Bijapur district, Karnataka

Bijapur (: ವಿಜಾಪುರ) is a district in the state of in southern. The city of is the headquarters of the district, and is located 530 km northwest of. Bijapur is well known for the great monuments of historical importance built during the dynasty.

History


The city established in the 10th-11th centuries by the s of Kalyani was referred as Vijayapura (City of victory). The city came under the influence of the  in  by the late 13th century. In 1347, the area was conquered by the of. By this time the city was being referred as Vijapur or Bijapur

In 1518, the Bahmani Sultanate split into five splinter states known as the, one of which was Bijapur, ruled by the kings of the dynasty (1490-1686). The city of Bijapur owes much of its greatness to Yusuf Adil Shah, the founder of the independent state of Bijapur. The rule of this dynasty ended in 1686, when Bijapur was conquered by the emperor. In 1724 the of  established his independence in the Deccan, and included Bijapur within his dominions. In 1760, the Nizam suffered a defeat by the s, and ceded the region of Bijapur to the Maratha. After the 1818 defeat of the Peshwa by the in the, Bijapur passed into the hands of the , and was assigned to the  of.

In 1848 the territory of Satara, along with Bijapur, was annexed to Britain's when the last ruler died without a male heir. The British carved a new district by the name Kaladagi. The district included present-day Bijapur and Bagalkot districts. Bijapur was made the administrative headquarters of the district in 1885, when the headquarters were moved from Bagalkot. After India's Independence in 1947, the district became part of, and was reassigned to , later Karnataka, in 1956. The former southern taluks of the district were separated in 1997 to form Bagalkot District.

Description
The city consists of three distinct portions: the citadel, the fort and the remains of the city. The citadel, built by Yusuf Adil Shah, a mile (2 km) in circuit, is of great strength, well built of the most massive materials, and encompassed by a ditch 100 yards wide, formerly supplied with water, but now nearly filled up with rubbish, so that its original depth cannot be discovered. Within the citadel are the remains of Hindu temples, which prove that Bijapur was an important town in pre-Islam times. The fort, which was completed by Au Adil Shah in 1566, is surrounded by a wall 6 m. in circumference. This wall is from 30 to 50 ft (10 to 15 m) high, and is strengthened with 96 massive bastions of various designs. In addition there are ten others at the various gateways. The width is about 25 ft (8 m); from bastion to bastion runs a battlemented curtained wall about 10 ft (3 m) high. The whole is surrounded by a deep 30 to 40 ft (10 to 12 m) broad. Inside these walls the Bijapur kings bade defiance to all comers. Outside the walls are the remains of a vast city, now for the most part in ruins, but the innumerable tombs, mosques, caravanserais and other edifices, which have resisted the havoc of time, afford abundant evidence of the ancient splendour of the place.

,, and , near Bijapur, are noted for their historical temples in the n architectural style.

Attractions
Bijapur is rich in historical attractions. *: This is the most famous monument in Bijapur. It is the tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah (ruled 1627-1657). It is the second largest dome ever built, next in size only to in. A particular attraction in this monument is the central chamber, where every sound is echoed seven times. Another attraction at the Gol Gumbaz is the Whispering Gallery, where even minute sounds can be heard clearly 37 metres away. Gol Gumbaz complex includes a mosque, a Naqqar Khana (a hall for the trumpeters) (Now it is used as museum) and the ruins of guest houses.
 * Ibrahim Rauza: This is the tomb of (ruled 1580-1627), the fifth king of the dynasty and, like the Mughal emperor, known for religious tolerance. Built on a single rock bed, it is noted for the symmetry of its features. It is said that the design for the Ibrahim Rauza served as an inspiration for that of the famous.


 * Jumma Masjid: Built by Ali Adil Shah I (1558-80) is one of largest Mosque in the region. It has a large hall, elegant arches, and an excellent dome with thirty-three smaller domes surrounding it. It has an exquisite copy of the Quran, written in gold. Elaborate entrance gate was built by Emperor Aurangzeb.


