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{{short description|City in Karnataka, India}}
{{About|the city in Karnataka, India|the district|Ballari District}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Ballari
| other_name =
| settlement_type = [[City]]
| image_skyline = BELLARY FORT 2.jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Ballari city
| nickname =
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 6
| map_alt =
| map_caption = Ballari in Karnataka
| pushpin_map =
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption =
| coordinates = {{coord|15|06|N|76|55|E|display=inline,title}}
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +05:30
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{Flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = {{seal|Karnataka}}
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Ballari district|Ballari]]
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| named_for =
| government_type = [[Municipal Corporation]]
| governing_body = Ballari City Corporation
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = P. Gadeppa
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 167.38
| area_rural_km2 = 1609.68
| area_rank =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 485
| population_total = 410445 <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/591/download/2012/DH_2011_2911_PART_B_DCHB_BELLARY.pdf|access-date=24 January 2024|title=Census Data Handbook 2011}}</ref>
| population_rural = 360484
| population_as_of = 2011
| population_footnotes =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_rank = 95th (India)<br />
5th (Karnataka)
| population_demonym = Ballarians
| blank_name = {{nowrap|[[Official language]]}}
| blank_info = [[Kannada]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM50thReport.pdf |title=50th Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India (July 2012 to June 2013) |access-date=14 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708012438/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM50thReport.pdf |archive-date=8 July 2016}}</ref>
| postal_code_type = [[Postal Index Number]]
| postal_code = 583101, 583102, 583103, 583104, 583105, 583152<ref name="indiapost_pin_search">{{cite web |title=Indiapost PIN Search for 'bellary' |url=http://www.indiapost.gov.in/pinsearch1.asp |access-date=8 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504052343/http://www.indiapost.gov.in/pinsearch1.asp |archive-date=4 May 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_code = (+91)8392
| area_code_type = Telephone code
| iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:IN|IN-KA]]
| registration_plate = KA-34
| blank1_name_sec1 = [[Human sex ratio|Sex ratio]]
| blank1_info_sec1 = 1.04<ref name="census">{{cite web|title=District Census Handbook – Guntur|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/2911_PART_B_DCHB_BELLARY.pdf|website=Census of India|publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner|access-date=6 November 2016|page=22}}</ref> [[male|♂]]/[[female|♀]]
| website = {{URL|ballaricity.mrc.gov.in}}
| footnotes =
| leader_title2 = [[Deputy Mayor]]
| leader_name2 =
| leader_title3 = [[Commissioner]]
| leader_name3 = G Khaleel Sab<ref name="bellary_city_staff">{{cite web
| title = Bellary City Staff
| url = http://www.bellarycity.gov.in/city-staff.html
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060520035858/http://www.bellarycity.gov.in/city-staff.html
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 20 May 2006
| access-date = 5 February 2015
}}</ref>
| blank2_name_sec1 = Literacy
| blank2_info_sec1 = 79%<ref name="census"/>
}}
'''Ballari''' ({{ipa|kn|bɐɭːaːri|lang}}, formerly '''Bellary'''<ref name="official_name">{{cite news |title=Bangalore becomes 'Bengaluru'; 11 other cities renamed |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/bangalore-becomes-bengaluru-11-other-cities-renamed/articleshow/45002333.cms |work=The Economic Times |agency=PTI |date=1 November 2014 |location=Bangalore |access-date=19 April 2024}}</ref>) is a city in the Ballari district in state of [[Karnataka]], India.

Ballari houses many steel plants such as [[JSW Steel|JSW Vijayanagar]], one of the largest in Asia. Ballari district is also known as the 'Steel city of South India'. Ballari is also the headquarters for Karnataka Gramina Bank which almost has more than 1100 + branches in Karnataka.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ballari District Profile |url=https://e-krishiuasb.karnataka.gov.in/ItemDetails.aspx?DepID=14&cropID=0&SubDepID=12 |website=e-krishiuasb.karnataka.gov.in |access-date=18 December 2024 |language=en }}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Bellary}}
[[File:Western Chalukya Monuments.svg|thumb|200px|Core area of [[Western Chalukya]] monuments, roughly corresponding to ''Sindavadi-1000''|left]]
[[File:Madras Prov South 1909.jpg|thumb|200px|Madras province (South), 1909 showing Ballari|left]]
Ballari was a part of [[Rayalaseema]] ([[Ceded Districts]]) which was part of [[Madras Presidency]] till 1 November 1956.

