Kolar Gold Fields
Encyclopedia
Kolar Gold Fields is a town in Bangarpet Taluk, in the Kolar District of Karnataka
state, India
. It includes the township of the same name, viz. KGF, where reside mainly the families of the employees of BGML. To the east of KGF is a ridge of hills of which Dod Betta hill, 3195 feet above sea level, is the most conspicuous point. KGF is about 30 kilometers from Kolar and 100 kilometers from Bangalore.
The gold mines of KGF were closed down by BGML in 2001 due to reducing deposits and increasing costs. Since then a bitter struggle is being waged by the ex-employees of BGML against the Ministry of Mines both inside the courts and outside to revive the mines. In September 2003 the Karnataka High Court directed the government to hand over the mines to the employees and in December 2006, the Ministry undertook in court to do so at a market determined price. In July, 2009 after protracted litigation, the High Court of Karnataka finalized the terms and procedure of transfer, but the government has not yet acted upon them. It appears now that the government may well recant from its earlier position and so the future of the Kolar gold mines is uncertain.
According to experts, the resources now remaining under the ground are only about 3 million tonnes of gold ore of low to very low quality i.e., fewer than 4 g/t.. If re-opened, the mine may provide a yield of about 12 tonnes of gold or about 1 tonne a year for 12 years, but the capital investment required will be quite heavy.
and Mohenjo-daro
have been traced to KGF through an impurities-analysis assay, as the impurities include 11% silver concentration, found only in KGF ore. The Champion reef at the Kolar gold fields was mined to a depth of 50 meters during the Gupta
period in the fifth century A.D. Subsequently, the metal continued to be mined during the Chola period in the 9th and 10th century AD, the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565, and later by Tipu Sultan
, the leader of Mysore state. The scale of the operations grew at each stage by the digging of small to large pits.
Renewed interest in the Kolar gold fields occurred towards the beginning of the nineteenth century. The ancient gold workings, other workings which may have been 200 to 600 years old and the workings of Tipu Sultan were all located by Captain Warren in 1802. In 1873, M.F. Lavelle, a resident in Bangalore
, applied to the Mysore Government for the exclusive privilege of mining in the Kolar district. His request was granted and he commenced operations by sinking a shaft near Uirgam (Oorgaum) in 1875, but, finding that large capital would be required, in the following year and with the approval of the government, Lavalle transferred all his rights and concessions to Major General G. de la Poer Beresford. General Beresford formed a syndicate known as the Kolar Concessionaries which took up the matter in earnest, and gradually acquired most of the area now known as the Kolar Gold Fields. However, large-scale mining only came in the 1850s under the British firm John Taylor & Company which did much of the prospecting and mining with more skilled manpower and sophisticated machinery.
The principal mines in the Gold Fields starting with Michael F. Lavelle in 1864 to the mines developed by John Taylor & Company up to 1905 were:
Later, after 1956, BGML amalgamated the Champion and Mysore mines and started the Yeppamana and Old Baisanathan Mines.
The mines were taken over by the Government of Mysore in 1956 and by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India in 1962. They were handed over to the government company called Bharat Gold Mines Limited under the Ministry of Mines in 1972. The Bharat Gold Mines Limited has thus come out of various combinations and permutations. The company has the record of having Morarji Desai as its chairman (when it was with the Finance Ministry) and some of the erstwhile chief Ministers of Mysore State (when it was with the government of Mysore).
and certain parts of Andhra Pradesh, like Chittoor, Madhana palli and Ananthapur, were settled around the various shafts. In course of time these habitations expanded to merge into each other to form the outer reaches of the town of KGF. In the core of the town were the families of British engineers, geologists and mine supervisors who lived a grand colonial lifestyle complete with golf course, tennis court, club with dance halls and bars, cottages and Bungalows with gardens and quarters for the employees and churches and chapels. The ruins of these structures and some memorabilia continue to exist even today. Many places in the area have names reminiscent of the raj. The two main townships which came up subsequently in KGF were Robertsonpet and Andersonpet, named after two British officers in the mines.
and Kannada speakers.
The Kannada-speaking contingent is mostly the BEML population, Telugu speakers come from the surrounding villages bordering Andhra, and the Tamil speakers are mineworkers from North Arcot district.
