Kittur

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Kittur, 1908

Village and fort in the Sampgaon taluka of Belgaum District, Bombay, situated in 15 degree 36' N. and 74 degree 48' E., 26 miles south- east of Belgaum town. Population (1901), 4,922. A stone in a temple at this place preserves an interesting record of a trial by ordeal in 11 88. The Desais of Kittur were descended from two brothers who acted as bankers with the Bijapur army towards the close of the sixteenth century. For their services they obtained a grant of Hubli, and their fifth successor established himself at Kittur. On the fall of the Peshwa, the place passed into the hands of the British. But in 181 8, when General Munro was besieging the fort of Belgaum, the Desai of Kittur gave great assistance, and in return was allowed to retain possession of the village. The Desai died in 1824 without issue. An attempt was subsequently made to prepare a forged deed of adoption, which led to an outbreak, in which the Political Agent and Collector, Mr. Thackeray, was killed and his two Assistants imprisoned. The prisoners were afterwards released, but the fort was not surrendered until it had been attacked and breached, with a loss of 3 killed and 25 wounded. Among the killed was Mr. Munro, Sub-Collector of Sholapur, and a nephew of Sir Thomas Munro. Kittur then finally passed into the hands of the British, although another rising occurred in 1829, which was not suppressed without difficulty. Bi-weekly markets are held here, at which cotton, cloth, and grain are sold. Weaving and glass bangle making are the sole industries. The fort is still standing, though in a ruined condition. Kittur contains 3 boys' schools with 222 pupils and 2 girls' schools with 104.

This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.

Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.