Kalaburagi

City in Karnataka, India

This article is about the municipality in India. For its namesake district, see Kalaburagi district.

"Kalburgi" redirects here. For the scholar and writer, see M. M. Kalburgi.

City in Karnataka, India

Kalaburagi

Gulbarga

City

Clockwise from top left, Sharana Basaveshwara Temple, Buddha Vihar, Khwaja Banda Nawaz Dargah, CUK Kalaburagi, ESIC Medical College and PGIMSR, Kalaburagi and Kalaburagi Fort

Kalaburagi

Location of Kalaburagi in India

Show map of Karnataka

Kalaburagi

Location of Kalaburagi in Karnataka

Show map of India

Coordinates: 17°19′44″N 76°49′30″E﻿ / ﻿17.329°N 76.825°E﻿ / 17.329; 76.825
Country|  India
State| Karnataka
District| Kalaburagi
Regions of Karnataka| Kalyana-Karnataka
Government

• Type| Mayor–Council, Kalaburagi City Corporation
• Body| District Administration
• Member of Parliament| Radhakrishna Doddamani (INC)
Kaneez Fatima (INC)
Area

• City| 192 km2 (74 sq mi)
Elevation

| 454 m (1,490 ft)
Population

(2011)

• City| 533,587[1]
• Density| 8,275/km2 (21,430/sq mi)
• Metro

| 543,147[1]
Languages

• Official| Kannada
Time zone| UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN|

585101-106

Telephone code| 91(847)-2XXXXXX
Vehicle registration| KA-32
Website| kalaburagi.nic.in/en

Kalaburagi, formerly known as Gulbarga,[2] is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kalaburagi district and is the largest city in the region of North Karnataka (Kalyana-Karnataka). Kalaburagi is 568 km north of the state capital city of Bangalore. It was incorporated into the newly formed Mysore State (now known as Karnataka) through the States Reorganisation Act[3] in 1956.

Kalaburagi city is governed by a Municipal Corporation and is in the Kalaburagi Urban Region. It is called a Sufi city. It has famous religious structures, like the Hazrath Khwaja Banda Nawaz Dargah, the Sharana Basaveshwara Temple and the Buddha Vihar. It also has a fort built during the Bahmani rule. Other Bahmani monuments include the Haft Gumbaz (seven domes together) and the Shor Gumbad. Kalaburagi has the world's largest cannon.[4][5][6][7] Kalaburagi has a few architectural marvels built during the Bahamani Kingdom rule, including the Jama Masjid in the Kalaburagi Fort. Kalaburagi houses the circuit bench of the High Court of Karnataka. Several buildings in the city were put by UNESCO on its "tentative list" to become a World Heritage Site in 2014, with others in the region, under the name Monuments and Forts of the Deccan Sultanate (despite there being several sultanates).[8]

The name Gulbarga means ‘(City of) ‘Flower Gardens’ ultimately from the Persian words gul ‘flower’ and bāgh ‘garden’.[9]

## History

[edit]

Asuf Gunj, Kalaburagi in 1880

The history of Kalaburagi dates to the sixth century. The Rashtrakutas gained control over the region, but the Chalukyas regained their domain within a short period and reigned supreme for over 200 years. The Kalyani Kalachuris who succeeded them ruled until the 12th century. Around the end of the 12th century, the Yadavas of Devagiri and the Hoysalas of Dwarasamadra destroyed the supremacy of the Chalukyas and Kalachuris of Kalyani. Around the same period, the Kakatiya kings of Warangal came into prominence and the present Kalaburagi and Raichur districts formed part of their domain. The Kakatiya power was subdued in 1308 AD and the entire Deccan, including the district of Kalaburagi, passed under the control of the Delhi Sultanate.

The revolt of the officers appointed from Delhi resulted in the founding of the Bahmani Sultanate in 1347 CE by Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah, who chose Kalaburagi (Hasanabad) to be the capital.[10] When the Bahmani Sultanate came to an end in 1527, the kingdom broke up into five independent Deccan sultanates, Bijapur, Bidar, Berar, Ahmednagar, and Golconda. The present Kalaburagi district came partly under the sultanate of Bidar and partly under the sultanate of Bijapur. The last of these sultanates, Golconda, finally fell to Aurangzeb in 1687.

