Kannada Koota - Bagalkot, Karnataka

Bāgalkot district (ಬಾಗಲಕೋಟೆ in Kannada), sometimes spelled as Bāgalkote is an administrative district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The district is located in northern Karnataka and borders Belgaum, Gadag, Koppal, Raichur and Bijapur. The new Bagalkot district was carved out of Bijapur in 1997 via Governament of Karnataka. The bifurcated Bagalkot district consists of six taluks : Badami, Bagalkot, Bilagi, Hunugund, Jamakhandi and Mudhol. Historically, Bagalkot was the capital of the Chalukyan Empire of South India under Pulakesi I, who conquered the district in 550 CE. Bagalkot's Badami taluk remained the seat of the throne of the Chalukyas from 550 - 753 CE, when Chalukya king Kirtivarman II was overthrown by the Rashtrakutas. The 12th century social reformist Basavanna, known for his crusade against caste exploitation was born in Koodalasangama, a town in the taluk of Hungund.

Bagalkot in Karnataka India

	Bagalkot
Taluk	Bagalkot, Badami, Bilgi, Hungund, Jamkhandi, Mudhol
Headquarters	Bagalkot
Population	1,652,232 (2001)
Density	251 /km² (650 /sq mi)
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area	6,593 km² (2,546 sq mi)
Code	Pincode :587101-587325 Vehicle : KA - 29 STD : ++ 91 08354
Website	bagalkot.nic.in

Mallikarjuna and Kashi Vishwanatha temple at Pattadakal

General Profile

Number of Revenue Blocks	06
Number of Educational blocks	06
Number of Gram Panchayat	163
Number of Taluk Panchayat	06
Number of Assembly Constituencies	07
Number of Zilla Panchayat Constituencies	26
Number of Towns (CMC 2, TMC 5, TPC 5)	12
Number of Wards	270
Number of Revenue Villages	625
Number of Habitations	244

Rivers : Malaprabha, Ghatprabha and Krishna flows in the district. Language : The prominent language spoken is Kannada. Other languages like Marathi, Urdu,Telugu and Gujarati are also spoken by small portion of population . Religion ,Castes & tribes : The major community follows the religious ethics of Hindusm. Islam, Jainism and Christianity are the minor religions .

Tourism
Badami, Pattadakal, Aihole, Kudalasangama, Mahakuta & Banashankari
Badami taluk remained the seat of the throne of the Chalukyas from 550 - 753 CE, when Chalukya king Kirtivarman II was overthrown by the Rashtrakuta. Pattadakal has many World Heritage temples built by VikramadityaII. Mallikarjuna temple in dravidian style and Kashi Vishwanatha temple in nagara style at Pattadakal, built 740 CE. Aihole, which lies on the banks of the Malaprabha River, is an important temple town with over 140 temples belonging to both the early and later Chalukya times. Kudalasangama, where Basavanna's samadhi is located. The 12th century social reformist Basavanna, known for his crusade against caste exploitation was born in Basavana Bagewadi. The Mahakuteshwara temple dedicated to Shiva, is built in the Dravidian style. Naganath Temple, located in a forest on the way to Mahakuta, it is one of the early Chalukya temples dedicated to Shiva. Mahakuta, once a great center of shaiva cult, Mahakuta is a beautiful place surrounded by hills A famous fair and festival is held here during January, February. Here the temple is dedicated to Shakambari or Banashankari a form of Parvati is located at Cholachagud popularly called Banashankari.

Culture
The culture of Bagalkot has been influenced traditionally by Kannada culture with prominent traces of Marathi culture as well, partly because of the district's proximity to Maharashtra. Kannada itself is classified as a Dravidian language. The ethnologue identifies Bijapur Kannada as the closest dialect to the particular dialect of Bagalkot. The traditional cuisine of the district is typical of the North Karnataka cuisine of the region. Jowar based food such as Bhakri are popular. Other forms of Indian bread made out of jowar are also common and are referred as jolada rotti. As with most North Karnataka districts, Jhunka, a garbanzo beans based dish is very popular and is usually eaten with Bhakri; the combination of these two dishes is referred to as Jhunka bhakar. Though not grown extensively in the district, rice, as in all of South India, is part of the staple diet and is imported from other parts of the state and region. Lentil and pulse based broths are common. Ilkal town in Bagalkot district is famous for the Ilkal sarees manufactured there. Pattadakal contains a group of 10 major temples surrounded by minor shrines and plinths each depicting the architecture of the Chalukyas of Kalyani. PrasannaVenkata Dasa, widely regarded as the founder of Carnatic music & prominent member of the Bhakti Movement lived here & composed his music Kannada.