In Belgaum there are two GTS (Great Trigonometrical Survey) benchmarks. The first is housed in the St.Mary’s church premises in camp and the second one is placed at the Circuit House.

GTS is the standard is for establishing the elevations of the above mean sea level from a specific reference land surface. This was established in 1907 as 2523 feet above mean sea level.

A G.T.S. (Great Trigonometrical Survey) benchmark is a permanently fixed reference survey station (or point), having known elevation with respect to a standard datum (mean sea level). These are established all over India by Survey of India department with greater precision. A benchmark value is quite essential at any survey area, especially for reduction of observed sea level with respect to mean sea level or chart datum (CD). While carrying out bathymetric survey of a survey area, the datum referenced values thus obtained are used to compute the final depth contours of the survey area (with respect to CD). So, a benchmark, having known elevation is quite essential at the survey area, without which, preparation of a bathymetric chart is impossible. In some places, GTS benchmarks are available within a kilometer distance and can be easily transferred to the survey area by fly leveling using an automatic Level instrument and a graduated leveling staff. But in most of the cases, GTS benchmarks may be at far away distance from the area to be surveyed. In these cases, the most common traditional method of transferring the benchmark value using an automatic level instrument is a difficult task, consuming enormous amount of time and labour. To eliminate this process, a method is suggested in this technical report to transfer GTS benchmark from any far distance to the survey area. A latest Electronic Total Station (ETS) is the instrument that can be used for this purpose. The main advantage in applying this method is that considerable amount of time can be saved while maintaining the required accuracy.

What is this structure known as? It is Belgaum and from the looks of it, it’s very old.

So start replying now.

FREEMANSONS HALL or Masonic Hall which is the road after Hotel Greens is what this structure is known as. Masonic Lodge called the “Lodge Victoria No. 363 S.C.” at Belgaum.

There are two lodges down there on Lodge Victoria No 9 affiliated to Grand Lodges of India and the other one is Lodge Cataract No 909 (SC) affiliated to Grand Lodge of Scotland. About the membership it is for common people.

both theses lodges meet once in a month Lodge Victoria No 9 meets on the first Saturday of the month and Lodge Cataract No 909(SC) meets on the second Saturday of the month.Both the Lodges have got a very strict dress code. We have to wear a Dark Suite i.e ( Black Blazer, a White Shirt, a black tie and a a black pant and a black socks and black shoes)

Lodge Cataract was actually started at Gokak and was founded in 1900. Initially only the England Army was members of this Lodge. Later on Lodge Cataract became defunct and stopped functioning. Somewhere in early 1980’s is was brought to Belgaum and for the matter of fact Lodge Victoria No 9 was first affiliated to Grand Lodges of Scotland. In the year 1961 when there was a separate constitution for India know as GRAND LODGES OF INDIA Lodge Victoria got affiliated to GIL (Grand Lodges of India) and came under the Indian Constitution and Lodge Cataract No 909(SC) from the beginning is affiliated to Grand Lodge of Scotland. In Scottish Cataract means waterfalls.

Info courtesy: Ritish Ajit Patil

Pu La describes the lively character of KrishnaRao Harihar of Belgaum who is affectionately referred as Rao Saheb taught Marathi at Rani Parvatibai College (RPD) in Belgaum-1946.

 Pu La- Purshottam Laxman Deshpande the noted Marathi literary who was in Belgaum for a couple of years wrote many books and one famous character was Rao Saheb which he wrote when he was in Belgaum. He later on moved in to Kirti College in Mumbai.

 Read the Rao Saheb story here.

Mr.Harihar was a theatre owner and the meetings used to take place at the Ritz theatre (now Ritz Shrikrishna in Konwal Galli, near Tilak Chowk.)

 Pu La Deshpande’s speech during a Kannada Sahitya Sabha in Pune and his thoughts on the Belgaum border issue are quite humbling… “Maharashtra and Karnataka are political entities while Marathi and Kannadiga are cultural entities… you have meeting lines in the later case and borders in the former… one welcomes each other… the other say don’t enter!”

