Tumkur, officially renamed as Tumakuru, is a city located in the southern part of Indian state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Kar ...

. Tumkur is situated at a distance of northwest of

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

, the state capital along NH 48 and

NH 73 National Highway 344 (NH 344) is a national highway in India running from Ambala in Haryana to Roorkee in Uttarakhand. It is a secondary route of National Highway 44. NH-344 runs in the states of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhan ...

. It is the headquarters of the

Tumkur district Tumakuru District is an administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. It is the third largest district in Karnataka by land area with an area of 10,598 km2, and fourth largest by Population. It is a one-and-a-half-hour drive fro ...

. It is located at an altitude of 835 m (2739.5 ft). Tumkur hosts India's first mega food park, a project of the ministry of food processing. The India Food Park was inaugurated by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the List of Prime Ministers of India, 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the List of chief ministers of Gujarat, Chief Minist ...

in September 2014. Tumkur is also included in the

Smart Cities Mission National Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with the mission to develop smart cities across the country, making them citizen friendly and sustainable. The Union Ministry of Urban Dev ...

list and is among the 100 smart cities to be developed in India. Since 28 August 2010, Tumkur has been accorded the status of a city corporation.

Etymology

Etymologically, the name of the city is believed to have been mutated possibly from "Tumbe ooru" because of the abundance of thumbe hoovu, a kind of flower, or thamate ooru because of the folk musical percussion instrument thamate, that might have been used most here. It is also called ''Kalpatharu Nadu'' (land of coconut trees), due to the abundance of coconut trees in the area. Another story says that during the rule of cholas Gulur was their capital. Since Tumkur is at high elevation the guards used to be there on any hill with tumaki (a kind of drum) and used to make sound in case of any alerts, hence the name. The Indian central government approved the request to officially rename the Tumkur and 12 other cities in October 2014. The city officially became "Tumakuru" on 1 November 2014.

Geography

Tumkur is located at . It has an average elevation of 822 metres (2696 feet). The city has a railway station on the South Western railway, northwest from

, southeast from Chitradurga city and from Kolar City.

Demographics

As of

2011 India census The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...

, Tumkur had a population of 305,821. More than 5,00,000 people lived in the corporation limit. At the 2001 census, males constitutes 52% of the population and females 48%. Tumkur had an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy was 79%, and female literacy was 70%. About 11% of the population was under 6 years of age. The most common language in the city is

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

History

The known history of the Tumkur district begins with the

Western Ganga dynasty Western Ganga was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India which lasted from about 350 to 1000 CE. They are known as "Western Gangas" to distinguish them from the Eastern Ganga Dynasty, Eastern Gangas who in later centuries ...

. The Ganga family ruled over the southern and eastern districts of the state from early in the Christian era to 1025 C.E. The earliest record of The Ganga family found in this district belongs to about 400 C.E. After the Gangas, Tumkur was ruled by the Rastrakutas and The

Chalukyas The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynast ...

. The Nolambas under these rulers ruled the area for a long time. The cholas also ruled some parts of the district. The

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and Mahar ...

ruled supreme for the latter part of the 13th to 17th century. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Tumkur was ruled by The Wodeyars of Mysore until independence. The Tumkur town municipality was set up by the Mysore Wodeyars in the 1916. Self-rule of the residents of Tumkur started after the setting up of the municipality. Tumkur was converted into a city corporation only in 2010 by adding 22 villages adjoining the city. The population is 3,05,877 as per the 2011 census. Tumkur is now a middle class majority city, with a literacy rate of 80%, mainly traders, government employees, small and medium industrialists, and self-employed individuals. The GDP of Tumkur is around 16600 crores (2014) and the total collection of income tax in the last financial year was approximately 80 crores. Being an Agrarian economy, the major plantation crops of Tumkur are

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or ...

and areca nut. The major cash crops are paddy, ragi and groundnut.

Iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the ...

, manganese and

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies und ...

are the major minerals found in the Tumkur district. Tumkur is a knowledge hub in the south interior of Karnataka. It has Tumkur University, two medical colleges, five engineering colleges, 38 degree and postgraduate colleges, one dental college and many polytechnics, high schools and primary schools. The Indian budget for the year 2014-2015 held on 10 July 2014 announced that Tumkur was one of the cities in south India to be developed as an "Industrial Smart" city. The city was also selected as one among the 100 in the country shortlisted for the Smart City Project. Tumkur was competing to be one among the 20 to be taken up for development in 2018. The government of India has promised 100 crores each as a matching grant for five years and the local body with assistance from the state government has to match another 100 crores. Thus, in five years, development in the amount of 1000 crores will happen in Smart City.

