Chikkballapura

Chikballapur district is a newly created district in the state of Karnataka, India. It was carved out of the existing Kolar district. 

History :

The name of this town was originally Chinna Balaporum. Originating from either Tamil or Telugu for Chinna meaning small while "balla" means the measure to quantify food grains, and "pura" means "town".According to a popular legend, the Marigowda, the son of the chief Avathimalla Biregowda, was hunting one day in the Kodimanchanahalli forest. He found a rabbit standing fearlessly in front of hunting dogs.

Excited by this, the chief told his son that it eas a sign of the boldness of the local people. So, he obtained permission from the king of Vijayanagara and built a fort and a town. This in course of time developed into the town of Chickballapur.

During the rule of Baichegowda, the king of Mysore attacked the fort but had to withdraw due to the interference of Marathas. Dodda Byregowda, who came to power after Baichegowda, resumed control of the territories seized earlier by Mysore.

In 1762, during the rule of Chikkappanayaka, Hyder Ali laid siege the town for a period of three months. Then Chikkappanayaka agreed to pay 5-lakhs pagodas, and the army was withdrawn. After this, Chikkappa Nayaka with the help of Murariraya of Gooty tried to get back his powers. He was hiding at Nandi hills along with Chikkappa Nayaka. Immediately Hyder Ali took Chickballapur and other places and arrested Chikkappa Nayaka. Then with interfere of Lord Cornwallis, Chickballapur was handed over to Narayanagowda. some sources suggest that lord cornvallis visited the temple of shiva in peresandra which is 18 km off of chikkaballapur.in few references british text suggest that peresandra has a tremendous history After knowing this, Tipu Sultan again acquired Chikballapur.

In 1791 British occupied Nandi & left Narayanagowda to rule the town. Due to this fight between Britishers and Tipu Sultan again started. Narayanagowda lost his administration.

Later on the British defeated Tipu Sultan. Chickballapur also came under the administration of Wodeyars of Mysore, which is now a part of Karnataka.

Chikballapur District devided into 6 talukas : Gauribidanur, Gudibanda, Bagepalli, Chikballapur, Sidlaghatta and Chintamani .

Gauribidanur :

The name Gauribidanur could have originated from the terms- Ghori [Grave] and Bidanur [a common name for towns in the old mysore state]. It has been said that Tipu Sultan had some of his soldiers buried here.

To this day a mosque built by him stands with some old graves. Some other sources indicate the name Gauribidanur is derived from Gowri [A Hindu Goddess] and Bidanur.

Not long ago, this town used to be the hub of lot of cultural activities and sports.  The old school, Acharya high school churned out many talented people from all walks of life. Homi Bhabha and Mahatma Gandhi visited this school way back in its infancy and was labelled a model school in the country.

Dr H Narasimhaiah is one of the famous sons, who was born in Hossur village of this taluk. Born into a poor family he struggled in his early years and rose to become the Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University. It is only because of his efforts and commitments about his hometown that led the people towards education. "The Infosys Science Center" which is in Hossur village, is just like a miny Vishweshwaraiah technological museum and students all over the district used to visit hossur. The science center is present in the National High School campus of Hossur.

Hossur is the first village in Karnataka which was improved in its infrastructure and other basic needs by "Swasthigrama Yojane". The money spent on this plan was about 1 crore rupees.

Gudibanda :

Gudibanda is a panchayat town in Chikkaballapur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. As of 2001 India census, Gudibanda had a population of 8794. Gudibanda has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Adhegarahalli is a near by village to gudibanda where nandi hills is located.Adegarahalli is a very beautiful village which is situated near Peresandra. Peresandra is known for Chukkuli. It has a small river and a big hill called Nagavalli Betta which has caves and a temple at the top of the hill.

Bagepalli :

Bagepalli is a panchayat town in Chikballapur district in the state of Karnataka, India. Bagepalli is situated 100 km north of Bangalore on the Bangalore-Hyderabad National Highway. The region is just below the southern border of the Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh, South India. It is semi-arid and drought prone with 560 mm of erratic and spatial rainfall.

Bagepalli is the site of an upcoming 18,400 INR Crore "Space City" that is being funded by the Abu Dhabi Royal Family's Marib Holdings. The project will include an entertainment theme park modeled on Disneyland, several five and six star hotels, and a business and residential township spread over 1,500 acres (6.1 km²) of land. The project is expected to provide employment to 20,000 people, and will be pollution-free.

Chikkaballapura :

Chikkaballapura is the district headquarters of the newly created Chikkaballapura district in the state of Karnataka, India. Located within 3 km of Muddenahalli (the birthplace of eminent engineer and statesman Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya) and its nearby town, Kanivenarayanapura, the sites of the upcoming Sri Sathya Sai Baba University and College of Medicine, Indian Institute of Technology Muddenahalli, 600 crore Visvesvaraya Institute of Advanced Technology, the 2,500-acre (10 km²) "Sports Village", and a 70 crore "Silk City". Chikkaballapura is situated adjacent to the upcoming $22 Billion, 12,000-acre (49 km²) BIAL IT Investment Region, one the largest infrastructure projects in the history of Karnataka and the largest IT region in India.

A $400 million dollar Pharmaceutical SEZ is coming up in Chikkaballapura on 325 acres (1.32 km²), the first of its kind in India.^[6] A train headquarters has been approved by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It is a regional transport and educational hub, and is a major site for grape, grain, and silk cultivation. With recent development, it is widely believed that Chikkaballapura will become part of "Greater Bangalore."The place has always been known as an agricultural center for the region.

Sidlaghatta :

Sidlaghatta is a town in Chikkaballapur district in the Indian state of Karnataka.It is famous for raw silk, most of people's income living in sidlaghatta is mainly depends on silk's small scale industries.There are 243inhabited villages with one town. Sidlaghatta town is the Taluk Headquarters. All the taluk administration lies with the taluk panchayat for the implementation of developmental schemes and their progress.

The place is having many small scale industries producing high quality raw and twisted silk and exports across the county like Tamil Nadu, Andhra pradesh, Gujarath Etc.,.

The farmers are depends on rain for the agriculture. The water sources are also less.

There are many visiting places around the town like Kaiwara, Thalakayala betta near Diburahalli, Anantha padbanaba temple.

Chintamani :

Chintamani is a town in the Chikkaballapura district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is located at a distance of 75 km north east of Bangalore and 25 km east of Chikballapur city.

Well Known as a "Business Town" The name Chintamani is supposed to have been given by an ancient Maratha warrior who had camped in the region. The town may have been named after a local king "Chintamani Rao". The economy is agriculture based. Chintamani is famous for its succulent Tomatoes, Groundnuts, Mangoes,Silk Production and Bananas.

Chintamani is also famous for snacks such as chakli, nippat, groundnuts and others. Chintamani plays its role even in the production of buller daal, rice mills and in the manufacture and export of Agarbatti. it is also famous for some drinks like nannari. A jewellery market has also been thriving in this town for many decades now. The Chintamani Tomato Market is one of the biggest in Karnataka. It is also famous for its booming silk industry and dairy milk farms.