Belgaum District

Belgaum is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka , India .

It is situated nearly 2,500 ft (762 m) above sea-level and is the headquarters of Belgaum district, which borders the states of Maharashtra and Goa .

Karnataka government has decided to develop the city of Belgaum as the state's second capital and make it the permanent venue for an annual 15-day session of the state legislature. Rs 165-crore 'Suvarna Soudha' modelled on the 'Vidhana Soudha' (Secretariat) will be constructed in Belgaum for the session that will commence from next year. More »

Places to see

Belgaum is located 502 km from Bangalore and 154 km from Goa . Nestled in the foothills of the Western Ghats , it enjoys a cool, salubrious climate and is surrounded by natural beauty in the form of rivers, hills and dense evergreen forests. Inside the city, A wide variety of historical sites, temples and churches exist in and around the city

The hills of Vaijyanath

Ramtirth in Kanbargi

The aerodrome at Sambra

The Handloom cottage industries , and Silk weavers located in Vadgaon and Angol are known for the exquisitely designed Saris.

The Cantonment Area with its lush cover of greenery , the MLIRC(Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre) is also based here.

Jamboti , 20 km south-west of Belgaum , is a popular tourist spot with its evergreen hilltop forests.

ST. MARY'S CHURCH:

ST. MARY'S CHURCH: Of the churches, the st. Mary's church awes one with its imposing gothic stone structure built in 1869. Light filters through the gorgeous stained glass windows and doors to enhance the fine Biblical drawings on the walls. You could take time to visit the St. Xavier's church ( the oldest ), st. Anthony's church, the cathedral of Our Lady and Methodist church.

Vajrapoha Falls on the Mandovi river are located 26 km from Belgaum .

situated amidst enchanting hilly surroundings of the Jamboti forest is a fine spot. To reach it one has to travel from Jamboti upto a point four km beyond Chapoli and then cross the river (only in December and January) Mahadayi twice (in between is a small hill) finally leading to an elevated flat hillock. Here the river Mahadayi flowing in a serpentine fashion takes a first jump from a height of about 60 meters.

HIDKAL DAM:

Hidkal dam was constructed in the year 1977 with an estimated cost of Rs. 9.47 crores. Area irrigated under this is 13400 hectors.

Gokak Falls

Gokak Falls is a waterfall known for its beauty. It is at a distance of 60 Kms from Belgaum and 10kms from Gokak town. Located right on the main road is a celebrated tourist centre in the district. This falls has a height of about 170 feet. The river Ghataprapha after winding a course of a long route takes a leap of 52 meters, over a rocky bed 170 feet down. The falls is famous for its spread and shape. The rugged valley and the picturesque is what inspires poetry. The dull roar of the falls can be heard much before you reach it. "Except in width and colour of the water, the general features of the fall, its height, shape and rapidity above are much like those of Niagara ". The falls are horse-shoe shaped at the crest, with a flood breadth of 177 metres. June to September is the best season to visit Gokak as it bees in full bloom. Electricity was generated here for the first time in the country in 1887 . This generating station can be reached on the rope way.

Amboli falls

This little known coastal highland area is fabulous during the monsoons. Thick forests, curving misty ghats and

Kamal Basadiis

It is one of the two Bastis within the walls of the fort, built in the late Chalukyan style in 1204 with the Neminatha idol in bkack stone. The master piece here is the "Mukhamantapa" with a well-executed lotus on the ceiling. Outside the Kamala Basti is another ruined Jain temple.

Belgaum Fort

It is an Ancient Architectural pre-muslim monument where mosques and temples co-exist in perfect harmony, though not much of the orginal structure remains. The fort was built in the 12th century A.D by the local Ratta rulers . It was renovated and built on by successive rulers who ruled Belgaum from time-to-time. At the very entrance, you will find two Shrines; One dedicated to Lord Ganpati and the other to Lordess Durga . Safa masjid is one of the two mosques inside the fort and by far is the best of the 25-30 mosques in the city. The minars, domes and Arches point to a typical fusion of Indo-Sarcenic and Deccan styles of the Architecture. The sense of the past is all-pervading here. Two of the circular pillars in the Jamia hall are said to be from the old temples. Some of them have Kannada Inscriptions in Nagari Script, while others have beautiful Persian script forming exquisite calligraphic decorations.

