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Coordinates: 15°06′N 76°55′E / 15.100°N 76.917°E / 15.100; 76.917
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{{short description|City in Karnataka, India}}
{{About|the municipality in India|its namesake district|Bellary district}}
{{About|the city in Karnataka, India|the district|Ballari District}}
{{Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
{{more citations needed|date=March 2022}}
|native_name = Bellary (ಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ)
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
|type = City
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
|locator_position = right
{{Infobox settlement
|latd = 15.1500
|latd_cite =<ref name="falling-rain-genomics"/>
| name = Ballari
|longd = 76.9333
| other_name =
| settlement_type = [[City]]
|longd_cite =<ref name="falling-rain-genomics"/>
| image_skyline = Bellary_Town,_Karnataka.jpg
|state_name = Karnataka
|region = [[Bayaluseeme]]
| image_alt =
|district = [[Bellary district|Bellary]]
| image_caption = [[Ballari]] city
|leader_title = Mayor
| nickname =
| image_map =
|leader_name = Ms. S.Parvathi Indushekhar<ref name="bellary_corporators">{{cite web
{{maplink|frame=yes|frame-align=center|plain=y|type=shape-inverse|id=Q1185|frame-width=270|frame-height=350|frame-lat=15.04|frame-long=76.40|stroke-width=3|zoom=6|type2=point|coord2={{coord|15|06|N|76|55|E}}|marker-size2=medium}}
| title = Bellary City Corporators
| map_alt =
| url = http://www.bellarycity.gov.in/council-members.html
| map_caption = Ballari in Karnataka
| accessdate = 3 June 2010 }}</ref>
| pushpin_map =
|leader_title_2 = [[Deputy Mayor]]
| pushpin_label_position =
|leader_name_2 = Ms. K. Shashikala<ref name="bellary_corporators" />
| pushpin_map_alt =
|leader_title_3 = [[Commissioner]]
| pushpin_map_caption =
|leader_name_3 = Mr. D.L.Narayana<ref name="bellary_city_staff">{{cite web
| coordinates = {{coord|15|06|N|76|55|E|display=inline,title}}
| title = Bellary City Staff
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| url = http://www.bellarycity.gov.in/city-staff.html
| utc_offset1 = +05:30
| accessdate = 3 June 2010 }}</ref>
| subdivision_type = Country
|altitude = 444
| subdivision_name = {{Flag|India}}
|altitude_cite =<ref name="falling-rain-genomics"/>
| subdivision_type1 = State
|population_as_of = 2001
| subdivision_name1 = {{seal|Karnataka}}
|population_city = ??
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
|population_rank = Unranked
| subdivision_name2 = [[Ballari district|Ballari]]
|population_total = 317000
| established_title = <!-- Established -->
|population_total_cite =<ref name="census">{{GR|India}}</ref>
| established_date =
|population_density =
|sex_ratio = 1.04<ref name="census"/>
| named_for =
| government_type = [[Municipal Corporation]]
|literacy = 65%<ref name="census"/>
| governing_body = Ballari City Corporation
|official_languages = [[Kannada]]
|area_magnitude =
| leader_title = Mayor
|area_total = 81.95
| leader_name = Shwetha B
| unit_pref = Metric
|area_telephone = 91 8392<ref name="pppindia_std_code_search">{{cite web
| area_footnotes =
| title = PPP India STD Code Search for 'bellary'
| area_total_km2 = 167.38
| url = http://www.pppindia.com/stdcode
| area_rural_km2 = 1609.68
| accessdate = 8 May 2007 }}</ref>
| area_rank =
|postal_code = 583 10x<ref name="indiapost_pin_search">{{cite web
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 485
| population_total = 410445 <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/591/download/2012/DH_2011_2911_PART_B_DCHB_BELLARY.pdf|access-date=24 January 2024|title=Census Data Handbook 2011}}</ref>
| population_rural = 360484
| population_as_of = 2011
| population_footnotes =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_rank = 95th (India)<br />
5th (Karnataka)
| population_demonym = Ballarians
| blank_name = {{nowrap|[[Official language]]}}
| blank_info = [[Kannada]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM50thReport.pdf |title=50th Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India (July 2012 to June 2013) |access-date=14 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708012438/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM50thReport.pdf |archive-date=8 July 2016}}</ref>
| postal_code_type = [[Postal Index Number]]
| postal_code = 583101, 583102, 583103, 583104, 583105, 583152<ref name="indiapost_pin_search">{{cite web
| title = Indiapost PIN Search for 'bellary'
| title = Indiapost PIN Search for 'bellary'
| url = http://www.indiapost.gov.in/pinsearch1.asp
| url = http://www.indiapost.gov.in/pinsearch1.asp
| access-date = 8 May 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070504052343/http://www.indiapost.gov.in/pinsearch1.asp| archive-date= 4 May 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>
| accessdate = 8 May 2007 }}</ref>
| area_code = (+91)8392
|vehicle_code_range = KA-34
| area_code_type = Telephone code
|unlocode = IN BEP<ref name="unlocode">{{cite web
| iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:IN|IN-KA]]
| title = UNLOCODE
| registration_plate = KA-34
| url = http://www.unece.org/cefact/locode/in.htm
| blank1_name_sec1 = [[Human sex ratio|Sex ratio]]
| accessdate = 8 May 2007 }}</ref>
| blank1_info_sec1 = 1.04<ref name="census">{{cite web|title=District Census Handbook – Guntur|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/2911_PART_B_DCHB_BELLARY.pdf|website=Census of India|publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner|access-date=6 November 2016|page=22}}</ref> [[male|♂]]/[[female|♀]]
|abbreviation = IN-KA
|website = www.bellarycity.gov.in
| website = {{URL|ballaricity.mrc.gov.in}}
|footnotes =
| footnotes =
| leader_title2 = [[Deputy Mayor]]
| leader_name2 =
| leader_title3 = [[Commissioner]]
| leader_name3 = G Khaleel Sab<ref name="bellary_city_staff">{{cite web
| title = Bellary City Staff
| url = http://www.bellarycity.gov.in/city-staff.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060520035858/http://www.bellarycity.gov.in/city-staff.html
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 20 May 2006
| access-date = 5 February 2015
}}</ref>
| blank2_name_sec1 = Literacy
| blank2_info_sec1 = 79%<ref name="census"/>
}}
}}
'''Ballari''' (formerly '''Bellary'''<ref name="official_name">{{cite news |title=Bangalore becomes 'Bengaluru'; 11 other cities renamed |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/bangalore-becomes-bengaluru-11-other-cities-renamed/articleshow/45002333.cms |work=The Economic Times |agency=PTI |date=1 November 2014 |location=Bangalore |access-date=19 April 2024}}</ref>) in the eponymous [[Ballari district]], is a city in the state of [[Karnataka]], India.

Bellari houses many steel plants such as [[JSW Steel|JSW Vijayanagar]], one of the largest in Asia. Ballari district is also known as the ‘Steel city of South India’.<ref>{{Cite web |title=e-krishiuasb |url=https://e-krishiuasb.karnataka.gov.in/ItemDetails.aspx?DepID=14&cropID=0&SubDepID=12}}</ref>
'''Bellary''' ({{lang-kn|ಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ}} pronounced {{IPA-te|ˈbəɭɭaːri||Bellary.ogg}}) is a historic city in [[Bellary District]] in Karnataka state, [[India]].

==Origins of the city's name==
There are several legends about how '''Bellary (ಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ)''' got its name.

*One of them is that a few devout travelling merchants halting in Bellary, could not find a [[Shiva]] [[Linga]] for their worship. They then installed a ''balla'' (ಬಳ್ಳ) (a measuring cup or ''seru'' (ಸೇರು) used to measure grain) upside down as a Shiva Linga and worshiped it. Eventually, that place was turned into a temple dedicated to ''Balleshwara'' (ಬಳ್ಳೇಶ್ವರ) or Shiva, which got distorted to ''Malleshwara'' (ಮಲ್ಲೇಶ್ವರ), and Bellary derives its name from this temple{{Citation needed|date=May 2007}}. This temple can still be found in the Fort area of the city, and an annual festival and fair dedicated to Shiva is conducted at the temple premises even today.{{Citation needed|date=June 2008}}

*Another legend is that the city is named after [[Indra]], the king of Gods, who slew a [[Rakshasa]] (demon) named ''Balla'' who lived nearby. ''Balla-ari'' means 'enemy of Balla' (ari – enemy in [[Sanskrit]]).<ref name="sloth_bear_foundation">{{cite web
| title = Sloth Bear Foundation
| url = http://www.slothbearfoundation.org/bellary.html
}}</ref>

*The third legend derives the city's name from the old Kannada word ''Vallari'' and ''Vallapuri''.<ref name="sloth_bear_foundation"/>


==History==
==History==
{{Main|History of Bellary}}
{{Main|History of Bellary}}
[[Image:Western Chalukya Monuments.svg|thumb|right|200px|Core area of [[Western Chalukya]] monuments, roughly corresponding to ''Sindavadi-1000 (ಸಿಂದವಾಡಿ-1000)'']]
[[File:Western Chalukya Monuments.svg|thumb|200px|Core area of [[Western Chalukya]] monuments, roughly corresponding to ''Sindavadi-1000''|left]]
[[File:Madras Prov South 1909.jpg|thumb|200px|Madras province (South), 1909 showing Ballari|left]]
Ballari was a part of [[Rayalaseema]] ([[Ceded Districts]]) which was part of [[Madras Presidency]] till 1 November 1956.