The Ballari city municipal council was upgraded to a city corporation in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thehindu.com/2004/09/29/stories/2004092904670300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221085252/http://www.thehindu.com/2004/09/29/stories/2004092904670300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 December 2016 |title= Karnataka. Bellary City Municipal Council upgraded to corporation|date= 26 September 2004|work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=8 December 2016}}</ref>

The [[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Union Ministry of Home Affairs]] of the [[Government of India]] approved a proposal<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mha.gov.in/MHA1/Par2017/pdfs/par2014-pdfs/ls-161214/3797.pdf|title=Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs}}</ref> to rename the city in October 2014 and Bellary was renamed to "Ballari" on 1 November 2014.<ref>{{cite news|last1=New City|first1=Names to Karnatka|title=New name for cities|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/from-bangalore-to-bengaluru/article6553314.ece|access-date=1 November 2014|work=The Hindu}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:BELLARY_FORT_6.jpg|thumb|alt=Bellary Fort|Ballari Fort|link=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BELLARY_FORT_6.jpg|left]]
Ballari is located at {{Coord|15.15|N|76.93|E|}}. The city stands in the midst of a wide, level plain of [[Vertisol|black cotton soil]].<ref name="imperial-gazetteer">
{{cite book|url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V07_164.gif|title=The Imperial Gazetteer of India, volume 7|date=1908|publisher=Clarendon Press|location=Oxford|pages=158–176}}
</ref>[[Granite]] rocks and hills form a prominent feature of Ballari. The city is spread mainly around two hills of granite composition, the ''Ballari Hill'' and the ''Kumbara Gudda''.

''Ballari Hill'' has a circumference of nearly {{convert|2|mi|km}} and a height of {{convert|480|ft|m}}. The length of this rock from north-east to south-west is about {{convert|1150|ft|m|abbr=on}}. To the east and south lies an irregular heap of boulders, to the west there is an unbroken monolith, and the north is walled by bare, rugged ridges.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>

''Kumbara Gudda'' looks like the profile of a human face from the south-east. It is also known as ''Face Hill''.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>

===Climate===

The climate is a hot [[semi arid]] one (BSh), primarily due to the rain shadow effect of the [[Western Ghats]], but [[monsoons]] still influence the weather here, with light rain throughout the year, and a slight increase during the summer and autumn.

