Bellary, officially known as Ballari (pronounced ), is a major district 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 ''Kar ...

. It is located at north-eastern part of

. This district belongs to Kalyana-Karnataka. This

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

was one of the biggest districts in Karnataka until the Vijayanagara district was carved out of Ballari district in 2021 officially. This district has the highest deposits of iron ore in

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 ...

. Historical sites, farm land and rich minerals characterize Ballari district. Recently making headlines with mining industry, Ballari, the district's capital, is known as Steel City and Gani Nadu (City of Mining).

History

Earlier Ballari district was part of

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 th ...

. The area was severely affected by the

Great Famine of 1876–78 Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great ( ...

. After Indian independence, when the

Indian states India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indep ...

were reorganized along linguistic lines, Ballari became part of the Kalyana-Karnataka region of the state of

, now renamed as Kalyana-Karnataka. In 1882, Anantapur District was formed by carving out from Bellary district and in 2021, Vijayanagara district was separated from Ballari officially.

Geography

Bellary district is spread from southwest to northeast and is situated on the eastern side of

state. The district is 15° 30’ and 15°50’ north latitude and 75° 40’ and 77° 11’ east longitude. The geographical area is 8447 km². This district is bounded by

Raichur District Raichur District is an administrative district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located in the northeast part of the state and is bounded by Yadgir district in the north, Bijapur and Bagalkot district in the northwest, Koppal distric ...

on the north, Koppal District, Vijayanagara district on the west,

Chitradurga District Chitradurga district is an administrative district of Karnataka state in southern India. The city of Chitradurga is the district headquarters. Chitradurga gets its name from Chitrakaldurga, an umbrella-shaped lofty hill found there. Tradition ...

and Davanagere District on the south, and Anantapur District and

Kurnool District Kurnool district is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in the North western part of the state and is bounded by Jogulamba Gadwal district of Telangana in the north, Rai ...

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 t ...

on the east. The normal rainfall is 639 mm.

Assembly and Parliament constituencies

The district consists of one

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-pas ...

constituency (

Bellary Bellary, officially Ballari, in the eponymous Ballari district, 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 ...

, reserved for STs) and five

Karnataka Legislative Assembly The Karnataka Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Karnataka. Karnataka is one of the six states in India where the state legislature is bicameral, comprising two houses. The two houses ar ...

constituencies. These are 91. Kampli (ST) 92. Siruguppa (ST) 93.

(ST) 94.

Bellary City 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 Ballari ...

95. Sandur (ST) The Assembly constituency of Siruguppa is part of the parliamentary constituency of Koppal.

Economy

The major occupation of this district is

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

and 75% of its total labour force is dependent on agriculture for its livelihood. The important crops grown are

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor p ...

, jowar, groundnuts,

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

, sunflowers and

cereals A cereal is any grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran. Cereal grain crops are grown in greater quantities and provide more foo ...

. The net irrigated area is 37% of the net area sown. As of 1998, the main source of irrigation is Tungabhadra Dam (presently in Vijayanagara district). The canal network accounts for 64% of the district's irrigated area. Important rivers are Tungabhadra, Hagari and Chikkahagari. The western taluks of the district have been plagued by low rainfall for successive years. However, during the current and preceding years, heavy rains have created havoc in the district leaving many in the lurch.

Industries

Bellary district is rich in natural resources that need to be tapped to a great extent for the overall development of the district. This district is endowed with rich mineral resources. It has both metallic and non-metallic minerals. The metallic minerals include

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...

ore,

manganese Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy u ...

ore,

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish ...

and

lead Lead is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metals, heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale of mineral hardness#Intermediate ...

. The non-metallic minerals include andalusite, asbestos,

corundum Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide () typically containing traces of iron, titanium, vanadium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is a naturally transparent material, but can have different colors depending on the ...

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay part ...

, dolomite,

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

, limekankan, molding sand,

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...

, soap stone,

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 und ...

and

red ochre Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produce ...

