Belgaum Fort
Encyclopedia
Belgaum Fort, Kannada
: ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ ಕೋಟೆ Belagaavi Kote, is located in the city of Belgaum
, in the Belgaum district
, in Karnataka
state, India. It was built by Jaya Raya, also called Bichi Raja, an ally of the Ratta Dynasty, in the year 1204 AD. It has undergone several renovations over the centuries under different dynastic rulers of the region.
The fort, built with fine ramparts and a large moat, has a rich history with several historical and religious monuments dated to the Adil Shahi dynasty.
It is also notable in modern history because Mahatma Gandhi
was imprisoned by the British
in this fort during India’s freedom struggle.
) in the precincts of the Belgaum town (which was also known as ‘Venugrama’ meaning 'Bamboo' village), at an altitude of about 762 metres (2,500 ft), 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) from the Arabian Sea
. The Markandeya River flows nearby.
, (earlier chieftains of Saundatti
who later shifted their capital to Belgaum), Vijayanagara
emperors, Bijapur Sultans or Bahmanis, Marathas (Shivaji and Peshwas), and finally by the British
in that order. Prior to Rattas, Shatavahanas, Chalukyas and Kadambas
from Goa
have also ruled over the region.
The Belgaum fort belonged to the Ratta dynasty from the time it was built in 1204 AD by a Ratta officer named Bichiraja. Belgaum the city around the fort served as the capital of that dynasty between 1210 AD and 1250 AD. Rattas were defeated by the Yadava Dynasty of Devagiri and they briefly controlled the fort. At the turn of the 14th century, the Khilji
s of Delhi invaded the region and succeeded in ruining both the indigenous powers of the region, the Yadava and the Hoysalas without providing a viable administration. This lacuna was made good by the Vijayanagara Empire
, which had become the established power of the area by 1336 AD.
In 1474 AD, the Bahmani Sultanate
, then ruling from Bidar
, captured the fort of Belgaum under the leadership of Mahamood Gawan. Thereafter, in 1518 AD, the Bahamani Sultanate split up into five small states, and Belgaum became part of the Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur. The Ismail Adil Shah
of Adilshahi dynasty reinforced the fort with the help of Asad Khan Lari (a Persian from the province of Lar) and much of the existing structures dates from 1519 AD.
In Belgaum, the rule of Adilshahs' began in the times of Ismail Adil Shah. As Asad Khan Lari, who was a Persian from the province of Lar, assisted Ismail in the battle for the fort, was conferred with Belgaum as his jagir
in 1511 AD (in 1519 AD, Asad Khan completed the Masjid Safa in the Belgaum fort).
In 1686, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb
defeated the Bijapur
sultanate, and Belgaum came under his control. This was a short-lived control because after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, the Mughal empire's control declined. With this changed situation, the Maratha
confederacy, was taken over by the Peshwas. In 1776, Hyder Ali
of Mysore
won over this region, but only for a short period. The Peshwas, with British assistance, defeated Hyder Ali and regained control of Belgaum.
With changed circumstances over the years, the same British attacked the Belgaum fort, which was under Peshwas control, and held it under siege from 21 March to 12 April 1818, and took control of the fort and deposed the Peshwas. Shivalinga Raju, the Kittur
Desai, helped the British in this attack on the fort. As a reward, the British allowed Desai to rule over the Belgaum town and the fort.
Located in an undulating plain land, the fort has an oval shape and is surrounded by a deep and wide moat excavated in soft red stone. The external side of the fort is a broad esplanade with bastions which rise to about 32 feet (9.8 m) from the bottom of the moat. The internal dimensions of the fort, which has a level ground, is 1000 yard in length and 800 yard in width. Two massive bastions flanked by a large gate, which was originally an entry gate through a bridge, has since been blocked. The gate now in use (said to have been designed by a Brahmin) is considered a fine specimen of Indian architecture. It has a guard chamber, a "groined roof once ornamented with pendants". The exterior of the gate is decorated with large motifs of animals and birds. The gateway is covered by massive doors made of iron designed for defense. An inscription on the top of the arch of the gate in Persian ascribes its building to Jakub Ali Khan. The inscription reads:
There is a western gate also with an archway, which is guarded only by a chain stretched across two old cannons. This provides access from a sloping road crossed by a causeway over the moat.
