Hassan is one of the 31 districts of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. The district headquarter is Hassan. It was carved out from Mysore district in the year 1866, during the Commissioner's Rule of Mysore (1831-81). Hassan District contains 8 taluks with their respective headquarters in Hassan,

Arsikere Arsikere is a city and taluka in the Hassan district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the second largest city in Hassan district, demographically. Arsikere city municipal council consists of 31 wards. This region is known for its cocon ...

, Channarayapatna, Belur, Holenarasipura, Sakleshpur, Alur and Arkalgud.

Governance

Current Member of Parliament from Hassan is Prajwal Revanna who is also one of the youngest Lok Sabha members and is grandson of former Prime Minister of India

H. D. Deve Gowda Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda (; born 18 May 1933 in) is an Indian politician from the state of Karnataka. He served as the 11th prime minister of India from 1 June 1996 to 21 April 1997. He was previously the 14th Chief Minister of Karn ...

. Current Member of Legislative Assembly is Preetham J Gowda

History

Hassan district was the seat of the

Hoysala Empire The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...

which at its peak ruled large parts of south India from Belur as its early capital and

Halebidu Halebidu ( IAST: Haḷēbīḍ, literally "old capital, city, encampment" or "ruined city") is a town located in Hassan District, Karnataka, India. Historically known as Dorasamudra (also Dwarasamudra), Halebidu became the regal capital of th ...

as its later capital during the period 1000 - 1334 CE. The district is named Hassan after the Goddess "Haasanamba", the goddess and presiding deity of the town. The history of Hassan district is essentially the history of two of the well known dynasties that have ruled Karnataka, 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 Gangas who in later centuries ruled over Kalinga (m ...

of Talkad (350 - 999 CE) and the

(1000 - 1334 CE). In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Vijayanagar kings patronised Chennakesava of Belur as their family deity. It was also ruled by Adilshahis of

Bijapur Bijapur, officially known as Vijayapura, is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural i ...

and

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

after decline of the Vijayanagar. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Hassan became a land of contention between the Keladi Nayakas of Shimoga and the

Mysore Kingdom The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary alliance with Brit ...

. It finally merged as an independent

Mysore kingdom The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary alliance with Brit ...

Modern

During the 14th century, invasions by the Sultanate of Delhi weakened the Hoysala state, and the district became part of 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 ...

.Meyer, Sir William Stevenson. ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India''. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1908-1931. v. 13, p. 64. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Vijayanagar kings patronised Chennakesava of Belur as their family deity. It was also ruled by Adilshahis of

and

after decline of the Vijayanagar. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Hassan became a land of contention between the Keladi Nayakas of Shimoga and the

. In 1648 the Mysore rulers built Channarayapatna fort by treaty with the sultans of Bijapur. A peace treaty was concluded between the Mysore and Keladi rulers in 1694. The district remained part of the Mysore Kingdom at the conclusion of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799. Hassan District and its current boundaries date to the 1860s, when the Mysore Kingdom was organized into 8 districts, and the districts further divided into

taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

s. The district had a population of 518,987 in the 1871 census. A famine from 1876 to 1878 reduced the population to 428,344 by 1881. The population was 511,975 in 1891, and 568,919 in 1901. The 1901 census recorded 541,531 Hindus, 16,668 Muslims, 5035 Animists, 3795 Christians, 1874 Jains, and 16 others. The district had 14 towns, and 2546 villages. Reserve forests were established in the 19th century, and covered an area of 185 square miles in the district. The forests, with their area in square miles, were: Kempuhole Ghat (16), Kaganeri Ghati (2), Kabbinale Ghat (23), Bisale Ghat (23), Vijayapur (5), Hirikalgudda (92), Doddabetta (3), Burdalbore (3), Hagare (3), Byaba (2), Sige-gudda (8), Baisur (1), Mallappan-betta (1), and Vantigudda (1). The state established five

sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus '' Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for ...

forests, totaling three square miles: Kemmanbore (232 acres), Gubbi (428 acres), Gadagere (554 acres), Gubbi (1000 acres), and Nakalgud (185 acres). After India's independence in 1947, Mysore Kingdom became Mysore State, which was renamed Karnataka state in 1973.