Yellamma Temple (Saundatti)

Saundatti reminds us of the beautiful and ancient temple of Goddesss Renuka (also known as the Yellamma Temple ). It is at a distance of 70 Kms from Belgaum and the place can be reached from all the other places by road. At a distance of 5 Kms from the city, there is a big Mountain on which the temple is situated. The mounatain was earlier known as Siddhachal Parvat . The temple is built in the Chalukyan and Rashtrakuta Style and the Carvings reflect the Jain architecture . The temple was constructed by Bomappa Naik of Raybag in the year 1514. There are temples of Lord Ganesh, Mallikarjun, Parshuram, Eknath, Siddeshwar etc in the temple premises. Devotees from Maharastra, Goa and Andhra Pradesh also come here especially during the time of Jatras which are held twice in a year. The management of the temple has been handed over to the Government in 1975 and the government has made provisions such as Dharmashalas, Health Centres and other facilities to make the devotees feel at home.

Rakaskop ( Belgaum )

16 Kms from Belgaum , literally means a hamlet of a Rakkasa (Giant) , who is stated to have lived on a hillrock near the village. A cavern in laterite on the hillrock resembling a huge seated human figure is shown by the people to remind his past existance. Here is a Dam across the river Markandeya , supplying drinking water to Belgaum .

Kapileshwara Temple ( Belgaum )

It is said to be one of the oldest temples in Belgaum . It is called as "Dakshina Kashi" and it is believed that the journey of the 1 2 Jyotirlingas of India is said to be incomplete without a visit to kapileshwara. One should visit this temple during the month of Shravan or on the day of Mahashivratri to enjoy the beauty and feel the religious essence to the fullest extent. The jyotirling here is said to be self-originated and there are temples of Lord Ganesh, Hanuman, Datta, Saibaba in the temple premises. There is also a Navgraha Mandir situated here.

Naviltirtha (Saundatti)

10 Kms from Saundatti , a low valley situated in between the 2 hills , in an enchanting place is Naviltirtha. Formerly, it was full of Peacocks, frequently flocking round the pond, and thus the place was named Naviltirtha. The Malaprabha Dam near Renukasagar is situated here. It is also a good picnic spot.

Godachinmalki Falls (Gokak)

16 Kms from Gokak, it is at a fine spot located to the west of the Gokak-Konnur road in a deep green valley. Markandeya River takes the first jump from a height of about 25 metres and flows into a rocky valley and after a short distance from here it takes a second jump at a height of about 18 metres.

Nersa

Kitturu Rani Chennamma (1778 - 1829) was the queen of the princely state Kittur in Karnataka. In 1824, thirty three years before the 1857 war of independence she led an armed rebellion against the British in response to the Doctrine of lapse. The resistance ended in her martyrdom and she is remembered today as one of the earliest Indian rulers to have fought for independence. Along with Abbakka Rani, Keladi Chennamma and Onake Obavva she is much venerated in Karnataka as an icon of bravery and women's pride. Early life Chennamma was born in Kakati, almost 56 years earlier than Rani Laxmi Bai, in a small village north of Belgaum in Karnataka. She was married to Raja Mallasarja. With this marriage she had only one son who died in 1824. She adopted Shivalingappa and made him heir to the throne. The British East India Company did not accept this and ordered expulsion of Shivalingappa with the help of their policy Doctrine of lapse.The Rani defied the order. A great battle ensued. The Rani fought the British with great courage and skill. She could not, however, hold out for long. She was taken captive and lodged in Bailhongal Fort, where she died in the year 1829. Chennamma was the first lady who fought against British for their unwanted interference and tax collection(Kappa).Chennamma was a legendary queen who fought the British army from her base in the small kingdom of Kittur in the Belgaum district of Karnataka State, India . She was ably aided in her struggle by her lieutenant Sangolli Rayanna.

Distance:-	Road Belgaum is connected by road via the National Highways 4 (connecting Maharashtra[ Now part of the Golden Quadrilateral], Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) and 4A (connecting Karnataka and Goa). Air Belgaum is directly connected with Bangalore , Goa, Mumbai, Miraj and Kolhapur . The airport currently serving the city is Belgaum Airport . Schedules have been erratic, as the air connectivity is primarily provided by feeder airlines. Rail Belgaum is on the main Indian Railways grid being part of Hubli Division and is well connected by rail to major destinations such as Bangalore (via Hubli), Mumbai (via Miraj) and Goa .
When to go:-
Tourist offices:-	KSTDC (bookings and info) Badami House, NR Square, Bangalore Tel: 080-2275869, Fax: 2352626 Email: kstdc@vsnl.in
Where to stay :-