Climate

Transportation

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, KSRTC, has a divisional office situated in Tumkur City. The city is well-connected to Bangalore and other cities in the state by KSRTC buses. Volvo buses are available for the city, Bangalore. Frequent buses are available connecting other taluks and towns of the district. Three National Highways NH 48,

and

NH 69 National Highway 69 (''NH 69), (previously National Highway 206 (From Honnavara to Banavara section) '' and National Highway 234 (From Huliyar to Mulbagal section)), is a major National Highway in India, that runs through the states of Karnat ...

pass through the city. The three National Highways connect Tumkur to

Hubli Hubli, officially known as Hubballi, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli–Dharwad form the second largest city in the state by area and population and the largest city in North Karnataka. Hubli is in Dharwad di ...

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka– ...

and Shimoga in Karnataka respectively. TCB Road(Karnataka)(Tumkur-Chelur-Bukkapatna Road) connects the people of

Hagalavadi Haagalavaadi is a town in the Tumkur District of the Indian state of Karnataka. It belongs to the Bangalore Division. It is located 50 km from the district headquarter, Tumkur. Bangalore is the nearest Metropolitan Area to Hagalavadi. His ...

, Chelur and Bellavi Towns to Tumkur Corporation City. Plenty of private and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation buses are currently operating on this route. Railways also play a major role in connectivity. The city's Railway Station comes under South Western Railway Zone (India) and was constructed during the British period and has been renovated recently. It is located in centre of the city close to the bus stand and the town hall. It is located in the Bangalore-Hubli main line. The city buses are also available for transportation within the city by KSRTC. Popularly known as Sri Siddaganga Nagara Sarige, named after the holy place, Siddaganga. There are more than 100 buses transporting in the city. The nearest airport to Tumkur is Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore which is around 90 km from the city.

Economy

*Tumkur district's economy is majorly derived from agriculture. Plantation crops such as coconut, areca nut, paddy cultivation (some parts) attributes to its economy. *Tumkur City's economy comes from industries. Due to its proximity to

, the state capital, it acts as a gateway to North Karnataka, being on the

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of ...

–

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

industrial corridor and the infrastructure that Tumkur provides, it has the potential to be the satellite city to decongest the Bangalore. It also has been identified as National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ). NIMZ of approximately 13500 acres and the HAL helicopter manufacturing facility (Near

Gubbi Gubbi is a town in Tumakuru District, Karnataka, India. It is 20 km from Tumakuru and 90 km from Bengaluru along NH-206 (BH Road). Gubbi ULB Contains 17 Wards and equal number of Councilors. The population of the Gubbi Town is 18,457 ...

) 610 acres are being developed as integrated industrial townships with state-of-the art infrastructure and land use on the basis of zoning, clean and energy efficient technology, necessary social infrastructure, and skill development facilities, for promoting world class manufacturing activity. Tumkur is home to 24 large scale industries with an investment of 911.42 crores and generating an employment for 6445 persons. The existing 15 medium scale industries and 23804 micro and small industries employ 132994 persons and account for an investment of close to 790 crores. A 2000 MW of solar power plant on 11000 acres is being developed near Pavagada to cater to the power needs of Tumkur and adjoining districts. SIT college

Educational institutes

* Siddaganga Institute of Technology * Tumkur University Tumkur is famous for Siddaganga Matha 5 km toward HITECH city flyover, known for providing free education and dorms for more than 9000 children. Karnataka Rathna Shivakumara Swami, was the president of this matha.

Notable people

Actors

* Arjun Sarja, actor *

Jaggesh Jaggesh is an Indian politician, actor, director and producer, who mainly works in the Kannada film industry. He is a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka since 2022 and the spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnat ...

, actor * Sharath Lohitashwa, actor * Lohithaswa T. S., actor, writer * Manjula,

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

* Narasimharaju *

Siddhanth Dr. Anand Gollahalli Shivaprasad, also known as Dr. G. S. Anand (born 19 October 1973), better known by stage name Siddhanth, is an Indian actor appears in Kannada cinema. He is a medical doctor by profession. Early life and education Siddha ...