The Ballari city municipal council was upgraded to a city corporation in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thehindu.com/2004/09/29/stories/2004092904670300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221085252/http://www.thehindu.com/2004/09/29/stories/2004092904670300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 December 2016 |title= Karnataka. Bellary City Municipal Council upgraded to corporation|date= 26 September 2004|work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=8 December 2016}}</ref>
Numerous [[neolithic]] [[archeological]] sites have been discovered around Bellary, such as the ash mounds at [[Kupgal petroglyphs|Sanganakallu, Budhihal, Kudithini, Tekkalakote, Hiregudda and Kupgal]]. The Sanganakallu settlement, spread over an area of {{convert|1000|acre|km2}}, is one of the largest neolithic complexes known around Bellary.


The [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Union Ministry of Home Affairs]] of the [[Government of India]] approved a proposal<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mha.gov.in/MHA1/Par2017/pdfs/par2014-pdfs/ls-161214/3797.pdf|title=Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs}}</ref> to rename the city in October 2014 and Bellary was renamed to "Ballari" on 1 November 2014.<ref>{{cite news|last1=New City|first1=Names to Karnatka|title=New name for cities|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/from-bangalore-to-bengaluru/article6553314.ece|access-date=1 November 2014|work=The Hindu}}</ref>
Some of the events in the [[Ramayana]] have been related to places around [[Hampi]], the celebrated capital of the [[Vijayanagara empire]].


==Geography==
Historically, the Bellary area has been known by many names, such as ''Kuntala Desha'', ''Sindavadi-nadu (ಸಿಂದವಾಡಿ-ನಾಡು)'' and ''Nolambavadi-nadu (ನೊಳಂಬವಾಡಿ-ನಾಡು)''.
[[File:BELLARY_FORT_6.jpg|thumb|alt=Bellary Fort|Ballari Fort|link=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BELLARY_FORT_6.jpg|left]]
Ballari is located at {{Coord|15.15|N|76.93|E|}}. The city stands in the midst of a wide, level plain of [[Vertisol|black cotton soil]].<ref name="imperial-gazetteer">
{{cite book|url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V07_164.gif|title=The Imperial Gazetteer of India, volume 7|date=1908<!--1908-1931 [vol. 1, 1909]-->|publisher=Clarendon Press|location=Oxford|pages=158–176}}
</ref>[[Granite]] rocks and hills form a prominent feature of Ballari. The city is spread mainly around two hills of granite composition, the ''Ballari Hill'' and the ''Kumbara Gudda''.


''Ballari Hill'' has a circumference of nearly {{convert|2|mi|km}} and a height of {{convert|480|ft|m}}. The length of this rock from north-east to south-west is about {{convert|1150|ft|m|abbr=on}}. To the east and south lies an irregular heap of boulders, to the west there is an unbroken monolith, and the north is walled by bare, rugged ridges.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>
Bellary was ruled in succession by the [[Maurya]]s, [[Satavahana]]s, the [[Pallava]]s, the [[Kadamba Dynasty|Kadamba]]s, the [[Chalukya|Badami Chalukya]]s, the [[Rashtrakuta]]s, the [[Western Chalukyas|Kalyani Chalukya]]s, the [[Kalachuri|Southern Kalachurya]]s, the [[Seuna|Sevuna Yadava]]s, and the [[Hoysala]]s, and also ruled briefly by the [[Cholas]] during the wars between Kalyani Chalukyas and the Cholas.


''Kumbara Gudda'' looks like the profile of a human face from the south-east. It is also known as ''Face Hill''.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>
After the Sevuna Yadavas and the Hoysalas were defeated by the [[Delhi Sultanate|Islamic sultanate]]s of [[Delhi]], the [[Vijayanagara Empire]] arose under [[Harihara I]] and [[Bukka I]] who dominated the Bellary area. Bellary itself was ruled by the family of Hande Hanumappa [[Nayak (title)|Nayaka]], a [[Palayagara]] of the Vijayanagara rulers. After the fall of the Vijayanagara empire, the Hande Nayakas of Bellary were successively subsidiary to the [[Adilshahi]] sultanate, the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]]s, the [[Nizam]], [[Hyder Ali]] and [[Tipu Sultan]], and finally the [[British Empire]] after the Nizam [[Ceded Districts|ceded]] a large part of the southern Deccan to the [[British East India Company]]. The Hande Nayakas ceased to be rulers of Bellary after Major [[Thomas Munro, 1st Baronet|Thomas Munro]] [[Polygar War|disposed of]] the palayagars of the [[ceded districts]] and established the [[Ryotwari]] land revenue system.


===Climate===
In 1808 AD, the ceded districts were split into Bellary and Kadapa districts, and in 1867 AD, the Bellary Municipal Council was created. Further in 1882 AD, Anantapuram district was carved out of the Bellary District. The Maratha [[princely state]] of [[Sandur, India|Sandur]] was surrounded by Bellary district.
{{Weather box

| location = Bellary (1981–2010, extremes 1901–2012)
As of 1901 AD, Bellary was the seventh largest town in [[Madras Presidency]], and was one of the chief military stations in Southern India, garrisioned by British and native Indian troops under the British Indian Government. The town included a civil railway station to the east of the Bellary Fort, the cantonment and its railway station on the west, the Cowl Bazar and the suburbs of 'Bruce-pettah' (currently spelt Brucepet) and 'Mellor-pettah', named after two British officers once stationed in the town. The industries in the town included a small distillery and two steam cotton-presses. The steam cotton-spinning mill established in 1894 had 17,800 spindles, and employed 520 hands.
| metric first = Yes

| single line = Yes
On 1 October 1953 AD, the Bellary district of [[Madras State]] was divided on linguistic basis. Areas with significant [[Kannada]] speaking population were transferred to [[Mysore state]], which would later become [[Karnataka]] state. Areas of the district with significant [[Telugu Language|Telugu]] speaking population were merged into Anantapuram and Karnulu districts in what would later become [[Andhra Pradesh]] state. Bellary city itself, with both Kannada and Telugu speaking populace in large numbers, was included into Mysore state after a protracted debate and controversy.
| width = auto

| Jan record high C = 37.6
The Bellary City Municipal Council was upgraded to a City Corporation in 2004.Bellary Population as of 2011 409,000
| Feb record high C = 40.5

| Mar record high C = 43.0
==Geography and Climate==
| Apr record high C = 45.4
{{climate chart
| May record high C = 44.6
|Bellary
| Jun record high C = 44.7
|17|31|2
| Jul record high C = 39.5
|19|34|2
| Aug record high C = 39.0
|23|38|15
| Sep record high C = 38.4
|26|39|23
| Oct record high C = 39.0
|26|39|61
| Nov record high C = 38.4
|25|35|61
| Dec record high C = 35.6
|24|34|72
| year record high C = 44.7
|24|33|88
| Jan high C = 31.4
|23|33|131
| Feb high C = 34.4
|23|32|95
| Mar high C = 38.1
|20|30|44
| Apr high C = 40.4
|17|30|14
| May high C = 39.6
|source=[http://www.myweather2.com/City-Town/India/Bellary/climate-profile.aspx myweather2]
| Jun high C = 35.3
|float=right
| Jul high C = 32.7
|clear=none
| Aug high C = 31.9
| Sep high C = 32.3
| Oct high C = 31.8
| Nov high C = 30.8
| Dec high C = 30.2
| year high C = 34.1
| Jan low C = 15.6
| Feb low C = 18.1
| Mar low C = 21.1
| Apr low C = 23.9
| May low C = 24.4
| Jun low C = 23.3
| Jul low C = 23.0
| Aug low C = 22.7
| Sep low C = 21.9
| Oct low C = 20.9
| Nov low C = 18.3
| Dec low C = 15.6
| year low C = 20.7
| Jan record low C = 7.0
| Feb record low C = 8.5
| Mar record low C = 10.0
| Apr record low C = 13.0
| May record low C = 14.5
| Jun record low C = 14.8
| Jul record low C = 15.5
| Aug record low C = 15.0
| Sep record low C = 15.0
| Oct record low C = 12.5
| Nov record low C = 8.4
| Dec record low C = 8.0
| year record low C = 7.0
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain mm = 2.9
| Feb rain mm = 2.3
| Mar rain mm = 6.0
| Apr rain mm = 17.2
| May rain mm = 54.3
| Jun rain mm = 59.2
| Jul rain mm = 42.6
| Aug rain mm = 70.0
| Sep rain mm = 111.0
| Oct rain mm = 89.0
| Nov rain mm = 39.5
| Dec rain mm = 5.5
| year rain mm = 499.5
| Jan rain days = 0.5
| Feb rain days = 0.2
| Mar rain days = 0.6
| Apr rain days = 1.5
| May rain days = 3.4
| Jun rain days = 3.8
| Jul rain days = 3.8
| Aug rain days = 4.7
| Sep rain days = 5.4
| Oct rain days = 5.8
| Nov rain days = 2.4
| Dec rain days = 0.5
| year rain days = 32.7
|time day = 17:30 [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| Jan humidity = 43
| Feb humidity = 37
| Mar humidity = 30
| Apr humidity = 29
| May humidity = 34
| Jun humidity = 50
| Jul humidity = 56
| Aug humidity = 58
| Sep humidity = 58
| Oct humidity = 62
| Nov humidity = 56
| Dec humidity = 50
|year humidity = 47
|source 1 = [[India Meteorological Department]]<ref name=IMDnormals>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200205040301/http://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/1981-2010%20CLIM%20NORMALS%20%28STATWISE%29.pdf
| archive-date = 5 February 2020
| url = https://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/1981-2010%20CLIM%20NORMALS%20%28STATWISE%29.pdf
| title = Station: Bellary Climatological Table 1981–2010
| work = Climatological Normals 1981–2010
| publisher = India Meteorological Department
| date = January 2015
| pages = 119–120
| access-date = 18 April 2020}}</ref><ref name=IMDextremes>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200205042509/http://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/EXTREMES%20OF%20TEMPERATURE%20and%20RAINFALL%20upto%202012.pdf
| archive-date = 5 February 2020
| url = https://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/EXTREMES%20OF%20TEMPERATURE%20and%20RAINFALL%20upto%202012.pdf
| title = Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)
| publisher = India Meteorological Department
| date = December 2016
| page = M90
| access-date = 18 April 2020}}</ref>
}}
}}
Bellary is located at {{Coord|15.15|N|76.93|E|}}.<ref name="falling-rain-genomics">{{cite web
| title = Falling Rain Genomics-Bellary, India Page
| url = http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/19/Bellary.html
}}</ref> It has an average elevation of 445 metres (1459&nbsp;ft).<ref name="falling-rain-genomics"/> The city stands in the midst of a wide, level plain of [[Vertisol|black cotton soil]].<ref name="imperial-gazetteer">
{{cite book
| title =The Imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume 7
| publisher=Clarendon Press
|date=1908-1931 [vol. 1, 1909]
| location = Oxford
| pages =158–176
| url = http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/toc.html?volume=7
| id = }}
</ref>
Bellary has a semi arid climate. As the city lies in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats, it receives little rain from the southwest monsoon. Temperatures remain high throughout the year, but the months from March to June are especially hot, with high temperatures reaching 45&nbsp;°C (110&nbsp;°F) frequently. The months from November to February are relatively mild, with average temperatures of around 22&nbsp;°C (71&nbsp;°F). The city receives about 24 inches (610 mm) of rain every year mainly in the months from August to October.

