infantry post here, having realised the military importance of its geographical location. Development of a rail network for movement of resources and later troops was one of the means employed by both the East India Company and the British to exert control over India. Belgaum houses the Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre (MLIRC). It also houses the Commando Training Wing which is a part of the Junior Leaders Wing (formerly known as Infantry School, Belgaum). This establishment is affiliated to The Infantry School, Mhow. Herein, Infantry Officers and Soldiers are trained in endurance, escape and evasion, guerrilla and commando warfare techniques and to live off the land. The commando course at Belgaum is mandatory for all Infantry Officers. Officers of Other branches of the military and even some foreign officers undertake the course, upon being nominated to do so. In between the Military Hospital and the Junior Leaders Wing lies the Belgaum Military School, established in 1945 spread over an area of . The School provides quality education to sons of wards of Servicemen and Ex Servicemen of the Armed Forces. Several of them go on to join the National Defence Academy. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police, ITBP, is building a full-fledged recreation and training centre in Belgaum at Halbhavi. Belgaum provides an excellent climate for recreation and ITBP will have large family bases in Belgaum for its soldiers after high altitude stressful duty. The Central Reserve Police Force Institute of elite central paramilitary forces is setting up a national-level training institution (for jungle warfare) at Khanapur in Belgaum. The establishment, called the CoBRA School of Jungle Warfare is already operational. Culture/Cityscape Cuisine the cuisine of Belgaum is derived from the food cultures of three regions Karnataka, Konkan and Maharashtra. Typical breakfast items include poori-bhaji, idli-dosa, upma, sheera, sabudana khichadi and sabuvada. Chapatis, rice, phulka, jowar rotti, thalipeeth, jhunka and vegetables are taken in lunch. Non-vegetarian items such as various seafoods are cooked in Goan, Maharashtrian and North Kannadi style. Belgaum is noted for a specific kind of biryani, the Belagavi Biryani, which uses Belagavi Basmati Rice for its preparation. Belgaum is known for kunda, a sweet made from milk. A special sweet called mandige in Kannada and in Marathi as maande, is a prerequisite for weddings. Transportation Road Belgaum is connected by road via national highways 4 (connecting Maharashtra (now part of the Golden Quadrilateral), Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and