BELL ARY. Chitaldrug in the Mysore State separates
and on the west, the river Tungdbhadra from Dharwar District of the Bombay Presidency. In
it
point of size, Bellary
among
241
now ranks
the Districts of the
twelfth, and in population eighteenth, Madras Presidency before a part of it was
formed into the new District of Anantapur, it ranked second in area, and thirteenth in population. It is sub-divided into 8 taluks, and contains within its limits the native State of Sandur, which has an area of 164 square miles. The number of inhabited villages is 1174, and of
Land revenue (1881-82),
towns, 10.
-^253,513. Physical Aspects
.
^£^185, 549
—The general aspect of the
total
District
revenue
is
(gross),
a vast surface
of treeless plain, broken at rare intervals by granite masses that spring abruptly from the surrounding sheet of black cotton Bellary
the sea.
an extensive plateau,
in fact
is
soil, like
tilted
up
rocks from in the
west
on the shoulders of the Ghats, and sloping down towards the eastern coast. At Belgaum, on the west, the height of the plain is 2568 feet, and at Dharwar 2586 feet above the sea level at Gemtakal junction station of the Madras Railway, near the eastern boundary of the Water is very scarce throughout, District, the elevation is 1451 feet. and vegetation is accordingly rare. The Tungabhadra, forming the northern boundary, contains water all the year round, and in the rainy
season swells to formidable dimensions
southern tributaries, the
its
Hagari, the Vedavati, and others, drain the District, and on
its
banks
stand the towns of Hampsagra, Hospet, Sirugupa, Hampi, Kampli at
Ram pur
stream.
a fine bridge of 52 piers carries the railway across the The Vedavati rises in Mysore, and after a course of 125 miles
Tungabhadra near Halikota. Though very when in flood overflows its banks, and in 1851 washed away the town of Guliem. The only hill ranges worthy of note are situated in the vicinity of Sandur and Kampli between these, scattered in the west, and the Lanka Malla in the east
in the District joins the
shallow for two-thirds of the year, this river
generally over the District, occur detached masses of granitic rock.
Iron
of good quality abounds, and copper, lead, antimony, manganese, limestone,
the
and alum are
soil.
The
all
found.
Salt
and
saltpetre are extracted
fauna of the District includes
among mammals,
the
from tiger,
panther, hunting leopard, wolf, black bear, hyaena, wild boar, antelope,
and sdmbhar deer
the
first
and
order of Raptores
is
partridge,
snipe, goose,
quail,
Venomous snakes abound. Arabica),
b'er
last
being very
largely represented
and water-fowl
The
rare.
Among
birds, the
the bustard, florican, pea-fowl, afford excellent
flora is scanty,
— the
sport.
babul (Acacia
(Zizyphus jujuba), and wild date (Elate sylvestris) being
but in groves and gardens are found the mango, tamarind, cocoa-nut palm, banyan, and n'lm. The historical details which follow relate to the old District History VOL. II. Q
the chief indigenous trees
.
—
