Kolar, Karnataka
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Kolar or Kolāra (, historically "Kuvaḻālapura") is a city in the Indian state of
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
. It is the headquarters of
Kolar district Kolar district () is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. Kolar, Karnataka, Kolar (ಕೋಲಾರ) is the district headquarters. Located in southern Karnataka, it is the state's easternmost district. The district is surrounded by the ...
. The city is known for its milk production and gold mines. It is also known for the Someshwara and Kolaramma temples.


History

The Western Gangas sovereignty lasted from about 350 to 550 CE, initially ruled from Kolar as their Capital City. The founder of the Western Ganga dynasty was Konganivarman Madhava, who built Kolar as his capital around 350 and ruled for about twenty years. He was succeeded by his son Madhava I. Kolar, the headquarters of the
Kolar district Kolar district () is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. Kolar, Karnataka, Kolar (ಕೋಲಾರ) is the district headquarters. Located in southern Karnataka, it is the state's easternmost district. The district is surrounded by the ...
, was earlier known as Kuvaḻālapura, also known as Kolahala Pura. Historically, Kolar is said to be associated with the epic age, which recalls many legends associated with Avani in Mulabagilu Taluk, which was also called Avani Kshetra. It was once known as Avantika - Kshetra, a sacred place in
Kolar district Kolar district () is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. Kolar, Karnataka, Kolar (ಕೋಲಾರ) is the district headquarters. Located in southern Karnataka, it is the state's easternmost district. The district is surrounded by the ...
in Karnataka State. It was famous for its religious establishments from ancient times. It was once known as Aavanya which was under the Ganga prince Madhava Muttarasa, who governed several districts. In about AD 890, its earliest grant relates that Tribhuvana Kartara Deva, who held the title of Kali Yuga Rudra, ruled over the Avaniya Thana for 40 years. During this period he constructed 50 temples and two large tanks. Maharshi Valmiki, the author of the epic
Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...
, lived here. The legend goes further to establish that Seetha Devi, after being sent to exile, gave birth to her twins Lava and Kusha at Avani. The Avani continued to survive as a religious establishment from the 9th to 11th centuries. There are temples dedicated to Lord Rama. The hill to the west of Kolar called the ''Shatasringa Parvata'' or 'Hundred-Peaked Mountain' is 'Antharagange', associated with the story of Parasurama and his fight with King Kartaviryarjuna over Surabhi, the divine cow. As the story goes, King Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjuna) and his army visited Jamadagni, Parasurama's father, when the king demanded the magical cow from Jamadagni. When Jamadagni refused, the King sent his soldiers to take the cow, but Parashurama killed the entire army and the king with his axe. In return, the princes beheaded Jamadagni. Thus, Parasurama took an oath to behead the entire Kshatriya race, which is said to have taken place on the hills. It is said that the 'kolahala' on the death of Kartaviryarjuna gave its name to the town, which later become Kolar. Gangas built the temple of Sri Uttameshwara temple in '' Uttanur'' Mulbagal Taluk. Antaragange is one of the tourist attractions of Kolar. It is also known as "Dakshina Kashi Kshetra". In the temple is a pond which gets a continuous flow of underground water from the mouth of a Basava (stone bull).


Geography

Kolar is located at . with an average elevation of . It is located at a distance of about from
Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
, from Kempegowda International Airport, from Hogenakkal waterfalls & from Kolar Gold Fields. The city is located on the southern ''maidan'' (plains) region of
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
. The Ammerallikere, a tank, forms its eastern boundary. To the north is the Kodikannur tank, the main source of water supply to the city. The nearest railway junction is Bangarapet Junction railway station. It is situated on the Bangalore -
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
National Highway 75. Kolar is also the gateway to Tirumala and Chennai via National Highway 75.


Climate

The city is ranked among top 10 Indian cities with the cleanest air and best AQI in 2024.


Demographics

2011 census, Kolar city municipality had a population of 138,462 and has 30,506 households. The population of scheduled castes in the city is 16,536, while that of scheduled tribes is 2094. The city has grown at the rate of 21.56% in the last decade. The municipality had a
sex ratio A sex ratio is 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. However, many species deviate from an even sex ratio, ei ...
of 978 females per 1,000 males and 11.5% of the population were under six years old. Effective literacy was 84.02%; male literacy was 87.28% and female literacy was 80.69%. Kolar is a city with Hindus and Muslims in nearly equal population. Christians are a small minority. At the time of the 2011 census, 46.49% of the population spoke
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
, 36.26%
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
, 11.52% Telugu, 3.04%
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
and 1.20%
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
as their first language. Kolar is part of Morasu Nadu, where Kannada, Telugu and Tamil languages and cultures blend. After Bangalore, it is the most diversified city. The
Kannadigas The Kannadigas or Kannadigaru (), often referred to as Kannada people, are a Dravidian ethno-linguistic group who natively speak Kannada, primarily in the south Indian state of Karnataka and its surrounding regions. The Kannada language belongs ...
are a minority here as flow of other people were huge. Tamils and Telugus are native to this city and have been here for centuries.


