It houses the Second legislative building, where the Karnataka Legislature holds session once a year.

The most ancient place in the district is Halsi; and this, according to inscriptions on copper plates discovered in its neighbourhood, was once the capital of a dynasty of nine Kadamba kings.

It appears that from the middle of the 6th century to about 760 the area was held by the Chalukyas, who were succeeded by the Rashtrakutas.

After the break-up of the Rashtrakuta dynasty a portion of it survived in the Rattas (875–1250), who from 1210 onward made Venugrama their capital.

Inscriptions give evidence of a long struggle between the Rattas and the Kadambas of Goa, who succeeded in the latter years of the 12th century in acquiring and holding part of the district.

After the overthrow of the Yadavas by the Delhi Sultanate (1320), Belgaum was for a short time under the rule of the latter; but only a few years later the part south of the Ghataprabha River was subject to the Hindu rajas of Vijayanagara.

In 1818 it was handed over to the British East India Company, and was made part of the district of Dharwar.

The British had a sizeable infantry post here, having realised the military importance of its geographic location.

In 1948, the Belgaum Municipality that was dominated by Marathi speaking politicians requested the Indian Dominion, Indian Constituent Assembly, and the Boundary Commission to include the Belgaum Municipal district in the proposed Samyukta Maharashtra state for the Marathi speakers.

[11] In accordance with the established policy of bifurcation on a linguistic majority basis, in 1956, the Belgaum district was incorporated into the newly formed Mysore state (now Karnataka) with the passage of the States Reorganization Act, adjoining areas that had a majority of Marathi speaking citizens were included in the newly formed Maharashtra state.