Consider this fact. In 1985, Challakere town, a taluk head quarter in Chitradurga district, had 175 borewell drillers. Then it was considered the town with the second highest number of borewell drillers in the country after Tiruchanagod in Tamil Nadu. Whereas in 2008 the town does not have a single borewell driller! This aptly sums up the present ground water crisis in the district.

Water is the life-line for agriculture, industry and everything else that contributes towards the comprehensive growth of a particular place. As the ground water table depleted, production in agro crop witnessed a decline, followed by the closure of many oil mills in Challakere, which was once known for the highest number of oil mills.
Moreover, rainfall in the district has been low. On an average, the district gets about 555 mm of rainfall per year. These factors forced the public to demand for the Upper Bhadra Project to irrigate the dry lands of the district. Though the demand has been before successive State Governments since the early 1960s, it has still not been answered.

Prosperous neighbours

Compared to Chitradurga, neighbouring Davangere and Tumkur districts are ahead in terms of opportunities to pursue higher education, number of business establishments and job opportunities for youth. Davangere can be easily referred to as the hub of educational institutes after Bangalore and Mangalore. It has three engineering colleges, two medical colleges, two dental colleges and scores of teachers’ training institutes. In addition, economy in the rural areas is considerably high because of the Bhadra canal. Tumkur developed by and large due to its proximity to the State capital.

However, Chitradurga district lags behind its neighbours, both in terms of educational institutes and industry. Only in the recent years, a private medical college has come up. Besides, one private engineering college and a dental college have been functioning. Forget colleges for professional courses, students of Molakalmur do not have a college that can offer science subjects at the PU level. Students willing to study Science subjects have to go all the way to Chitradurga town, which is about 100 km from Molakalmur.

Gopalaswamy, a high school teacher in Molakalmur, blames lack of commitment among elected representatives for poor infrastructure in the district. "Rural students are as talented as urban children. But, if they do not have a college to study the subjects of their choice, how will they face the competitive world?" he asked.

On the other hand, silk industry in Molakalmur, the place once known for silk sarees, is fast losing its ground in the present day market. Eight years ago, there were about 10,000 silk saree weaving units. However, at present, the number is not more than 3,000! The present generation is just not interested in continuing with the traditional occupation. Similar is the state of weavers of kambali (blanket) in Challakere taluk.

Historical fort

Chitradurga is known for its Elu Suttina Kote (fort with seven walls around). The fort has a history of over 1,000 years. Its construction began in the 10th century and completed during the rule of Palegars in the 18th century. Mallinatha Odeya, who was ruling the place under Vijayanagar Empire, is said to have constructed the main entrances of the fort. However, it was strengthened by the Palegars during their rule between 1568 and 1779.

The fort, with walls of granite stones, comprises of seven main entrances, 19 gateways, 38 posterior entrances, four secret entrances, 14 temples, palaces and granaries.

The Palegars have given due attention to the conservation of rain water in the forest. Rain water is collected in small tanks and made to flow to Santhe Honda, outside the fort, which is in turn connected to a near-by tank. This shows that the rulers of the place were concerned about conserving rainwater.

Tourism

The only reason to cheer about amidst these disappointing factors is the rich historical heritage of the district. The fort, right at the centre of the city, attracts a good number of tourists from far-off places. It has been a repository of never ending surprises for tourists as well as historians.

Similarly, film makers have attempted to capture its beauty. Naagarahavu, directed by Puttanna Kanagal, was shot in Chitradurga and its surrounding areas keeping the fort as the centre of action. Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh entered Kannada filmdom with the same movie. Hamsageethe, produced by G V Iyer, and recently Kallarali Hoovagi, based on B L Venu's novel, were shot in the place. Undoubtedly, these movies did play a major role in making Chitradurga one of the major tourist attractions of the State. Moreover, the fort is a haven for rock climbers. It has given birth to many national level rock climbers.

Though the fort is in the centre of the city, there is no proper approach road to its entrance. Tourist vehicles have to struggle hard to reach the entrance. In fact, the Tourism Department has planned a separate road to the fort from National Highway 4, at a cost of Rs 10 crore. Once the plan is executed, tourists from Bangalore can reach the fort straight from the highway and return back the same way.

According to the Tourism Department records, of the total 1,68,218 tourists who visited the historical fort in the year 2000, only 51 were foreigners. Over the years, the number of international visitors has increased by a few hundreds. In the year 2007, till November, as many as 546 foreigners visited the fort. The number is meagre, compared to the number of foreign visitors to Hampi. However, tourists starting from Bangalore have to pass through Chitradurga to reach Hampi. Hoteliers demand that the Tourism Department should promote Chitradurga as a major tourist attraction among foreign tourists.