. The metallic minerals are abundant is only two talukas, Sanduru and

in the order of mining activity intensity. The annual production of Iron ore is anywhere between 2.75 and 4.5 million tonnes, and manganese ore between 0.13 million tonnes to 0.30 million tonnes (1991).The real estate prices have already started to shoot as more and more industries are finding their way into this city. Bellary to its credit has the second largest single rock mountain in the world.

Mining

Bellary district has 25% of India's iron ore reserves. Till 1994 handful of mining companies operated here including state-owned NMDC. Later Govt issued mining licenses to many private operators. Mining Industry boomed with a surge in Iron Ore prices due to demand from emerging China. Mining license allocation policy from Central govt was based on Political Nepotism rather than merit. Flawed mining policy leads to widespread

illegal mining Illegal mining is mining activity that is undertaken without state permission, in particular in absence of land rights, mining licenses, and exploration or mineral transportation permits. Illegal mining can be a subsistence activity, as is the cas ...

. Since the year 2000 money from illegal money flowed into electoral politics of Karnataka State. This led to the emergence of powerful Reddy Brothers to state politics. Reddy brothers fueled money from illegal mining into politics, thereby King Makers of Karnataka State politics. Ombudsman's report on mining in

Karnataka state 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 ''Karn ...

found that the promoters of privately owned mining companies in the Bellary region paid off politicians, and then joined politics themselves, rising to positions in the Karnataka state government. These mining businessmen-turned-politicians exerted so much influence over the local officials that the Indian media began describing Bellary as a "new republic". Despite the availability of minerals in large quantities, this district is considered to be an industrially backward district. There are 23 units of large and medium scale industries in this district with an investment of Rs.447.76 crores employing around 9,222 persons At present it occupies ninth place in the state. Sathavahana Ispat Ltd. is the first

Pig Iron Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate product of the iron industry in the production of steel which is obtained by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with sil ...

plant set up in the region to utilize the abundant iron ore reserves available, Kirloskar was the next to follow with their Pig Iron plant. However, with the commissioning of Jindal Vijayanagar Steel Limited at Tornagallu, the industry scenario of this district underwent sea changes. It is understood that Mukand Steels and Kalyani Steels have started industries in this area. The inflow of investment into these industries would be around Rs.30,000 Crores. The district will, therefore, come under heavy pressure on basic infrastructure such as power, communication, health, education, and police stations which again invite heavy investment to create the needed infrastructure. Urgent action is needed to pool the resources under various sectors such as District Sector, State sector, Border Area Development, HKDB etc., and prepare a perspective plan to the emerging challenges. However, the mining industry in Bellary has caused devastating environmental damage and subsequent socioeconomic crises. Therefore, courts in Karnataka have ordered the reclamation of the region.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Bellary district has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using ...

of 2,452,595, roughly equal to the nation of

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the no ...

or the US state of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

. This gives it a ranking of 168th in India (out of a total of

640 Year 640 (Roman numerals, DCXL) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 640 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...

). The district has a population density of . Its

population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

over the decade 2001-2011 was 24.92%. Bellary has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species de ...

of 978

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females a ...

for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 67.85%. Scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 21.1% and 18.4% of the population respectively. Most of the tribals in Bellary district belong to the

Boya Boya may refer to: *Boya, Western Australia *Boya, Nepal * Boya people, an ethnic group in Sudan *Boyar caste, Boyar caste of India *Mireia Boya Busquet (born 1979), Spanish scientist and politician * Pierre Boya (born 1984), Cameroonian footballer ...

or Valmiki community, which is listed as a Scheduled Tribe in the state. Languages spoken as of 2011 census,

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 ...

(49.17%),

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

(23.69%),

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

(17.41%).

Tourism

* Bellary Fort, a historic fort. *

Bommghatta Bommaghatta is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. Chornur, Bellary, Karnataka It is located in the Sandur taluk of Bellary district in Karnataka. The place is popular for its Hindu temple which hosts the deity Hanuman a ...