 * Malik-e-Maidan (The Monarch of the Plains) the largest medieval cannon in the world. Being 4 m long, 1,5 m in diameter and weighing 55 tons, this gun was brought back from in the 17th century as a trophy of war by 400 oxen, 10 elephants and tens of men. It was placed on the Sherza Burj (Lion Gate) on a platform especially built for it. The cannon's nozzle is fashioned into the shape of a lion's head. It is said that after igniting the cannon, the gunner would remain underwater in a tank of water on the platform to avoid the deafening explosion. The cannon remains cool even in strong sunlight and if tapped, tinkles like a bell. In 1854 the cannon was auctioned for Rs. 150 but the sale was cancelled in the end.
 * Upri Buruj, Built around 1584 by Hyder Khan, is an 80 ft (25 m) high tower standing to the north of Dakhani Idgah in Bijapur. This is a spherical structure with stone steps winding round the outside. Top of the tower offers a commanding view of the city. This is also known as "Hyder Burj", "Upli Burj". On top of Upli Burj there are two guns of huge size. The parafeet this tower which was used for monitoring purposes has been fenced now. One needs to climb the circular stairs to reach the top. However except for this tower there is very little evidence of the citadel wall in this area due to rampant construction.


 * Chand Bawdi, Ali Adil Shah (1558-1580) built this tank near eastern boundary of Bijapur. When there was large influx of people into Bijapur after the fall of the Vijayanagar empire, and new settlements came up within the walled city raising the need for better infrastructure and providing water supply. This has a storage capacity of 20 million litres. Later it became a model for many other tanks constructed in the city. A grandeur complex came up around it, which was mainly used to house the maintenance staff though members of the royal family occasionally used it for recreation. He named this after his wife "Chand Bibi". [[Image:BaraKaram.jpg|thumb|150px|The incomplete masolueum of Adil Shah, Barakaman(Ali Roza-II), which means twelve arches in ]]


 * Asar Mahal, The Asar Mahal was built by Mohammed Adil Shah in about 1646, which was used to serve as a Hall of Justice. The building was also used to house hairs from the Prophet's beard. The rooms on the upper storey are decorated with frescoes and the front is graced with a square tank. Here women are not allowed inside. Every year there is urs (festival) held at this place. In front of the hall, one can see three tanks the bigger tank, which is at the centre is about 15 feet deep however the other two are comparatively smaller in size as well as depth. Behind Asar Mahal one can still see the remain of the citadel. Just a kilometer away behind Asar Mahal, one can still find the old mosque which is on top of the citadel wall. There is a big entrance with arc below this mosque. Many stones have inscriptions. The site is under maintenance of Archeological Survey of India
 * Gagan Mahal, Which means Sky Palace, is built with a 21- meter façade and four wooden massive pillars, has a majestic central arch. Sikandar Adil Shah, in silver chains, surrendered to Aurangzeb in 1681 here.
 * Barakaman (Ali Roza-II) A mausoleum of Ali Roza built in 1672. It was previously named as Ali Roza, but Shah Nawab Khan changed its name to Bara Kaman as this was the 12th monument during his reign. It has now seven arches and the tomb containing the graves of Ali, his queens and eleven other ladies possibly belonging to the Zenana of the queens.
 * Among the other historical attractions at Bijapur, some notable ones are the Anand Mahal, Jod Gumbaz, Sat Manzil, and Jal Manzil.

Geography
Geographically, the district lies in the tract of the s. The lands of the district can be broadly divided into three zones: the northern belt consisting of the northern parts of Bijapur Taluks of Indi and Sindagi; the central belt consisting of Bijapur city; the southern belt consisting of the rich alluvial plains of the Krishna Rivers parted from the central belt by a stretch of barren Trap. The northern belt is a succession of low rolling uplands without much vegetation, gently rounded and falling into intermediate narrow valleys. The upland soil being shallow, the villagers are generally confined to the banks of the streams and are far away from one another. The Don Volley has plains and consists of rich tracts of deep black soil stretching from west to east. Across the Krishna River is a rich plain crossed from west to east by two lines of sandstone hills. Further south towards and South-West to east by two lines of  hills. Further south towards and South West of Hunagund, the hills increase the number and the  gives way to the red

There are 34 rain gauge stations in Bijapur District. The average annual rainfall for the district is 553 mm with 37.2 rainy days. The monsoon generally breaks in the district during June and lasts till October. The highest mean monthly rainfall is 149 mm in the month of September and lowest is 3 mm in February. The annual rainfall variation in the district is marginal from place to place.