==City features==
===The rocks===

[[Granite]] rocks and hills form a prominent feature of Bellary, and granite quarrying is big business. The city is spread mainly around two huge rocky granite hills, the ''Ballari Gudda (ಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ ಗುಡ್ಡ)'' and ''Kumbara Gudda (ಕುಂಬಾರ ಗುಡ್ಡ)'' (Gudda – hill in Kannada). These two hills are dominant features of the city, and are visible from every part of the city.

*'''Ballari Gudda'''
:Ballari Gudda has a circumference of nearly {{convert|2|mi|km}} and a height of {{convert|480|ft|m}}. The length of this rock from north-east to south-west is about {{convert|1150|ft|m|abbr=on}}. To the east and south lies an irregular heap of boulders, but to the West is an unbroken monolith, and the north is walled by bare rugged ridges.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/> This hill is also said to be the world's second largest monolithic hill{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}}.

*'''Kumbara Gudda'''
:The other hill is called ''Kumbara Gudda'' ([http://www.wikimapia.org/4929341 wikimapia]). This hill, when viewed from the south-east looks like the profile of a human face and is also known as ''Face Hill''.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>

*'''Others'''
:Apart from these two hills, there are a number of other smaller granite hills within the city, the prominent among them being:
:# ''Kaate Gudda (ಕಾಟೇ ಗುಡ್ಡ)'' ([http://www.wikimapia.org/5691610 wikimapia]) opposite the Municipal Junior College, which also houses a water tank & pumping station. This is also nicknamed ''Kaage Gudda (ಕಾಗೆ ಗುಡ್ಡ)'', for its teeming flocks of [[Crow]]s (Kannada : kaage=crow)
:# ''Eeshwara Gudda (ಈಶ್ವರ ಗುಡ್ಡ)'', behind the Anaadi Lingeshwara Temple in Parvati Nagar-Shastri Nagar area. This has now been quarried extensively and almost flattened with all loose boulders removed, making way for residential occupation.([http://www.wikimapia.org/4860685 wikimapia])
:# The one housing a water tank, adjacent to the Bellary Central Jail ([http://www.wikimapia.org/164311 wikimapia])
:# Adjacent to St. John's High School in the Fort Area ([http://www.wikimapia.org/5691692 wikimapia])

:It is also very common to find small boulders and rocks at numerous places within the city.

===Bellary fort===
[[Image:BellaryFort.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Indian Flag painted on the fort walls on the hill is visible from many parts of city.]]
[[Bellary Fort]] is built on top of Ballari Gudda or the Fort Hill. The Fort was built round the hill during Vijayanagara times by Hande Hanumappa Nayaka. Hyder Ali, who took possession of the Fort from the Hande Nayaka family in 1769, got the fort renovated and modified with the help of a French engineer. The lower fort was added by Hyder Ali around the eastern half of the hill. Legend has it that the unfortunate French engineer was hanged, for overlooking the fact that the neighbouring Kumbara Gudda is taller than Ballari Gudda, thus compromising the secrecy and command of the fort.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/> His grave is believed to be located near the east gate of the fort, though some locals believe it to be the grave of a Muslim holy man.<ref>{{cite web
| last = Lewis
| first = Barry
| title = Bellary District Graves
| url = https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/blewis/www/Bellary.htm
}}</ref>

The fort was classified as ''1st class'' by the British Administration.<ref group="map">{{cite web
| title = Military map of India in 1893, showing the Presidency boundaries
| url = http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~poyntz/India/images/Presidencies1893.jpg
| accessdate = 15 June 2007 }}</ref> This fort gave Bellary its ancient importance, and led to its selection by the British rulers as the site of a cantonment.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>

The fort is divided as the Upper Fort and the Lower Fort.

*'''The Upper fort'''<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>
[[Image:BellaryFortEntrance.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Main Entrance for the UpperHill Fort at Bellary.]]
[[Image:BellaryFortMantapam.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mantapam Inside the UpperHill Bellary Fort.]]

:The upper fort ([http://www.wikimapia.org/164434 wikimapia]) is a polygonal walled building on the summit, with only one approach, and has no accommodation for a garrison. The upper fort consists of a citadel on the summit of the rock at {{convert|1976|ft|m}}, guarded by three outer lines of fortification, one below the other. It contains several cisterns, excavated in the rock. Outside the turreted rampart are a ditch and covered way. The main turret on the east currently features a huge [[mural]] of the [[Indian Flag]] facing east ([http://www.wikimapia.org/2678806 wikimapia]). There is only one way up to the fort, which is a winding rocky path amongst the boulders. On the top, outside the citadel is a small temple, the remains of some cells and several deep pools of water. Within the citadel are several strongly constructed buildings, and an ample water supply from reservoirs constructed in the clefts of the rocks. [[Muzzaffar Khan]], the [[Nawab of Kurnool]], was confined here from 1823 to 1864 for the murder of his wife.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>

*'''The Lower fort'''
:The lower fort ([http://www.wikimapia.org/4930237 wikimapia]) lies at the eastern base of the rock and measures about half a mile in diameter, and probably had an arsenal and barracks. It consists of a surrounding rampart numerous bastions, faced by a deep ditch and glacis.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/> The entrance to the lower fort is via two gates, one each on the western and eastern sides. Just outside the eastern gates of the lower fort is a temple dedicated to [[Hanuman]] – the Kote [[Anjaneya]] Temple (Kote (ಕೋಟೆ) – fort in Kannada) ([http://wikimapia.org/244361 wikimapia]). Later additions to the lower fort by the British include the Commissariat stores, the Protestant church, orphanage, Masonic lodge, post-office and numerous private dwellings. Now the lower fort contains a number of public buildings, government offices, schools & educational institutions and churches.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>

===British colonial buildings===

The following is a list of buildings built during the British colonial period. Despite many of them having been partially modified, they retain the typical colonial British style architecture.

*Bellary Central Jail
*The Wardlaw High School Complex
*St. Philomena's School Complex
:The old school building has been demolished to give way to a modern building. However, the facade of the older structure has been retained as a 'heritage structure'. The adjoining [[convent]] and church remain intact.
*St. John's School Complex
:The old school building has been retained as a 'heritage building' but not used. The classes are held in buildings built much recently.
*St. Joseph's School Complex
*The main building of VIMS ((Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences))<ref name="Vims_Bellary">{{cite web
| title = Vims Bellary
| url =http://www.vimsbellary.com
}}</ref><ref name="DH_Jail">{{cite web
| title = This jailhouse has a rich past
| url =http://www.deccanherald.com/content/66042/this-jailhouse-has-rich-past.html
| accessdate = 4 June 2010 }}</ref>
:This was originally a part of the British cantonment’s infantry barracks converted into a military jail, called the Alipore (Allipura) jail, towards the end of the 19th century. The jail lodged prisoners of war drawn from the various theaters of the First World War, including France, Denmark and Turkey. Even the crown prince of [[Turkey]] was an inmate of the jail, and his body was buried in Bellary’s Turkish martyrs’ cemetery.

