Koppala district,officially known asKoppala districtis an administrativedistrictin the state ofKarnatakainIndia.In the past Koppal was referred to as 'Kopana Nagara'.Hampi,a World heritage center, covers some areas of Koppala District. It is situated approximately 38 km away.Anegundi,is also a famous travel destination.
Koppala District | |
|---|---|
     From top-left: Stone Ratha at Vittala Temple inHampi,view of Hampi fromAnjeyanadri Hill,Mahadeva TempleatItagi,Koppal Fort,Navalinga TempleatKuknur | |
 Location in Karnataka | |
| Coordinates:15°34′31″N76°0′48″E/ 15.57528°N 76.01333°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Karnataka |
| Division | Kalaburagi |
| Established | 24 August 1997 |
| Headquarters | Koppal |
| Taluk | Koppala,Gangavathi,Yelburga,Kushtagi,Kanakagiri,Kukanur,Karatagi |
| Government | |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Nalini Atul (IAS) |
| Area | |
• Total | 45.2 km2(17.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 1,389,920 |
| • Density | 31,000/km2(80,000/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kannada |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30(IST) |
| PIN | 5832 |
| Telephone code | 08539 |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-KA |
| Vehicle registration |
|
| Website | koppal |
History
editKoppal, now a district headquarters, is ancientKopana,a major Jain holy site.Palkigunduis described as the famousIndrakila parvataof mythology. There is an ancient Shiva temple called theMale Malleshwara.There are two Ashoka inscriptions atPalkigunduandGavimatha.Koppal was the capital of a branch ofShilaharasunder theChalukyas of Kalyani.InShivaji's times it was one of the eightprants or revenue divisions of Southern Maratha Country.[2]DuringIndia's First War of Independence,Mundargi Bheema Rao and Hammige Kenchanagouda died fighting the British here in June 1858.Kinhal13 km away from Koppal is famous for its traditional colourful lacquerware.
Towns in Koppala District
editGeography
editThe district occupies an area of 7,190 km2and has a population of 1,196,089, of which 16.58% was urban as of 2001.[3]
Koppal district was carved out ofRaichurdistrict in 1997.
Taluks
editKoppal district has the following seventalukas:Koppal,Gangavathi,Yelburga,Kushtagi,Kanakagiri,KuknoorandKaratagi.
Demographics
edit| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 284,184 | — |
| 1911 | 305,145 | +0.71% |
| 1921 | 290,083 | −0.50% |
| 1931 | 317,262 | +0.90% |
| 1941 | 355,851 | +1.15% |
| 1951 | 421,043 | +1.70% |
| 1961 | 465,545 | +1.01% |
| 1971 | 611,928 | +2.77% |
| 1981 | 748,222 | +2.03% |
| 1991 | 958,078 | +2.50% |
| 2001 | 1,196,089 | +2.24% |
| 2011 | 1,389,920 | +1.51% |
| source:[4] | ||
According to the2011 censusKoppal district has apopulationof 1,389,920,[1]roughly equal to the nation ofEswatini[6]or the US state ofHawaii.[7]This gives it a ranking of 350th in India (out of a total of640).[1] The district has a population density of 250 inhabitants per square kilometre (650/sq mi).[1]Itspopulation growth rateover the decade 2001-2011 was 16.32%.[1]Koppal has asex ratioof 983femalesfor every 1000 males,[1]and aliteracy rateof 67.28%. 16.81% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 18.61% and 11.82% of the population respectively.[1]
At the time of the 2011 census, 84.09% of the population spokeKannada,7.34%Urdu,4.17%Telugu,1.64%Lambadiand 1.44%Hindias their first language.[8]
Tourist attractions
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Most notable of the many buildings dating from this period[9]is the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi in the Yelabarga taluk.
