Anglo-Maratha Wars
Gadag district was ruled by the great empires of North Karnataka. The area was controlled variously by the Mauryas, Kadambas, Western Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas. The Western Chalukyas in particular built many Jain, Shaivite and Vaishnavite temples in this district which are still in use. Muslims arrived in the 14th century, and in the same century the Vijayanagar Empire arose nearby and ruled over Gadag until the Battle of Talikota. Afterwards it remained functionally independent under the governor of Dharwad before being taken by Bijapur sultan Adlil Shah. Soon the Bijapur sultanate fell to Aurangzeb's expansion and Dharwad district (of which Gadag was part) was conquered by the Mughals. Soon the Mughals were overthrown in the region by the rise of the Marathas, who took Dharwad region for themselves. In 1784, Dharwad (along with Gadag) was conquered by Tipu Sultan, but in 1791 the Marathas reconquered Dharwad and after the Anglo-Maratha Wars, it became part of the Bombay Presidency. Gadag remained as part of Dharwad district until 1997 when it was separated.