in Dharwad district History of Karnataka Chalukya dynasty Shiva temples in Karnataka Cities and towns in Dharwad district