Bellary Fort Two barren and rocky hills stand like guards protecting the inhabitants. One of them stands inside the fort which is known as FORT HILL. The other hill when viewed from the South- East looks like the profile of a human face and is popularly known as FACE ROCK. These two hills are conspicuous from every part of the city. The FORT HILL, which is about a mile and a half in circumference is 1976 feet above the sea level and 480 feet above the ground level. It is divided into the UPPER FORT and the LOWER FORT, built by Haider Ali after taking possession of the fort. The upper fort consists of the usual citadel on the summit of the rock guarded by outer lines of fortification, one below the other. There is only one way upto 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. It was here that MUZZAFFAR KHAN Nawab of Kurnool, was imprisoned from 1823 to 1864.
The lower fort, like all the other forts, contains dwellings of a large number of people who had flocked to it for protection. Now the lower fort contains a number of public buildings, offices, educational institutions, temples and churches.
The Bellary fort is an important historical monument which plays a very significant role in the history of the place.
BELLARY, or Ballari , a city and district of British India, in the Madras presidency . The city is 305 m. by rail from Madras. Pop. (1901) 58,247. The fort rises from a huge mass of granite rock, which with a circumference of nearly 2 m., juts up abruptly to a height of 450 ft. above the plain. The length of this rock from north-east to south-west is about 1150 ft. To the E. and S. lies an irregular heap of boulders, but to the W. is an unbroken precipice, and the N. is walled by bare rugged ridges. It is defended by two distinct lines of works. The upper fort is a quadrangular building on the summit, with only one approach, and was deemed impregnable by the Mysore princes. But as it has no accommodation for a garrison , it is now only occupied by a small guard of British troops in charge of prisoners. The exnawab of Kurnool was confined in it for forty years for the murder of his wife. It contains several cisterns, excavated in the rock. Outside the turreted rampart are a ditch and covered way. The lower fort lies at the eastern base of the rock and measures about half a mile in diameter. It contains the barracks and the commissariat stores, the Protestant church , orphanage, Masonic lodge, post-office and numerous private dwellings. The fort of Bellary was originally built by Hanumapa, in the 16th century. It was first dependent on the kingdom of Vijayanagar , afterwards on Bijapur , and subsequently subject to the nizam and Hyder Ali . The latter erected the present fortifications according to tradition with the assistance of a French engineer in his service, whom he afterwards hanged for not building the fort on a higher rock adjacent to it. Bellary is an important cantonment and the headquarters of a military division. There is a considerable trade in cotton , in connexion with which there are large steam presses, and some manufacture of cotton cloth. There is a cotton spinning mill . In 1901 Bellary was chosen as one of the places of detention in India for Boer prisoners of war.
The district of Bellary has an area of 5714 sq. m. It consists chiefly of an extensive plateau between the Eastern and Western Ghats , of a height varying from Boo to 1000 ft. above the sea. The most elevated tracts are on the west, where the surface rises towards the culminating range of hills, and on the south, where it rises to the elevated tableland of Mysore. Towards the centre the almost treeless plain presents a monotonous aspect, broken only by a few rocky elevations that rise abruptly from the black soil. The hill ranges in Bellary are those of Sandur and Kampli to the west, the Lanka Malla to the east and the Copper Mountain (3148 ft.) to the south-west. The district is watered by five rivers: the Tungabhadra , formed by the junction of two streams, Tunga and Bhadra, the Haggari, Hindri, Chitravati and Pennar , the last considered sacred by the natives. None of the rivers is navigable and all are fordable during the dry season. The climate of Bellary is characterized by extreme dryness, due to the passing of the air over a great extent of heated plains, and it has a smaller rainfall than any other district in south India. The average daily variation of the thermometer is from 67° to 83° F. The prevailing diseases are cholera , fever , small-pox, ophthalmia, dysentery and those of the skin among the lower classes. Bellary is subject to disastrous storms and hurricanes, and to famines arising from a series of bad seasons. There were memorable famines in 1 75 1, 1 793, 1803, 1833, 1854, 1866, 1877 and 1896.
In 1901 the population was 947, 214, showing an increase of 8% in the decade. The principal crops are millet , other food-grains, pulse , oil-seeds and cotton. There are considerable manufactures of cotton and woollen goods, and cotton is largely exported. The district is traversed by the Madras and Southern Mahratta railways , meeting on the eastern border at Guntakal junction, where another line branches off to Bezwada .