The Mahadeva Temple
edit
The Mahadeva temple at Itagi dedicated to Shiva is among the larger temples built by the Western Chalukyas and perhaps the most famous. Inscriptions hail it as the 'Emperor among temples'.[10]Here, the main temple, the sanctum of which has alinga,is surrounded by thirteen minor shrines, each with its ownlinga.The temple has two other shrines, dedicated to Murthinarayana and Chandraleshwari, parents of Mahadeva, the Chalukya commander who consecrated the temple in 1112 CE.[11] Soapstone is found in abundance in the regions of Haveri, Savanur, Byadgi, Motebennur and Hangal. The great archaic sandstone building blocks used by the Badami Chalukyas were superseded with smaller blocks of soapstone and with smaller masonry.[12] The first temple to be built from this material was the Amrtesvara Temple in Annigeri in the Dharwad district in 1050 CE. This building was to be the prototype for later, more articulated structures such as the Mahadeva Temple at Itagi.[13] The 11th-century temple-building boom continued in the 12th century with the addition of new features. The Mahadeva Temple at Itagi and the Siddhesvara Temple in Haveri are standard constructions incorporating these developments. Based on the general plan of the Amrtesvara Temple at Annigeri, the Mahadeva Temple was built in 1112 CE and has the same architectural components as its predecessor. There are however differences in their articulation; thesalaroof (roof under thefinialof the superstructure) and the miniature towers onpilastersare chiseled instead of moulded.[14]
The difference between the two temples, built fifty years apart, is the more rigid modelling and decoration found in many components of the Mahadeva Temple. The voluptuous carvings of the 11th century were replaced with a more severe chiselling.[15]
In Karnataka their most famous temples are theKashivishvanatha[16]temple and the Jain Narayana temple atPattadakal,both of which areUNESCOWorld Heritage sites.[17]Other well known temples are theParameshwaratemple at Konnur,Brahmadevatemple at Savadi, theSettavva,Kontigudi II,JadaragudiandAmbigeraguditemples atAihole,Mallikarjunatemple at Ron,Andhakeshwaratemple at Huli,Someshwaratemple at Sogal, Jain temples at Lokapura,Navalinga Templeat Kuknur,Kumaraswamytemple at Sandur, at Shirival in Gulbarga and theTrikunteshwaratemple at Gadag which was later expanded by Kalyani Chalukyas. Archeological study of these temples show some have the stellar (multigonal) plan later to be used profusely by theHoysalasofBelurandHalebidu.[18]One of the richest traditions in Indian architecture took shape in the Deccan during this time and one writer calls itKarnata dravidastyle as opposed to traditional Dravida style.[19]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^abcdefg"District Census Handbook: Koppal"(PDF).censusindia.gov.in.Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.2011.
- ^Chitnis, Krishnaji Nageshrao (1994).Glimpses of Maratha socio-economic history.New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 155.ISBN81-7156-347-3.Retrieved14 December2010.
- ^"Census GIS India".Archived fromthe originalon 3 July 2007.Retrieved27 August2009.
- ^Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
- ^"Table C-01 Population by Religion: Karnataka".censusindia.gov.in.Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.2011.
- ^US Directorate of Intelligence."Country Comparison:Population".Archived fromthe originalon 13 June 2007.Retrieved1 October2011.
Swaziland 1,370,424
- ^"2010 Resident Population Data".U.S. Census Bureau. Archived fromthe originalon 19 October 2013.Retrieved30 September2011.
Hawaii 1,360,301
- ^ab"Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Karnataka".Census of India.Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
- ^Western Chalukya architecture
- ^Kamath (2001), pp 117–118
- ^Rao, Kishan (10 June 2002)."Emperor of Temples' crying for attention".The Hindu.Archived from the original on 28 November 2007.Retrieved9 November2007.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^Cousens (1926), p 18
- ^Foekema (2003), p 49
- ^Foekema (2003), p 57
- ^Foekema (2003), p 56
- ^Rashtrakutas
- ^Vijapur, Raju S."Reclaiming past glory".Deccan Herald.Spectrum. Archived fromthe originalon 7 October 2011.Retrieved27 February2007.
- ^Sundara and Rajashekar,Arthikaje, Mangalore."Society, Religion and Economic condition in the period of Rashtrakutas".1998–2000 OurKarnataka.Com, Inc. Archived fromthe originalon 4 November 2006.Retrieved20 December2006.
- ^Sinha, Ajay J. (1999). "Reviewed work: Indian Temple Architecture: Form and Transformation, the Karṇāṭa Drāviḍa Tradition, 7th to 13th Centuries, Adam Hardy".Artibus Asiae.58(3/4): 358–362.doi:10.2307/3250027.JSTOR3250027.
External links
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