{{Weather box
| location = Bellary (1981–2010, extremes 1901–2012)
| metric first = Yes
| single line = Yes
| width = auto
| Jan record high C = 37.6
| Feb record high C = 40.5
| Mar record high C = 43.0
| Apr record high C = 45.4
| May record high C = 44.6
| Jun record high C = 44.7
| Jul record high C = 39.5
| Aug record high C = 39.0
| Sep record high C = 38.4
| Oct record high C = 39.0
| Nov record high C = 38.4
| Dec record high C = 35.6
| year record high C = 44.7
| Jan high C = 31.4
| Feb high C = 34.4
| Mar high C = 38.1
| Apr high C = 40.4
| May high C = 39.6
| Jun high C = 35.3
| Jul high C = 32.7
| Aug high C = 31.9
| Sep high C = 32.3
| Oct high C = 31.8
| Nov high C = 30.8
| Dec high C = 30.2
| year high C = 34.1
| Jan low C = 15.6
| Feb low C = 18.1
| Mar low C = 21.1
| Apr low C = 23.9
| May low C = 24.4
| Jun low C = 23.3
| Jul low C = 23.0
| Aug low C = 22.7
| Sep low C = 21.9
| Oct low C = 20.9
| Nov low C = 18.3
| Dec low C = 15.6
| year low C = 20.7
| Jan record low C = 7.0
| Feb record low C = 8.5
| Mar record low C = 10.0
| Apr record low C = 13.0
| May record low C = 14.5
| Jun record low C = 14.8
| Jul record low C = 15.5
| Aug record low C = 15.0
| Sep record low C = 15.0
| Oct record low C = 12.5
| Nov record low C = 8.4
| Dec record low C = 8.0
| year record low C = 7.0
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain mm = 2.9
| Feb rain mm = 2.3
| Mar rain mm = 6.0
| Apr rain mm = 17.2
| May rain mm = 54.3
| Jun rain mm = 59.2
| Jul rain mm = 42.6
| Aug rain mm = 70.0
| Sep rain mm = 111.0
| Oct rain mm = 89.0
| Nov rain mm = 39.5
| Dec rain mm = 5.5
| year rain mm = 499.5
| Jan rain days = 0.5
| Feb rain days = 0.2
| Mar rain days = 0.6
| Apr rain days = 1.5
| May rain days = 3.4
| Jun rain days = 3.8
| Jul rain days = 3.8
| Aug rain days = 4.7
| Sep rain days = 5.4
| Oct rain days = 5.8
| Nov rain days = 2.4
| Dec rain days = 0.5
| year rain days = 32.7
|time day = 17:30 [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| Jan humidity = 43
| Feb humidity = 37
| Mar humidity = 30
| Apr humidity = 29
| May humidity = 34
| Jun humidity = 50
| Jul humidity = 56
| Aug humidity = 58
| Sep humidity = 58
| Oct humidity = 62
| Nov humidity = 56
| Dec humidity = 50
|year humidity = 47
|source 1 = [[India Meteorological Department]]<ref name=IMDnormals>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200205040301/http://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/1981-2010%20CLIM%20NORMALS%20%28STATWISE%29.pdf
| archive-date = 5 February 2020
| url = https://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/1981-2010%20CLIM%20NORMALS%20%28STATWISE%29.pdf
| title = Station: Bellary Climatological Table 1981–2010
| work = Climatological Normals 1981–2010
| publisher = India Meteorological Department
| date = January 2015
| pages = 119–120
| access-date = 18 April 2020}}</ref><ref name=IMDextremes>
{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200205042509/http://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/EXTREMES%20OF%20TEMPERATURE%20and%20RAINFALL%20upto%202012.pdf
| archive-date = 5 February 2020
| url = https://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/EXTREMES%20OF%20TEMPERATURE%20and%20RAINFALL%20upto%202012.pdf
| title = Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)
| publisher = India Meteorological Department
| date = December 2016
| page = M90
| access-date = 18 April 2020}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
[[File:Bellary Fort.JPG|thumb|Ballari Fort|left]]
{{Historical populations
|align = center
|source = <ref>{{cite web |title=Census Tables |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/census.website/data/census-tables |website=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=2 October 2023}}</ref>
|1931|47573
|1941 |56148
|1951|70332
|1961|85673
|1971|125183
|1981 |201579
|1991|245391
|2001|316766
|2011|410445
}}

{{bar box
|title=Religions in Ballari City (2011)<ref name="Religion">{{cite web |title=Table C-01 Population By Religious Community - Karnataka|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW29C-01%20MDDS.XLS|publisher=Census of India}}</ref>
|titlebar=#Fcd116
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=left
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Hinduism in Karnataka|Hinduism]]|darkorange|70.33}}
{{bar percent|[[Islam in India|Islam]]|green|26.53}}
{{bar percent|[[Christianity in Karnataka|Christianity]]|dodgerblue|1.71}}
{{bar percent|[[Jainism in Karnataka|Jainism]]|pink|0.79}}
{{bar percent|Other or not stated|black|0.65}}
}}

According to the [[2011 Census of India]], the urban population of Ballari was 410,445; of whom 206,149 were male and 204,296 female. 280,610 of the population were literate and 52,413 of the population were under 7 years of age.<ref name="census2011">{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/pca/SearchDetails.aspx?Id=688199|title= Census of India 2011|access-date=8 December 2016|publisher= Census Commission of India}}</ref> The population in 2001 was recorded as 316,766.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/towns/krn_towns.pdf|title= Census of India 2001|access-date=8 December 2016|publisher= Census Commission of India}}</ref>

