Gokak

Coordinates: 16°10′00″N 74°50′00″E / 16.1667°N 74.8333°E / 16.1667; 74.8333
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Gokak
City
KA-49
Sex ratio986[5] /
Websitehttp://www.gokakcity.mrc.gov.in

Gokak is a

Belagavi at the confluence of two rivers, the Ghataprabha and the Markandeya. The population of the city is according to 2011 census is 79,121. Gokak city has second highest GDP in the district of Belagavi after Belagavi city.[5] The common language is Kannada
.

Gokak is surrounded on one side by a range of hills, and on the other side by a vast plain of black soil. The river Ghataprabha flows from the north side of the city and cascades down through a cleft of 167 ft, to form Gokak Falls before flowing through the city. Since the colonial era, the a hydroelectric station under the waterfall has been used to power Gokak Mills, one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of yarn in India. The river Markandeya, a tributary of the Ghataprabha, dashes down through 43 ft step wise hill plates to form Godachinamalaki Falls.

History

Gokak is a place of philosophical and historical significance. According to Hindu Purans, Gokak was a part of Kuntala Country; it was the land of hunting tribes. During historical period many emperors had ruled the Gokak areas: Shatavahanas ruled it during 327 BC to 229 CE, the Western Chalukyas ruled it during 550 CE to610 CE, then it was also ruled by Rashtrakutas and Kalyana Chalukyas; the subordinate-kings of Rashtrakutas called Rattas too ruled Gokak Province during 850 CE to1250 CE under Rashtrakutas as well Kalyana Chalukyas, during their reign, temples and Basadies were built at Konnur, Gokak-Falls, Gokak and Mamadapur. Devagiri Yadavas captured this areas after defeating Rattas but the Sultanas of Delhi took this areas under their control by defeating Yadavas. Then, it was controlled by many emperors namely Kampili Raya, Vijayanagara, Bidar's Bahamani kings, Bijapur Sultans, Mughals (Aurangazeb), Hyderali, Tippu Sultan (Savanoor Nawaab), Maratha Ghorpade and Peshwas; in 1818 CE British captured Gokak by defeating Peshwas. Gokak city became Municipality in 1853 CE, it is second oldest Municipality in Karnataka State. The monuments build during Hindu, Jain and Muslim rules are still found at Gokak and its surroundings.

hydroelectric power plant was also set up in Gokak Falls
in 1887, is one of the oldest projects of a kind in the region. The first Hydroelectricity was generated here in Gokak Falls in whole Asia continent.

Gokak taluka contributed to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund which was meant for humanitarian assistance for the

Hindu Temples. The most famous once are Mahalingeshwara temple, Savalagi Shivalinga Matha, Kadasiddeshwar Matha Konnur-Maradimath, Yogikolla temple and Duradundeshwara temple in Arabhavi. Mahalingeshwara temple is well-known and is located on the Ghataprabha Riverside near Gokak water-falls. The temple is a large and sprawling structure built in the later Chalukyan style of architecture. The temple has a garbhagriha, (sanctum), an ardhamantapa and a spacious but open mukhamantapa (frontal courtyard). The sanctum with its tall Shikara adorned with exquisite sculptures is a sight to behold. It faces north, an unusual orientation for Shiva temples. On the sides of the Ghataprabha River there are several temples apart from Mahalingeshwara temple that date back to the period of the later Chalukyas of Kalyana who ruled portions of the Deccan from the 10th to the 12th centuries.[8]

The city is growing rapidly in terms of industries, business, as well as the fields of education, arts, literature and folk-art. It is associated with famous Kannada writers and thinkers such as Shri Krishna Murty Puranik, Anand Kanda, Prof K. Sharanappa, Dr. S. B. Totad, Dr. Arjun Y. Pangannavar https://www.educreation.in/author/arjunypangannavar/Basavaraj Kattimani, Prof. Kundanagar Rngler, D.C. Pawate and Raghavendra Patil. Many popular folk-artists such as Padmashri Dr.Chandrashekar Kambar, Ningayya Swami Pujari, Ishwarappa Minachi, Yallappa Pujeri, Dr. Hatapaki and Ishwarachandra Betageri are also associated with the town. Gokak has a world famous waterfall known as Gokak Falls.Dr. Arjun Y. Pangannavar has authored 35+ books on economics and literature,his latest contribution is"Shrimad Valmiki Ramayan Mahakaavya-Darshanm: Literature- Epic Poem (Kannada),2021.[9]

Gokak is also renowned for its sweets, which are known all over India, such as Karadantu (a Kannada term, which literally means fried edible gum), a sweet richly stuffed with nuts and edible gum, and ladagi laadu.