(Formerly known as Golden Valley Institute of Technology - GVIT) , a Dental College which is KGF College of Dental Science & Hospital, a Law College and also a number of good schools. KGF also has the National Institute of Rock Mechanics (NIRM) which is run by the Ministry of Mines with the help of GSI and IBM, And Sambram Dental College.
" by the British, due to its more temperate weather
and a landscape more similar to Britain's.you can still see the old british styled bunglows which gives a small glimpse of british culture. The city is on the Deccan Plateau
of central and south India, about 3000 feet above sea level
BEML picked up about 1100 acres of prime land from BGML on Lease which expires in 2013. BGML has claimed that the Lease terms were not honoured by BEML and has asked BEML to return the land. On the land are located two of BGML’s workshops. The matter is currently in court.
BEML is also manufacturing metro cars for DMRC and BMRC.
BEML has a education society which runs BEML Composite Junior College , which is very famous.
In the year 1902 the suburb of Robertson pet was established.
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
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...
. It includes the township of the same name, viz. KGF, where reside mainly the families of the employees of BGML. To the east of KGF is a ridge of hills of which Dod Betta hill, 3195 feet above sea level, is the most conspicuous point. KGF is about 30 kilometers from Kolar and 100 kilometers from Bangalore.
The gold mines of KGF were closed down by BGML in 2001 due to reducing deposits and increasing costs. Since then a bitter struggle is being waged by the ex-employees of BGML against the Ministry of Mines both inside the courts and outside to revive the mines. In September 2003 the Karnataka High Court directed the government to hand over the mines to the employees and in December 2006, the Ministry undertook in court to do so at a market determined price. In July, 2009 after protracted litigation, the High Court of Karnataka finalized the terms and procedure of transfer, but the government has not yet acted upon them. It appears now that the government may well recant from its earlier position and so the future of the Kolar gold mines is uncertain.
According to experts, the resources now remaining under the ground are only about 3 million tonnes of gold ore of low to very low quality i.e., fewer than 4 g/t.. If re-opened, the mine may provide a yield of about 12 tonnes of gold or about 1 tonne a year for 12 years, but the capital investment required will be quite heavy.
History
The tradition of mining gold at Kolar started at least as early as the first millennium BC with linkages to the Indus Valley civilization. Golden objects found in HarappaHarappa
Harappa is an archaeological site in Punjab, northeast Pakistan, about west of Sahiwal. The site takes its name from a modern village located near the former course of the Ravi River. The current village of Harappa is from the ancient site. Although modern Harappa has a train station left from...
and Mohenjo-daro
Mohenjo-daro
Mohenjo-daro is an archeological site situated in what is now the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Built around 2600 BC, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, and one of the world's earliest major urban settlements, existing at the same time as the...
have been traced to KGF through an impurities-analysis assay, as the impurities include 11% silver concentration, found only in KGF ore. The Champion reef at the Kolar gold fields was mined to a depth of 50 meters during the Gupta
Gupta
Gupta is a common surname of Indian origin.According to some academicians, the name Gupta is derived from Sanskrit goptri, meaning military governor. A more direct translation of the Sanskrit word gupta is 'secret' or 'hidden'. According to prominent historian R. C...
period in the fifth century A.D. Subsequently, the metal continued to be mined during the Chola period in the 9th and 10th century AD, the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565, and later 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...
, the leader of Mysore state. The scale of the operations grew at each stage by the digging of small to large pits.
Renewed interest in the Kolar gold fields occurred towards the beginning of the nineteenth century. The ancient gold workings, other workings which may have been 200 to 600 years old and the workings of Tipu Sultan were all located by Captain Warren in 1802. In 1873, M.F. Lavelle, a resident in 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...
, applied to the Mysore Government for the exclusive privilege of mining in the Kolar district. His request was granted and he commenced operations by sinking a shaft near Uirgam (Oorgaum) in 1875, but, finding that large capital would be required, in the following year and with the approval of the government, Lavalle transferred all his rights and concessions to Major General G. de la Poer Beresford. General Beresford formed a syndicate known as the Kolar Concessionaries which took up the matter in earnest, and gradually acquired most of the area now known as the Kolar Gold Fields. However, large-scale mining only came in the 1850s under the British firm John Taylor & Company which did much of the prospecting and mining with more skilled manpower and sophisticated machinery.