List of Temples

* Chennakesava Temple, Belur * Hoysaleswara Temple,

Gommateshwara Statue The Gommateshwara statue is a high monolithic statue on Vindhyagiri Hill in the town of Shravanbelagola in the Indian state of Karnataka. Carved of a single block of granite, it is one of the tallest monolithic statues in the world second only ...

Shravanabelagola Shravanabelagola () is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is from Bengaluru. The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas (pilgrimage d ...

* Hasanamba Temple, Hassan

Geography

Lying between 12° 13´ and 13° 33´ North latitudes and 75° 33´ and 76°38´ East longitude, Hassan district has a total area of 6826.15 km². The geography is mixed with the '' malnad'' or mountainous region to the west and south west called ''Bisle Ghat'' and the ''maidan'' or plains regions in the north, south and east. There are some areas of degraded forest ranges in central portion of the district. The district is surrounded by Chikmagalur District to the north,

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 fr ...

to the east,

Mandya District Mandya District is an administrative district of Karnataka, India. The district is bordered on the south by Mysore and Chamarajangar districts, on the west by Hassan District, on the north by Tumkur District and on the east by Ramanagara ...

to the south east,

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude o ...

to the south,

Kodagu District Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State. It occupies ...

to the south west and

Dakshina Kannada Dakshina Kannada district is a district of Karnataka state in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangalore. It is part of the larger Tulu Nadu region. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east ...

district to the west. Hassan and Belur stand around and above sea level, respectively. Most of the district lies in the watershed of the Hemavathi River, a tributary of the

Kaveri River The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu d ...

. The general level of Hassan district slopes with the course of the Hemavati, from the peaks of the Western Ghats downwards to the southeast. The chief tributary of the Hemavathi is the Yagachi River, which flows southward from Belur taluk to join the Hemavathi near Gorur. In 1981 the Hemavathi Dam was completed near Gorur, downstream from the confluence with the Yagachi, creating a reservoir of 8000 hectares. The Hemavathi passes through Holenarsipur taluk in a southerly direction and joins with the Kaveri near Hampapura in Mysore district, close to the border of Hassan district. The Kaveri flows through the southernmost part of the District. Western portions of the district are drained by the headwaters of the Netravati River, which flows northwestward to empty into the Arabian Sea. Portions of Arsikere taluk in the northeast are drained by the Hagari River, a tributary of the Tungabhadra River. The basins of the Kaveri and Tungabhadra are separated by a range of low granitic hills extending through Belur, Hassan, and Arsikere taluks. The Bisle Ghat, or Bisale Ghat, is a portion of the Western Ghats range in the western part of the district. Main peaks include Jenkalbetta (), the highest peak in the district, Murkangudda (), and Devarbetta (). Pushpagiri (1,712 meters), lies immediately southwest in Kodagu and district.

Bisle Bisle is a small village in the heart of south-western India's Western Ghats. The village is located in Hassan District's Sakleshpur (Sakaleshpura) Taluk. It adjoins Bisle Reserve Forest, which has some of India's most spectacular rain forest ...

, Kagneri, Kanchankumari reserve forests cover portions the Bisle Ghat, and adjoin

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the 21 Wildlife Sanctuaries in Karnataka, India. This sanctuary is located in Somwarpet taluk of the Kodagu district. It is home to rare and endangered birdlife. The Kadamakkal reserve forest is a part ...

in Kodagu.

Administrative divisions

Hassan District is administratively divided into eight

taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

s (Panchayat blocks): Alur, Arkalgud,

, Belur, Channarayapatna, Hassan, Holenarasipura (H.N. Pura) and Sakleshpur, and 258 panchayat villages.