With the conquest of the Deccan by Aurangzeb in the 17th century, Kalaburagi passed under the Mughal Empire. In the early part of the 18th century, with the decline of the Mughal Empire, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah I, one of Aurangzeb's generals, formed the kingdom of Hyderabad, in which a major part of the Kalaburagi area was also included. In 1948, Hyderabad State became a part of the Indian Union, and in 1956, excluding two talukas which were annexed to Andhra Pradesh, Kalaburagi district became part of the new Mysore State.

Gulbarga (Urdu) (city of flowers and gardens) was renamed Kalaburagi (Kannada) (Kal-means stone in Kannada, bur means thorns in Kannada the whole name represents "The Land of stones and thorns") effective 1 November 2014.[11]

## Geography

[edit]

The entire district is on the Deccan Plateau, and the elevation ranges from 300 to 750 m above MSL. Two main rivers, the Krishna and Bhima, flow through the district. The predominant soil type is black soil. The district has many tanks, which irrigate the land along with the river. The Upper Krishna Project is a major irrigation venture in the district of Kalaburagi. The main crops are groundnuts, rice, and pulses. Kalaburagi is the largest producer of toor dal, or pigeon peas, in Karnataka. Kalaburagi is an industrially backward district but is showing signs of growth in the cement, textile, leather and chemical industries. Kalaburagi has a university with Medical and Engineering Colleges. Central University of Karnataka (CuK) is located in Kadaganchi, Åland Taluk of Kalaburagi.[12] The geographical area of the city is 64 square kilometres.[13]

### Climate

[edit]

Kalaburagi has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) bordering on a tropical wet and dry climate (Aw). The climate of the district is generally dry, with temperatures ranging from 8 °C to 45 °C and an annual rainfall of about 750 mm. The year in Kalaburagi is divided into three main seasons. The summer lasts from late February to May. It is followed by the southwest monsoon, which lasts from late June to late October. This is then followed by dry winter weather from late November until February.

Climate data for Kalaburagi (1981–2010, extremes 1901–2012)

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Record high °C (°F)  | 36.2
(97.2)  | 39.4
(102.9)  | 43.0
(109.4)  | 45.1
(113.2)  | 46.1
(115.0)  | 46.0
(114.8)  | 38.4
(101.1)  | 37.8
(100.0)  | 37.4
(99.3)  | 38.2
(100.8)  | 35.6
(96.1)  | 35.1
(95.2)  | 46.1
(115.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 31.3
(88.3)  | 34.4
(93.9)  | 37.8
(100.0)  | 40.2
(104.4)  | 40.6
(105.1)  | 35.6
(96.1)  | 32.3
(90.1)  | 31.3
(88.3)  | 32.1
(89.8)  | 32.3
(90.1)  | 31.4
(88.5)  | 30.5
(86.9)  | 34.2
(93.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 16.3
(61.3)  | 18.6
(65.5)  | 22.3
(72.1)  | 25.1
(77.2)  | 25.8
(78.4)  | 23.8
(74.8)  | 23.0
(73.4)  | 22.5
(72.5)  | 22.6
(72.7)  | 21.2
(70.2)  | 18.5
(65.3)  | 15.8
(60.4)  | 21.3
(70.3)
Record low °C (°F)  | 6.7
(44.1)  | 9.4
(48.9)  | 12.8
(55.0)  | 13.3
(55.9)  | 17.8
(64.0)  | 12.7
(54.9)  | 17.2
(63.0)  | 16.4
(61.5)  | 17.8
(64.0)  | 10.0
(50.0)  | 7.8
(46.0)  | 5.6
(42.1)  | 5.6
(42.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches)  | 4.1
(0.16)  | 1.9
(0.07)  | 5.9
(0.23)  | 17.2
(0.68)  | 26.0
(1.02)  | 109.4
(4.31)  | 127.1
(5.00)  | 152.8
(6.02)  | 194.2
(7.65)  | 99.9
(3.93)  | 19.7
(0.78)  | 4.2
(0.17)  | 762.3
(30.01)
Average rainy days  | 0.4  | 0.1  | 0.5  | 1.4  | 2.3  | 6.4  | 8.9  | 8.9  | 9.0  | 5.4  | 1.6  | 0.2  | 45.0
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) | 34  | 28  | 23  | 23  | 28  | 48  | 58  | 61  | 60  | 52  | 43  | 37  | 41
Source: India Meteorological Department[14][15]

## Demographics

[edit]

Religions in Kalaburagi city (2011)[16]

Religion |  | Percent
Hinduism |

| 59.62%
Islam |

| 37.29%
Christianity |

| 0.52%
Jainism |

| 0.40%
Others† |

| 2.17%
Distribution of religions
†Includes Sikhs (0.2%), Buddhists (<0.2%).

