I. FORMATION OF THE DIOCESE OF GULBARGA
24TH June 2005, on the feast of St. John the
Baptist, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, announced the creation of the
Diocese of Gulbarga comprising of the three Districts of North Karnataka
(Bidar, Gulbarga and Bijapur). His Holiness also announced Rev. Fr. Robert
Michael Miranda, the Episcopal vicar of Bidar Mission of Mangalore Diocese, a
pioneer missionary and a worthy Pastor to be the First Bishop of the Diocese
of Gulbarga. The Diocese of Gulbarga is carved out of the three Dioceses: Hyderabad, Belgaum,
and Bellary.
Thousands of faithful and hundreds of Priests and Religious along with nine
Bishops graced the Episcopal Ordination of Most Rev. Dr. Robert Miranda on
Thursday, 18th August 2005 at 9.30 a.m,
in St. Joseph’s Convent
School auditorium, Gulbarga. The Diocese of Gulbarga was thus
formally inaugurated.
His Grace Archbishop Most Rev. Pedro Lopez Quintana
(Apostolic Nuncio to India),
assisted by His Grace Most Rev. Bernard Moras
(Archbishop of Bangalore), and His Excellency Most Rev. Aloysius Paul D’Souza (Bishop of Mangalore) conferred the
Episcopal Ordination.
II. Geography , history and economic
background of the diocese
 
GUL in Persian language means flower and
‘BARG’ means leaf. ‘Gulbarga’
therefore means leaf along with a flower. Gulbarga was formerly called
‘Kalburgi ’which in Kannada means land of stones or heap of stones.
Today there is a move to rename the district of Gulbarga as Kalburgi
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1. Geography :
The diocese, which is the northern most
part of Karnataka, consists of 3 revenue districts Viz, Gulbarga, Bijapur and Bidar. Andhra Pradesh
surrounds it in the east and the north, Maharastra in the west and the
districts of Raichur, Bagalkot
and Belgaum
in the south. Having a total population of 6.4 million in an area covering
32157 sq. kms. It has only 6500 Catholics who form
less than one percent of the total population. The Hindus form the majority
(78%) followed by the Muslims 16%. The Sikhs, Jains,
Buddhists and Christians together form remaining 6%.
Gulbarga district has
10 revenue talukas viz; Gulbarga,
Chitapur, Afzalpur, Aland, Sedam, Yadgir, Chincholi, Jewargi, Shahapur and Shorapur. Bijapur district has 5 talukas viz: Bijapur, Basava Bagevadi, Muddebihal, Sindgi and Indi; and Bidar district consists of 5 revenue talukas
viz- Bidar, Bhalki, Basava
Kalyan,
Aurad and Humnabad. We can
find some similarities in the geographical and historical background of
these 3 districts coming under the diocese. The entire region forms a part
of
Deccan plateau.
2. History and The People.
Apart from the Chalukyas, Rastrakootas and Hoysalas who
ruled different parts of these 3 districts from 6th Century
onwards the impact of Muslim rule is very evident in this region. The Muslim
rulers were either the Bahmani Kings or Mughals, who ruled from the 15th Century
onwards. The entire region was under the Nizams of Hyderbad at the time of Independence. Their impact is seen in the
realm of art, architecture, language and demography of the region. Out of
these, the impact on art and architecture needs a special mention. The Golgumbaz of Bijapur built by Mohammad Ali Shah of Adil Shah dynasty in the 17th century is world
famous. Ibrahim Roza, Jamma Masijid, Asara Mahal, Malik-E-Maidan are other well known structures in Bijapur which attract a large number of tourists. The
entire region is full of architectural monuments, which have Persian
influence.
Gulbarga has the famous Fort, Basaveshwara temple and Khaja Bande Nawaaz Muslim monument.
