Kanakapura
Encyclopedia
Kanakapura is a town and the headquarters of Kanakapura Taluk in the Ramanagara district
in the state of Karnataka
, India
. Situated near the city of Bengaluru, this town is famous for the production of silk
and granite
.
and later under the Cholas, who administered it as a part of an area called Kilalainad. Later, the Hoysalas made it a major headquarters of a province (sime). Its name was changed as Kanakapura from its original Kanakanahalli. But earlier it is mentioned as Kanikaranahalli in two Hoysala records dated 1319 and 1317 A.D. from Hachchalu and Nyakanahalli (Kanakapura tq) villages respectively. Even a recent record dated 1662 A.D. by Mysore rulers from Malagala also mention the place as Kanikaranahalli being the headquarters of a sime. The local people universally call it as Kanikaranahalli, which is otherwise corrupted as Kankanahalli, says Buchanan. He further says Kanikaranahalli has a Kannada
origin - Kani + Karna or Kanikara signifies showing sympathy.
Kanakapura is situated 55 km south to Bangalore
on the banks of the river Arkavathi
.
in quarries. Other activities include silk production, powerlooms, brick production, bamboo
production pottery
and other rural industries. Agriculture is the main source of income for people . The Bee keeping industry has covered 38 villages and there are 150 bee keepers who maintain 300 bee colonies. The State Government is providing training facilities to rural people to encourage bee keeping in rural area.
The taluk has geographical area of 1,59,426 hectares consisting of 6 hoblis, namely:
a) Kasaba
b) Harohalli
c) Maralawadi
d) Kodihalli
e) Sathanur
f) Uyyamballi
. The remains of the fort can be now seen near the Arkavathi
bridge. The town was twice burnt or laid waste by Tipu Sultan
to prevent its being of use to the British army
of their march to Shrirangapattana. The place was conquered by Mysore rulers in 1630 A.D. Tipu Sultan
was running a huge workshop at Kanakapura with a steel foundry
.
The place has a Government Silk Filature Factory founded in 1943.
A noted landmark of the town is the Rural college founded by Gandhians Gurikar Range Gowda, Advocate K. Subba Rao and social worker/politician S. Kariappa, who built up and managed the institution. Sri Kariappa is buried here and a memorial built in his honor.
, Kanakapura had a population of 47,047. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Kanakapura has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 59%. In Kanakapura, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
, and Kaveri, (the sangama),nearly 33 KM's from Kanakapura.
Tourist attraction of Kanakapura.
Ramanagara district
Ramanagara district is one of the 30 districts of Karnataka state in southern India. Ramanagara city is the administrative headquarters of this district...
in the state of 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...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Situated near the city of Bengaluru, this town is famous for the production of silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
and granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
.
Etymology
The place was originally under the GangasGangas
The Western Ganga Dynasty was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India. They are known as Western Gangas to distinguish them from the Eastern Gangas who in later centuries ruled over modern Orissa...
and later under the Cholas, who administered it as a part of an area called Kilalainad. Later, the Hoysalas made it a major headquarters of a province (sime). Its name was changed as Kanakapura from its original Kanakanahalli. But earlier it is mentioned as Kanikaranahalli in two Hoysala records dated 1319 and 1317 A.D. from Hachchalu and Nyakanahalli (Kanakapura tq) villages respectively. Even a recent record dated 1662 A.D. by Mysore rulers from Malagala also mention the place as Kanikaranahalli being the headquarters of a sime. The local people universally call it as Kanikaranahalli, which is otherwise corrupted as Kankanahalli, says Buchanan. He further says Kanikaranahalli has a Kannada
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...
origin - Kani + Karna or Kanikara signifies showing sympathy.
Geography
Kanakapura is located at 12.55°N 77.42°E. It has an average elevation of 638 metres (2093 feet).Kanakapura is situated 55 km south 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 banks of the river Arkavathi
Arkavathy River
The Arkavati , is a large mountain river in Karnataka, India, originating at Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapura district. It is a tributary of the Kaveri, which it joins at Kanakapura, called Sangama in Kannada, after flowing through Kolar District and Bangalore Rural district...
.
Taluk
There are 43 village panchayats in the taluk. A major industry is mining of graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
in quarries. Other activities include silk production, powerlooms, brick production, bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
production pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
and other rural industries. Agriculture is the main source of income for people . The Bee keeping industry has covered 38 villages and there are 150 bee keepers who maintain 300 bee colonies. The State Government is providing training facilities to rural people to encourage bee keeping in rural area.
The taluk has geographical area of 1,59,426 hectares consisting of 6 hoblis, namely:
a) Kasaba
b) Harohalli
c) Maralawadi
d) Kodihalli
e) Sathanur
f) Uyyamballi
History
The fort in Kanakapura is said to have been erected by Jagadeva Raya, the chief of ChannapatnaChannapatna
Channapatna is a small city located 60 km south-west of Bangalore, India on Bangalore-Mysore state highway.The city is famous for its wooden toys and lacquerware. In the native language , Channapatna is also called as "goMbegaLa ooru" meaning toys town in English. These toys are manufactured...
. The remains of the fort can be now seen near the Arkavathi
Arkavathy River
The Arkavati , is a large mountain river in Karnataka, India, originating at Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapura district. It is a tributary of the Kaveri, which it joins at Kanakapura, called Sangama in Kannada, after flowing through Kolar District and Bangalore Rural district...
bridge. The town was twice burnt or laid waste by Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
to prevent its being of use to the British army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
of their march to Shrirangapattana. The place was conquered by Mysore rulers in 1630 A.D. Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
was running a huge workshop at Kanakapura with a steel foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
.
The place has a Government Silk Filature Factory founded in 1943.
A noted landmark of the town is the Rural college founded by Gandhians Gurikar Range Gowda, Advocate K. Subba Rao and social worker/politician S. Kariappa, who built up and managed the institution. Sri Kariappa is buried here and a memorial built in his honor.
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Kanakapura had a population of 47,047. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Kanakapura has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 59%. In Kanakapura, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Places to see
The main tourist attraction of Kanakapura Taluk is the confluence of the rivers ArkavathyArkavathy River
The Arkavati , is a large mountain river in Karnataka, India, originating at Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapura district. It is a tributary of the Kaveri, which it joins at Kanakapura, called Sangama in Kannada, after flowing through Kolar District and Bangalore Rural district...
, and Kaveri, (the sangama),nearly 33 KM's from Kanakapura.
Tourist attraction of Kanakapura.
- Chunchi waterfalls
- Billikal BettaBilikal Rangaswamy BettaBilikal Rangaswamy Betta is a hill near Kanakapura town in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located 70 km south of Bangalore city. Atop the hill is a temple dedicated to Lord Rangaswamy. The temple and an adjacent quarters is housed underneath a huge granite rock...
- Muthathi forest
- MekedaatuMekedaatuMekedatu is a location along Kaveri in Kanakapura Taluk. Sangama is the place where Arkavati merges with Kaveri. From this point, about 3.5 kilometers downstream, the river Kaveri flows through a deep gorge so narrow that one would think that a goat can leap across it...
- Sangama
- kaveri fishing camp
- Harobele Dam
- Madivala Shree Shivanankareshwara Temple
- Kabbalamma Temple
- Venaktarmana Swamy Temple