:In 1920, this military jail became an additional civilian prison, Bellary Central Jail, when over 2,000 [[Mappila]]s from [[Travancore]] were imprisoned here. Famous personalities of the [[Indian independence movement|freedom movement]] were imprisoned here, such as [[Rajagopalachari|C. Rajagopalachari]], [[V. V. Giri]], [[Tekur Subramanyam]], [[Kamaraj|Kamaraj Nadar]], [[Potti Sri Ramulu]], [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]], [[Bezawada Gopala Reddy]], [[E.V. Ramasamy Naicker]], [[O. V. Alagesan]], [[Bulusu Sambamurti]] and [[Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao]].
:This jail was closed (the only other in the subcontinent to be closed, apart from the [[Cellular Jail]] at [[Port Blair]]) in 1958 and the old buildings and entire area of {{convert|173|acre|km2}} was converted into the Medical College campus in 1961. However, unlike the cellular jail, the entire Alipore jail with over 14 jail blocks was not considered for the status of National Heritage Museum. The records pertaining to this historic jail in Madras Presidency were sent to the National Archives in [[Chennai]]. The jail blocks were assigned to the Govt Medical College. All the blocks except one were converted into laboratories and hostels.

:The lone jail barrack still standing amidst the Medical College structures was saved from demolition due the efforts of people like [[Tekur Ramnath]] (son of Tekur Subramanyam) and Bahadur Seshagiri Rao. The director of VIMS, Dr Devanand has proposed to preserve a portion of this barrack as a National Heritage Centre, naming it the "Swatantra Samara Soudha" (Freedom Fighters Museum).
*The Government Wellesly TB & Chest Diseases Hospital.
*The Tehsildar's Office
*The DC's Office
*The District and Sessions Court
*The Jail Superintendent's Residence
*The District Chief Judge's Residence
*The DC's Residence
*The Residence of Superintendent of Police
:A part of the sprawling land attached to this building has been converted into a recreational facility for the local police forces (called the Police [[Gymkhana]]). Additionally, the formerly northern entrance to the residence has been relocated to the east of the compound. ([http://wikimapia.org/217564/police-gymkhana wikimapia])
*The Railway Stations (both City & Cantonment)
:[[Mahatma Gandhi]] spent about 8 hours on 01.10.1921 at the City Railway station during his visit to Bellary.<ref name="Bellary Tourism"/>

===Parks, gardens and green spaces===
[[Image:Zizyphus mauritiana fruit.jpg|thumb|right|100px|''Borey'' Fruit]]
[[Image:Acacia-horrida.jpg|thumb|right|100px|''Jaali'']]
[[Image:Gyrocarpus jacquinii.jpg|thumb|right|100px|''Whirlnut'']]Situated in a naturally [[arid]] region with semi-desert [[flora]], the city has slowly accumulated greenery over the past few decades due to the collective efforts of the city residents, the regional Forest Department and the Municipal Council/Corporation. The following is a short list of major green spaces in the city:
*The Ballari and Kumbara rock hills
: The two main rock hills form the major natural lung spaces in the city, accommodating a host of flora including various species of [[Zizyphus mauritiana|Ber]] (Kannada :''Borey''), the thorny [[Acacia]] ([[Acacia latronum|latronum]], [[Acacia nilotica|nilotica]] , [[Acacia pennata|pennata]], [[Acacia ferruginea|ferruginea]], [[Acacia catechu|catechu]], [[Acacia chundra|chundra]], etc. locally classified as ''jaali'' in Kannada), and the interesting Whirlnut ([[Gyrocarpus americanus|Gyrocarpus americanus Jacquini]] – [http://delta-intkey.com/angio/images/gyroc653.gif illustration]) that is not found elsewhere in the city.
*Kuntegadda Park
: Officially called the Golden Jubilee Park or the [[Rajkumar|Dr.Rajkumar]] Park, this former [[slum]] area has been changed into a beautiful urban park due to the efforts of a succession of District Commissioners starting with Ms. Gouri Trivedi and Ms. Manjula. The park features an artificial lake formed out of a disused granite quarry hole, a fountain with a daily musical show,<ref name="Bellary Tourism">{{cite web
| title = Bellary Tourism
| url =http://www.bellarycity.gov.in/tourism.html
| accessdate =2 June 2010 }}</ref> a children's play area and a variety of garden flora.
*Bellary Zoo
: Established in 1981, this zoo and children's park covers nearly 2.4 hectares, and hosts a variety of [[fauna]] including [[Blackbuck]], Spotted deer ([[Chital]]), [[Jackal]], [[Crocodile]], [[Indian Peafowl]], [[Cobra]], [[Python (genus)|Python]], Bear, [[Panthera|Panther]], [[Boar]], etc. This zoo is due to be relocated to a new facility.<ref name="Bellary Zoo">{{cite web
| title = Bellary Zoo
| url =http://www.cza.nic.in/
| accessdate =2 June 2010 }}</ref>
* Kaategudda Park
: This hill hosts a variety of trees and is famous for its resident flock of crows.
* Nagaruru Narayanarao Park in Vaddarabanda
: This has now fallen into disuse.
* Basavanakunta Park
: This disused granite quarry hole is being filled up to form an urban park.
* Parvathinagar Park
: Run with funds donated by the Jindal Vijayanagar Steels corporation.


==Demographics==
==Demographics==
[[File:Bellary Fort.JPG|thumb|Ballari Fort|left]]
{{Historical populations
|align = center
|source = <ref>{{cite web |title=Census Tables |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/census.website/data/census-tables |website=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=2 October 2023}}</ref>
|1931|47573
|1941 |56148
|1951|70332
|1961|85673
|1971|125183
|1981 |201579
|1991|245391
|2001|316766
|2011|410445
}}


{{bar box
As of 2011 India census,<ref name="census"/>
|title=Religions in Ballari City (2011)<ref name="Religion">{{cite web |title=Table C-01 Population By Religious Community - Karnataka|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW29C-01%20MDDS.XLS|publisher=Census of India}}</ref>
Bellary had a population of 409,000.Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%Bellary has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 82% of the males and 77% of females literate12% of the population is under 6 years of age.While [[Kannada language|Kannada]] is the administrative and predominant language, [[Telugu language|Telugu]] is also widely spoken by the residents, along with [[Dakhni|Dakhni (Deccan Urdu)]]. A majority of the population is multilingual, speaking both Kannada and Telugu, and some including Dakhni and Hindi as well.
|titlebar=#Fcd116
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=left
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism in Karnataka|Hinduism]]|darkorange|70.33}}
{{bar percent|[[Islam in India|Islam]]|green|26.53}}
{{bar percent|[[Christianity in Karnataka|Christianity]]|dodgerblue|1.71}}
{{bar percent|[[Jainism in Karnataka|Jainism]]|pink|0.79}}
{{bar percent|Other or not stated|black|0.65}}
}}


According to the [[2011 Census of India]], the urban population of Ballari was 410,445; of whom 206,149 were male and 204,296 female. 280,610 of the population were literate and 52,413 of the population were under 7 years of age.<ref name="census2011">{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/pca/SearchDetails.aspx?Id=688199|title= Census of India 2011|access-date=8 December 2016|publisher= Census Commission of India}}</ref> The population in 2001 was recorded as 316,766.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/towns/krn_towns.pdf|title= Census of India 2001|access-date=8 December 2016|publisher= Census Commission of India}}</ref>
==Education==
{{Main|Education in Bellary}}
Most graduate education in Bellary falls under the jurisdiction of [[Gulbarga University]] and [[Visvesvaraya Technological University]]. The following is an abridged list of educational institutions of historical importance in the city:
*Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS)
*St. Philomena's High School & Good Shepherd Convent
: This school in Cantonment was founded in 1885. In 1901, a technical class was run at the high school by the nuns of the Order of Good Shepherd, and the pupils were almost all Europeans or Eurasians.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>
*Wardlaw Composite Jr. College
: This school in Kaalamma Street was founded as a school in 1846 by Rev. [[R S Wardlaw]], D.D. of the [[London Mission]], and raised to second grade college in 1891. For a long time, it was the only Arts college in the Ceded Districts. In 1903–04 it had an average daily attendance of 319 students, of whom 17 were in F.A.Class. This is the oldest educational institution in the Bellary town and continues to offer quality education to the people of Bellary to date.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/> Prof. [[U. R. Rao]] of [[ISRO]] studied in this institute{{Citation needed|date=October 2007}}.
*Municipal Junior College
:This school on Ananthapur Road is over 150 years old. One of the oldest institutions in the town, it was started as a composite school for students from the Class IV elementary to Class VI form school final with English as the medium of instruction along with other languages like Telugu, Kannada and [[Urdu]], besides ancient languages such as [[Sanskrit]], [[Arabic]] and [[Persian language|Persian]].
:John Neale was the first headmaster of the school, followed by eminent people such as [[A. Ranganatha Mudaliar|Arcot Ranganath Mudaliar]], [[T. D. Logan]], [[Arcot Bheemachar]], [[K. S. Vedantham]], [[B. Madhava Rao]], and [[Bahaddoor S. Seshagiri Rao]]. The foundation for the present building on Anantapur Road was laid on 16 July 1926 by [[R. G. Grieve]], Director of Public Instruction, Government of Madras when [[Nagaruru Narayana Rao]] was the chairman of the Bellary Municipality<ref name="municipal_school">{{cite news
| title = Steering success
|work=Deccan Herald |location=India
|date=2003-08-08
| url =http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug08/spt3.asp
}}</ref>
*Moulana Abul Kalam Azad High School (MAKA High School)
:The Municipal High School was bifurcated in the 1950s and the Municipal Muslim High School located in the Fort area was later renamed Moulana Abul Kalam Azad High School. Janaab [[Meer Mohammed Hussain]] became the headmaster of the new school.<ref name="municipal_school" />


