Vijayapura District Profile

Bijapur, now officially called Vijayapura, is the district headquarters of Vijayapura district (Bijapur district) of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Vijayapura Taluka. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural importance built during the rule of the Adil Shahi dynasty. It is also well known for the sports by the popular Karnataka premier league team as Bijapur Bulls. Bijapur is located 530 km (330 mi) northwest of the state capital Bangalore and about 550 km (340 mi) from Mumbai and 384 km (239 mi) west of the city of Hyderabad. The city was established in the 10th–11th centuries by the Kalyani Chalukyas and was known as Vijayapura (City of victory). The city was passed to Yadavas after Chalukya's demise. In 1347, the area was conquered by the Bahmani Sultanate. After the split of the Bahmani Sultanate, the Bijapur Sultanate ruled from the city. Relics of the Sultanates' rule can be found in the city, including the Bijapur Fort, Bara Kaman, Jama Masjid, and Gol Gumbaz. Bijapur, one of the popular heritage city located in the Karnataka state of India, is also one of the top ten populated cities in Karnataka. The Bijapur city has been declared as one of the corporations in the state of Karnataka in 2013.[3] Bijapur urban population as per 2011 census is 326,000, perhaps the 9th biggest city in Karnataka. Vijayapura Mahanagara Palike (VMP) is the newest Municipal Corporation formed under the KMC act along with Shimoga and Tumkur Municipal Corporations. Administratively, Bijapur district comes under Belagavi division along with Bagalkote, Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri and Uttara Kannada (Karwar) districts. The civic administration of the city is managed by the Vijayapura City Corporation and office of Deputy Commissioner in Vijayapura. The office of Deputy Commissioner has the responsibility of rural areas in Vijayapura, while the corporation administrates the city of Vijayapura. Effective administration of the heritage city of Bijapur is the main intention behind all the activities of Vijayapura City Corporation.

Geography and climate of Vijayapura district

Bijapur has a semi-arid climate. It is located at 16.83°N 75.7°E.[7] It has an average elevation of 606 metres (1988 ft). The district has two types of soil. First one is, "deep black soil" (or yeari bhoomi), which is good for the crops like jawar, wheat, pulses, sunflower, etc. The major portion of the district consists of this kind of soil which has a great moisture-holding capacity. Second one is "red soil‟ (or masari /maddi bhoomi), which is generally poor, good for irrigation and horticulture. Krishna river, which is the most important river of the district. It flows about 125 miles in the district. A dam is built across the river at Almatti, Bhima river flows in northern part of district for about 20 miles. It overflows in the rainy season and spreads over a wider area, which is thereby rendered extremely fertile land. In central part of district Doni river flows.

The climate of Bijapur district is generally dry and healthy. In summer, especially in April and May, it is too hot; at that time the temperature lays between 40-degrees Celsius to 42-degrees Celsius. In the winter season, from November to January, the temperature is between 15-degrees Celsius to 20-degrees Celsius. Usually the district has dry weather, so the humidity varies from 10% to 30%. The district has 34 rain gauge stations. The average annual rainfall for the whole district is 552.8 mm, with 37.2 rainy days. The monsoon generally reaches the district by June and lasts till October. Though the total rainfall is not high, the district benefits both from the south-west and the north-east monsoons. The annual rainfall varies from place to place within the district.

District Profile