Kolar Gold Fields

Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) was one of the major gold mines in India and is situated in the south of Bangarpet Taluk of the Kolar District, Karnataka State, to east flow ridge of hills of which Dod Betta hill, 3195 feet above sea level, is the most conspicuous point. It is about 30 km from Kolar and 100 km from Bangalore. The gold mines were closed in 2003 due to reducing deposits and increasing costs. Presently, plans are afoot to reopen the mine, which according to experts, has a potential 3 million tonnes of gold deposits. If re-opened and the reserve estimates are proven correct, the mine may provide a yield of 10 tonnes of gold a year for 15 years.

History

Gold was first mined in the area prior to the 2nd and 3rd century AD (golden objects found in Harappa and Mohenjo-daro have been traced to KGF through impurities-analyis—the impurities include 11% silver concentration, found only in KGF ore) by the digging of small pits. During the Chola period in the 9th and 10th century AD the scale of the operation grew, but large-scale mining only came in the 1850s under the British with more manpower and sophisticated machinery. The tradition of mining gold started at least as early as the first millennium B C. The Champion reef at the Kolar gold fields was mined to a depth of 50 m during the Gupta period in the fifth century A.D. The metal continued to be mined by the eleventh century kings of South India, the Vijayanagar Empire from 1336 to 1560 and later by Tipu Sultan, the king of Mysore state and the British. It is estimated that the total gold production in Karnataka to date is 1000 tons. Renewed interest in the Kolar Goldfields occurred towards the end of the nineteenth century. The ancient gold workings, which may be 200 years old and the workings of Tipu Sultan were located by Captain Warren in 1802 and started in 1864 by Michael F. Lavelle. John Taylor & Company did much of the prospecting.

In 1873, M.F. Lavelle, a resident in Bangalore, applied to the Mysore Government for the exclusive privilege of mining in the Kolar district. His request was granted and he commenced operations by sinking a shaft near Urigam (Oorgaum) in 1875, but, finding that large capital would be required, in the following year and with the approval of the government, transferred all his rights and concessions to the late Major General G. de la Poer Beresford. Major General Beresford formed a syndicate known as the Kolar Concessionaries (now merged into the Gold Fields of Mysore Co.) which took up the matter in earnest, and gradually acquired the area known as the Kolar Gold Fields.The following were the principal Mines in the Gold Fields in 1905:- These are a few minings in this city The Mysore Gold Mine, Champion Reef Mine, This mine was the second deepest underground mine in the world when it was operational reached a depth of 3200mts.. Oorgaum Mine, Nundydroog Mine, Tank Block Mine, Balaghat Mine, Gold Fields of Mysore, Coromandel Mine, Oriental Mine, Nine Reefs Mine, Road Block Mine, Mysore Reefs Gold Mines Coy.

Legend

There is a legend about the discovery of gold in KGF, Once upon a time hundreds of years ago when the Chera dynasty ruled the south in general a poor Shepherd (Kuruba Gowda) was walking in this region and a violent wind blew to raise the dust from the callous dry ground of this hilly rock region. Unable to see anything the Shepherd (Kuruba Gowda) tumbled on a rock and when the dust settled down the Shepherd (Kuruba Gowda) found a treasure lying in front of eyes, the treasure was huge enough to make him a king, the Kuruba Gowda then named his kingdom as Kolar. This legend has no proof; it just comes to us as folk tales in the mouth of some old villagers.

Birth of the city

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. This is partially true.

Even today places in the area have names reminiscent of the presence of British people there; the two main towns Robertsonpet and Andersonpet 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 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.

KGF has some of the premier establishments in the country like National Institute of Rock Mechanics (NIRM), is a defense undertaking body and Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

Demographics

Multiple languages like Tamil, Kannada, Urdu, Telugu are widely spoken by the people here apart from the native languages spoken by the people who had migrated to the city. 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 English, Tamil and Kannada all over Kolar Gold Fields.

People and culture

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 Native speaking people as well as natural migrants from neighbouring areas. The native people of Kolar district are basically kannadigas with Telugu Influence, and who adopted telugu from the fourteenth century. Tamil populations primarily came from the British efforts to get workers for the mines and migrated from Tamil Nadu crossing the Andhra border into KGF. 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 and Mother of Mines feast.

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.

Education

KGF has an Engineering College(TTIT formerley GVIT) , 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. And got Law college. Famous doctors in and around KGF are Dr.K.H.Jayaprakash, General Practitioner,K.G.F Clinic,Dr. A.V.Bhat, Dr M.Nagappa, Dr.P.Sampath Kumar, Radiologist ,Dr.B.Rajendrakumar, and Dentist Dr. AMC Saldhana, Dr. Fritz Mario Saldhana.

Climate

KGF was known as "Little England" by the British, due to its more temperate weather and a landscape more similar to Britain's. The city is on the Deccan Plateau of central and south India, about 3000 feet above sea level

Interesting facts

• The first hydroelectric project in S India was built in 1902 to provide electricity for the gold fields.
  • Kolar Gold Fields was the second city in Asia to get electricity after Tokyo, Japan, from Shivanasamudra Hydo electric project in Mandya District, Karnataka.
• People from as far as Kolar could see the lights of this once prosperous city
• 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.
• The city is on the Deccan Plateau of central and south India, about 3000 feet above sea level
• The Champion Reefs mine was the second deepest underground mine in the world when it was operational reached a depth of 3200mts.
• Silicosis, a form of pneumoconiosis caused by inhalation of crystalline silica dust, was first identified in KGF
• Longest passenger train in the world is "Swarna Express" going from KGF to Bangalore.
• National Institute of Miners Health had its headquarters in KGF
• One can see the old British bungalows and buildings even today in good shape in KGF.

In the year 1902 the suburb of Robertson pet was established.

• The mines were taken over by the Government of mysore in 1956.
• The mines were taken over by the Government of India in 1962.
• S. Manjunath, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) manager who was murdered for exposing corruption hailed from KGF.
• KGF played a major part in the prosperity of the British Empire
• 'Vijay Shree' awardee K.M. Divakaran is from KGF.
• The brilliant Indian artist John Wilkins was born here.
• 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.
• 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
• KGF is the birthplace of Magsaysay Awardee Jockin Arputham, the founder and president of the National Slum Dwellers Federation (India)

Places of interest in and around KGF

• Mulbagal
• Guttahalli
• Kotilingeshwara
• Kurudumale
• Avani
• Budikote
• Bethamangala
• Bytarayappana Betta
• Bangarpet
• King George Hall
• Champion Reefs
• Robertsonpet
• Peddapalli
• Bytarayanahalli betta
• Kamasamudram

At Present

The city has lost some parts of its ancient glory in terms of the natural scenic beauty. The closure of the BGML mines and lack of government support has given rise to a lot of issues, from unemployment to social unrest. The cyanide dumps that have been deposited here since inception of mines today are causing environmental hazard. There have been developments in various domains to improve the state of living in KGF but not enough to call them achievements.

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