Governance and politics

Kolar city is governed by Kolar City Municipal Council. The
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
covers an area of 18.3 square km and is divided into 35 wards, each represented by a
councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...
. It is headed by the Municipal Commissioner, R. Srikanth. The president is the elected head, currently incumbent B.M. Mubarak. The executive wing has 8 departments: engineering, health, revenue, town planning, finance, birth and death, election and day-NULM.


Civic utilities

The masterplan of the city is developed by the Urban Development Department, State of Karnataka. Kodikannur tank in the north of the city is its main source of water supply. The city has a shortage of drinking water, being an area with a 'permanent drought', and pipes being over 35 years old. Water is also supplied from four borewells at Maderahalli tank, and five more borewells that were revived in April 2020. According to the city municipality's website, the city receives a total of 56.20 MLD water, at 125 LPCD per capita. The city has both open and closed drains. Kolar receives wastewater from Bangalore as part of the KC project, which was expected to increase groundwater levels but has received criticism when it started contaminating the area. In 2017, it was reported that non-clearance of garbage by the municipal council had caused unhygienic conditions in the city.


Tourist attractions


Transportation

Kolar has transportation amenities such as Buses, Taxis, and
Auto Rickshaw An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many other terms in various countries, including three-wheeler, Adaidaita Sahu, Keke-napep, Maruwa, auto, ...
s. Kolar also has a local transportation facility " Antaragange Kolara Nagara Sarige" which was inaugurated in July 2012 but Govt has stopped this services and utilising these buses for rural areas.


Railways

The district headquarters has a railway station connecting two destinations: 1.
Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
- Via Bangarapet Junction railway station The nearest junction to Kolar is Bangarapet Junction railway station. It is the first railway junction in
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
on Chennai Central– Bengaluru City line 2. Bangalore - Via Srinivaspura, Chinthamani, Sidlaghatta, Chikkaballapura, Devanahalli,
Yelahanka Yelahanka is a premium locality in North Bangalore and also a Taluk of Bangalore Urban district in the Indian state of Karnataka. One of the zones of BBMP. It is the oldest part of present Municipal Bengaluru (Bangalore) city and the northe ...


Educational institutes

*
Bengaluru North University Bengaluru North University (BNU) is a State university (India), state university located in Tamaka, near National Highway 75 (India), NH 75 in Kolar, Karnataka, India. The university was established in 2017 by the Government of Karnataka through ...
, Sri Devaraj Urs Extension, NH 75, Tamaka, Kolar-563103. * Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College (SDUMC) - Next to Horticulture college, NH 75, Tamaka, Kolar-563103.


Notable people

* M. Visvesvaraya – Celebrated Indian Engineer and Statesman, also known as "Father of Indian Engineering" and "The architect of modern Karnataka". * D. V. Gundappa – was an Indian writer,
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
poet and philosopher . * Masti Venkatesha Iyengar – Kannada poet and recipient of Jnanpith Award *
B. K. S. Iyengar Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar (14 December 1918 – 20 August 2014) was an Indian teacher of yoga and author. He is the founder of the style of yoga as exercise, known as " Iyengar Yoga", and was considered one of the foremost yoga ...
- Founder of the style of yoga as exercise known as " Iyengar Yoga", considered one of the foremost yoga gurus in the world. * N. R. Narayana Murthy - is an Indian
billionaire A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least 1,000,000,000, one billion units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultr ...
businessman and the founder of
Infosys Infosys Limited is an Indian multinational corporation, multinational technology company that offers business consulting, information technology, and outsourcing services. Founded in 1981 in Pune, the company is headquartered in Bengaluru. On ...
. * K. C. Reddy – First Chief Minister of Karnataka, (then Mysore State) *
Hyder Ali Hyder Ali (''Haidar'alī''; ; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's ...
– Ruler of Mysore Kingdom, Father of Tippu Sultan. * Prashanth Neel- Renowned Indian Movie Director of K.G.F: Chapter 1 and K.G.F: Chapter 2 fame. * A. N. Prahlada Rao highest Crossword writer in India. * K. H. Muniyappa – is an Indian Politician.He is a member of the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
(INC) political party. * Mallikarjuna Reddy – Guinness World Record holder, Micro Artist , Miniature artist. * S. Muniswamy - is an Indian politician, a member of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and MP of Kolar. * B. G. L. Swamy - an Indian botanist and Kannada writer who was professor, head of the botany department and principal of Presidency College, Chennai. * Soundarya - was an Indian actress known for her works primarily in Kannada and Telugu. * K. N. Ganeshaiah - is an agricultural scientist and an Emeritus professor and a novelist specialising in thrillers, and writes in the Kannada language.


References


External links


City Official Website
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Kolar district Cities in Karnataka