city, east-central Karnataka (Karnātaka) state, southern India. Of medieval origin, the city is dominated by a 16th-century fort on a granitic rock, 2 miles (3 km) in circumference, which rises abruptly from the surrounding plain to a height of 450 feet (140 metres). Hyder (Haidar) Ali (Hyder Ali), the 18th-century Muslim ruler of Mysore, reputedly expanded the fortifications with the aid of a French engineer, whom he later hanged for not building the fort on an adjacent, higher rock. A rail and road centre, Bellary processes cotton, the region's main cash crop, and has distillery and sugar-refining enterprises. Its colleges of medicine, law, and education are affiliated with Karnatak University in Hubli-Dharwad. Pop. (2001) 316,766.