The fort has Hindu
, Jain and Muslim
architectural influence with temples and mosques located within its limits, indicating cultural syncretism. The architectural styles seen in the mosques are of the Indo-Saracenic
and Deccan type. The fort has been built with stones and mud. A wide moat runs round the fort.
Temples
There are two Hindu shrines at the fort entrance - one devoted to Ganesha and another to goddess Durga
. The Durga temple dedicated to multi-armed goddess Durga, is considered the goddess of forts and warfare. It is located in a corner of the fort. The outer facade of the temple exhibits painted images of mythological figures.
Of the two Jain temples inside the fort, the Kamal Basadi, a Jain Basadi with the Neminatha idol in black stone (idol found in a forest nearby) is deified on a stone carved pedestal here, is more famous. It was built in the Chalukyan style in 1204 AD. The other temple called the Chikki Basadi is in ruins (see picture). Both the Jain temples were built inside the fort in the Chalukyan architecture style. The "Mukhamantapa" (main hall) of this temple is very impressive with a neatly depicted lotus carving projecting from the ceiling. The mantapa or the main hall is accessed through a number of steps partly enclosed by a balustrade with a large dome of great beauty. Lotus flower, designed in concave shape, spaced at 1 foot interval, arranged in concentric circles in decreasing layers and depicting a central blossom of the lotus, decorate the roof. The lotus pendant is covered by a large roof in pyramidal shape. The pillars that support the roof with the lotus pendant are founded on plinths. Some pillars made of black basaltic stones (said to have magnetic characteristics) are highly polished. It is named as the Kamal Basadi since the tower of the temple depicts kamal (lotus) with 72 petals, which presently displays images of the past 24 Tirthankaras but can also depict the present and future thirthankars. The pillars of the temple are well carved with decorations and neatly polished. Other idols seen in the temple are of: Bhagwan Sumatinath
in the kayotsarga
posture, Bhagwan Parshvanath under the shade of seven-hooded serpent (Nagaraj), Bhagwan Adinath
in the padmasana posture and the Navagraha
. The Archeology Department renovated this temple in 1996.The second Jain temple, though in ruins now, was once considered as a “remarkable piece of Jain architecture”. It has a frontage, which displays festooned rows of dancing figurines, musicians, and trimmed flowers.
Mosques
The fort has two mosques or masjids, namely the Safa Masjid and Jamia Masjid; the former mosque is the most frequented by the Muslim
population of the city of Belgaum. Safa masjid was completed in 1519 by Asad Khan Lari (testified by the Persian inscription). The Mosque's pillars have exquisite inscriptions in a fusion of Nagari and Persian styles. It is also said that two of the pillars here are from Hindu temples and have Kannada inscriptions in Nagari scripts; one pillar dated to 1199 AD is credited to Ratta King Kartaveerya IV and the other pillar dated to 1261 AD is credited to Sevuna (Yadava) Krishna. The Jamia Masjid, dated 1585-86, was built by Sher Khan.<
, and lies at the border of two states, Maharashtra
and Goa. It is well connected by road, rail and air services to all parts of the country.
Belgaum is connected by road via the National Highway 4 (connecting Maharashtra
(now part of the Golden Quadrilateral), Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
and Tamil Nadu
) and NH 4A (connecting Karnataka and Goa). The road distance is 502 kilometres (311.9 mi) to Bangalore
(on the Bangalore-Pune highway); 515 kilometres (320 mi) to Hyderabad and 500 kilometres (310.7 mi) to Mumbai
, and it is midway between Bangalore and Mumbai.