As of the 2011 Indian census,[1] Kalaburagi city has a population of 533,587. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Kalaburagi has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy is 70%, while that of females is 30%. In Kalaburagi, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Languages of Kalaburgi city (2011)[17]

Kannada (55.04%)

Urdu (35.78%)

Marathi (3.56%)

Hindi (2.37%)

Telugu (1.20%)

Lambadi (1.14%)

Others (0.91%)

At the time of the 2011 census, 55.04% of the population spoke Kannada, 35.78% Urdu, 3.56% Marathi, 2.37% Hindi, 1.20% Telugu and 1.14% Lambadi as their first language.[17]

## Government and politics

[edit]

Kalaburagi has been home to two ex-chief ministers of Karnataka, namely Veerendra Patil (1968–1971, 1988–1992) and Dharam Singh (2004–2006); both belonged to the Indian National Congress party.

Kalaburagi comes under Kalaburagi Lok Sabha constituency. Radhakrishna Doddamani from Indian National Congress (INC) is the Member of Parliament (MP) since 2024. Mallikarjun Kharge (born 21 July 1942) is an Indian politician, who is the current president of the Indian National Congress, and Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha from Karnataka since 16 February 2021. He was also Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha from 16 February 2021 to 1 October 2022. He was the Former Minister of Railways and Minister of Labour and Employment in the Government of India. Kharge was a Member of Parliament for Gulbarga, Karnataka from 2009 to 2019.[18]

Kalaburagi city has two Vidhan Sabha constituencies: Kalaburagi Uttar (North) and Kalaburagi Dakshin (South). Both are part of the Kalaburagi Lok Sabha constituency. The MLA for Kalaburagi Uttar is Kaneez Fatima from Indian National Congress, while the MLA for Kalaburagi Dakshin is from Indian National congress[2023] .

## Culture/Cityscape

[edit]

### Art and architecture

[edit]

Haft Gumbaz Chor Gumbad

The largest collection of Islamic art is seen at the domed ceiling and walls are adorned with paintings containing calligraphy designs and floral, flower and plants and geometric patterns inside the 14th-century tomb of Sufi saint Syed Shah Qhabulullah Husayni with natural colours. By religious restrictions, the artist was prohibited from depicting living beings in the interior of tomb, and his imagination was therefore employed either in inventing new designs for religious texts or in adding further delicacy and subtleness to the geometric and floral devices by making the drawings more and more intricate. A small tomb beside the said Sufi's has an excellent work of painted flower plants on the ceiling. Another vacant Shore Gumbad outside the city has delicate designs on its domed ceiling is superb.[citation needed]

The walls and ceiling of the tomb of Sultan Firuz Shah Bahmani can be appreciated which, although monotone, represents faithfully the creepers and floral patterns, the numerous geometric devices and calligraphic styles. The most notable building, however, of this period is the Jama Masjid of Kalaburagi fort, built by a Persian architect named Rafi in 1367 during the reign of Bahmani King Mohammed Shah I.

The glory of the towns in north Karnataka waned with the decline of the Bahmani dynasty, although Barid Shahi and Adil Shahi Kings kept up its beauty during their chequered rule. It suffers from pollution through nickel and lead.

Royal patronage played an important role in the making of Islamic art, as it has in the arts of other cultures. From the 14th century onwards, especially in eastern lands, the books of art provide the best documentation of courtly patronage.

For more information about the rich culture of Gulbarga, the book titled, Muslim Monuments of Gulbarga, (A Cultural Study) by Dr. Md. Salahuddin Munshi can be referred.

## Transport

[edit]

### By Air

[edit]

Kalaburagi has its own airport named Kalaburagi airport which was inaugurated by Karnataka CM Yediyurappa on 22 November 2019 and started on the same day.[19] It is connected with Bangalore and Tirupati by Star Air and Alliance Air.

Kalaburagi airport has second longest runway in Karnataka after the Kempegowda International Airport of Bangalore.[20]

### By Rail

[edit]

Kalaburagi has a railway station named Kalaburagi Junction which comes under the Solapur division of Indian Railways. There are two railway lines that pass through Kalaburagi namely, Mumbai–Chennai line (Solapur–Guntakal section) and Kalaburagi \- Bidar line.

