| History of Raichur |
| Raichur has a rich history, having been a part of various empires, such as the Bahmanis and Vijayanagara and Hyderabad. The city is famous for its imposing Raichur Fort. Here, stone inscriptions have been found in Persian and Arabic which belonged to the bastion of the fort, referring to its construction in 1294. Among the ruins of the immense fort are many irrigation tanks and old temples.
Interesting details of the battle between Sri Krishnadevaraya and Adil Shah are given in The Battle of Raichur. Raichur is very rich from the epigraphical point of view. It has already yielded hundreds of inscriptions, ranging from the Mauryan period up to the end of the Muslim period. The inscriptions are in a variety of languages such as Sanskrit, Prakrit, Kannada, Arabic, and Persian and belonging to almost all the dynasties that ruled over the Dekkan. The most important places from this point of view are Maski, Koppal, Kuknur, Mudgal and Raichur. |
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| Geography |
| Raichur is located at 16°12′N 77°22′E16.2°N 77.37°E. It has an average elevation of 407 metres (1335 ft). |
| Demographics |
| As of the 2001 India census,[4] Raichur had a population of 205,634. Males constituted 51% of the population and females 49%. <–!Raichur has an average literacy rate of 63%, higher than the national average of 62%: male literacy is 58%, and female literacy is 62%.–> In Raichur, 13% of the population was under 6 years of age.The main language is Kannada, but Telugu, Urdu, and Hindi are also widely spoken. |
| Economy |
| It has been a traditional agricultural based economy. Major agricultural produce has been Rice and Cotton. Ground nut and pulses are also produced. There are many rice processing industries and Cotton processing industries here. Service industry located here caters to needs of the surrounding area. Medical Services,Fertilizers,Agricultural implement repairers are the major services available. There are two medical colleges, Two Engineering colleges, Two dental colleges,one agricultural college(UAS RAICHUR) Numerous schools and colleges providing various courses including MBA One of the most visited places in Raichur is the Raichur Thermal Power Station in Shakthinagar. It has 8 units, producing 210 MW each, employing ISO 14001, an internationally accepted specification for environmental management systems (EMS). |
| Cuisine |
| Biryani, Puri, Vagarni with mirchi, Jolada roti. |
| Transport |
| Raichur is well connected by road and rail to Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other major cities. The airport[5] is under construction near a village called Yermarus (Around 10 km from Raichur). |
| Local transport Auto rickshaws are available for getting around the city at fairly reasonable rates. NEKRTC city buses circulate within the city and also travel to the nearby towns and villages. |
| Long-distance bus routes Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs a bus service to other cities and villages. There are also various private bus services. There are many private services running Volvo buses between Bangalore and Raichur, and between Hyderabad and Raichur. |
| Railways Raichur is served by a major rail line and is well connected by trains to all major parts of India such as Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Trivandrum, Kanyakumari, Pune, Bhopal and Agra. |
| Monuments |
| Anegundi, 135 km from Raichur, has some splendid temples from the Vijayanagar era such as the Ranganatha Temple and the Huchchappayana Matha. The Pampa Sarovara, the Kamal Mahal and Nava Brindavana entomb the mortal remains of famous saints. |
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