The distances to the nearest well developed cities within and in the border states of Maharashtra and Goa are: Hubli -94 kilometres (58.4 mi), Dharwar - 70 kilometres (43.5 mi), Mangalore
- 438 kilometres (272.2 mi), Goa
-125 kilometres (77.7 mi), Kolhapur - 103 kilometres (64 mi) and Pune
- 336 kilometres (208.8 mi). It is close to the bus station.
The airport currently serving the city is Belgaum Airport
at Sambra, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away from the city.
It is part of the main Indian Railways
grid of Hubli Division and is well connected by rail to major destinations such as Bangalore (via Hubli), Mumbai
(via Miraj
) and Goa.
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
: ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ ಕೋಟೆ Belagaavi Kote, is located in the city of Belgaum
Belgaum
Belgaum is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the fourth largest city of the state of Karnataka, the first three being Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad....
, in the Belgaum district
Belgaum district
Belgaum district is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The city of Belgaum is the district headquarters in North Karnataka. By the 2011 Census of India, it had a population of 4778439...
, in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
state, India. It was built by Jaya Raya, also called Bichi Raja, an ally of the Ratta Dynasty, in the year 1204 AD. It has undergone several renovations over the centuries under different dynastic rulers of the region.
The fort, built with fine ramparts and a large moat, has a rich history with several historical and religious monuments dated to the Adil Shahi dynasty.
It is also notable in modern history because Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
was imprisoned by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in this fort during India’s freedom struggle.
Geography
The fort is situated in the foothills of the Sahyadri mountain range of (Western GhatsWestern Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
) in the precincts of the Belgaum town (which was also known as ‘Venugrama’ meaning 'Bamboo' village), at an altitude of about 762 metres (2,500 ft), 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) from the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
. The Markandeya River flows nearby.
History
The fort’s history is traced to the Ratta Dynasty with lineage to the Rashtrakuta DynastyRashtrakuta Dynasty
The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian Subcontinent between the sixth and the 10th centuries. During this period they ruled as several closely related, but individual clans. Rastrakutas in inscriptions represented as descendants of Satyaki, a Yadava well known...
, (earlier chieftains of Saundatti
Saundatti
Savadatti is one of the oldest towns in Belgaum district in the south Indian state of Karnataka. It is a celebrated pilgrimage centre located 78 kilometres from Belgaum. Savadatti is also the name of the taluk , which was previously named Parasgad. There are several ancient temples in...
who later shifted their capital to Belgaum), Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....
emperors, Bijapur Sultans or Bahmanis, Marathas (Shivaji and Peshwas), and finally by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in that order. Prior to Rattas, Shatavahanas, Chalukyas and Kadambas
Kadambas
The Kadamba Dynasty was an ancient royal family of Karnataka that ruled from Banavasi in present day Uttara Kannada district. The dynasty later continued to rule as a feudatory of larger Kannada empires, the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta empires for over five hundred years during which time they...
from Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
have also ruled over the region.
The Belgaum fort belonged to the Ratta dynasty from the time it was built in 1204 AD by a Ratta officer named Bichiraja. Belgaum the city around the fort served as the capital of that dynasty between 1210 AD and 1250 AD. Rattas were defeated by the Yadava Dynasty of Devagiri and they briefly controlled the fort. At the turn of the 14th century, the Khilji
Khilji
Khilji may refer to:*Khilji dynasty*Khilji, Nepalas added to the page to prevent it being listed on Special:Shortpages. It and the accompanying monitoring template were generated via Template:Longcomment. Please do not remove the monitor template without removing the comment as well....
s of Delhi invaded the region and succeeded in ruining both the indigenous powers of the region, the Yadava and the Hoysalas without providing a viable administration. This lacuna was made good by the Vijayanagara Empire
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...
, which had become the established power of the area by 1336 AD.
In 1474 AD, the Bahmani Sultanate
Bahmani Sultanate
The Bahmani Sultanate was a Muslim state of the Deccan in southern India and one of the great medieval Indian kingdoms...
, then ruling from Bidar
Bidar
Bidar is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the north-eastern part of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Bidar District....