===Languages===
==Medical facilities==
{{Pie chart
===State owned ===
|caption = Languages of Ballari City (2011)<ref name="Census2011Language"/>
The biggest chunk of medical facilities are owned and maintained by the government, under the jurisdiction of VIMS.<ref name="Vims_Bellary"/> The most prominent hospitals in the city are:
|label1 = [[Kannada]] |value1 = 42.06 |color1 = darkslateblue
*Government Medical College Hospital/ Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS)
|label2 = [[Telugu language|Telugu]] |value2 = 25.03 |color2 = steelblue
:This Academic Institute with an adjoining Medical College Hospital was commissioned in 1966, and currently has 680 beds.<ref name="Vims_Bellary"/> It is locally known as OPD, referring to the Out Patient Department of the hospital located in Cantonment.
|label3 = [[Urdu]] |value3 = 24.35 |color3 = green
*Women & Children's Hospital or The District Hospital
|label4 = [[Hindi]] |value4 = 3.04 |color4 = orange
:Founded in 1842 as Sabhapathy Mudaliar Hospital, with 40 beds. [[A. Sabhapathy Mudaliar|Rai Bahadur A. Sabhapathy Mudaliar]] donated the building for the hospital.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>
|label5 = [[Marathi language|Marathi]] |value5 = 1.75 |color5 = red
:Now popularly known as ''Ghosha'' hospital. Situated in the heart of city, it is spread over an area of {{convert|15|acre|m2}} and has 210 beds for [[Paediatrics]], [[Gynecology]] and [[Autopsy|Post Mortem]] cases. A 20 bedded [[Infosys]] ward has been added recently for the treatment of [[Japanese Encephalitis]] cases. This hospital is soon to be shifted to the VIMS campus.<ref name="Vims_Bellary"/>
|label6 = [[Tamil language|Tamil]] |value6 = 1.69 |color6 = royalblue
*Government Wellesley [[Tuberculosis]] & Chest Diseases Hospital
|label7 = Others |value7 = 2.08 |color7 = grey
:Locally known as just TB [[Sanatorium|Sanitarium/Sanatorium]], it was started in 1929 during British rule and is spread over a spacious area of {{convert|20|acre|m2}} in the Cantonment area.<ref name="Vims_Bellary"/>
}}
*The Urban Health Center
: Was constructed in 1999. Located in the heart of the City and has a daily capacity intake of about 120–140 outpatients.<ref name="Vims_Bellary"/>


[[Kannada]] is the largest language, spoken by 42.06% of the population. [[Telugu language|Telugu]] is the second-largest, spoken by 25.03%, and [[Urdu]] 24.35%. 3.04% of the population spoke [[Hindi]], 1.75% [[Marathi language|Marathi]] and 1.69% [[Tamil language|Tamil]].<ref name="auto"/><ref name="Census2011Language">{{cite web |title=C-16 City: Population by mother tongue |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/10255/download/13367/DDW-C16-TOWN-STMT-MDDS-2900.XLSX |website=Office Of The Registrar General & Census Commissioner India |access-date=28 September 2023}}</ref>
===Private facilities ===
* The numerous private and/or charitable hospitals in the city far outnumber the government facilities, though not in facilities provided. Historically private facilities were of limited sophistication; however, this trend has been slowly changing, with private entrepreneurs investing much into acquiring more sophisticated infrastructure and expertise.
* The city also boasts of a few good private diagnostic laboratories.


==Economy==
==Travel and transport==
===Road===
===Industries===
====Textiles and garments====
*Bellary is well connected by road to different parts of [[Karnataka]], Andhra Pradesh, [[Maharashtra]] and [[Goa]]. The following are the major highways passing through the city :
:*''[[National Highway 63 (India)|National Highway 63]]'', connecting [[Ankola]] in [[Karavali]] Karnataka (west coast) to [[Gooty]] in Andhra Pradesh.
::This is a major route for the mining trucks transporting Iron and Manganese ore from the Sanduru hill ranges to the [[sea port]] at [[Mangalore]] and [[Karwar]]. This highway also connects the city to [[Hubli]], [[Hospet]] and [[Hampi]].
:*''State Highway 19'', connecting [[Bidar]] to [[Srirangapatna]].
::This highway connects the city to [[Raichur]], [[Gulbarga]] and [[Bidar]] in the North and [[Bangalore]] and [[Mysore]] in the south.
:*''State Highway 132'', connecting the city with [[Adoni]], [[Kurnool]], [[Vinukonda]], [[Guntur]], [[Vijayawada]].
:*The city is served by the North East Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC), offering travel services to almost all parts of Karnataka, many parts of [[Andhra Pradesh]], [[Chennai]], [[Pune]] and many parts of [[Maharastra]]. Additionally, a sizable number of private businesses offer travel services to important destinations.
*The main inter-city bus station is located in the now empty ''Nalla Cheruvu (నల్ల చెరువు)'' (Telugu – Black Lake or Tank) basin. This is a new improvement over the older [[bus]] stand located near Gadigi Chennappa Circle. The old bus stand still serves state owned buses connecting rural locations and city buses.
*An truck stationing facility, located in the ''Nalla Cheruvu'' basin, serves lorries and hauliers.

===Railway===
* During British rule, Bellary was served by The Southern Mahratta Railway, connecting Bellary with Hubballi on the west and Guntakallu on the east, and thus to Madras.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer" />

* Currently, two railway stations serve the city, both built during British rule. The city station (''Bellary Junction'') and the Cantonment station (''Cantonment''). The city is served by the Hubli–Guntakal line and the extended Bellary–[[Rayadurgam]]–[[Chitradurga]] line and falls under the jurisdiction of [[South Western Railway]]. Bellary is well connected by Rail to [[Bangalore]], [[Raichur]], [[Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh|Anantapur]], [[Hindupur]], [[Tirupati (city)|Tirupati]], [[Hubli]], [[Guntakal]], [[Adoni]], [[Guntur]], [[Vijayawada]], [[Howrah]], [[Pune]], etc. Guntakal is an important junction near Bellary from where trains to [[Delhi]], [[Chennai]], [[Mumbai]] and to most of the places in India are available.

===Air===
*Bellary Airport
:The civilian [[Bellary Airport]], located at the far end of the Cantonment area, has previously been serviced by [[Vayudoot]] and [[Air Deccan]], linking Bellary with Bangalore, Goa and other nearby destinations. However, the services have been limited and inconsistent, with currently no commercial service available from this airport.
*Vidyanagar Airport
:Bellary is currently served by [[Vidyanagar Airport]], located at the [[Jindal South West Ltd.|JSW Steel Ltd.]] complex, [[Toranagallu]] in [[Sanduru]] Taluk, 40 kilometres from Bellary. Bangalore based [[Charter airline]], Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Ltd (TAAL), operate [[sightseeing]] [[Charter#Charter flights|charter flights]] to [[Hampi]] and [[Mysore]] since October 2002.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Hampi, World Heritage Site
| publisher=Karnataka.com
| url = http://www.karnataka.com/tourism/hampi/
| accessdate = 14 December 2007 }}
</ref>

*International Airport
:A new international airport is being planned by the Infrastructure Development Corporation of Karnataka (iDecK), to be constructed near [[Sanganakallu]] on the north-eastern end of the city, around [[Chaganur]] and [[Siriwar]] villages. Nodal agency Infrastructure Development Department, Karnataka Government, has identified {{convert|1000|acre|km2}} for the airport.<ref>{{cite news
| title = Barren land is being acquired for Bellary airport
|work=The Hindu | url = http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/19/stories/2009021956740300.htm
| accessdate = 20 May 2010
| location=Chennai, India
| date=19 February 2009}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web
| title = Minor delay in Bellary airport schedule
| publisher=Project Monitor
| url = http://www.projectsmonitor.com/NEWPROJECTS/minor-delay-in-bellary-airport-schedule
| accessdate = 20 May 2010 }}
</ref>
:The contract for the development and operation of this greenfield airport has been awarded to Chennai-based [[MARG Limited]], which has incorporated a special purpose vehicle, MARG Krishna Devaraya Airport Pvt. Ltd. In addition to terminal buildings, runways and control towers, MARG will develop access facilities and build utilities necessary to serve the airport during the operational phase.<ref>{{cite web
| title = MARG bags Bellary greenfield airport contract
| publisher=The Hindu Business LIne
| url = http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/08/07/stories/2010080752541900.htm
| accessdate = 13 August 2010 }}
</ref>

===Intra-city===
*The intra-city transport network is serviced by [[city bus]]es connecting important points within the city.
*The city is also served by private but unregulated [[auto rickshaw]]s and [[cycle rickshaw]]s.