Kalaburagi is directly linked through daily trains with Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Itarsi Junction, Mysore, Hassan, Hubli, Vijayawada, Coimbatore, Kochi, Kanyakumari etc.

Kalaburagi is planned to be a part of proposed high-speed rail corridor running from Mumbai to Hyderabad.[21]

### By Road

[edit]

Kalaburagi is the headquarter of the NEKRTC also called as Kalyana Karnataka RTC bus transport which was founded and started on 15 August 2000 and serves the North-Eastern Districts of Karnataka.[22] It also has Nrupatunga city bus service which serves Kalaburagi urban and Sedam and is operated by NEKRTC itself.[23]

## Education

[edit]

The Central University of Karnataka is located in Kalaburagi. The Gulbarga University, Sharnbasva University, and Khaja Bandanawaz University, are the other universities in the city. It also has an ESIC Medical College.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Gulbarga Population Census 2011 - 2019". Census 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
2. ^ "Kalaburagi". indiatoday.intoday.in. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
3. ^ "Central Government The States Reorganisation Act, 1956" (PDF). indiaenvironmentportal.org.in. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
4. ^ "Remembering a Sufi saint". www.thehindu.com. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
5. ^ "GULBARGA CITY CORPORATION". www.gulbargacity.mrc.gov.in/. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
6. ^ "The Haft Gumbaz–Gulbarga". hariexploresindia.wordpress.com. 14 November 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
7. ^ "Remains of a grand dream". www.deccanherald.com/. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
8. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Monuments and Forts of the Deccan Sultanate". UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
9. ^ Everett-Heath, John (24 October 2019). The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Place Names. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780191882913.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-188291-3.
10. ^ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. pp. 106–108. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
11. ^ Variyar, Mugdha (1 November 2014). "Bangalore Wakes up to 'Bengaluru'; 11 Other Karnataka Cities Renamed". IBTimes. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
12. ^ //http://www.cuk.ac.in//
13. ^ "Unauthorized Request Blocked".
14. ^ "Station: Kalaburagi Climatological Table 1981–2010" (PDF). Climatological Normals 1981–2010. India Meteorological Department. January 2015. pp. 299–300. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
15. ^ "Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. December 2016. p. M96. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
16. ^ "Table C-01 Population by Religion: Karnataka". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
17. ^ a b "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue (Town): Karnataka". www.censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
18. ^ Khushboo (24 May 2019). "Lok Sabha Result 2019: कर्नाटक की गुलबर्गा सीट पर बीजेपी के उमेश जाधव ने कांग्रेस के मल्लिकार्जुन खड़गे को दी शिकस्त". Hindustan (in Hindi). Retrieved 25 May 2019.
19. ^ "Kalaburagi airport inaugurated by Karnataka CM Yediyurappa; full flight schedule". The Indian Express. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
20. ^ "Kalaburagi airport thrown open to commercial flights". The Hindu. 22 November 201. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
21. ^ "Mumbai-Hyderabad bullet train terminal could be at Navi Mumbai airport". Times of India. 27 December 2020.
22. ^ "Bus staff strike total in Bangalore". The Hindu. 14 September 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
23. ^ "16th Annual Administration Report 2015-16" (PDF). nekrtc.org. Retrieved 6 April 2021.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Gulbarga.

Muslim Monuments of Gulbarga (A Cultural Study) by Dr. Md, Salahuddin Munshi The study entitled "Muslim Monuments of Gulbarga (A Cultural Study) 14th century to 17th century A.D" is about the rich culture of Gulbarga heritage, and the kingdoms ruled in this era and their significance, for the development of area's as their capital city of the kingdom.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kalaburagi.

[1]

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Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) topics

Religious|

* Bande Nawaz
* Sharana Basaveshwara Temple
* Buddha Vihar
* Ganagapura

Talukas|

* Afzalpur
* Aland
* Chincholi
* Chitapur
* Gulbarga
* Jevargi
* Sedam

Places|

* Sannati
* Kanaganahalli
* Gulbarga Fort
* Jama Mosque Gulbarga
* Haft Gumbaz
* Malkheda

Transport|

* Kalaburagi Airport
* Sedam Airport
* Kalaburagi railway station
* Nruputunga city bus service

Cities|

* wadi
* Shahabad

Education|

* Central University of Karnataka
* Gulbarga University
* Khaja Bandanawaz University
* Sharnbasva University

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany

1. ^ Dr Md Salahuddin Munshi (2017). Dr (1st ed.). Bengaluru: Karnataka Historical Research Society.

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