, captured the fort of Belgaum under the leadership of Mahamood Gawan. Thereafter, in 1518 AD, the Bahamani Sultanate split up into five small states, and Belgaum became part of the Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur. The Ismail Adil Shah
Ismail Adil Shah
Isamail Adil Shah was the king of Bijapur who spent most of his time extending his territory. His short lived reign helped the dynasty establish a strong hold in the deccan.-Early years:...
of Adilshahi dynasty reinforced the fort with the help of Asad Khan Lari (a Persian from the province of Lar) and much of the existing structures dates from 1519 AD.
In Belgaum, the rule of Adilshahs' began in the times of Ismail Adil Shah. As Asad Khan Lari, who was a Persian from the province of Lar, assisted Ismail in the battle for the fort, was conferred with Belgaum as his jagir
Jagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...
in 1511 AD (in 1519 AD, Asad Khan completed the Masjid Safa in the Belgaum fort).
In 1686, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
defeated the Bijapur
Adil Shahi
The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi dynasty ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur in the Western area of the Deccan region of Southern India from 1490 to 1686. Bijapur had been a province of the Bahmani Sultanate , before its political decline in the last quarter of the 15th century and eventual break-up in 1518...
sultanate, and Belgaum came under his control. This was a short-lived control because after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, the Mughal empire's control declined. With this changed situation, the Maratha
Maratha
The Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
confederacy, was taken over by the Peshwas. In 1776, Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...
of Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
won over this region, but only for a short period. The Peshwas, with British assistance, defeated Hyder Ali and regained control of Belgaum.
With changed circumstances over the years, the same British attacked the Belgaum fort, which was under Peshwas control, and held it under siege from 21 March to 12 April 1818, and took control of the fort and deposed the Peshwas. Shivalinga Raju, the Kittur
Kittur
Kitturu , also called Kittur is a village in Belgaum District of Karnataka state. It is part of the Bailahongal taluk in Belgaum district. It is a place of historical significance because of the resistance of Rani Chennamma of Kitturu to the British Raj.-History:On the outskirts of the town lies...
Desai, helped the British in this attack on the fort. As a reward, the British allowed Desai to rule over the Belgaum town and the fort.
Fort structure
It is one of the oldest forts in the state of Karnataka. It had fortifications designed to repel attacks of invading armies. It was originally built by Bichiraja (Ratta Dynasty) in 1204.Located in an undulating plain land, the fort has an oval shape and is surrounded by a deep and wide moat excavated in soft red stone. The external side of the fort is a broad esplanade with bastions which rise to about 32 feet (9.8 m) from the bottom of the moat. The internal dimensions of the fort, which has a level ground, is 1000 yard in length and 800 yard in width. Two massive bastions flanked by a large gate, which was originally an entry gate through a bridge, has since been blocked. The gate now in use (said to have been designed by a Brahmin) is considered a fine specimen of Indian architecture. It has a guard chamber, a "groined roof once ornamented with pendants". The exterior of the gate is decorated with large motifs of animals and birds. The gateway is covered by massive doors made of iron designed for defense. An inscription on the top of the arch of the gate in Persian ascribes its building to Jakub Ali Khan. The inscription reads:
Jakub Ali Khan, who is a joy to the heart, by whose benevolence the world is prosperous, built the wall of the fort from its base as strong as the barrier of Sicardis.It was in 1631 AD that the main gate of the fort was built.
There is a western gate also with an archway, which is guarded only by a chain stretched across two old cannons. This provides access from a sloping road crossed by a causeway over the moat.
The fort has Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, Jain and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
architectural influence with temples and mosques located within its limits, indicating cultural syncretism. The architectural styles seen in the mosques are of the Indo-Saracenic
Indo-Saracenic
The Indo-Saracenic Revival was an architectural style movement by British architects in the late 19th century in British India...
and Deccan type. The fort has been built with stones and mud. A wide moat runs round the fort.
