Belgaum District

Belgaum district ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ
district
Belagavi district
Gokak Falls in Belgaum district
Location in Karnataka, India
Coordinates: 15°51′N 74°33′E / 15.85°N 74.55°E / 15.85; 74.55Coordinates: 15°51′N 74°33′E / 15.85°N 74.55°E / 15.85; 74.55
Country	India
Region	North Karnataka
Division	Belgaum division
Headquarters	Belgaum
Area
• Total	13,415 km2 (5,180 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	4,778,439
• Density	360/km2 (920/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Kannada
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
ISO 3166 code	IN-KA
Vehicle registration	Belagavi KA-22 Chikodi KA-23 Bailhongal KA-24 Gokak KA-49
Sex ratio	1.04 ♂/♀
Literacy	64.2%
Precipitation	823 millimetres (32.4 in)
Website	belgaum.nic.in

Belgaum is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The city of Belgaum is the district headquarters in North Karnataka. It is also called as the second capital for the state of Karnataka, as it houses the second legislative building, where the Karnataka Legislature will meet once a year. According to the 2011 Census of India, it has a population of 4,778,439 of which 24.03% live in urban areas, making it the second most populous district in Karnataka (out of 30), after Bangalore. The district has an area of 13,415 square kilometers, and is bounded on the west and north by Maharashtra state, on the northeast by Bijapur District, on the east by Bagalkote District, on the southeast by Gadaga District, on the south by Dharawad District and Uttara Kannada districts, and on the southwest by the state of Goa.

Belgaum is the Divisional Headquarters of North Karnataka The ancient name of the town of Belgaum was Venugrama, meaning Bamboo Village. It is also called as Malnad Pradesh. The most ancient place in the district is Halsi; and this, according to inscriptions on copper plates discovered in its neighborhood, was once the capital of a dynasty of nine Kadamba kings. It appears that from the middle of the 6th century to about 760 the area was held by the Chalukyas, who were succeeded by the Rashtrakutas. After the break-up of the Rashtrakuta power a portion of it survived in the Rattas (875–1250), who from 1210 onward made Venugrama their capital. Inscriptions give evidence of a long struggle between the Rattas and the Kadambas of Goa, who succeeded in the latter years of the 12th century in acquiring and holding part of the district. By 1208, however, the Kadambas had been overthrown by the Rattas, who in their turn succumbed to the Yadavas of Devagiri in 1250. After the overthrow of the Yadavas by the Delhi Sultanate (1320), Belgaum was for a short time under the rule of the latter; but only a few years later the part south of the Ghataprabha River was subject to the Hindu rajas of Vijayanagara. In 1347 the northern part was conquered by the Bahmani Sultanate, which in 1473 took the town of Belgaum and conquered the southern part also. When Aurangzeb overthrew the Bijapura sultans in 1686, Belgaum passed to the Mughals. In 1776 the country was overrun by Hyder Ali of Mysore, but was taken by the Madhavrao Peshwa with British assistance. In 1818 it was handed over to the British East India Company, and was made part of the district of Dharwar. In 1836 this was divided into two parts, the northern district becoming Belgaum.