 He was born on 8 November 1919 in Mumbai. He has been awarded the prestigious awards like Padmashri, Padmabhushan, Maharashtra Bhushan, Sahitya Academy, Sangeet Natak Akademi. His work was dedicated in various fields like Drama, Literature, Music Humour, Philosophy and Broadcasting. P. L. Deshpande will be remembered in the newer generation for his Humorous books like Batatyachi Chal(बटाट्याची चाळ), Asa mi Asa mi (असा मी असामी), Vakti ani Valli (व्यक्ती आणि वल्ली), Varyavarachi Varat (वार्‍यावरची वरात), Bigari te Matrik (बिगरी ते मॅट्रिक), Hari Tatya (हरी तात्या), Mhais (म्हैस), Mi aani maza shatrupaksha (मी आणी माझा शत्रुपक्ष), Paliv Prani (पाळीव प्राणी), Panwala (पानवाला), Kahi nave grahayog (काही नवे ग्रहयोग), maze paushtik jeevan (माझे पौष्टीक जिवन), and many more.

 Some of his movies include are कुबेर (Kuber), भाग्यरेषा (Bhagyaresha), वंदेमातरम्(Vande mataram), जागा भाड्याने देणे आहे(Jaga bhadyane dene aahe), मानाचे पान(manache paan), मोठी माणसे(mothi manase), गोकुळचा राजा(gokulacha raja), जरा जपून(jara japun), नवरा बायको(nawara bayako) and पुढचे पाऊल (pudhache paool). Pu La passed away on June 12, 2000 in Pune.

http://www.puladeshpande.net/

Name this monument in Belgaum and also tell where it is situated. No clues this time as it is very simple. 

Photo Courtesy: Subhash Photos

All got it correct it is the Gandhi Smarak next to Shivaji Garden on Shama Prasad Mukherjee road.

Do you know what this is in Belgaum?

See those zig zag roads, to me it looks like a race track, Do you know what this is?

Many of are not getting it corect. Clue: Its part of a Govt Dept.

Photos: Ravendra S A

This was toughest one I had posted I guess.
This is the NEW TEST TRACK on which you will have to drive to get your Driving Licence .
This is being made at the new RTO office at Kanbargi Road (Ramteerth Nagar) it is opposite the Horticultural university at Kanbargi. 

Where and what is this construction of?

Photos by Team AAB

Clue: see the image carefully

Most got it Right its the Karnataka Cricket Association international stadium at Kanbargi. It should be ready for practise by December 2009 as the turf wicket is being made ready. 

Where is this in town?

                                       
This is indeed the Railway Station of Belgaum in which there is this monument type erected which reminds us of the visit of Mahatma Gandhi to our town.

This is still there in the centre of the parking area and hoefully will be there once the renovation work of the whole station is complete. The railways should renovate this also as a part of the renovation process.

Not such a good photo but still, it is good as you are not easily allowed to take photos there. Ram Mallaya had been trying to get this photo for over a month and he got this somehow.

 Not a great click to his standards but, can you name the place?

 Clue: see at the Yellow spot in the centre.

According to election commission statistics, of the total 40,098,823 voters in Karnataka, there are 32,342 defence personnel serving in the Army, Navy and Air Force.

 Belgaum has the highest number of personnel serving in the three armed forces.

Of the 10,937 personnel there, 8,187 are men and 2,750 women.

 Belgaum is followed by Bagalkot and Kodagu with 2298 and 2231 personnel, respectively

 Source: ExpressBuzz

Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, commonly known as Swatantryaveer Savarkar was a fearless freedom fighter, social reformer, writer, dramatist, poet, historian, political leader and philosopher.

On 04 April 1950 he was arrested and detained in Belgaum jail on the eve of arrival of Pakistani Prime Minister Liaquat Ali in Delhi.       

Source:  http://www.savarkar.org

The INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS held its thirty-ninth session at Belgaum on the 26th & 27th Dec. 1924.

 Gandhiji was the president of the Congress only on one occasion and the session was held in Belgaum.

I just found some 3 rare images of the session from the site www.gandhiserve.org

 1- Gandhi at the Volunteers rally Belgaum 1924

2-Addressing volunteers during the Belgaum congress Session

3-Gandhi giving Presidential Speech at the open session of Belgaum Conference December 20, 1924

If you start digging, a straight tunnel from Belgaum and reach the exact opposite point on the Earth. Now how do you locate that place on the globe where that hole will open?

AntiPodr, this site takes you current street address (or city name or zip code) and points you to a location on the Earth’s surface that is exactly opposite to you.

Belgaum’s Exact Opposite Point on Earth is somewhere in South Pacific Ocean.

Any takers for digging the tunnel.