==Places of tourist interest==
===Within the city===
[[File:DurgadeviBellary.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Near Durgamma Temple, Bellary.]]
[[Image:LakshmiTempleBellary.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Yogini Kolhapuri Mahalakshmi temple at Vidyanagar, Bellary.]]
* [[#Ballari_Fort|Bellary Fort]] is a place of historical, archeological and geological interest. Daytime is most suitable for visits. The hill fort is illuminated on Sundays and days of national importance.
* The city is host to a number of [[Hindu]] temples of varying antiquity, examples being the Bellary [[Durga]]mma temple in the Gandhinagar area, the [[Shiva|Malleshwara]] temple in the Fort area, the [[Vishnu|Laxminarayana]] temple on Brahmin Street and the Yogini Kolhapuri [[Lakshmi|Mahalakshmi]] temple at Vidyanagar.
* Kuntegadda Park (the Golden Jubilee Park or Dr.Rajkumar Park) is a paid-entry urban park suitable for people of all ages. It features a musical fountain show in the evenings.
* Bellary Zoo
* A museum to exhibit findings from the Sanganakallu and other neolithic sites is proposed to be built at the Kannada and Culture complex, adjacent to the Deputy Commissioner’s residence in Patel Nagar, Bellary. The proposed museum complex aims to bring into focus the history and cultural heritage of Bellary. There are also plans to create an audio-visual time capsule of landmark of the people of the region through the ages. A fully built two-storied building of about {{convert|8000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} has been made available by the district administration for the museum.<ref name="dh_neolithic">{{cite web
| title = Early village unearthed
| url = http://www.deccanherald.com/content/28818/early-village-unearthed.html
| accessdate = 22 July 2010 }}</ref>

===Around and near-by the city===
*[[Hampi]], the capital of the famed Vijayanagar Empire is 70&nbsp;km away from the city.
* [[Daroji Bear Sanctuary]] is the only sanctuary in North Karnataka for the [[Indian Sloth Bear]], and is located 50&nbsp;km away from the city to the west. In October 1994, The Government of Karnataka declared 5,587.30 hectares of Bilikallu reserve forest as Daroji Bear Sanctuary . However, the hills that stretch between [[Daroji]] of [[Sandur]] taluk and [[Ramasagar]] of Hospet Taluk in Bellary district have always been a host to the Indian Sloth Bears.<ref name="sloth_bear_foundation"/>
* The [[Shiva|Gavisiddeshwara]] temple is a place of religious importance, located 25&nbsp;km away from the city in the [[D.Hirehal|Hirehaalu]] mandal of [[Rayadurg|Raayadurga]] taluk in [[Andhra Pradesh]].
* [[Rayadurg|Raayadurga]] town in [[Andhra Pradesh]], located 40&nbsp;km from the city, features a hill fort of more antiquity than the Bellary Fort. The hill is also a host to a wide variety of wild life, including peafowl. bears, [[jackal]]s, and [[panthera|panthers]].
* [[Donimalai]], Sanduru and [[Narihalla Dam]] on the Sanduru hill range are places of natural beauty. The Kollur Mookambika Water Sports facility features boating and other water sports in back waters of the Narihalla Dam.
* [[TungaBhadra Dam]] and the [[Gunda forest]] are 60&nbsp;km away, near Hospet.
* Ashoka Siddapura, 30&nbsp;km to south of Bellary, is an important archeological site where Emperor [[Ashoka]]'s edicts were found. The nearby Brahmagiri village is the ancient site of ''Ishila'', one of Emperor [[Ashoka]]'s provincial capitals. One of his earliest rock edicts, dated circa 3rd century BC, in [[Brāhmī script]] and [[Prakrit]] language containing [[Kannada]] words were discovered here. Nearby is Ramagiri, a hillock that has mythical associations with the epic [[Ramayana]] and has a temple dedicated to [[Shiva|Rameshwara]] built circa 926 CE{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}.
* Shirekola village, 25&nbsp;km to the south of Bellary, has as temple dedicated to [[Raghavendra Swami]].

==Industries==
===Steel industry===
The city is surrounded by numerous iron and [[steel plant]]s, owing to the availability of huge deposites of Iron and [[Manganese]] [[ore]] in the Sanduru hill ranges and surroundings. The following is an abridged list :
* Bellary Steels and Alloys Limited (BSAL), Navakarnataka Steels and Shatavahana Ispat are on the [[Rural-urban fringe|outskirts]] of the city.
* [[JSW Steel Ltd]] is a unit of Jindal Steels located at Toranagallu in Sandur taluk, 30&nbsp;km from Bellary. JSW has further announced an investement of {{INR convert|15131|c}} on capacity expansion and a captive power plant. Additionally, Jindal Saw Pipes plans to set up a steel plant in Bellary at {{INR convert|130.88|c}}<ref name="hindu_bellary_steel_inv">{{cite web
| title = Karnataka wins mega steel, power investments
| url = http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/06/04/stories/2010060452080101.htm
| accessdate = 23 July 2010 }}</ref>
*The [[Arcelor Mittal]] group and [[Bramhani Industries Limited|Brahmani Industries Karnataka Ltd.]] have signed individual [[MoU]]s to invest in Steel plants in the district to invest {{INR convert|30000|c}}and {{INR convert|36000|c}}respectively, each to set up 6 million tonne per annum integrated steel plants with captive power plants on site. The projects of both companies will be located in and around Bellary district and will provide employment to 10000 and 25000 people respectively.<ref name="hindu_bellary_steel_inv" />
* [[Bhushan Steel]] will be setting up a 6 million tonne per annum integrated steel manufacturing facility in the district, at an investment of {{INR convert|27928|c}}.<ref name="hindu_bellary_steel_inv" />

* With the commencement of construction of several steel plants in the district, the city promises to be [[The Jamshedpur of Karnataka]] in the 21st Century

===Textiles and garments===
* [[Sari|Sarees]]
:The growth of the famed cotton and silk [[Ilkal saree]] is attributed to the patronage provided by the local chieftains in and around the town of Bellary.<ref name="story">Ilkal saree's history is traced by {{cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/31067899.cms|title=Ilkal saree's story|work=Online edition of the Economic Times, dated 2002-12-12|publisher=2007 Times Internet Limited|accessdate=2007-04-22|date=12 December 2002}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> Additionally, the nearby town of [[Rayadurg]]am, formerly in Bellary district, but now in Andhra Pradesh, is also renowned for its silk and cotton [[saree]]s. Similarly [[Molakalmuru]], a town in [[Chitradurga]] district but much closer to Bellary than its district headquarters, is known for for its silk sarees branded by the town's name. However, Bellary itself has no saree manufacturing industry.
* Cotton processing
* Cotton processing
:With cotton being one of the major agricultural crops around Bellary historically, the city has had a thriving cotton processing industry in the form of [[ginning]], [[spinning (textiles)|spinning]] and [[weaving]] plants. The earliest steam cotton-spinning mill was established in 1894 AD, which by 1901 AD had 17,800 spindles, and employed 520 hands.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>
:With cotton being one of the major agricultural crops around Ballari historically, the city has had a thriving cotton processing industry in the form of [[ginning]], [[spinning (textiles)|spinning]] and [[weaving]] plants. The earliest steam cotton-spinning mill was established in 1894, which by 1901 had 17,800 spindles, and employed 520 hands.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>
: The city continues to thrive in this sector with one spinning mill and numerous cotton ginning and pressing mills, [[hand loom]]s and [[power loom]]s.<ref name="kar_handloom">{{cite web
:The city continues to thrive in this sector with one spinning mill and numerous cotton ginning and pressing mills, [[hand loom]]s and [[power loom]]s.<ref name="kar_handloom">{{cite web
| title = Karnataka Handloom
| title = Karnataka Handloom
| url = http://www.kar.nic.in/bellary/hand.html
| url = http://www.kar.nic.in/bellary/hand.html
| accessdate = 23 July 2010 }}</ref>
| access-date = 23 July 2010
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110927235213/http://www.kar.nic.in/bellary/hand.html
| archive-date = 27 September 2011
| df = dmy-all
}}</ref>
* Garment manufacture
* Garment manufacture
:Bellary has a historic garment industry dating back to the First World War period, when the Marathi speaking “Darji” (tailor) community with its native skills in tailoring migrated from the current Maharashtra region to stitch uniforms for the soldiers of the colonial British Indian Army stationed at Bellary. After the war, the community switched to making uniforms for school children and gradually, the uniforms made here became popular all over the country.<ref name="bellarydotcom">{{cite web
:Ballari has a historic garment industry dating back to the First World War period, when the Marathi speaking "Darji" (tailor) community with its native skills in tailoring migrated from the current Maharashtra region to stitch uniforms for the soldiers of the colonial British Indian Army stationed at Ballari. After the war, the community switched to making uniforms for school children, and gradually the uniforms made here became popular all over the country.<ref name="bellarydotcom">{{cite web
| title = Bellary Portal
| title = Bellary Portal
| url = http://www.bellary.com
| url = http://www.bellary.com
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20020720170555/http://www.bellary.com/
| accessdate = 23 July 2010 }}</ref><ref name="tehelka_bellary_jeans">{{cite web
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 20 July 2002
| access-date = 23 July 2010
}}</ref><ref name="tehelka_bellary_jeans">{{cite web
| title = Jeans Industry in Bellary
| title = Jeans Industry in Bellary
| url = http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=Bu251008the_jeans.asp
| url = http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=Bu251008the_jeans.asp
| accessdate = 23 July 2010 }}</ref>
| access-date = 23 July 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081222164007/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=Bu251008the_jeans.asp
:Currently, Bellary is well known for its branded and unbranded denim garments, with brands like ''Point Blank'', ''Walker'', ''Dragonfly'' and ''Podium'' being successfully marketed nationally and internationally.<ref name="tehelka_bellary_jeans"/> There are about 260 denim garment units in Bellary with nearly 3000 families working in these units.<ref name="kar_handloom"/> The Karnataka State Government has proposed to build an ''apparel park'' at Bellary at the cost of {{INR convert|27|c}}, setting aside {{convert|154|acre|km2}} of land for the purpose at Mundargi and Guggarahalli villages on the south of Bellary city.<ref>{{cite news
| archive-date = 22 December 2008
| url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/960330.cms
| url-status = dead
|work=The Times Of India |location=India
}}</ref>
| title=Apparel Park to fill yarning gap
:Currently, Ballari is well known for its branded and unbranded denim garments, with brands like ''Point Blank'', ''Walker'', ''Dragonfly'' and ''Podium'' being successfully marketed nationally and internationally.<ref name="tehelka_bellary_jeans"/> There are about 260 denim garment units in Ballari with nearly 3000 families working in these units.<ref name="kar_handloom"/>
| date=16 December 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/11/03/stories/2004110303150300.htm
|work=The Hindu |location=India
| title=Bellary to get Rs. 27-cr. apparel park soon
| date=3 November 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| title = Textile Parks
| url = http://www.karnataka.com/industry/textiles.html
| accessdate = 18 April 2011 }}</ref>