Bijapur District can be categorized as a low to moderately yielding area (1000 to 8000 L/h) 72.2% of district falling in this category. From considerable part of the district (9%) poor yielding (less than 1000 L/h sources) or non–feasible areas have been reported. The talukas having largest poor yielding area, are Muddebihal (19%) followed by Indi (15%), Bijapur and sindagi (13% each), Basavan Bagewadi (4%). Low yielding areas (1000 to 4000 L/h source) in the district constitute about 40% of the district, with the largest being Basavan Bagewadi (54%) and smallest in Indi taluka Moderate yields (4000 to 8000 L/h source) are reported from 36% of the district, highest being in Bijapur with 70% of the area, and lowest being in Sindagi with 19% of the taluka. High yielding areas (more than 8000 L/h sources) over 15% of the district. The smallest area under this category are in Sindagi Taluka (2% each) and largest is in Muddebihal (29% each) where very lengthy contact zones occur between traps and other formations

On the basis of projections from this information, the main parameters affecting water quality in Bijapur can be expected to be Brackishness (Salinity) and Hardness. Salinity affects the district in high to low groundwater problem areas and occurs in areas all along the major and minor river courses and steam courses.

Demographics
Bijapur District has an area of 10541 square kilometres, and a population of 1,806,918 (2001 census), an increase of 17.63% since the 1991 census. It is bounded on the east by district, on the southeast by, on the south and southwest by , and on the west by , and by the   of  on the northwest and  on the north, on the north-west (both of  state),

It consists 5.49% of state area. It lies between 15 x 50 and 17 x 28 North Latitude and 74 x 54 and 76 x 28 East Longitude. The administrative headquarters and chief town is Bijapur.

For administrative purposes the district is divided into six s.
 * Bijapur
 * Basavana-Bagewadi
 * Indi
 * Muddebihal
 * Sindgi
 * Bableshwar.

The district is 21.92% urban. 

Transport
Bijapur is connected only by and Road.An Air port has also got sanction. The helipad at the is used only when government guests or public office bearers visit the district and is not open for general public. The state owned North West Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation run buses to all parts of the district. Private tour operators also run luxury bus services to, , and.

Bijapur was previously a meter gauge station of s which was operational between and  Stations. But due to gauge conversion the line from to  is blocked. The broad gauge line between to  passing through Bijapur is operational (as of Jan 2006).

The public transport of the district is managed by the State Road Transport Corporation which runs local buses within city limits as well as villages within the 15 km radius. The frequency of these buses are higher in comparison to the buses which ply on longer routes. , and Tempo Trax are used as taxis by local operators. Autos and are still popular mode of local transport in the city. Cycle Rickshaws are used only to transport materials and people hardly travel by them.

People and culture
People from the central Asian regions settled in this part, when they landed as part of the caravan with the muslium rulers. The local population is mainly a mix of Dravidian and Aryan descendants. Majority of people are Lingayats. But still in the urban areas one can find considerable population of. However very little population of and  community can be found in the district. As per the 2001 census 3,34,254 people belong to the and 30,051 to the. People belonging to the tribe have settled in the districts since long. The villages in which these groups live are referred as "Tandas"

Sports
Off late Bijapur district has produced some of the best known Road Cyclists in the national circuit. Premalata Sureban was part of the Indian continget at the Perlis Open '99 in Malasiya. 

Sports complex serves as the main centre for all activities related to sports. Facilities are available in the single sports complex for track and field events,, , and a venedrome for cycling. Apart from the government managed infrastructure the private trust run BLDEA's Medical and Engineering college campus has also access to the state-of-the art facilities for fitness and sports. It can be noted that the popular games in the rural areas are and  apart from. Cricket is still popular among local youth however having a winning team of and  is a matter of prestige for all the schools and colleges.

Every year the district administration organizes the Dasara Sports Meet during the festival to identify and nurture the talent of the future.