Etymology

Gokak (

V. K. Gokak. The city is also known for "Gokak Kotwals" who ruled the town in the 16th century and had disputes and fought a battle as well with Rani Abbakka at the time.[10][11]

Dispute regarding district status

Bifurcation of

talukas, has been a longstanding issue. Being the second largest city in Belgaum district, Gokak has been a strong contender for a separate administrative district. Most of these protests in Gokak have been peaceful, however sometimes these protests have turned out to be violent leading to the damage of public property. The protests are held in neighbouring towns surrounding Gokak also.[12][13]

In October 2008,

Movie theatres and other trading centres remained closed. The North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) had suspended its transportation services throughout the day but resumed them in the evening.[14]

The P. C Gaddigoudar committee, set up by the state government, recommended formation of Gokak district which would include the

Athani with its sub-divisions at Gokak and Chikkodi, respectively. As of early 2012 no decision has been made regarding bifurcation.[15][16][17][18]

Geography

A view from nearby Kadabgatti hill (top) & Ghataprabha River at Gokak Falls.

Gokak is second biggest city after Belgaum city in Belgaum district and is surrounded by the Western Ghats. The Ghataprabha River, which has water almost throughout the year, is the chief source of agricultural and drinking water for local people living in the surrounding villages. It has an average elevation of 553 metres (1814 feet). The city is situated in the central part of Belgaum district which is located in northwestern parts of Karnataka and lies at the border of two states, Maharashtra in the north and Goa on the west. It is located at a distance of 540 km from Bangalore which is the capital city of the state of Karnataka. Gokak comes under Tropical deciduous moist belt in south central India. Majority of the soil in Gokak taluka is composed of laterite soil and small amounts of black soil is found as well.

Vegetation of Gokak can be classified into dry deciduous forests which is generally found scattered in the central and eastern parts of

gneisses rock which ultimately gives rise to clay deposits. Region lying to the north of Gokak consist of sandstones and quartzite that form low ridges. The manganese deposits occur in Belgaum district between Londa and Gokak taluka. Building stones and moulding sand are available around Khanapur & Gokak in Belgaum district.[21][22][23]

Climate

Being situated in central region of

Tropical savannah with dry winter climatic conditions. December & January are generally cold as compared to the rest of year. The coldest month is January with an average low temperature of 15.2 °C and the hottest month is April with an average high temperature of 35.7 °C. Winter temperatures rarely drop below 14 °C (54 °F), and summer temperatures seldom exceed 34–35 °C.[26][27][28]

Climate data for Gokak
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 34.2
(93.6)
37
(99)
39.2
(102.6)
40.2
(104.4)
39.8
(103.6)
38.7
(101.7)
34.6
(94.3)
35.7
(96.3)
38.2
(100.8)
33.7
(92.7)
38.6
(101.5)
39
(102)
40.2
(104.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 29.7
(85.5)
32.1
(89.8)
34.7
(94.5)
35.7
(96.3)
34.2
(93.6)
28.7
(83.7)
26.3
(79.3)
26.1
(79.0)
28
(82)
29.2
(84.6)
29.2
(84.6)
28.6
(83.5)
30.2
(86.4)
Daily mean °C (°F) 22.4
(72.3)
25.6
(78.1)
26.4
(79.5)
28.1
(82.6)
27.6
(81.7)
24.8
(76.6)
23.4
(74.1)
23.1
(73.6)
23.7
(74.7)
24.1
(75.4)
23.6
(74.5)
23.1
(73.6)
24.5
(76.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 15.2
(59.4)
16.3
(61.3)
18.2
(64.8)
20.5
(68.9)
21.1
(70.0)
21
(70)
20.5
(68.9)
20.1
(68.2)
19.5
(67.1)
19.1
(66.4)
18.7
(65.7)
17.6
(63.7)
18.7
(65.7)
Record low °C (°F) 13.9
(57.0)
15.4
(59.7)
16.7
(62.1)
18.3
(64.9)
19.6
(67.3)
19.1
(66.4)
18.2
(64.8)
17.9
(64.2)
18.5
(65.3)
18.4
(65.1)
17.6
(63.7)
15.1
(59.2)
13.9
(57.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 3
(0.1)
2
(0.1)
2.1
(0.08)
32.2
(1.27)
71.2
(2.80)
157.8
(6.21)
196.8
(7.75)
180.8
(7.12)
117.7
(4.63)
40.2
(1.58)
11
(0.4)
5.6
(0.22)
820.4
(32.30)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 262.9 246.5 274.7 260.5 241.8 158.0 142.4 136.7 164.0 191.7 221.4 232.6 2,533.2
Source 1: Yearly weather forecasts[29][30]
Source 2:
Indian Meteorological Department[31][32][33]