===Languages===
{{Pie chart
|caption = Languages of Ballari City (2011)<ref name="Census2011Language"/>
|label1 = [[Kannada]] |value1 = 42.06 |color1 = darkslateblue
|label2 = [[Telugu language|Telugu]] |value2 = 25.03 |color2 = steelblue
|label3 = [[Urdu]] |value3 = 24.35 |color3 = green
|label4 = [[Hindi]] |value4 = 3.04 |color4 = orange
|label5 = [[Marathi language|Marathi]] |value5 = 1.75 |color5 = red
|label6 = [[Tamil language|Tamil]] |value6 = 1.69 |color6 = royalblue
|label7 = [[Marwari language|Marwari]] |value7 = 0.85 |color7 = pink
|label8 = [[Lambadi]] |value8 = 0.50|color8 = yellow
|label9 = Others |value10 = 0.73 |color10 = grey
}}

[[Kannada]] is the largest language, spoken by 42.06% of the population. [[Telugu language|Telugu]] is the second-largest, spoken by 25.03%, and [[Urdu]] 24.35%. 3.04% of the population spoke [[Hindi]], 1.75% [[Marathi language|Marathi]], 1.69% [[Tamil language|Tamil]], 0.85% [[Marwari language|Marwari]] and 0.50% [[Lambadi]].<ref name="auto"/><ref name="Census2011Language">{{cite web |title=C-16 City: Population by mother tongue |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/10255/download/13367/DDW-C16-TOWN-STMT-MDDS-2900.XLSX |website=Office Of The Registrar General & Census Commissioner India |access-date=28 September 2023}}</ref>

==Economy==
===Industries===
====Textiles and garments====
* Cotton processing
:With cotton being one of the major agricultural crops around Ballari historically, the city has had a thriving [[cotton]] processing industry in the form of [[ginning]], [[spinning (textiles)|spinning]] and [[weaving]] plants. The earliest steam cotton-spinning mill was established in 1894, which by 1901 had 17,800 spindles, and employed 520 hands.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>
:The city continues to thrive in this sector with one spinning mill and numerous cotton ginning and pressing mills, [[hand loom]]s and [[power loom]]s.<ref name="kar_handloom">{{cite web
| title = Karnataka Handloom | url = http://www.kar.nic.in/bellary/hand.html | access-date = 23 July 2010| url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110927235213/http://www.kar.nic.in/bellary/hand.html | archive-date = 27 September 2011| df = dmy-all}}</ref>
* Garment manufacture
:Ballari has a historic garment industry dating back to the First World War period, when the Marathi speaking "Darji" (tailor) community with its native skills in tailoring migrated from the current Maharashtra region to stitch uniforms for the soldiers of the colonial British Indian Army stationed at Ballari. After the war, the community switched to making uniforms for school children, and gradually the uniforms made here became popular all over the country.<ref name="bellarydotcom">{{cite web | title = Bellary Portal | url = http://www.bellary.com
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20020720170555/http://www.bellary.com/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = 20 July 2002| access-date = 23 July 2010}}</ref><ref name="tehelka_bellary_jeans">{{cite web | title = Jeans Industry in Bellary | url = http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=Bu251008the_jeans.asp | access-date = 23 July 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081222164007/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main40.asp?filename=Bu251008the_jeans.asp | archive-date = 22 December 2008| url-status = dead
}}</ref>
:Currently, Ballari is well known for its branded and unbranded denim garments, with brands like ''Point Blank'', ''Walker'', ''Dragonfly'' and ''Podium'' being successfully marketed nationally and internationally.<ref name="tehelka_bellary_jeans"/> There are about 260 denim garment units in Ballari with nearly 3000 families working in these units.<ref name="kar_handloom"/>

==Transport==
[[image:Ballari_railway_station_platform_No.1.jpg|thumb|200px|Ballari railway station platform 1]]

===Roadways===
[[National Highway 67 (India)]], [[National Highway 150A (India)]], State Highway 128 and State Highway 132 pass through the city.

===Rail===
There is [[Ballari Junction railway station]] on the [[Guntakal–Vasco da Gama section]].

