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Kolar district

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File:DSCN0699.JPG
Someshwara Temple, Kolar.

Kolar pronunciationⓘ is a district in Karnataka state of India. Kolar town is the district headquarters. Among other things, this district is famous for the large quantities of gold that are available for extraction in the Kolar gold mines. Kolar is popularly known as the golden land of India, for it is at the famous Kolar Gold Fields of this district that gold mining was first undertaken during modern times.

Geography

Kolar District is situated in the state of Karnataka, India and belongs to its semi-arid drought-prone region. It lies between 77° 21' to 78° 35' east longitude and 120 46' to 130 58' north latitude, extending over an area of 8,225 km². Kolar district is located in the southern region of the State and happens to be the eastern-most district of the Karnataka State. The district is bounded by the districts of Bangalore and Tumkur on the west and on all other sides by the districts of the adjoining States of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. On the north, it is bounded by Anantapur district; on the east by Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh and on the south by the districts of Krishnagiri and Vellore of Tamil Nadu.

Old city

File:DSCN0517.JPG
Someshwara Temple, Kolar.

The old city of Kolar mainly consisted of the three areas of Kurubarapet, Gowripet and Kataripalya. Kote or the fort area once encompassed the temples of Kolaramma, Someshwara and was bordered by the Kolarammana Kere. Now the fort is all but gone, disappeared into new residential areas, the collapse of old town was hastened by the British Christian Missionaries who constructed a Church and school next to the temples.

History

Formerly, Kolar was known variously as Kolahala, Kuvalala and Kolala. Kolar was called Kolahalapura during the middle ages, but later came to be known as Kolar. Kolahahapura in Kannada meant "violent city", as it was the battlefield for the warring kingdoms of Chalukyas in the north and Cholas to the south. It was the capital of the Gangas till 4th century AD when they shifted the capital to Talakad in Mysore. In 1004 A.D., the Cholas annexed Kolar till 1116 A.D,. Vishnuvardhana (1108-1142AD) freed Gangavadi from the Cholas, and in commemoration of his victory, built the celebrated Vijayanarayana (Chennakeshva) Temple at Belur.

The major and important temples in the town are Kolaramma Temple and Someswara Temple. Someswara Temple is a fine example of Vijayanagara style while the Kolaramma temple is of Dravida Vimana Style built in Ganga Tradition(11 century-A.D).

People and culture

As a district headquarters, Kolar has room for many communities and represents a mini-India. The primary languages spoken here are Kannada and Telugu. Other languages spoken are Hindi, Urdu and Tamil. Kolar Gold Fields(KGF) is a town in Kolar district which was once the primary gold mines in the country. Set up by the British, this town which is close to the border of Andhra Pradesh has a large Tamil and Anglo-Indian Population. Tamils were employed by the British and brought to KGF to work in the mines.

Festivals

Facts

The district, with an area of 8223 km², has its greatest length of about 135 km from north to south with almost the same distance from east to west. The district occupies the table land of Mysore, bordering the eastern ghats. The general plateau surface is interrupted by a number of hills and peaks of varying heights, particularly in the north. The principal chain of mountains is the Nandidurga range which runs north from Nandi towards Penukonda and Dharmavaram of Andhra Pradesh. The rivers of the district, are small and seasonal. Palar, Uttara Pinakini and Dakshina Pinakini are the important rivers which originate in the elevated regions in the district.

Statistics

The district, at present comprises of 11 talukas. It has 15 towns and 3,321 villages (2889 inhabited villages and 432 uninhabited villages). Total population of the district according to 2001 census was 2,536,069 of which 24.67% were urban. [1]

  • Area (km²) - 8,223
  • Density (per km²) - 269
  • Sex ratio (females/1,000 males) - 966
  • Literacy rate (%) - 68.35

Places of interest

Kolar has many historic places like

Famous people from Kolar

Economy

The major sources of employment are agriculture, dairy and sericulture, hence it is popularly known as the land of "Silk, Milk and Gold". Farmers in Kolar are totally dependent upon borewell water for irrigation and drinking. The gold mines in Kolar Gold Fields was closed in the 2003s due to reducing deposits and increasing costs.

Educational institutions

Local newspapers


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