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 eponymousDavangere district.[2] Hitherto being a cotton hub and hence popularly known before asthe Manchester of Karnataka, the commercial ventures of the city is now dominated by 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 administration conveniences. Davanagere is known for 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 to be developed under the mission byMinistry of Urban Development.[8] According to 2020 human living index, it was selected as the top 9th most livable city with a population under 10 million in India.
Davangere has been at the forefront in municipal administration with the city attaining the status of a municipality as early as 1870.[9] TheImperial Gazetteer of India (1911) says that the receipts and expenditure of the municipality, during the ten years ending 1901, averaged Rs 14,200 and Rs 12,600 respectively.[9] The civic administration of the city 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 the council members (corporators) are elected by the people of the city.
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]
Davanagere lies in the semi arid region. The district is bounded by Shimoga (Malenadu) Area of Hills, Haveri, Chitradurga, Chikmagalur and Vijayanagara districts. The southern and western parts of the district are irrigated by the waters of theBhadra reservoir. It has Asia's 2nd largest irrigation tank called Sulekere (shanthi sagara) which is a major water source for farmers in the district.
The current estimate population of Davanagere city in 2025 is 633,000http://census2011.co.in/census/city/442-davanagere.html, while Davanagere metro population is estimated at 0 . The last census was conducted in 2011 and the schedule census for Davanagere city in 2021 was postponed due to Covid. The current estimates of Davanagere city are based on past growth rate. Once govt conducts census for Davanagere city, we will update the same here in 2025. As per provisional reports of Census India, population of Davanagere in 2011 is 434,971.[13]
In education section, total literates in Davanagere city are 329,003 of which 174,019 are males while 154,984 are females. Average literacy rate of Davanagere city is 84.90 percent of which male and female literacy was 89.02 and 80.71 percent. The sex ratio of Davanagere city is 979 per 1000 males. Child sex ratio of girls is 954 per 1000 boys.[15]
Davangere is well-connected by road toBangalore,Chitradurga,Dharwad,Pune,Goa,Mangalore,Mysore andChennai throughNH 48 (previously National Highway 4).Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, has a divisional office situated in Davanagere City. The city is well-connected to Bengaluru and other cities in the state by KSRTC buses. Many privately operated buses offer overnight services to other places within the state.
The city'srailway station comes under theSouth Western Railway zone and was constructed during the era of the British Raj and has recently been renovated. The station code is DVG. The railway station is quite conveniently located in the centre of the city. Regular train services are available towards Bengaluru, Hubli and Mysuru.
The nearest domestic airport to Davanagere isShivamogga Airport (IATA:RQY), which is 100 kilometres (62 mi) from the city and the nearest International airports areBangalore International Airport andMangalore International Airport both of which are about 275 km away. The ubiquitous Autorickshaws are the backbone for travelling within the city. The city bus services are operated by both private as well as state owned entreprises.