KANKAXHALLl TOU'X 401
of the District: and the granite of the Kanigiri hill supplies excellent
building stone. This hill rises to a considerable height on the north
of the town, forming a feature in the landscape for many miles round.
On it is a rugged table-land about a square mile in area, where a town
is said to have once stood. It is supposed to have been fortified by
one of the Gajapatis of Orissa and designated Kanakagiri Vijaya-
martanda Durgam, combining the name of the hill with that of the
deity to whom a temple on it was dedicated. The remains of some of
the defences still stand. The place was taken in the sixteenth century
by Krishna Deva of Vijayanagar, and played a conspicuous part in
local feuds until it was destroyed by Haidar AH.
Kanjamalai.—Hill in the District and taluk of Salem, Madras, situ-
ated in 11° 37′ N. and 78° 4′ E., and 3,238 feet in height. It is a con-
spicuous object in the Salem landscape, with its hog-backed shape and its
serrated ridges, and is widely known for its rich stores of magnetic iron
ore. There are five separate beds of this, and the supply is almost
inexhaustible. It often contains as much as 40 per cent, of iron. Vast
quantities of the ore of these beds have rolled down the sides of the
hill, especially to the south, where not only does the extensive talus
consist mainly of it, but the fields for one or two miles from the hill are
thickly strewn with rolled fragments of all sizes. The Kanjamalai iron
was the source of supply of the ill-fated Porto Novo Iron Company,
which erected blast furnaces at PORTO Novo in the early years of the
nineteenth century, but eventually collapsed. Since then no mining
has been done here. Two firms hold licences to prospect in the hill,
but no definite steps have yet been taken to extract any ore. At the
foot of the hill is the famous temple of Siddharkovil.
Kanjarda.—Petty State in KATHIAWAR, Bombay.
Kankanhalli Taluk. — Southern taluk of Bangalore District,
Mysore, lying between 12° 15′ and 12° 49′ X. and 77° 14′ and
77° 38′ E., with an area of 623 square miles. The population rose
from 71,868 in 1891 to 83,557 in 1901. The taluk contains one town,
KANKANHALLI (population, 5,588), the head-quarters; and 252 villages.
The land revenue demand in 1903-4 was Rs. 1,02,000. The Arkavati
enters the taluk on the north-west, and flows into the Cauvery, which
forms the southern boundary. The south is occupied by high hills and
forests, with extensive grazing-grounds. Ragi, at'are, and castor-oil are
the chief crops of the open parts. Tamarinds, coco-nuts, and mulberry
are grown along the streams. The soils are generally shallow and
rocky.
Kankanhalli Town.—Head-quarters of the taluk of the same
name in Bangalore District, Mysore, situated on the Arkavati river, in
12° 33′ N. and 77° 26′ E., 36 miles south of Bangalore city. Popu-
lation (1901), 5,588. The fort was built by Jagadeva Raya of Channa- |
![[Digital South Asia Library]](/graphics/thirdlevel.gif)
