Belagavi District, Karnataka

Belagavi (ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ), historically known as Belgaum, is the second-largest district in Karnataka by population and one of the state's foremost administrative, commercial, and industrial epicenters. Positioned on the foothills of the Western Ghats along the border of Maharashtra and Goa, the district functions as Karnataka's secondary legislative capital, hosting the majestic Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.

Spanning an expansive territory of 13,415 square kilometres, Belagavi recorded a population of 4,779,661 in the 2011 Census of India. The district is universally acclaimed as the Sugar Bowl of Karnataka, driven by prolific sugarcane cultivation across the fertile Krishna, Ghataprabha, and Malaprabha river basins.

Steeped in heroic freedom history immortalized by Kittur Rani Chennamma and Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna, Belagavi combines robust agrarian prosperity with vibrant aerospace, foundry, and textile industries. Explore all taluks and villages below for verified local governance information.

Belagavi's origins can be traced to the twelfth century CE, when the Ratta dynasty established their capital at Venugrama ('Village of Bamboos'), modern-day Belagavi. The stone fort and the famous Kamal Basti Jain temple inside the fortress date from this glorious Ratta period.

Later, the region was governed by the Yadavas of Devagiri, the Vijayanagara Empire, the Bahmani Sultanate, and the Adil Shahis of Bijapur, under whom Asad Khan Lari strengthened the fortifications. In the early nineteenth century, the princely state of Kittur in Belagavi wrote a glorious chapter of resistance against the British East India Company under Kittur Rani Chennamma and her military commander Sangolli Rayanna in 1824.

Belagavi was also the proud host of the historic 39th session of the Indian National Congress in December 1924, the only session presided over by Mahatma Gandhi. Following state reorganization in 1956, Belgaum became part of Mysore State, and the name Belagavi was officially restored in 2014.

Belagavi occupies the northwestern corner of Karnataka, bounded by Kolhapur, Sangli, and Miraj districts of Maharashtra to the north and west, Goa to the southwest, and Karnataka districts of Uttara Kannada, Dharwad, Gadag, and Bagalkote to the south and east. The western taluks form part of the lush Western Ghats, while the eastern and northern sectors open into expansive river plains.

The district is drained by major perennial rivers including the Krishna, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Markandeya, and Mahadayi, endowing it with fertile agricultural tracts and spectacular waterfalls like Gokak Falls.

The administrative machinery of Belagavi district is organized into several revenue taluks, each administered by a Tahsildar under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate. Local rural governance is delivered through three tiers of Panchayati Raj institutions: the Zilla Panchayat at the district level, Taluk Panchayats, and Gram Panchayats serving rural village clusters.

Explore the interactive taluk cards and accordion directory below to discover verified counts of Gram Panchayats, inhabited hamlets, and canonical revenue villages registered in the national Local Government Directory (LGD).

Belagavi possesses one of Karnataka's most vibrant economies, characterized by high-volume agro-processing, heavy engineering, and aerospace precision manufacturing. The district is home to India's first notified precision engineering and aerospace Special Economic Zone (Aequs SEZ) in Hukkeri.

Belagavi is renowned nationally as an engineering foundry cluster, manufacturing precision castings, crankshafts, and automotive components for global automobile corporations. It is also Karnataka's sugar industry hub, housing over twenty-five large cooperative and private sugar factories, alongside extensive powerloom weaving clusters in Ramdurg and Bailhongal.

Agriculture is the bedrock of Belagavi's rural economy. The Krishna, Ghataprabha, and Malaprabha irrigation schemes, supplemented by the Hidkal Dam and Navilatirtha Dam, ensure perennial water access for extensive sugarcane plantations.

Besides sugarcane, farmers cultivate paddy, soybean, maize, wheat, cotton, and vegetables. The cooler western hill zones produce ginger, turmeric, and horticultural fruits, while Belagavi city acts as a major vegetable exporter to Goa and Maharashtra.

Belagavi is a premier educational destination in southern India. It is the headquarters of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), which affiliates over 200 engineering colleges across Karnataka. The district also houses the KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research (KAHER), JN Medical College, Maratha Mandal institutions, and the Commando Training Wing of the Indian Army.

Hundreds of primary, secondary, and higher secondary institutions serve students across all rural and urban settlements.

The KarnatakaInfo.com database holds 5,550 school records for Belagavi district (UDISE+). This dataset covers schools only; colleges and universities appear in the text above where verified.

• Primary with Upper Primary2,385
• Primary1,420
• Secondary Only750
• Pr. Up Pr. and Secondary Only472
• Higher Secondary only/Jr. College309
• Upper Pr. and Secondary116
• Pr. with Up.Pr. Sec. and H.Sec.40
• Up. Pr. Secondary and Higher Sec21
• Secondary with Higher Secondary21
• Upper Primary only16

School listings are available on each village and taluk page.

Belagavi is an internationally recognized healthcare center, led by the massive 2,400-bed KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Charitable Hospital and Medical Research Centre. The Belagavi District Hospital, taluk hospitals, and a widespread network of PHCs deliver comprehensive public medical services.

The database records 973 public health facilities in Belagavi district. This is the dataset available on KarnatakaInfo.com and should not be read as a complete list of all hospitals.

• Immunisation Facility781
• PHC149
• CHC43

Belagavi offers a remarkable variety of historical, cultural, and natural tourism destinations, spanning ancient stone temples, fortresses, scenic river ghats, and wildlife sanctuaries.

Visitors explore diverse heritage circuits across the district that showcase Karnataka's architectural excellence and natural splendour.

Belagavi's cultural identity is a vibrant synthesis of Kannada traditions with neighboring Konkani and Marathi influences. The annual Belagavi Dasara and Kittur Utsav are celebrated with immense splendor, showcasing folk performances like Dollu Kunitha, Jaggalagi Mela, and Veeragase.

Literary gatherings and classical Hindustani music concerts reflect the district's sophisticated artistic heritage.

Belagavi is world-famous for its signature milk sweet, Belgaum Kunda, prepared by simmering pure milk and caramelized sugar, and the GI-tagged Karadant of Gokak made from dry fruits and edible gum.

Daily fare includes Jolada Rotti, Yennegai, spicy mutton sukka, Shevaya Kheer, and local savories like Belgaum Aluchya Vadya.

Belagavi is endowed with abundant surface water from five major river systems, extensive bauxite reserves utilized for aluminum manufacturing, and dense deciduous forests in Khanapur taluk that harbor rich wildlife.

Hydroelectric power projects at Hidkal and mini hydel plants generate renewable energy for the state grid.

Belagavi is exceptionally well connected via National Highway 48 (Golden Quadrilateral connecting Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru) and NH 4A to Goa. Belagavi Railway Station is a major junction on South Western Railway.

Belagavi Airport (Sambre) is one of Karnataka's oldest commercial airports, operating daily domestic flights to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad.

KarnatakaInfo.com brings together the administrative hierarchy of Belagavi district: its taluks, Gram Panchayat counts and revenue villages. Each taluk has a village directory, and each village has a profile with Census population and literacy figures where available, land-use data, nearby schools, healthcare facilities, post offices, nearby tourist attractions and distances to the nearest bus and railway stations.