The principal mines in the Gold Fields starting with Michael F. Lavelle in 1864 to the mines developed by John Taylor & Company up to 1905 were:
- Mysore Gold Mine
- Champion Reef Mine (which eventually became the second deepest underground mine in the world at 3200 meters deep)
- Oorgaum Mine
- Tank Block Mine
- Balaghat Mine
- Coromandel Mine
- Oriental Mine
- Nine Reefs Mine
- Road Block Mine
- Nundydroog Mine
Later, after 1956, BGML amalgamated the Champion and Mysore mines and started the Yeppamana and Old Baisanathan Mines.
The mines were taken over by the Government of Mysore in 1956 and by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India in 1962. They were handed over to the government company called Bharat Gold Mines Limited under the Ministry of Mines in 1972. The Bharat Gold Mines Limited has thus come out of various combinations and permutations. The company has the record of having Morarji Desai as its chairman (when it was with the Finance Ministry) and some of the erstwhile chief Ministers of Mysore State (when it was with the government of Mysore).
Birth of the city
It is said that the local Kannada villagers refused to work in the deep pits of the mines, and so people from the North and South Arcot districts of Tamil NaduTamil 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 certain parts of Andhra Pradesh, like Chittoor, Madhana palli and Ananthapur, were settled around the various shafts. In course of time these habitations expanded to merge into each other to form the outer reaches of the town of KGF. In the core of the town were the families of British engineers, geologists and mine supervisors who lived a grand colonial lifestyle complete with golf course, tennis court, club with dance halls and bars, cottages and Bungalows with gardens and quarters for the employees and churches and chapels. The ruins of these structures and some memorabilia continue to exist even today. Many places in the area have names reminiscent of the raj. The two main townships which came up subsequently in KGF were Robertsonpet and Andersonpet, named after two British officers in the mines.
Demographics
Three hundred thousand people lived in the Kolar gold fields when the mine was at its peak production, but since the closing of mines in 2003 the population has reduced to less than a hundred thousand. The older generation of Kolar employees are staying on in the hope that the mines will revive, but the younger generation is either moving away to Bangalore or commuting to Bangalore.People and culture
Population is predominately Tamil, with some proportion of TeluguTelugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
and Kannada speakers.
The Kannada-speaking contingent is mostly the BEML population, Telugu speakers come from the surrounding villages bordering Andhra, and the Tamil speakers are mineworkers from North Arcot district.
Education
KGF has an Engineering College which is Dr. T. Thimmaiah Institute of TechnologyDr. T. Thimmaiah Institute of Technology
Dr. T. Thimmaiah Institute of Technology is a college in Kolar, Karnataka, India, under the VTU Visvesvaraya Technological University recognized by the Government of Karnataka and approved by the All India Council of Technical Education AICTE, New Delhi.-About:Founded in 1986 at KGF by Dr. T...
(Formerly known as Golden Valley Institute of Technology - GVIT) , a Dental College which is KGF College of Dental Science & Hospital, a Law College and also a number of good schools. KGF also has the National Institute of Rock Mechanics (NIRM) which is run by the Ministry of Mines with the help of GSI and IBM, And Sambram Dental College.
Climate
Kolar Gold Field is known as "Little EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
" by the British, due to its more temperate weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
and a landscape more similar to Britain's.you can still see the old british styled bunglows which gives a small glimpse of british culture. The city is on the Deccan Plateau
Deccan Plateau
The Deccan Plateau is a large plateau in India, making up the majority of the southern part of the country. It rises a hundred meters high in the north, rising further to more than a kilometers high in the south, forming a raised triangle nested within the familiar downward-pointing triangle of...
of central and south India, about 3000 feet above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
BEML
The Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Defence set up a large manufacturing unit in KGF. It manufactures a variety of heavy equipment used for earth moving, transportation and mining such as trucks, tractors, trailers and excavators. BEML was incorporated in May 1964, and commenced operations on January 1, 1965. It was wholly owned and operated by India's Ministry of Defence until 1992, when the government divested 25% of its holdings in the company.BEML picked up about 1100 acres of prime land from BGML on Lease which expires in 2013. BGML has claimed that the Lease terms were not honoured by BEML and has asked BEML to return the land. On the land are located two of BGML’s workshops. The matter is currently in court.
