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| The Constituency |
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Birth of the city |
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The local Kannada speaking villagers refused to work in the deep pits of the mines and so people from the North and South Arcot districts of Tamil Nadu were settled around the various Shafts and a city was born.
Even today places in the area have names reminiscent of the presence of British people there; the two main towns Robertson pet and Anderson pet being named after two British officers in the mines.
Also Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) an Indian Public Sector Undertaking, has one of its branches located here. It manufactures a variety of heavy equipment, such as that used for earth moving, transportation and mining. BEML incorporated in May of 1964, and commenced operations on January 1, 1965. It was wholly owned and operated by India's Ministry of Defense until 1992, when the government divested 25% of its holdings in the company.
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Demographics |
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Kannada and Tamil are widely spoken by the people here apart from Telugu which is spoken by a substantial group of people. Three hundred thousand people lived in the Kolar Gold Fields at its peak production, but since the closing of mines in 2003 the population has reduced to less than a hundred thousand. Signboards are displayed predominantly in Kannada, Tamil and English all over KGF, and it is a bilingual town where people can speak two languages at ease. |
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| People and culture |
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People from many different places are settled in the Kolar Gold Fields. This includes Tamil speaking people from the north and south Arcot districts of Tamil Nadu. There are also Telugu speaking people from Kuppam, Ramakuppam, V-kota and other places from Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. So the culture has influence of all the three states Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Given the mixture of population, many festivals are celebrated; the most famous and popular one being the Lakshmi Venkateshwara Jaatre & Mother of Mines feast. Christianity is a main religion in this city, Rev Dr G Nickelson was the father of christianity in this city, He worked for poor & needy, He died at the age of 89
The mining hospital has the distinction of being the best hospital in the whole of the Kolar district. A goddess temple situated near by the hospital is famous because of the legend that it was built by British personnel. The Hospital is recognized for occupational disease treatment. The Gold Company which is known as Bharat Gold Mines Limited has come out of various combinations and permutations. The company has record of having Morarji Desai as chairman of this company and some of the erstwhile chief Ministers of Mystore state as chairmen.
Bharat Earth Movers Limited a premier earth mover manufacturing company has a factory located in Kolar Gold fields. |
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| Education |
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KGF has an Engineering College, a Dental College, a few Mining schools and number of good schools. KGF has got a medical college hospital nearby in the district Headquarters Kolar which is around 45 minutes drive from the town centre. Famous doctors in and around KGF are Dr.B.R. Rajendrakumar,Cardiologist & a Dentist Dr. AMC Saldhana. |
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| Trivia |
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| Champion Reef mine shaft at KGF |
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Kolar Gold Fields was the first city in Asia to get electricity, from Shivanasamudra Hydo electric project in Mandya District, Karnataka. |
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People from as far as Kolar could see the lights of this once prosperous city |
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KGF was known as "Little England" by the British, due to its more temperate weather and a landscape more similar to Britain's. It also had a sizable Anglo-Indian Population who worked in the various mines in different capacities. |
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The city is on the Deccan Plateau of central and south India, about 3000 feet above sea level |
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The Champion Reefs mine was the second deepest underground mine in the world when it was operational reached a depth of 3200mts. |
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Silicosis, a form of pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust, was first identified in KGF |
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Longest passenger train in the world is "Swarna Express" going from KGF to Bangalore. |
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National Institute of Miners Health had its headquarters in KGF |
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One can see the old British bungalows and buildings even today in good shape in KGF |
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KGF has been in the news recently in connection with the murder of S. Manjunath, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) manager who was killed for doing his duty. He was from Vivek Nagar. |
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KGF played a major part in the prosperity of the British Empire |
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The particle experiments at Kolar Gold Fields, performed by a collaboration of particle physicists from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, Osaka City University, Japan and Durham University, UK recorded the first cosmic ray neutrino interaction in an underground laboratory in KGF mines in 1965. |
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KGF also has the distinction of having a Golf course started by the Britisher's dating back to 1885 and affiliated to Indian Golf Union |
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KGF is the birthplace of Magsaysay Awardee Jockin Arputham, the founder and president of the National Slum Dwellers Federation (India) |
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| Places of interest in and around KGF |
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Mulbagal |
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Guttahalli |
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Kotilingeshwara |
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Kurudumale |
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Avani |
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Budikote |
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Bethamangala |
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Bytarayappana Betta |
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Bangarpet |
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King George Hall |
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Champion Reefs |
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Robertsonpet |
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Soorajmull Circle |
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Peddapalli |
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Bytarayanahalli betta |
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