KGF is about 30 kilometers from Kolar and 100 kilometers from Bangalore. To the east of KGF is a ridge of hills of which Dod Betta Hill is 3195 feet above sea level. The town was known for gold mining for over a century, which was eventually closed in 2001 due to low level of gold production.
1. The tradition of mining gold at Kolar started at least as early as the first millennium BC with linkages to the Indus Valley civilization. Golden objects found inHarappa and Mohenja-Daro have been traced to KGF through an impurities-analysis assay, as the impurities include 11% silver concentration, found only in KGF ore.
2. The mines were taken over by the Government of Mysore in 1956 and by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India in 1962. They were handed over to the government company called Bharat Gold Mines Limited under the Ministry of Mines in 1972. The Bharat Gold Mines Limited has thus come out of various combinations and permutations.
3. Since the gold mines were owned by a government company, it was difficult for private investors to bring in required technical expertise and capital into mining operations. Research has shown that the gold belt has not been realized to full potential. Drilling using diamond core and collecting rock samples have shown presence of more gold in KGF.
4. Three hundred thousand people lived in the Kolar gold fields when the mine was at its peak production, but since the closing of mines in 2003 the population has reduced to less than a hundred thousand. The older generation of KGF employees is staying on in the hope that the mines will revive, but the younger generation is either moving away to Bangalore or commuting to Bangalore.
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