BEML is also manufacturing metro cars for DMRC and BMRC.
BEML has a education society which runs BEML Composite Junior College , which is very famous.
Interesting facts
- The first hydroelectric project in S India was built in 1902 to provide electricity for the gold fields.
- Kolar Gold Fields was the second city in Asia to get electricityElectricityElectricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
after Tokyo, Japan, from ShivanasamudraShivanasamudraShivanasamudra is a small town in the Mandya District of the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated on the banks of the river Kaveri and is the location of the first Hydro-electric Power station in Asia, which was set up in the year 1902.-Waterfalls:The Shivanasamudra Falls is on the Kaveri...
Hydo electric project in Mandya District, Karnataka.
- Kolar Gold Fields was the second city in Asia to get electricity
- People from as far as KolarKolarKolara is a city in the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Kolar District. It is known for being one of the gold mining sites in India....
could see the lights of this once prosperous city - KGF was known as "Little EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
" by the British, due to its more temperate weatherWeatherWeather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
and a landscape more similar to Britain's. It also had a sizable Anglo-Indian Population who worked in the various mines in different capacities. - The city is on the Deccan PlateauDeccan PlateauThe Deccan Plateau is a large plateau in India, making up the majority of the southern part of the country. It rises a hundred meters high in the north, rising further to more than a kilometers high in the south, forming a raised triangle nested within the familiar downward-pointing triangle of...
of central and south India, about 3000 feet above sea levelSea levelMean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation... - The Champion Reefs mine was the second deepest underground mine in the world when it was operational reached a depth of 3200mts.
- Silicosis, a form of pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust, was first identified in KGF
- Longest passenger train in the world is "Swarna Express" going from KGF to Bangalore.
- National Institute of Miners Health had its headquarters in KGF
- One can see the old British bungalows and buildings even today in good shape in KGF.
In the year 1902 the suburb of Robertson pet was established.
- The mines were taken over by the Government of mysore in 1956.
- The mines were taken over by the Government of India in 1962.
- S. ManjunathS. ManjunathShanmugam Manjunath was a marketing manager for the Indian Oil Corporation who was murdered for sealing a corrupt petrol station in UP...
, the Indian Oil CorporationIndian Oil CorporationIndian Oil Corporation Limited, or IndianOil, is an Indian state-owned oil and gas corporation with its headquarters are in Mumbai, India. It is India’s largest commercial enterprise, ranked 98th on the Fortune Global 500 list for 2011...
(IOC) manager who was murdered for exposing corruption hailed from KGF. - KGF played a major part in the prosperity of the British EmpireBritish EmpireThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
- 'Vijay Shree' awardee K.M. Divakaran is from KGF.
- Shram Shri Award by Govt of India -V.Natarajan of Bharat Earth Movers Ltd
- The brilliant Indian artist John Wilkins was born here.
- The particle experiments at Kolar Gold FieldsParticle experiments at Kolar Gold FieldsThe Kolar Gold Fields , located in the Kolar district of the state of Karnataka, India, are a set of defunct gold mines known for the neutrino particle experiments and observations that took place here starting in 1960...
, performed by a collaboration of particle physicistsParticle physicsParticle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, Osaka City University, Japan and Durham University, UK recorded the first cosmic rayCosmic rayCosmic rays are energetic charged subatomic particles, originating from outer space. They may produce secondary particles that penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and surface. The term ray is historical as cosmic rays were thought to be electromagnetic radiation...
neutrinoNeutrinoA neutrino is an electrically neutral, weakly interacting elementary subatomic particle with a half-integer spin, chirality and a disputed but small non-zero mass. It is able to pass through ordinary matter almost unaffected...
interaction in an underground laboratory in KGF mines in 1965. - KGF also has the distinction of having a golf course started by the British dating back to 1885 and affiliated to Indian Golf Union
- KGF is the birthplace of Magsaysay Awardee Jockin ArputhamJockin ArputhamJockin Arputham has worked for more than 40 years in ‘slums’ and shanty towns, building representative organizations into powerful partners with governments and international agencies for the betterment of urban living...
, the founder and president of the National Slum Dwellers Federation (India) - KGF club is the most sought after club because of its affiliation with other national and international clubs.