===Rice milling===
==Transport==
[[image:Ballari_railway_station_platform_No.1.jpg|thumb|200px|Ballari railway station platform 1]]
{{expand section|date=January 2011}}
===Roadways===
* S.S.Sai Pavan Rice Mill (SPRM)
[[National Highway 67 (India)]], [[National Highway 150A (India)]], State Highway 128 and State Highway 132 pass through the city.
* Sri Gurunath Rice Mill
* Srinavas modern rice industries operated by Grandhi family
* Sri SAI Rice Mill, Located at Anathapur Road operated by the Raju Family
* Sri Balaji Rice Mill
* Thirumula Rice Mill


===Other industry===
===Rail===
There is [[Ballari Junction railway station]] on the [[Guntakal–Vasco da Gama section]].
* The 500 MW Bellary Thermal Power Thermal Station (BTPS) is located 19&nbsp;km away from city at the Kuditini village. This is the second Thermal plant in Karnataka after the Raichur Thermal Power Thermal Station.<ref>{{cite web

| title = KPCL Power Projects
===Air===
| url = http://www.karnatakapower.com/projects.asp
The closest functional commercial airport is [[Jindal Vijaynagar Airport]].
| accessdate = 23 July 2010 }}</ref>


==Notable people==
==Noted personalities ==
''See {{category|People from Ballari}}''
* [[A. Ranganatha Mudaliar|Arcot Ranganatha Mudaliar]] – Former Deputy [[District Collector|Collector]] of Bellary, Politician and [[theosophy|Theosophist]]. He served as the Minister of Public Health and Excise for the [[Madras Presidency]] from 1926 to 1928.
<!--Names arranged alphabetically by LAST NAME-->
* [[Bahaddoor S. Seshagiri Rao]] – Former [[Principal (school)|principal]] of the Municipal High school,<ref name="municipal_school"/> National Award winning teacher and associate of the [[Gandhi Bhavan]] in Bellary.<ref name="DH_Jail" />
* [[Kolur Basavanagoud]] – Politician, Educationist, and Industrialist. He served as MP in [[13th Lok Sabha]] from [[Bellary Lok Sabha constituency|Ballari Lok Sabha constituency]].
* [[Basavarajeshwari]] – Politician and [[Industrialist]]
* [[Basavarajeshwari]] – Politician and [[Industrialist]]
* [[Ravi Belagere]] – Actor, writer, novelist, journalist, publisher of the ''Hai Bengaluru'' [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|Tabloid]]
* [[Bellary Raghava]] – Noted [[dramatist]]. The [[auditorium]] ''Raghava Kala Mandir'' in Bellary is named after him.
* [[Naveen Chandra]] – Actor in Telugu film industry
* [[Dharmavaram Ramakrishnamacharyulu|Dharmavaraṃ Rāmakr̥ṣṇamācāryulu]] (1853–1912) – Noted dramatist.
* [[Manjula Chellur]] −1st Woman Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court
* [[Gali Janardhan Reddy]] – Chairman, [[Obulapuram Mining Company|OMCPL]], and incumbent minister for State Tourism Development in the [[Karnataka Legislative Assembly]].
* [[Nagarur Gopinath]] – One of the pioneers of [[cardiothoracic surgery]] in India, credited with the first successful performance of [[open heart surgery]] in India in 1962. Recipient of [[Padma Shri]] (1974) and [[Dr. B. C. Roy Award]] (1978)
* [[Jayanthi (actress)|Jayanthi]] – Renowned cinema actress; was born in Bellary.
* [[Jayanthi (actress)|Jayanthi]] – cinema actress, born in Ballari
* [[Kolachalam Srinivasa Rao]] (1854–1919) – Noted dramatist.
* [[K. C. Kondaiah|K.C.Kondaiah]] – Politician and Industrialist
* [[K. C. Kondaiah]] – Politician and industrialist
* [[A. Ranganatha Mudaliar|Arcot Ranganatha Mudaliar]] – Former Deputy [[District Collector|Collector]] of Ballari, politician and [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|theosophist]]. He served as the Minister of Public Health and Excise for the [[Madras Presidency]] from 1926 to 1928.
* [[Mundlur Diwakar Babu]] – Politician, District [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] President and former [[Cabinet Minister]] in the [[Karnataka Legislative Assembly]].
* [[A. Sabhapathy Mudaliar]] – Philanthropist; The Women & Children's Hospital or The District Hospital was initially named after him, following his donation of land and building to the hospital.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>
* [[Nagaruru Narayana Rao]] – Former Chairman of the Bellary Municipality.<ref name="municipal_school"/> A public park in the town is named after him.
* [[B Nagendra]] - Youth Welfare and Sports Minister of Karnataka
* [[A. Sabhapathy Mudaliar|Rai Bahadur A. Sabhapathy Mudaliar]] – Philanthropist; The Women & Children's Hospital or The District Hospital was initially named after him, following his donation of land and building to the hospital.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>
* [[Bellary Raghava]] (1880–1946) – Noted [[dramatist]]. The ''Raghava Kala Mandir'' [[auditorium]] in Ballari is named after him
* [[Ravi Belagere]] – Publisher of the ''Hai Bengaluru'' [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|Tabloid]]
* [[Suparna Rajaram]] – Distinguished Professor of Psychology at [[Stony Brook University]]
* [[Tekur Subramanyam]] – Indian [[Freedom_fighter#Freedom_fighter|Freedom Fighter]], First post-[[Indian Independence|independence]] MP of Bellary, elected thrice in a row since 1952, Political Secretary to Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]<ref name="DH_Jail" /><ref>{{cite web
* [[Dharmavaram Ramakrishnamacharyulu]] (1853–1912) – Noted dramatist
| title = A Congress bastion since 1952
* [[Bhargavi Rao]] – a Kannada-Telugu translator, winner of the prestigious [[Sahitya Akademi award|''Kendra Sahitya Academy award'']]
| url =http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2004/02/28/stories/2004022807090400.htm
* [[Kolachalam Srinivasa Rao]] (1854–1919) – Noted dramatist
| accessdate = 4 June 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
* [[Gali Janardhan Reddy]] – Former minister and district in charge. He is one of the richest politicians in India
| title = Caste will play a vital role in Bellary
* [[B Sriramulu]] - Ex Minister of Health and Family Welfare of Karnataka
| url =http://www.rediff.com/election/1999/aug/20bell.htm
* [[Tekur Subramanyam]] – Indian [[Freedom fighter#Freedom fighter|Freedom Fighter]], First post-[[Partition of India|independence]] MP of Ballari, elected thrice in a row since 1952, political secretary to Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]<ref name="DH_Jail">{{cite web| title = This jailhouse has a rich past| url =http://www.deccanherald.com/content/66042/this-jailhouse-has-rich-past.html| access-date = 4 June 2010 | date =26 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = A Congress bastion since 1952| url = http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2004/02/28/stories/2004022807090400.htm| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130126074637/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2004/02/28/stories/2004022807090400.htm| url-status = usurped| archive-date = 26 January 2013| access-date = 4 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = Caste will play a vital role in Bellary| url =http://www.rediff.com/election/1999/aug/20bell.htm| access-date = 4 June 2010 }}</ref>
| accessdate = 4 June 2010 }}</ref>
* [[Ibrahim B. Syed]] – Indo-American [[Radiologist]]
* [[Allum Veerabhadrappa]] - former minister, Government of Karnataka


==References==
==References==
===Maps===
===Maps===
{{Reflist |group="map" |close=1|2}}
{{Reflist|group="map"}}


===General===
===General===
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Bellary}}
{{commons category}}
{{Commons category|Bellary}}
* [http://www.bellarycity.gov.in/ Official Website of Bellary City Corporation]
* [https://ballari.nic.in/en/public-utility/city-corporation-ballari/ Official website of Ballari City Corporation]
{{Karnataka topics}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2011}}


{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Cities and towns in Bellary district]]
[[Category:Railway junction stations in India]]


[[Category:Ballari| ]]
[[bn:বেল্লারী]]
[[Category:1808 establishments in British India]]
[[ca:Bellary]]
[[Category:Cities in Karnataka]]
[[fa:بلاری]]
[[Category:Taluks in Ballari district]]
[[fr:Bellary]]
[[bpy:বেল্লারী]]
[[it:Bellary]]
[[kn:ಬಳ್ಳಾರಿ]]
[[pam:Bellary]]
[[ml:ബെല്ലാരി]]
[[mr:बेळ्ळारी]]
[[new:बेल्लारी]]
[[pnb:بیلاری]]
[[pl:Ballari]]
[[ru:Беллари]]
[[sa:संस्कृतम्]]
[[sv:Bellary]]
[[te:బళ్లారి]]
[[vi:Bellary]]
[[war:Bellary]]
[[zh:贝拉里]]

Latest revision as of 11:57, 7 December 2024

This article is about the city in Karnataka, India. For the district, see Ballari District.

