Hongal
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.
Hongal
(Bail Hongal). — Village in the Sampgaon idliika of Belgaum District, Bombay, situated in 15° 49' N. and 74° 52' E. Population (1901), 8,675. There are manufactures of coarse cotton cloth and articles of native apparel, some of which are sold in the neighbouring markets, and the remainder exported via Belgaum to the Konkan. Hongal is built on rising ground at the eastern side of a fine tank from which is drawn the main water-supply of the inhabitants. North of the village stands an old Jain temple, now converted into a lingavi shrine, which contains two inscriptions of the twelfth century. The prefix ' Bail ' refers to the fact of the place being built in an open black- soil country. The market is celebrated for the superior class of bullocks brought to it for sale. A large annual fair is held, at which wrestlers from the surrounding country assemble. There is a branch of the Methodist Episcopal Mission with a mission house and a chapel, and two schools, one for boys and one for girls, with 60 and 30 pupils respectively. There are also two other boys' schools with 220 pupils.
