Little England in India

The local folk lore has it that long, long ago K.G.F was once a very large, dense jungle. There was so much abundance of gold here back then, that it were found in lumps near the foot of trees and the tribal people dwelling here back then used to pluck them up like fruit and used it for personal use and trade.

One day, a soldier of the then ruler (probably one from the Gupta dynasty) passed by its thickets and noticing such riches informed his king, and thus began the earliest mining operation that was to change hands over course of centuries and provide wealth and livelihood to countless for more than 2000 years since then.

Welcome to my home-town of folk lore and rich history- Kolar Gold Fields.

(the image of the main road leading into the town taken on my mobile phone).

Situated near the south-east border of Karnataka in India, 100 kilometers from the state capital Bangalore, it is a small sleepy suburb surrounded by picturesque landscapes and enriched with a surprising blend of cultures and languages. It perfectly reflects the world-famous slogan entire India prides itself in- "Unity in diversity".

You can learn all of its history and geography in its wikipedia page from the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolar_Gold_Fields

It was known by many names prior to the mining lease going into the hands of the british John Taylor and Sons company in 1880, which was then given its present name. The township was later built in the year 1902 with many british officers, engineers and skilled workers settling here with their family.

With the administration designing the entire township in resemblance to the city of London back home and coupled with the soft- warm weather and lush greenery, it was nicknamed Little England.

A title K.G.F still resonates with humble pride. It still has salvaged its original design-plan, many of the buildings and structures and a love for society and fashion in its people that seems to be inherited by its early settlers. (I'm sorry I couldn't gather enough pictures to show along).

It still has broad roads that might have not so long ago bustled with traffic and people, beautiful spread of greenery and fauna which still attracts nature lovers, abandoned and adapted buildings that still hold promise of golden future if handled rightly, a mines which was once the second largest in Asia,  now in a state of stale slowly waiting its death yet hoping for a new lease of life.

(the file- image of the workers working in the mines, as taken from the facebook page "KGF- the little england") and a mount of cyanide-dump (from the mines) which was built with centuries of mining. It is now almost 30feet tall and occupies nearly 10% of the land area (images below).

*note: the image of the interior view of the cyanide-dump was taken from the facebook page "KGF- the little england", The image of the frontal view of the cyanide-dump was taken by me in my mobile phone.