Cosmopolitanism in the Hinterland? Bellary District through Fresh Lenses, 1800–1840

This essay revises earlier work on colonial Bellary by highlighting its status as a complex cultural frontier. As a south Indian ‘dry zone’, Bellary often has been associated with economic stagnancy, warfare and the absence of a dominating cultural high tradition. By contrast, the region may be viewed as a site of ‘hinterland cosmopolitanism’, marked by dynamic interactions between persons of different linguistic, cultural and religious affiliations. Situated between Hyderabad, Mysore, the Maratha country and Madras, Bellary bridged Indo–Islamic, Sanskritic, south Indian and north Indian cultural terrains. Colonial rule transformed Bellary from a site of multi-directional trade and cultural influence to an economy centred upon its cantonment and bazaar. Sharper racial distinctions between Europeans and Indians diminished Bellary’s cosmopolitanism without entirely eradicating it. While an imperial quest for revenue and political dominance had once defined the story of this district, it is necessary for historians to move beyond such concerns to address other compelling aspects of Bellary’s history.