Art and culture
Navaraspur was the auditorium of the Adil Shahs, it is about 10 km outside the city limits. The ruins of the site are still visible. Every year the local administration organizes the Navaraspur Festival to attract tourists. Great personalities like, , , Mallikarjun Mansur, and many more have performed in this festival.
 * Shri Shiddeshwar Temple situated at the heart of the city is a holy place for Hindus which is also a very beautiful tourist place to visit.During a fair organized by Shri Siddheshwar Temple. This fair is well known for the cattle market which is organized outside the city limits. Farmers from neighboring villages and even some parts of Maharastra come to trade in cattle. During this period fireworks display will be held.
 * The Kittur Rani Chenamma Theatre still stages dramas by professionals. However due to the decrease in the patronization the drama companies are closing down., (Shri Nilakanteshwara Nataka Sangha), an experimental theatre troupe started by K.V.Subanna visit Bijapur and show case their art during the Ninasam "Tirugata"(meaning: Wandering in ) Kandgal Hanumantharayara Ranga Mandira on the station road, serves as the centre of art of culture. During summer many workshops on theatre are held at this auditorium under the sponsorship of the local administration.

Economy
Farming and agriculture related business is the main occupation for many people in the district. Of the total geographical area of 10,530 square kilometres, 7,760 square kilometres is available for cultivation which is 74% of the total area, while areas under forest account for only 0.19% of the total area. Only 17.3% of the net cultivable area is irrigated and the balance 82.7% of the area has to depend on the monsoon.

The cropping pattern in the district reveals that food crops like, , and  among s, ,  and  among pulses are major crops cultivated in the. The major oilseed crops are sunflower, groundnut and safflower. Horticulture crops like grapes, pomegranate, ber, guave sapota, lime are also grown. A recent trend shows that there is a low shift towards fruit crops like Pomegranate and grapes of the total area of 8,610 square kilometres. Covered during 2002-03 cereals occupy about 55.2% by oilseeds 24.5% pulse 15.6% and other commercial crops like and  about 4.8%. There is a slight shift towards commercial crops like cotton and sugarcane over last 2 years. The land holding pattern in the district indicates that small and marginal farmers account for 4% of total land holdings and 0.6% of the total land, semi-medium for 27.5% with 10.1% of total land while 68% of the holdings are above 20,000 m², accounting for 89.3% of land. Many small scale industries are working in the district however no large scale industry can be found in the district.

Education
Of late Bijapur is emerging as a hub for professional education. Previously (i.e. before 1980s) there were very few professional educational institutions. Along with the professional colleges there are many colleges which provide under-graduate and post-graduate degrees in the faculty of arts, science and social-sciences Many of these colleges except professional are affiliated to Dharwad. Karnatak Unviversity has a Post-Graduation Centre at Bijapur also. Engineering colleges are affiliated to and Medical colleges are affiliated to   In 2003 Karnataka State Women Universitywas started. Various post graduate course are conducted here. At present there are 47 affiliated Colleges under jurisdiction of 12 districts namely Bagalkot, Belguam, Bellary, Bidar, Bijapur, Dharwad, Gadag, Gulbarga, Haveri, Koppal, Raichur, Uttar Kannada Additionally Bijapur boasts of the Only Sainik School in the whole state. This is a residential school preparing cadets for the Defence forces.

Allopathic Medical Colleges

 * BLDEA's B.M.Patil Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre
 * Al-Ameen Medical College
 * Al-Ameen Dental College
 * BLDEA's Nursing College
 * BLDEA's College of Pharmacy
 * Al-Ameen's Fatima School of Nursing

Ayurvedic Medical Colleges

 * Government Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya, Bijapur
 * A.V. Samiti's Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya, Mannikeri, Bijapur
 * Dr. Basavaraj Nagur Rural Ayurved Medical College
 * Taluka S.P.S. Mandali's Ayurvedic Medical College, Sindagi, Bijapur

Engineering Colleges

 * P.G.Halakatti College of Engineering & Technology
 * SECAB Institute of Engineering and Technology
 * SECAB's Malik Sandal Institute Art & Architecture

College of Commerce
Anjuman Arts, Science and Commerce College Bijapur
 * ICFAI National College, BIJAPUR
 * A.S.Patil College of Commerce and Management
 * SECAB Institute of Engineering and Technology, Bijapur

Political Scenario
The Bijapur district is represented by seven members in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly (Lower House) and in the (Upper House) Karntaka Legislative Council five members. A single member represents the whole district in the lower house of Parliament.

The assembly constituencies under the Bijapur district are
 * Muddebihal
 * Howina Hipparagi
 * Bijapur (Bijapur Urban)
 * Basavana Bagewadi
 * Bableshwar
 * Indi
 * Ballolli
 * Sindagi