===Air===
The closest functional commercial airport is [[Jindal Vijaynagar Airport]].

==Education==
{{see|Education in Ballari}}

==Notable people==
''See {{category|People from Ballari}}''

* [[Kolur Basavanagoud]] – Politician, Educationist, and Industrialist. He served as MP in [[13th Lok Sabha]] from [[Bellary Lok Sabha constituency|Ballari Lok Sabha constituency]].
* [[Basavarajeshwari]] – Politician and [[Industrialist]]
* [[Ravi Belagere]] – Actor, writer, novelist, journalist, publisher of the ''Hai Bengaluru'' [[Tabloid (newspaper format)|Tabloid]]
* [[Naveen Chandra]] – Actor in Telugu film industry
* [[Manjula Chellur]] −1st Woman Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court
* [[Nagarur Gopinath]] – One of the pioneers of [[cardiothoracic surgery]] in India, credited with the first successful performance of [[open heart surgery]] in India in 1962. Recipient of [[Padma Shri]] (1974) and [[Dr. B. C. Roy Award]] (1978)
* [[Jayanthi (actress)|Jayanthi]] – cinema actress, born in Ballari
* [[K. C. Kondaiah]] – Politician and industrialist
* [[A. Ranganatha Mudaliar|Arcot Ranganatha Mudaliar]] – Former Deputy [[District Collector|Collector]] of Ballari, politician and [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|theosophist]]. He served as the Minister of Public Health and Excise for the [[Madras Presidency]] from 1926 to 1928.
* [[A. Sabhapathy Mudaliar]] – Philanthropist; The Women & Children's Hospital or The District Hospital was initially named after him, following his donation of land and building to the hospital.<ref name="imperial-gazetteer"/>
* [[B Nagendra]] - Youth Welfare and Sports Minister of Karnataka
* [[Bellary Raghava]] (1880–1946) – Noted [[dramatist]]. The ''Raghava Kala Mandir'' [[auditorium]] in Ballari is named after him
* [[Suparna Rajaram]] – Distinguished Professor of Psychology at [[Stony Brook University]]
* [[Dharmavaram Ramakrishnamacharyulu]] (1853–1912) – Noted dramatist
* [[Bhargavi Rao]] – a Kannada-Telugu translator, winner of the prestigious [[Sahitya Akademi award|''Kendra Sahitya Academy award'']]
* [[Kolachalam Srinivasa Rao]] (1854–1919) – Noted dramatist
* [[Gali Janardhan Reddy]] – Former minister and district in charge. He is one of the richest politicians in India
* [[B Sriramulu]] - Ex Minister of Health and Family Welfare of Karnataka
* [[Tekur Subramanyam]] – Indian [[Freedom fighter#Freedom fighter|Freedom Fighter]], First post-[[Partition of India|independence]] MP of Ballari, elected thrice in a row since 1952, political secretary to Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]<ref name="DH_Jail">{{cite web| title = This jailhouse has a rich past| url =http://www.deccanherald.com/content/66042/this-jailhouse-has-rich-past.html| access-date = 4 June 2010 | date =26 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = A Congress bastion since 1952| url = http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2004/02/28/stories/2004022807090400.htm| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130126074637/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2004/02/28/stories/2004022807090400.htm| url-status = usurped| archive-date = 26 January 2013| access-date = 4 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = Caste will play a vital role in Bellary| url =http://www.rediff.com/election/1999/aug/20bell.htm| access-date = 4 June 2010 }}</ref>
* [[Ibrahim B. Syed]] – Indo-American [[Radiologist]]
* [[Allum Veerabhadrappa]] - former minister, Government of Karnataka

==References==
===Maps===
{{Reflist|group="map"}}

===General===
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Bellary}}
{{Commons category|Bellary}}
* [https://ballari.nic.in/en/public-utility/city-corporation-ballari/ Official website of Ballari City Corporation]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ballari| ]]
[[Category:1808 establishments in British India]]
[[Category: Municipal corporations in Karnataka]]
[[Category:Cities in Karnataka]]
[[Category:Taluks in Ballari district]]

Ballari - Revision history

Svetlqer at 20:54, 24 March 2026