with its recently constructed sprawling and splendid Gurudwara complex. It attracts numerous pilgrims and visitors from all the parts. There is a sarovar /a tank or pool and Amrut-Kund in the compound. 2.3 TOPOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION Bidar soils are deep (>100 cm), well-drained, gravelly, red, clayey soils developed on plateaus of laterites. They are slightly acidic to neutral (pH 6.6) in reaction with low Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC).They are highly gravelly soils with gravel content (60 to 10%) that decrease with depth. The district is entirely covered by the Deccan trap flows of the tertiary period. The Deccan trap is composed of horizontal flows of basaltic lava. They generally form flat-topped hillocks and terrace-like features. The top layers of the Deccan trap in parts of Bidar and Humnabad taluk/ administrative district are altered to reddish vesicular laterite, forming an extensive undulating plateau. The minerals found in the area are Bauxite, Kaolin and Red ochre. A deposit of highly siliceous bauxite clay has been located about three kilometers south of Basavakalyan. Similar deposits are noticed near Alwal and Kamthana Villages of Bidar taluk. A large deposit of Kaolin is located near Kamthana village. Red ochre deposits are found near Sirsi and Aurad Village.
The entire district forms a part of the Deccan Plateau and is made up mostly of solidified lava. The northern part of the district is characterized by expanse of level and treeless surface punctuated here and there by flat and undulating hillocks, black soils and basaltic rocks. The southern half of the district is a high plateau about 715 m above mean sea level and is well drained.The average elevation of the district is between 580 to 610 m above mean sea level. Alluvial deposit is normally found along the banks of the Manjra river and its main tributaries. Almost 700 kilometers from Bangalore, Bidar lies at the farthest north-eastern corner of Karnataka. Bifurcated and truncated during the reorganisation of states in 1956, it is only a fraction of its vast expanse in the erstwhile state of Hyderabad. Present day Bidar covering an expanse of 5448 square kilometers of land lies between 17035’ and 18025’ North latitudes and 76042’ minutes and 77039’ east longitudes, with the districts of Nizamabad and Medak in Andhra Pradesh on the East and the districts of Nanded and Osmanabad in Maharashtra on the west. On the south lies the district of Gulbarga of Karnataka. This central position in the Deccan had for long imparted to Bidar, the pre-eminent position in the history of the Deccan, though today it presents a picture of centuries of neglect and ruin. Two types of soils found in the district are lateritic red soil and black cotton soil. Aurad and Bhalki taluk have mainly black cotton soil. Bidar and Humnabad taluks have mainly lateritic red soil. Basavakalyan taluk has both types of soils.
(Fig 2.13) Domestic scene from Bidri colony
2.13
17 | A WALK THROUGH BIDAR CHRONICLES OF BIDRI
The important rivers in the district are: • Manjra • Karanja (River)