, known for its temple which hosts the deity

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and ...

as ''Hulikunteraya''. *

Timmalapura Timmalapura is a temple city in Bellary district, 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 Reorganisatio ...

, known for its temple to Sri Krishna. * Sanduru, known for its temple to Kumaraswamy.

Transport

By Air

The nearest airport is

Vidyanagar Airport Jindal Vijaynagar Airport is a regional airport serving Toranagallu, Karnataka. Because of its location near Vidyanagar Township, the airport is also known as Vidyanagar Airport. It is owned and operated by JSW Steel, which operates a steel m ...

. The

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

is connected with

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

and Hyderabad daily. A new airport is under construction in the outskirts of

Bellary city 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 Ballari ...

By Rail

The district has main junction at Bellary station, which falls under Hubli division.

By Road

The district has main National Highway 67 and NH 150A. The district is connected with Jewargi-Chamrajanagar Highway. KKRTC run buses in Bellary District.

Politics

* Y. Devendrappa: MP Bellary (ST) *

K. C. Kondaiah K.C. Kondaiah (born 10 July 1950), is an Indian politician and a former member of the Karnataka Legislative Council from Bellary. He is a former member of the (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) from Karnataka. Kondaiah is an ardent partisan of the ...

: Former MP and MLC *

B Nagendra B. Nagendra is an Indian politician from the state of Karnataka and three times elected member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. Elected to Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Bellary constituency in May 2018 election. Education He ...

: Bellary Rural MLA * P.T. Paramaeshwar Naik: Former minister and current MLA,

Hoovina Hadagali Huvina Hadagali is a town in Vijayanagara district. Historical names of Huvina Hadagali *Puvina-Posavadangile : An inscription found on a slab set up at the western entrance into the Keshavaswami temple at Huvina Hadagali, records that "Rebbala ...

M. P. Prakash Matada Patil Prakash (11 July 19409 February 2011), was an Indian politician, film actor, director who was the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka from 2005 to 2006. Prakash was also a theatre enthusiast. He directed and acted in Kannada plays ...

- former Deputy CM of

* G. Janardhana Reddy: mining baron and BJP member. A former minister in the BS Yeddyurappa government, he was sentenced to 3 years in jail for Illegal iron ore mining *

G. Karunakara Reddy G. Karunakara Reddy (born 10 April 1962) is an Indian politician from the state of Karnataka, who is the member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from Harapanahalli assembly constituency. He was made Revenue Minister in B.S Yeddyurappa Cab ...

: Former Minister and MLA Harpanahalli *

G. Somashekara Reddy Gali Somashekhara Reddy is an Indian politician from the state of Karnataka associated with the Barathiya Janatha (BJP)party. He is an ( MLA) Vidhan Sabha 2 times of Karnataka representing the Bellary assembly constituency for the Bharatiya Jana ...

: MLA, Bellary City *

Anand Singh Anand Singh may refer to: *Anand Singh (Fijian politician) (1948–2020), Fijian lawyer and former politician of Indian descent *Anand Singh (cricketer) (born 1986), Indian cricketer *Anand Singh (Karnataka politician), Indian politician from the s ...

: Hospet MLA and former minister * B. Sriramulu: BJP vice president of Karnataka and current Health minister * E Tukram: Sandur MLA and former minister * Allum Veerabhadrappa: MLC and Former KPCC President

Demand for a separate district

People of Hospet, led by Forest Minister and Ballari in-charge MLA Anand Singh, demanded bifurcation of Bellary district into Vijayanagar and Bellary districts. In November 2020, the cabinet approved the division of the district into Bellary and Vijayanagara district. Bellary district consists of Bellary, Kampli, Sandur, Siruguppa and Kurugodu taluks while Vijayanagara district consists of Hospet, Harappanahalli, Huvina Hadagali, Kottur, Hagaribommanahalli and Kudligi taluks.

References

External links

Official websiteIncredible India Hampi GuideInfo on Hampi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellary District Districts of Karnataka kn:ಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