Demographics

Profile of Kedareshwara temple at Halebidu

According to the 2011 census Hassan district has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 1,776,421, roughly equal to the nation of

The Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

or the US state of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. This gives it a ranking of 270th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 3.17%. Hassan has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species dev ...

of 1005 females for every 1000 males, and a

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

of 75.89%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 19.42% and 1.82% of the population respectively. At the time of the 2011 census, 87.04% of the population spoke

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 ...

, 6.16%

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

and 1.22%

Tulu Tulu may refer to: People *Derartu Tulu (born 1972), Ethiopian long-distance runner *Walid Yacoubou (born 1997), Togolese footballer nicknamed "Tulu" India *Tulu calendar, traditional solar calendar generally used in the regions of southwest Kar ...

as their first language.

Transport

Air

There is no operational airport in the city. The nearest airport is Mysore airport and the nearest international airport is Kempegowda International Airport. Hassan Airport is a proposed airport 10 kilometer east of the city near Boovanahalli village but the project failed to take off. Government of India has granted the approval for setting up of 15 Greenfield airports in the country on May 12, 2015. Among 15 Airports Hassan Also approved for Greenfield Airport.

Road

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation operates connecting Hassan with other parts of Karnataka as well as other states. Major National Highways that pass through the district are NH-75 Bengaluru - Mangaluru, NH-73(& its subsidiary NH-373) Mangaluru - Villipuram and NH-69 Honnavara - Chittor.

Rail

Hassan comes under the South Western Railway zone of the

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...

Hassan Junction railway station Hassan Junction railway station, also known as Hassana Junction railway station (station code: HAS). It is the main railway station in Hassan district, Karnataka. It serves Hassan city. The station consists of three platforms. Connectivity ...

connects it to the rest of the country through the

Education

* Government Engineering College, Hassan * Rajeev Institute of Technology * Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Hassan *

Kendriya Vidyalaya The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan () is a system of central government schools in India that are instituted under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. , it has a total of 1,248 schools in India, and three abroad in Mo ...

Malnad College of Engineering Malnad College of Engineering (MCE) is an engineering college located in Hassan, Karnataka, India. It was established in 1960, during the second 5 year plan of India, as a joint venture between the Government of India, Government of Karna ...

St. Joseph's College, Hassan St. Joseph's College, Hassan, is a private Catholic university college located in Hassan, in the state of Karnataka, India. The Christian minority college was established by the Jesuits in 2009 and forms part of the St. Joseph's Institutions co ...

Notable People

, 11th Prime Minister of India *

Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar Goruru Ramaswamy Iyengar (1904–1991), popularly known as Goruru, was an Indian writer who wrote in Kannada. He was well known for his humour and satire. Early life Goruru Ramaswami Iyengar was born at "Goruru" in Hassan district of Karnataka ...

, Renowned Kannada writer * S. L. Bhyrappa, writer * H. C. Srikantaiah, Former Minister and Member of Parliament *

Raja Rao Raja Rao (8 November 1908 – 8 July 2006) was an Indian-American writer of English-language novels and short stories, whose works are deeply rooted in metaphysics. '' The Serpent and the Rope'' (1960), a semi-autobiographical novel recounting ...

, Famous Indian English writer *

Javagal Srinath Javagal Srinath, (, born 31 August 1969) is a former Indian cricketer and currently an ICC match referee. He is considered among India's finest fast bowlers, and was the first Indian fast bowler to take more than 300 wickets in One Day Inter ...

, cricketer *

Dheerendra Gopal Gopal Rao, known by his stage name Dheerendra Gopal, was an Indian film and stage actor known for his work in Kannada films. He acted in over 350 films and was predominantly recognized for his performances in villainous and comic roles. After ...

, film actor *

Doddanna Doddanna (born 11 November 1949) is an Indian actor in the Kannada film industry who has acted in about 800 films. He started his career as a theatre actor. During this time, he entered the Kannada film industry as a character actor. Early l ...

, film actor * David Johnson, Ranji player * Dhananjay, film actor * G. R. Gopinath, founder of

Air Deccan Air Deccan is an Indian regional airline currently operating from Ahmedabad, Gujarat Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad di ...

