Belgaum, India

Belgaum (also known as Belagavi, Belgavi and Venugrama or "bamboo village") is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghat. A wide variety of historical sites, mosques, temples and churches are in and around the city, most notably the Kamala Basti fort, Kapileshwar temple (South Kashi), the hills of Vaijyanath, Ramtirth waterfalls, Revan Siddeshwr Temple at Hunshevari in the valleys of Kakati, Siddeshwar Temple in Kanbargi, the aerodrome at Sambra, Kittur Fort, Suvarna soudha.

The Government of Karnataka has proposed making Belgaum the second capital of Karnataka, hence a second state administrative building Suvarna Vidhana Soudha was inaugurated on 11 October 2012. Belgaum is an important source of vegetables, fruits, meat, poultry, fish, mining production, and wood (due to heavy rainfall, rivers and the abundance of water). Trading in North Karnataka is mainly with Goa and Maharashtra along with major cities like Pune and Bangalore. Rich deposits of Bauxite are found in Belagavi district and have led to the creation of the Indian aluminium-producing company Hindalco Industries of the Aditya Birla Group. Uranium deposits have been found at Deshnur, a small village near Bailhongal town. Belgaum is a major producer of milk in the state, 30% of the state's production, and has the highest number of Sugar factories in Karnataka. It is also home to Ugar Sugar Works in Ugar, Shree Renuka Sugars, and other large-scale sugar factories.

Connectivity

The city is served by Belgaum Airport at Sambra, which is the oldest airport in North Karnataka and lies 10 kilometres from the city on State Highway 20.

Belgaum railway station is on the Indian Railways grid, being part of the South Western railways, and is well connected by rail to major destinations.