Arun Kumar, owner of the Aishwarya Fort group of hotels, said the number of international visitors to the place is too less. Only around 200 foreign tourists stay for a day in a year in Chitradurga. Localites will benefit only if the number of foreign tourists increases. Most tourists heading towards Hampi skip Chitradurga. The Tourism Department should take up some programme to make tourists stay at least for a day in Chitradurga before moving to Hampi.

A major disadvantage for tourists in Chitradurga is the absence of conducted tours to the tourist places of the district. “We hoteliers arrange for trips to tourist places only for our customers. The Tourism Department can, in fact, arrange for conducted trips to places of tourist interest for the benefit of tourists,” said Arun Kumar.

The past

Chitradurga has been ruled by Chalukya, Hoysala and Vijayanagar rulers. During the reign of the Chalukyas, the place was called Solgallu, in Hoysala period it became Bemmatthanakallu, Brahmagiripura and Perumalapura, during Pelagars’ reign the name was Chitrakaldurga and Chittankaldurga. After Hyder Ali won the battle against Palegars, he named the place Farrakabad. During British rule, it became Chital Durg and now it is Chitradurga.

Important festivals

Chitradurga is known for the unique festivals celebrated by different sections of people. Important among them are Nayakanahatti Guru Thipperudraswamy jaatre at Nayakanahatti, Gowrasamudra jaatre in Challakere taluk, Ekanatheshwari utsav, Akka-Tangi bheti utsav in Chitradurga and Gavigangapura rathotsava in Hosadurga taluk.

The district layout

Total population - 15,17,896 (As per 2001 census)
Total area - 8,388 sq km
Forest area - 73,719 ha
Sex ratio - 955 females to 1,000 males
Literacy - 63.5 pc

Salient features - Area around Chitradurga was part of the sea bed thousands of years ago. The pillow-lava rock structures found at Maradihalli village near Chitradurga prove this theory.

Wind speed: On an average, 50 km/hour of wind velocity is recorded in the district. This is considered to be the second highest in the country after Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, where the average wind velocity is 60 km/hour. This feature has prompted the setting up of wind turbines to generate power. Thousands of wind mills have been set up in Chitradurga, Hiriyur and Hosadurga taluks.

Rainfall: Chitradurga is one of the least rainfall recorded districts, where the annual average rainfall is 555 mm.
Main crops: Groundnut, sunflower, cotton, coconut, ragi, paddy, areca and vegetables.

Ground water: Ground water is available on an average between 300 and 350 ft deep in Chitradurga district. However, traces of fluoride content are found in abundance. The quantity of totally dissolved solvents (TDS) in ground water is 3,000 ppm (particles per million), whereas the permissible limit for drinking purpose is 150 ppm!
Hydro Geologist N J Devaraja Reddy attributes the decline in agro production in the district to polluted ground water. “Farmers who have fully charged borewells also face the loss in production because of totally dissolved solvents. The only solution is to go in for rain water harvesting. Of late, people are becoming cautious about ground water. A number of check dams have been built in Hosadurga taluk to harvest rainwater,” he says.

Tourist attractions

(Distance from Chitradurga)
Historical fort - within the city of
Chitradurga.
Chandravalli - 3 km
Bruhanmatha - 3 km
Jogimatti hill station - 7 km
Marikanive - Vanivilasa Sagar Dam - 32 km
Nunkemale - 93 km
Ashok Siddapura - 101 km
For details on Chitradurga, contact: Tourism Officer, Fort Road, Chitradurga.
Ph: 08194-234466 or visit: www.chitradurgacity.gov.in; www.visitchitradurga.com;  http://chitradurga.kar.nic.in; www.chitharadurga.com

Transport

Chitradurga is about 200 km from Bangalore. Road connectivity is good as National Highway 4 passes through the district. However, there is no convenient train service to Chitradurga. A passenger train connecting Bangalore and Chitradurga via Arasikere takes not less than eight hours, which is double the time required to travel by road. Union Minister for Railways Lalu Prasad Yadav, during his recent visit to Chitradurga, assured the local people that a new train between Bangalore and Chitradurga would be sanctioned in the next budget. However, this promise has not been fulfiled as yet.

Tourists have to make their own arrangements to visit the tourist places of the city and the district. Neither the Tourism Department nor private establishments have shown any interest in arranging conducted tours. Cabs on hire are available in Chitradurga.

Pride of the district

S Nijalingappa, former chief minister.
Dr D M Nanjundappa, former deputy chairman of the State Planning Commission.
T S Venkannaiah, a well-known writer.
Ta Ra Subbarao, a novelist.
Hullur Srinivasa Jois, a historian.