* H. D. Revanna, politician *

H. D. Kumaraswamy Haradanahalli Deve Gowda Kumaraswamy, (born 16 December 1959) known among followers as Kumaranna (''Kumar, the elder brother''), is an Indian politician and businessman who served as the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 23 May 2018 to 23 ...

, Former Chief Minister, Karnataka *

Narayana Gowda Doctor (title), Dr. Chikkegowda Narayanagowda is an Indian social activist, politician who is currently serving as Minister (government), Minister of Sericulture, Youth empowerment and sports of Karnataka from January 2021. Early life Naray ...

, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike state president * Chandan Shetty, Kannada rapper * Veera Ballala II, Hoysala king * Veera Ballala III, Hoysala king *

Vishnuvardhana Vishnuvardhana (r. 1108–1152 CE) was a king of the Hoysala Empire in what is today the modern state of Karnataka, India. He ascended the Hoysala throne after the death of his elder brother Veera Ballala I in c.1108. Originally a followe ...

, Hoysala king * Yash, film actor * Prashanth Neel, Kannada film director *

Milana Nagaraj Milana Nagaraj (born 25 April 1989) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Kannada films. Milana made her acting debut with '' Nam Duniya Nam Style'' (2013). The same year, she received Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Kannad ...

, Kannada film actress *

Vasishta N. Simha Vasishta Niranjan Simha is an Indian actor and playback singer who primarily appears in Kannada films. He is known for playing villain roles, including the role of Kamal in K.G.F. Career In 2011, Vasishta quit his job as a software engineer ...

, film actor * Prathap Simha, politician * C. N. Manjunath, Cardiologist and the Director of the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research *

Achyuth Kumar Achyuth Kumar is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. Born in the town of Belur, in the district of Hassan and brought up in Tiptur. He graduated in bachelor of commerce from the Kalpatharu First Grade College, which was ...

, Indian film actor * A. S. Kiran Kumar, Indian space scientist and former chairman of the ISRO * Chetan Baboor, Indian table tennis player *

Shashank Subramanyam Shashank Subramanyam (born 14 October 1978) is a flutist from India and specializes in Indian classical music. The Govt. of France awarded the prestigious Knighthood / title of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He is also the ...

, Indian musician *

Arathi The Arathi, a term meaning "prophets", are a Christian religious movement founded in 1926 in Kenya.Francis Kimani Githieya, "The Formation and Development of the Arathi," ''The Freedom of the Spirit: African Indigenous Churches in Kenya'' (Oxford ...

, Indian actress * K. S. Ashwath, Indian actor *

Chi. Udaya Shankar Chitnahalli Udayashankar (18 February 1934 – 2 July 1993; born in Chitnahalli) was an Indian lyricist and dialogue writer in the Kannada film industry for over three decades, who penned more than 3000 songs for films and devotional songs. Hi ...

, Kannada Lyricist * Gudibande Poornima, poet & novelist * R. Shamasastry, Sanskrit scholar * Prithviraj, Kannada actor *

Vijaya Dabbe Vijaya Dabbe (1 June 1951 – 23 February 2018) was an Indian writer, feminist, scholar and critic in Kannada language. Often credited as the first feminist writer in modern Kannada language, Dabbe was one of the prominent figures in feminist m ...

, Indian writer, feminist, scholar * Girisha Nagarajegowda, Paralympic athlete *

H. K. Narayana H. K. Narayana was a well-known singer and music composer from Karnataka, India. He was an icon of Light music and played an important role in popularizing the genre of Sugama Sangeetha in Kannada. ''Nadavirada Baduke'' by Nissar Ahmed, ''Bru ...

, Singer and music composer

Notes

References

* Kamath, Suryanath U. (2001). ''A Concise History of Karnataka from pre-historic times to the present'', Jupiter books, MCC, Bangalore (reprinted 2002),

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hassan District Districts of Karnataka