, actor * Ashika Ranganath, actress * Rangayana Raghu, Actor and Comedian

Arts

* Doddarange Gowda, poet * Amarashilpi Jakanachari,

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...

Renuka Kesaramadu Renuka Kesaramadu is a contemporary painter and sculptor from India. She is best known internationally through her collaborative art exhibitions and participations in workshops in Europe. She has also curated a few international art symposia and ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

and sculptor *

Kunigal Nagabhushan Kunigal Nagabhushan (6 December 1945 – 23 June 2013) was an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry. Some of the notable films of Kunigal Nagabhushan as an actor include '' S.P. Sangliyana 2'' (1990), ''C.B.I. Shankar'' (1989), ''Daari Tappi ...

, writer *

T. Sunandamma Tumkur Sunandamma ( kn, ಟಿ. ಸುನಂದಮ್ಮ, born Tumkur, 1917 – died Bangalore, 27 January 2006) was an Indian writer and humorist in the Kannada language. She was a recipient of the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award. Early ...

, writer and

humorist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business ...

* B. M. Srikantaiah, writer known as Kannadada Kanva * T. N. Srikantaiah, poet, linguist and teacher * Chi. Udayashankar, lyricist * Gubbi Veeranna, theatre director * Chandrika Gururaj - playback singer

Politicians

G. S. Basavaraj Gangasandra Siddappa Basavaraj (born 1941) is an Indian politician. He is a member of Lok Sabha (2019–present), elected from Tumkur constituency in 2019. He started his political career with Congress, and is now a member of the Bharatiya Jana ...

, politician *

K. Lakkappa Kondapura Lakkappa (23 December 1929 - 8 November 1991) is an Indian politician who was the Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, from the Tumkur in 1967 as a Praja Socialist Party candidate. In 1970, he joined the Indian National Congress an ...

, politician *

S. Mallikarjunaiah Siddananjappa Mallikarjunaiah (1931 – 2014) was an Indian politician. He represented the Tumkur constituency of Karnataka in Lok Sabha thrice, and was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was Deputy Speaker of Lok-sabha in the Te ...

, politician *

Rank Nazeer Ahmed Nazeer Ahmed (also known as Rank Nazeer) is an Indian Muslim scholar, politician, historian and translator. He is the author of the Encyclopedia of Islamic Historywww.historyofislam.com. He is a former politician of Indian National Congress ...

, politician *

G. Parameshwara Gangadharaiah Parameshwara (born 6 August 1951) is an Indian politician who served as seventh Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, and also the longest-serving President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee for two consecutive terms. E ...

, former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, former KPCC President

Sports

Poll Ashokanand Poll Ramchandrarao Ashokanand (born 27 November 1940) is an Indian former cricketer. He played first-class cricket for Hyderabad, Madras and Mysore between 1957 and 1972. See also * List of Hyderabad cricketers This is a list of all cricke ...

, cricketer *

Poll Shyamsunder Poll Ramchandrarao "P.R." Shyamsunder (3 March 1924 – 15 May 1988) was an Indian cricketer. He played first-class cricket for Hyderabad, Madras and Mysore between 1944 and 1958. See also * List of Hyderabad cricketers This is a list ...

, cricketer

Others

* C. P. Sadashivaiah, Indian freedom fighter * Shivakumara Swami, supercentenarian, humanitarian, spiritual leader and educator *

Saalumarada Thimmakka Saalumarada Thimmakka, also known as Aala Marada Thimmakka, is an Indian environmentalist from the state of Karnataka, noted for her work in planting and tending to 385 banyan trees along a forty-five-kilometre stretch of highway between Hulika ...

, Indian environmentalist

Media

Tumkur has a private FM radio channel, Siddhartha, situated at SSIT campus, broadcasting in Kannada language. Amogha local channel is Amogha Networks. File:Tumkuru. Balasankri.jpg, Bhanasankari Temple File:Tumkuru City.jpg, City Entrance File:Town Hall Circle in Tumkur.jpg, Town Hall junction File:Masjid Al Rayyan Tumakuru.jpg, Masjid Al Rayyan,Ring Road File:Masjid e Aqsa, Tumkur - 02.jpg, Masjid e Aqsa File:Rank Nazeer Saheb Eidgah Tumkur.jpg, Rank Nazeer Saheb Eidgah File:CSI Wesley Church Tumkur 1.jpg, CSI Wesley Church

References

External links

Official website of Tumkur Urban Development Authority
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Tumkur district Cities in Karnataka