Kalaburagi district

History

The name of the area in Kannada is Kala-buragi, meaning "stony land." In the 6th century CE, the district was under the control of the Chalukyas. The Rashtrakutas briefly conquered the area, but were driven out by the Chalukyas who ruled the area for the next two centuries. The Kalachuris then conquered the area and ruled it until 12th century, when they were driven out by the Yadavas. Afterwards it was ruled by the Kakatiyas, who ruled until 1324, when their kingdom fell to the Delhi Sultanate. The ambitions of the local governors led to the formation of the Bahmani sultanate, who made Kalaburagi their capital. The Bahmanis eventually fell and left in their place a patchwork of 5 Deccan Sultanates. Kalaburagi was ruled by the Bidar sultanate until its annexation by Bijapur in 1619. Soon the district would become part of the Mughal Empire, but the Asaf Jahi governors of the Deccan later broke away and formed their own Hyderabad State, and Kalaburagi was ruled by them. This state became a princely state of British India, until its annexation by India in 1948. Afterwards, Kalaburagi, along with Bidar and Raichur, became part of Karnataka and were known as the Kalyana-Karnataka region. Since this time, this region has continuously been lagging the rest of the state in social indicators and is considered the most backward region of Karnataka.

Economy

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Kalaburagi one of the country's 243 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).

Places of interest

Historical places

• Sannati, a small village, located on the banks of the Bhima River in Chitapur taluk is known for its Ashokan edicts, Buddhist stupa and sole surviving image of Emperor Ashoka (r. 274–232 BC) himself.
• Manyakheta, a village located on the banks of the Kagina river in Sedam taluk was the Capital city of the Rashtrakuta dynasty. This village is 40 km southeast to the District Headquarters Kalaburagi and 18 km west to the Taluk Headquarters Sedam.
• Kalaburagi Fort built in 1347 Kalaburagi's old moated fort is in a much deteriorated state, but it has a number of interesting buildings inside, including the Jama Masjid, reputed to have been built by a Moorish architect during the late 13th or early 14th century who imitated the great mosque in Cordoba, Spain. The mosque is unique in India, with a huge dome covering the whole area, four smaller ones at the corners, and 75 smaller still all the way around. The fort itself has 15 towers. Kalaburagi also has a number of imposing tombs (Haft Gumbaz) of Bahmani kings.

Geography

Kalaburagi is situated in Deccan Plateau located at and the general elevation ranges from 300 to 750 meters above mean sea level. The main river is the Bhima.

Subdivisions

Kalaburagi district presently comprises the following 11 talukas after the separation of Yadgir district from it.

1. Kalaburagi
2. Aland
3. Afzalpur
4. Jevargi
5. Sedam
6. Shahabad
7. Kalgi
8. Kamalapur
9. Chitapur
10. Chincholi
11. Yedrami

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Kalaburagi district has a population of 2,566,326, roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait{{cite web | author = US Directorate of Intelligence | title = Country Comparison:Population | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070613004507/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 13 June 2007 | access-date = 1 October 2011 | quote = Kuwait 2,595,62

Languages

According to the 2011 census, 65.70% of the population spoke Kannada, 18.15% Urdu, 7.09% Lambadi, 4.08% Telugu, 2.47% Marathi and 2.05% Hindi as their first language.

Geographical indication

Gulbarga Tur Dal was awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) status tag from the Geographical Indications Registry, under the Union Government of India, on 14 August 2019 and is valid until 25 September 2027.

University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) & Karnataka Togari Abhivrudhi Mandali Limited from Kalaburagi, proposed the GI registration of 'Gulbarga Tur Dal. After filing the application in September 2017, the Tur Dal was granted the GI tag in 2019 by the Geographical Indication Registry in Chennai, making the name "Gulbarga Tur Dal" exclusive to the Tur Dal cultivated in the region. It thus became the second Pigeon pea variety from India after Navapur Tur Dal of Maharashtra and the 49th type of goods from Karnataka to earn the GI tag.

The GI tag protects the Tur Dal from illegal selling and marketing, and gives it legal protection and a unique identity.

References

References

1. (20 June 2023). "Several IAS officers transferred in Karnataka". The New Indian Express.
2. (2011). "Kalaburagi District Census 2011". Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.
3. "Gulbarga city name changed".
4. (4 April 2011). "City of tombs and domes". [[The Hindu]].
5. "History {{!}} Kalaburagi District {{!}} Government of Karnataka {{!}} India".
6. Ministry of Panchayati Raj. (8 September 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme". National Institute of Rural Development.
7. "When I met Emperor Ashoka in Sannathi". Yahoo.
8. "Friday Mosque of Gulbarga".
9. "Maps, Weather, and Airports for Gulbarga, India".
10. (27 August 2009). "Yadgir district from Oct 31".
11. [http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901]
12. (2011). "Table C-01 Population by Religion: Karnataka". [[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]].
13. (2011). "District Census Handbook: Gulbarga". [[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]].
14. "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau.
15. "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Karnataka". [[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]].
16. "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Karnataka". [[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]].
17. "Gulbarga Tur Dal".
18. (31 January 2024). "Karnataka: Speed Post to deliver GI-tagged tur dal". The New Indian Express.
19. (24 August 2019). "Gulbarga tur dal gets GI tag". The Hindu.
20. "Gulbarga Tur Dal".
21. B R, Gururaja. (15 March 2022). "With GI recognition for 'Gulbarga tur', new brand name can't tag along". Deccan Herald.