Temples
There are two Hindu shrines at the fort entrance - one devoted to Ganesha and another to goddess Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
. The Durga temple dedicated to multi-armed goddess Durga, is considered the goddess of forts and warfare. It is located in a corner of the fort. The outer facade of the temple exhibits painted images of mythological figures.
Sumatinath
Sumatinatha was the fifth Jain Tirthankar of the present age . According to Jain beliefs, he became a siddha, a liberated soul which has destroyed all of its karma....
in the kayotsarga
Kayotsarga
Kayotsarga is a yogic meditative posture that is also part of the Preksha meditation. Most of the Tirthankaras of Jainism are depicted in Kayotsarga posture. Kayotsarga means to give up one's physical comfort and body movements, thus staying steady, either in a standing or other posture, and...
posture, Bhagwan Parshvanath under the shade of seven-hooded serpent (Nagaraj), Bhagwan Adinath
Adinath
Adinath or Adin atha is a Sanskrit word meaning "First Lord" and can refer to:* Adi Jina, a title of the Lord Rishabha* Adi Nath, a title of the Hindu deity Shiva* Adinath Sampradaya, a sadhu sub-sect of the Nath Sampradaya...
in the padmasana posture and the Navagraha
Navagraha
Graha is a 'cosmic influencer' on the living beings of mother Bhumidevi . In Hindu astrology, the Navagraha are some of these major influencers.All the navagraha have relative movement with respect to the background of fixed stars in the zodiac...
. The Archeology Department renovated this temple in 1996.The second Jain temple, though in ruins now, was once considered as a “remarkable piece of Jain architecture”. It has a frontage, which displays festooned rows of dancing figurines, musicians, and trimmed flowers.
Mosques
The fort has two mosques or masjids, namely the Safa Masjid and Jamia Masjid; the former mosque is the most frequented by the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
population of the city of Belgaum. Safa masjid was completed in 1519 by Asad Khan Lari (testified by the Persian inscription). The Mosque's pillars have exquisite inscriptions in a fusion of Nagari and Persian styles. It is also said that two of the pillars here are from Hindu temples and have Kannada inscriptions in Nagari scripts; one pillar dated to 1199 AD is credited to Ratta King Kartaveerya IV and the other pillar dated to 1261 AD is credited to Sevuna (Yadava) Krishna. The Jamia Masjid, dated 1585-86, was built by Sher Khan.<
Access
The fort is situated within the precincts of Belgaum city, which is located in the northwestern parts of KarnatakaKarnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, and lies at the border of two states, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
and Goa. It is well connected by road, rail and air services to all parts of the country.
Belgaum is connected by road via the National Highway 4 (connecting Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
(now part of the Golden Quadrilateral), Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
and Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
) and NH 4A (connecting Karnataka and Goa). The road distance is 502 kilometres (311.9 mi) to Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
(on the Bangalore-Pune highway); 515 kilometres (320 mi) to Hyderabad and 500 kilometres (310.7 mi) to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, and it is midway between Bangalore and Mumbai.
The distances to the nearest well developed cities within and in the border states of Maharashtra and Goa are: Hubli -94 kilometres (58.4 mi), Dharwar - 70 kilometres (43.5 mi), Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...
- 438 kilometres (272.2 mi), Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
-125 kilometres (77.7 mi), Kolhapur - 103 kilometres (64 mi) and Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
- 336 kilometres (208.8 mi). It is close to the bus station.
The airport currently serving the city is Belgaum Airport
Belgaum Airport
Belgaum Airport also Sambra Air Force Station is an airport located of Belgaum, Karnataka, India on SH20. Its also a Air Force Station with basic Training Institute in Sambra...
at Sambra, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away from the city.
It is part of the main Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
grid of Hubli Division and is well connected by rail to major destinations such as Bangalore (via Hubli), Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
(via Miraj
Miraj
Miraj , is an historic town in southern Maharashtra, India. The history of the town dates back to the early 10th century, and the town is known for its rich tradition of Hindustani classical music and for religious harmony. It served as a stronghold and a strategic bastion because of its location...
) and Goa.