Demographics

Others include
Parsis
Religions in Belgaum district[34]
Percent
Hinduism
84.59%
Islam
10.4%
Jainism
4.1%
Christianity
0.42%
Others
4.63%

As of 2001[update] India

SC and ST population of about 7216 and Below Poverty Line population of about 12203. Total population living in slums was about 7496. The literacy rate in men and women as of 2011 was about 76% and 68% respectively which is a little above national average.[36]

Majority of the population in Gokak follows

Buddhists
and others making up the rest of the population.

Economy

Gokak has a predominant agricultural economy in the rural areas where majority of the people are farmers or affiliated to other

Jowar and Betel leaf owing to which there is an industrial presence of a cotton spinning mill, sugar industry and starch processing plant.[37]

KIADB and KSSIDC

Gokak is the only area apart from

Agarbatthi industry.[40] KSSIDC on the other hand is responsible for the growth and development of small-scale industries. The agency also provides ISI testing units to help small-scale industry units to process quality products. KSSIDC has well distributed network of raw-material depots across the state which facilitates easy distribution of raw materials for small scale industries.[41][42]

Textiles industry

Forbes Gokak Ltd. is a major textile industry located about 6 km west of Gokak in the town of Gokak Falls. It is also known as "Gokak Mills".[43] Gokak mills is known for their yarn which is supplied worldwide. Gokak mills have also received ISO 9002 certification.[44][45]

A unique forestation project known as "Global cooling" was initiated by Gokak Mills on rocky terrain areas surrounding Gokak Falls which led to the planting of 2 million trees. This helped the surrounding area geologically with regard to temperature, rainfall and a better quality of air. This project has won many accolades in the past for the company over and has also received an award in 1994 for its afforestation efforts.[46][47][48]

Starch processing

Riddhi Siddhi Gluco Biols Ltd. (RSGBL) is a major starch processing facility located 3 km west of Gokak. It is one of the largest starch processing industries in

Glaxo and Hindustan Unilever in the last 15 years.[50][51]

Cuisine

North Karnataka meal

Being close to the border with the state of

Gokak is also known for its sweets namely

Dry fruits and ground coconut. These are combined with sugar along with other flavourings, cooked in ghee and moulded into a ball shape. Sometimes Ladgi Ladu are prepared using edible resin
as well. [54][55]

Transportation

Majority of public transport in Gokak connecting surrounding villages and towns is through city buses run by NWKRTC from Gokak bus depot. Auto rickshaws are commonly available at a nominal fare for commuting inside the city.[56][57]

Road

Gokak is connected by road via State Highway 31 (

Sangam), State Highway 45 (Arabhavi to Challakere), State Highway 103 (Gokak to Saundatti), State Highway 134 (Badami to NH 4 at Hattargi Cross).[58]

Rail

Central Railway Zone is the closest railway junctions to Gokak Road station. They are well connected to major cities like Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa, New Delhi and Chennai.[59]

Air

The closest Airport to Gokak is

are other domestic airports with 125 and 90 km respectively. is around 175 KM.

Belgaum Airport currently has

Spicejet flight services to Bangalore, Mumbai
, Other destinations like Chennai, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad are also scheduled in recent days. Air India has a daily service to Pune.

Gallery

  • Gokak Valley from the falls cliffs.
    Gokak Valley from the falls cliffs.
  • Gokak Mills.
    Gokak Mills.
  • View of Gokak Falls hanging bridge
    View of Gokak Falls hanging bridge
  • Gokak Falls
  • Gokak taluka map
    Gokak taluka map
  • Gokak Falls During Night
    Gokak Falls During Night

Gokak toys

Gokak was once famous for its wooden and paper toys. Artificial fruits, vegetables, animals, birds and more are made up of wood and are popularly known as Gokak toys. These toys are predominantly used as display items at homes and are rarely used by the children as toys.

Karnataka Government is mulling of applying for Geographical indication tag for Gokak toys.[62]

Books

A book named The Life and Living in the Rural Karnatak: (with Reference to Gokak Taluka) by Madhukar Narasinha Desai gives an account of rural conditions with respect to Gokak taluka in the Bombay Karnataka.[63][64]

Neighboring locations

References

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