Indians have a long and unbroken history, heritage, culture and tradition because of its educational system from the early past. In Karnataka, there were a large number of educational institutions like Agraharas, Brahmapuris, Maths and Ghatikasthans.
The Dharawad District of ancient Karnataka is well-known for its educational institutions. Beginning from the period of the Chalukyas of Badami, Rashtrakutas, Chalukyas of Kalyana and Vijayanagara kings were patronised such ancient educational centers in Dharawad region. Therefore even today Dharawad is popularly known as Vidyakashi. During the Muslim rule Education was imparted through Mukhtab and Madarasas.
During the English rule, the northern parts of Karnataka including Dharawad became the part of Bombay Presidency. In 1818, as a result of the spread of western education and literature the Christian Missionaries began to open educational institutions. Then the native Gurukul Education system began to decline. The English tried to promote western thoughts, education and philosophy and which was aimed to propagate their religion. At the same time, the ancient Indian education was also confined to a few of higher strata of population, which the English came to know and began to popularize the English education along with vernacular culture.
To eradicate such a drawback, Elphinstone an English officer started imparting education through Bombay Education Society and Native + and Book Society. With these efforts Dharawad came to limelight by the foundation of Basel Missionary activities, establishment of English medium Schools, Sanskrit Pathshalas And K.E. Board Schools. At the same time by the year 1826 Marathi schools were also established as Marathi language became very popular in Dharawad region. The credit of establishing Kannada schools in Dharawad in 1831 and running it for three years at his own expenses goes to Eliot, the then Collector of Dharawad. He also convinced Bombay Government that Kannada was a native language or mother tongue of Dharawad area and it is very necessary to establish Kannada schools there.
Normal School was started in 1856 for training the teachers and later on it became Training College.
The beginning of these educational institutions showed the necessity of starting college for people of Dharawad. At that time after their early education, the students were required to go to Bombay or Pune for higher studies.
The students who had passed Metric education from Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura areas were to go there. Hence only few of rich were able to get higher education and poor class and downtrodden were deprived of higher education. There arose an idea of establishment of a college in this area by the teachers of Training College. Though such an idea of establishing college was sprouted in the minds of people of Dharawad as early as 1876, but it did not come true due to frequent natural calamities like draught, floods etc.
By 1902, this idea was rejuvenated when the proposal of establishment of a college at Dharawad was placed before E. Gills, the then Public Instruction Officer of Bombay Government as there was a college at Bombay for higher education and there was a positive response to include it in University Grants Commission Scheme.
Later in 1904 when Governor Lamington came to Dharawad Municipality, demand for starting a college was placed before him. The Governor replied that establishment of a college is very expensive.
Rao Bahaddur Shrinivas Rodda, a representative of the Dharawad people made a petition to the Government in 1909 that there was an urgent need for establishment of Arts College and Technological College at southern part of Bombay presidency. He explained them the difficulties of people of North Karnataka to pursue higher education by going to Bombay and Pune. When Bombay Government proposed for bearing the expenses of establishing a college, Rodda Shrinavas Rao promised to collect Rs. 1 lakh from interested people.
Later, the Government expressed a view that the said amount was very less and asked them to form an association to pool funds, hence Karnataka College Association was established. Diwan Bahaddur Rodda became the President of the organization. The minister, Muke Mechanji had visited to an agriculture exhibition a Dharwad and discussed the subject matter of establishment of a college. Later by 1912, Mr. Dattatreya Venkatesh Belvi presented a proposal for establishing a government model college at Dharawad.
There were 10 high schools in Bombay Karnataka region and those passed metric standard were required to go to Bombay or Pune for their higher studies, as the seats were limited in the said colleges and only meritorious could get admission. Further more there were more than 300 students from Karnataka learning in those colleges. He also suggested that it is better to establish a college in this area by that time Rodda also recommended the matter of establishment of Arts College at Dharwad. after long discussion there arose a curiosity that why there was no spirit behind establishment of college as it was there for starting college at Sindh, Gujarat and educational institutes in Maharashtra and to know the real situation at Karnataka, Minister of Education namely C.Hill and Sir George Clerk visited that and discussed with elderly people regarding the possibility of establishing college at Dharwad and promised that a college could be set up only if Rs. 2 lakh contributed.