Ballari
City
Ballari city
Ballari city
Map
Ballari in Karnataka
Coordinates: 15°06′N 76°55′E / 15.100°N 76.917°E / 15.100; 76.917
Country India
State Karnataka
DistrictBallari
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyBallari City Corporation
 • MayorShwetha B
 • CommissionerG Khaleel Sab[2]
Area
 • City
167.38 km2 (64.63 sq mi)
 • Rural
1,609.68 km2 (621.50 sq mi)
Elevation
485 m (1,591 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • City
410,445 [1]
 • Rank95th (India)
5th (Karnataka)
 • Rural
360,484
DemonymBallarians
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Postal Index Number
583101, 583102, 583103, 583104, 583105, 583152[3]
Telephone code(+91)8392
ISO 3166 codeIN-KA
Vehicle registrationKA-34
Official languageKannada[4]
Sex ratio1.04[5] ♂/♀
Literacy79%[5]
Websiteballaricity.mrc.gov.in

Ballari (formerly Bellary[6]) in the eponymous Ballari district, is a city in the state of Karnataka, India. Bellari houses many steel plants such as JSW Vijayanagar, one of the largest in Asia. Ballari district is also known as the ‘Steel city of South India’.[7]

History

[edit]
Main article: History of Bellary
Core area of Western Chalukya monuments, roughly corresponding to Sindavadi-1000
Madras province (South), 1909 showing Ballari

Ballari was a part of Rayalaseema (Ceded Districts) which was part of Madras Presidency till 1 November 1956.

The Ballari city municipal council was upgraded to a city corporation in 2004.[8]

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India approved a proposal[9] to rename the city in October 2014 and Bellary was renamed to "Ballari" on 1 November 2014.[10]

Geography

[edit]
Bellary Fort
Ballari Fort

Ballari is located at 15°09′N 76°56′E / 15.15°N 76.93°E / 15.15; 76.93. The city stands in the midst of a wide, level plain of black cotton soil.[11]Granite rocks and hills form a prominent feature of Ballari. The city is spread mainly around two hills of granite composition, the Ballari Hill and the Kumbara Gudda.

Ballari Hill has a circumference of nearly 2 miles (3.2 km) and a height of 480 feet (150 m). The length of this rock from north-east to south-west is about 1,150 ft (350 m). To the east and south lies an irregular heap of boulders, to the west there is an unbroken monolith, and the north is walled by bare, rugged ridges.[11]

Kumbara Gudda looks like the profile of a human face from the south-east. It is also known as Face Hill.[11]

Climate

[edit]
Climate data for Bellary (1981–2010, extremes 1901–2012)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 37.6
(99.7) 		40.5
(104.9) 		43.0
(109.4) 		45.4
(113.7) 		44.6
(112.3) 		44.7
(112.5) 		39.5
(103.1) 		39.0
(102.2) 		38.4
(101.1) 		39.0
(102.2) 		38.4
(101.1) 		35.6
(96.1) 		44.7
(112.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 31.4
(88.5) 		34.4
(93.9) 		38.1
(100.6) 		40.4
(104.7) 		39.6
(103.3) 		35.3
(95.5) 		32.7
(90.9) 		31.9
(89.4) 		32.3
(90.1) 		31.8
(89.2) 		30.8
(87.4) 		30.2
(86.4) 		34.1
(93.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 15.6
(60.1) 		18.1
(64.6) 		21.1
(70.0) 		23.9
(75.0) 		24.4
(75.9) 		23.3
(73.9) 		23.0
(73.4) 		22.7
(72.9) 		21.9
(71.4) 		20.9
(69.6) 		18.3
(64.9) 		15.6
(60.1) 		20.7
(69.3)
Record low °C (°F) 7.0
(44.6) 		8.5
(47.3) 		10.0
(50.0) 		13.0
(55.4) 		14.5
(58.1) 		14.8
(58.6) 		15.5
(59.9) 		15.0
(59.0) 		15.0
(59.0) 		12.5
(54.5) 		8.4
(47.1) 		8.0
(46.4) 		7.0
(44.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 2.9
(0.11) 		2.3
(0.09) 		6.0
(0.24) 		17.2
(0.68) 		54.3
(2.14) 		59.2
(2.33) 		42.6
(1.68) 		70.0
(2.76) 		111.0
(4.37) 		89.0
(3.50) 		39.5
(1.56) 		5.5
(0.22) 		499.5
(19.67)
Average rainy days 0.5 0.2 0.6 1.5 3.4 3.8 3.8 4.7 5.4 5.8 2.4 0.5 32.7
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) 43 37 30 29 34 50 56 58 58 62 56 50 47
Source: India Meteorological Department[12][13]

Demographics

[edit]
Ballari Fort
Historical population
YearPop.±%
193147,573—    
1941 56,148+18.0%
195170,332+25.3%
196185,673+21.8%
1971125,183+46.1%
1981 201,579+61.0%
1991245,391+21.7%
2001316,766+29.1%
2011410,445+29.6%
Source: [14]
Religions in Ballari City (2011)[15]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
 
 70.33%
Islam
 
 26.53%
Christianity
 
 1.71%
Jainism
 
 0.79%
Other or not stated
 
 0.65%

According to the 2011 Census of India, the urban population of Ballari was 410,445; of whom 206,149 were male and 204,296 female. 280,610 of the population were literate and 52,413 of the population were under 7 years of age.[16] The population in 2001 was recorded as 316,766.[17]

Languages

[edit]

Languages of Ballari City (2011)[18]

  Kannada (42.06%)
  Telugu (25.03%)
  Urdu (24.35%)
  Hindi (3.04%)
  Marathi (1.75%)
  Tamil (1.69%)
  Others (2.08%)

Kannada is the largest language, spoken by 42.06% of the population. Telugu is the second-largest, spoken by 25.03%, and Urdu 24.35%. 3.04% of the population spoke Hindi, 1.75% Marathi and 1.69% Tamil.[17][18]

Economy

[edit]

Industries

[edit]

Textiles and garments

[edit]
  • Cotton processing
With cotton being one of the major agricultural crops around Ballari historically, the city has had a thriving cotton processing industry in the form of ginning, spinning and weaving plants. The earliest steam cotton-spinning mill was established in 1894, which by 1901 had 17,800 spindles, and employed 520 hands.[11]
The city continues to thrive in this sector with one spinning mill and numerous cotton ginning and pressing mills, hand looms and power looms.[19]
  • Garment manufacture
Ballari has a historic garment industry dating back to the First World War period, when the Marathi speaking "Darji" (tailor) community with its native skills in tailoring migrated from the current Maharashtra region to stitch uniforms for the soldiers of the colonial British Indian Army stationed at Ballari. After the war, the community switched to making uniforms for school children, and gradually the uniforms made here became popular all over the country.[20][21]
Currently, Ballari is well known for its branded and unbranded denim garments, with brands like Point Blank, Walker, Dragonfly and Podium being successfully marketed nationally and internationally.[21] There are about 260 denim garment units in Ballari with nearly 3000 families working in these units.[19]

Transport

[edit]
Ballari railway station platform 1

Roadways

[edit]

National Highway 67 (India), National Highway 150A (India), State Highway 128 and State Highway 132 pass through the city.

Rail

[edit]

There is Ballari Junction railway station on the Guntakal–Vasco da Gama section.

Air

[edit]

The closest functional commercial airport is Jindal Vijaynagar Airport.

Notable people

[edit]

See Category:People from Ballari

References

[edit]

Maps

[edit]

General

[edit]
  1. ^ "Census Data Handbook 2011" (PDF). Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Bellary City Staff". Archived from the original on 20 May 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Indiapost PIN Search for 'bellary'". Archived from the original on 4 May 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2007.
  4. ^ "50th Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India (July 2012 to June 2013)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  5. ^ a b "District Census Handbook – Guntur" (PDF). Census of India. The Registrar General & Census Commissioner. p. 22. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Bangalore becomes 'Bengaluru'; 11 other cities renamed". The Economic Times. Bangalore. PTI. 1 November 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  7. ^ "e-krishiuasb".
  8. ^ "Karnataka. Bellary City Municipal Council upgraded to corporation". The Hindu. 26 September 2004. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs" (PDF).
  10. ^ New City, Names to Karnatka. "New name for cities". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  11. ^ a b c d e The Imperial Gazetteer of India, volume 7. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1908. pp. 158–176.
  12. ^ "Station: Bellary Climatological Table 1981–2010" (PDF). Climatological Normals 1981–2010. India Meteorological Department. January 2015. pp. 119–120. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. December 2016. p. M90. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Census Tables". Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  15. ^ "Table C-01 Population By Religious Community - Karnataka". Census of India.
  16. ^ "Census of India 2011". Census Commission of India. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  17. ^ a b "Census of India 2001" (PDF). Census Commission of India. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  18. ^ a b "C-16 City: Population by mother tongue". Office Of The Registrar General & Census Commissioner India. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Karnataka Handloom". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  20. ^ "Bellary Portal". Archived from the original on 20 July 2002. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  21. ^ a b "Jeans Industry in Bellary". Archived from the original on 22 December 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  22. ^ "This jailhouse has a rich past". 26 April 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  23. ^ "A Congress bastion since 1952". Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^ "Caste will play a vital role in Bellary". Retrieved 4 June 2010.
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bellary.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bellary.
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