Bidar fort one among the seven largest forts in the country was the capital
of Bahamani kingdom. Apart from the Muslim impact
there are other influences in the arena of art and architecture. The
Magnificent Gurudhwara in Bidar town is a Shrine
and a important Holy place of the Sikhs in India.
As per the tradition , Gurunanak,
the founder of Sikh religion seems to have visited this place in a year
of drought and famine. Water stream seems to have emerged from the place
where Gurunanak prayed, and it flows even today.
The entire region coming under the diocese is full of beautiful mounuments built by various Kings. The existence of a
number of temples with their historical background speaks of a rich heritage.
The ‘Bidri Art’ of Bidar, which found
patronage of the Mughal Kings, is very attractive
and popular. Further, the entire region has its original contribution in the
field of Lambani dance, Kolata,
Bhajan singing and folk songs.
Though the region has given birth to great laureates like
Srivijaya, Ponna, Ranna and Kalichand, the one
person who has made popular impact in the religious, social and literacy
field, revered even today in the entire region is Basavanna
of Bagewadi who
became the prime minister under the Bijjala
King. He showed interest towards Veerashaiva
religion and started Anubhava Mantap,
invited devotees from all faiths irrespective of caste and creed. He started
social revolution by going against deep rooted caste discrimination in the
society. The Vachanas written by him are his unique
contribution to Kannada literature. By taking examples from day to day life,
they convey a powerful spiritual and social message to the reader. Akka Mahadevi, Allama Prabhu, Haralayya, machideva are
revered followers of Basavanna, besides hundreds of
other saints from various castes.
People of all faiths live in harmony. We do not see any
religious intolerance in this area. Another striking feature found in
the entire region is celebrating and festive culture of the people. The Hindu
calendar is marked with a religious feast every fortnight! People of all
religions join some of these celebrations. Dassera,
Deepavali, Moharam, Sankrathi, Holi and other
festivals are celebrated with pomp and gaiety by all .
Jathras and Urus are
common phenomena in most of the bigger villages and towns. Pravachanas and cultural programmes
form part of these Jathras.
The majority of the people in this part of the state are
poor. They live on daily wages. Unfortunately, people do not get work
all through the year. In many places, people do not have work even for six
months a year. Land and property belongs to the rich landlords while the majority are poor and landless people. One can see the
absence of the middle class, as there are few landlords and majority of the
people, the landless laborers. The small and marginal farmers have only arid
land in their name and do not profit much from it.
Though the region has seen great social reform in the
past, its impact on the society is bare minimum today. Once again, the
society is divided in watertight compartments by the rigid caste system.
Discrimination on the basis of caste still prevails and untouchablility
is in vogue. The Dalits are getting organized by
embracing Buddhism. Dr. Ambedkar, who is revered as
god by the Dalits is an icon of liberation.
3. Agriculture
  
It is the backbone of the economy in this region. The
irregularity of monsoon causes hardships to the people and they are
frequently faced with drought. Jowar, rice, wheat,
cereals, oilseeds, vegetables, sugarcane, and spices are grown in the entire
region. This part of the state is declared as a Horticultural Zone by the
government and there is great potential to grow various fruits like mangoes,
papayas, pomegranates, grapes etc. Black soil is predominantly found in the
area. River Krishna and Bhima
flow through this land. Food habits of the people in the entire region are
almost the same consisting mainly of Jowar roti, rice and dal. Various
cereals also form part of the diet, which is comparatively spicy.
4. Industry :
Bidar, Gulbarga and Bijapur – all the three
districts of the diocese are figuring among 200 most backward districts in
the country. Compared to other parts of the state this region is
considered industrially backward. Shahabad stones are well known for the
construction works and there are a couple of cement and sugar factories in
the region. The entire region of north Karnataka comprising of Bidar, Gulbarga and Bijapur IS known as Hyderabad - Karnataka region. In spite of
all the efforts, this region remains most backward in the state of Karnataka.
Migration of people takes place from these districts when the land is
afflicted by drought successively.
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