Little is known of the early history of the district. It contains the ruined capital of the ancient Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar, and on the overthrow of that state by the Mahommedans, in f 564, the tract now forming the district of Bellary was split up into a number of military holdings, held by chiefs called poligars. In 1635 the Carnatic was annexed to the Bijapur dominions, from which again it was wrested in 1680 by Sivaji , the founder of the Mahratta power. It was then included in the dominions of Nizam-ul-mulk, the nominal viceroy of the great Mogul in the Deccan , from whom again it was subsequently conquered by Hyder Ali of Mysore. At the close of the war with Tippoo Sultan in 1792, these territories fell to the share of the nizam of Hyderabad , by whom they were ceded to the British in 1800, in return for protection by a force of British troops to be stationed at his capital. In 1808 the "Ceded Districts," as they were called, were split into two districts, Cuddapah and Bellary. In 1882 the district of Anantapur , which had hitherto formed part of Bellary, was formed into a separate collectorate.
Turkish Martyrs Graveyard : a small garden built in memorial of Turkish war soldiers is located near the airstrip.
Places to visit inside the Bellary city include Bellary children's park cum zoo near Radio park, a newly developed Golden Jubilee Park beside railway station. It contains musical fountain which starts at 7 O'Clock in the evening
Places of importance around Bellary include Narihalla (a reservoir adjacent to the main road between Bellary and Sandur, is another spot attracting people to take up adventure and water sports.), Sri Kumaraswamy temple at Sandur, Ubbalagundi (50 km from Bellary city and from Hampi, two rock structures, as seen in Yana in Uttara Kannada district, is the only spot in the Hyderabad-Karnataka area suitable for trekking, rock climbing, river crossing, and boating).
| Taluka |
Bellary |
Hada
gali |
Hos
pet |
H.B.
Halli |
Kudligi |
Sandur |
Sirug
uppa |
| Bellary |
|
148 |
63 |
100 |
85 |
60 |
60 |
| Hadagali |
148 |
|
88 |
42 |
60 |
90 |
195 |
| Hospet |
63 |
88 |
|
40 |
40 |
30 |
100 |
| H.B.Halli |
100 |
42 |
40 |
|
38 |
70 |
110 |
| Kudligi |
85 |
60 |
40 |
38 |
|
30 |
130 |
| Sandur |
60 |
90 |
30 |
70 |
30 |
|
105 |
| Siruguppa |
60 |
195 |
100 |
110 |
130 |
105 |
|
| Distance:- |
300 km North of Bangalore |
| By Road: - |
Bellary city is well connected by road to all major cities, towns and important cities of neighbouring states. |
| By Rail: - |
Bellary is well connected by Rail to Bangalore, Raichur, Tirupati, Hubli, Guntakal, Vijayawada etc. Guntakal is one of the important junction near Bellary from where many important trains pass through. Trains to Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and to most of the places in India are available from this junction. |
| Air:- |
Bangalore Airport is the nearest Airport - 300 Kms. Air strips are available at Bellary and Jindal,Toranagallu. |
| Route:- |
NH4 to Chitradurga via Hiriyur then NH13 to Bellary via Kudligi. |
| When to go:- |
Any time of the year. |
| Tourist offices:- |
KSTDC(bookings and info) Badami House, NR Square, Bangalore Tel: 080-2275869, Fax: 2352626 Email: kstdc@vsnl.in |
| Where to stay :- |
Hotel Pola Paradise Address : New Trunk Road, Bellary - 583 104, Karnataka, India, 3 Star Hotel . Centrally Air-conditioned. A Natural Plantation surrounded with the blackground of Asia's IInd Biggest Monolithic Rock and Historic Fort of Tippu Sultan.. Banquet & Conference Facilities, Massage Parlour, Cybercafe, Children's Park.
