Dāvanagere is a city in the centre of thesouthern Indian state ofKarnataka. It is the seventh largest city in the state and the administrative headquarters of the eponymousDavangere district.[2] Hitherto being a cotton hub and hence popularly known before[when?] asthe Manchester of Karnataka, the City's commercial ventures are now dominated by the education and agro-processing industries.[3][4] Davanagere became a separate district in 1997,[5] when it was separated from the erstwhile undivided district ofChitradurga for administrative convenience. Davanagere is known for its rich culinary traditions which encompass thediversity of entire Karnataka's dishes due to its geographical position in the state as its centre. Notable among them is its aromaticbenne dose.[6][7]
Davanagere was selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as asmart city under theCentral government'sSmart Cities Mission. It was among the first 20 towns developed under theMinistry of Urban Development's mission.[8] According to the 2020 human living index, it was ranked the 9th most livable city in India with a population under 10 million.
Davangere has been at the forefront of municipal administration, attaining municipal status as early as 1870.[9] TheImperial Gazetteer of India (1911) states that the municipality's receipts and expenditure, during the ten years ending 1901, averaged Rs 14,200 and Rs 12,600, respectively.[9] The city's civic administration was managed by theNagarasabhe before it was established as a municipality on 7 August 1951. It now has the status of aCity Corporation, which was upgraded on 6 January 2007. It is headed by a Mayor, assisted by Commissioners and council members. The city is divided into 45 wards, and council members (corporators) are elected by the city's residents.
Davanagere is the "Heart of Karnataka". Davanagere is surrounded by theChitradurga,Vijayanagara,Shimoga,Chikmagalur andHaveri districts. Davanagere is at the centre of Karnataka, 14°28' N latitude, 75°59' longitude and 602.5 metres (1,977 ft) above sea level. Davanagere District receives an average annual rainfall of 644 mm (25.4 in).[10]
The current estimated population of Davanagere city in 2025 is 633,000https://census2011.co.in/census/city/442-davanagere.html, while the Davanagere metro population is estimated at 0. The last census was conducted in 2011, and the scheduled census for Davanagere city in 2021 was postponed due to Covid. The current estimates for Davanagere city are based on past growth rates. Once the government conducts a census for Davanagere city, we will update it in 2025. As per the provisional reports of the Census of India, the population of Davanagere in 2011 was 434,971.[13]
In the education section, the total literates in Davanagere city are 329,003 of which 174,019 are males while 154,984 are females. The average literacy rate of Davanagere city is 84.90 per cent, of which male and female literacy was 89.02 and 80.71 per cent. The sex ratio of Davanagere city is 979 per 1000 males. Child sex ratio of girls is 954 per 1000 boys.[15]