Hotel Pola Paradise No. 92/A, New Tank Bund Road, Bellary - 583 104 Tel: 08392-242101, 242302 - 04 Fax: 08392-242321
Email: hotelpola@hotmail.com
Tariff Range: Rs. 540/- to Rs. 2800/-
Hotel Malligi No. 6/143, J N Road, Hospet,
Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394-228105
Fax: 08394-427038
Email: malligihome@hotmail.com
Web site: www.hotelmalligi.com
Tariff Range: Rs.1700/-toRs.2100/-+Tax
Kishkinda Heritage Resort Near Broken Stone Bridge Cross, Sanapur, Gangavathi Taluk,
Koppal - 583 231 Tel: 08533-287034/36
Fax: 08533-367635
Email: kishkindavillage@usa.net
Web site: www.kishkindaheritage.com
Tariff Range: Rs. 1200/- to Rs. 1700/-
Hotel Sarvesh Vidhyaranya Road, Gangavathi Taluk, Koppal - 583 227 Tel: 08533-230912
Fax: 08533-330911 Tariff Range: Rs. 550/- to Rs. 1400/-
Hotel Priyadarshini No. 5/45 A, Station Road, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394-228838/39, Fax: 08394-424709
Email: priyainhampi@india.com
Web site: www.priyainnhampi.com
Tariff Range: Rs. 950/- to Rs. 1350/-+Ta
Padma Guest House Near Bus Stand, Behind Govt. School, Hampi, Bellary - 583 239 Tel: 08394-241330/31 Tariff Range: Rs. 500/- to Rs. 1000/-x
Ranjana Guest House Behind Govt. School, Hampi, Bellary - 583 239 Tel: 08394-241696
Tariff Range: Rs. 600/- to Rs. 1000/-
Ashoka Comforts No. 115, Court Road,
Bellary - 583 101 Tel: 08392-279970 - 05
Fax: 08392-279977 Tariff Range: Rs. 399/- to Rs.950/-+Tax
SLV Yatrinivas Opposite Rotary Club, Station Road, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394-221525 Tariff Range: Rs. 600/- to Rs. 800/-
Hotel Karthik Boarding and Lodging 4th Ward, S P Road, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394- 220038 Fax: 08394-420028
Tariff Range: Rs. 600/- to Rs. 750/-+Tax
Hotel Shivananda College Road, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394-420700 Tariff Range: Rs. 540/- to Rs. 700/-
KSTDC Mayura Bhuvaneshwari Kamalapura , Hospet Taluk Bellary - 583 221 Tel: 08394-241574,141474 Fax: 08394-428537
Tariff Range: Rs. 250/- to Rs. 750/-
Hotel Sreematha Gadag-Hospet Road, Koppal - 583 231 Tel: 08539-220908 Fax: 08539-421168 Tariff Range: Rs. 250/- to Rs. 700/-
S S Hotel House of Lads , Kudligi Road, Sandur,
Bellary - 583 119 Tel: 08395-260780
Tariff Range: Rs. 350/- to Rs. 650/-
Hotel Rameshwari Opposite SRR Theatre,
KalammaStreet, Bellary - 583 101 Tel: 08392-275050, Fax: 08392-277765
Tariff Range: Rs. 400/- to Rs. 600/-+Tax
Krishna Tourist Home Opp.Government 100 Bed Hospital, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201
Tel: 08394-228835/156 Tariff Range: Rs.300/- to Rs. 600/-
Hotel Pawan No. 89/13, Ananthpur Road,
Bellary - 583 101 Tel: 08392-276710 - 16,
Fax: 08392-271333 Tariff Range: Rs. 340/- to Rs. 570/-
Gopi Guest House Roof Restaurant, Hampi,
Hospet Taluk, Bellary - 583 239 Tel: 08394-241695 Tariff Range: Rs. 500/- +Tax
Geetha Restaurant Near Bus Stand, Hampi, Bellary - 583 221 Tel: 08394-241648
Email: singhrahul2002@hotmail.com
Tariff Range: Rs. 400/- to Rs. 500/-
Ramakrishna Lodge Near Gandhi Chowk, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394-227114
Fax: 08394-426295 Tariff Range: Rs. 300/- to Rs. 500/-
Shanthi Guest House River Road, Hampi,
Bellary - 583 239, Tel: 08394-241568
Tariff Range: Rs.2 80/- to Rs. 500/-
Vicky Guest House Janata Plot, Hampi,
Bellary - 583 231 Tel: 08394-241694
Email: vickyhampi@yahoo.co.in
Tariff Range: Rs. 300/- to Rs. 400/-
KSTDC Mayura Vijayanagar T B Dam, Via Hospet Bellary - 583 225 Tel: 08394-259270
Fax: 08394-428537 Tariff Range: Rs. 360/- to Rs. 400/-
Hotel Viswa Lodging Opposite KSRTC Bus Stand, Hospet, Bellary - 583 201 Tel: 08394-227171 Tariff Range: Rs. 100/- to Rs. 350/-
Vishnu Guest House Hampi Main Bazar, Hampi, Bellary - 583 239, Tel: 08394-241415
Tariff Range: Rs. 300/- to Rs. 350/- |
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