Dāvanagere is a city in the centre of the southern Indian state of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. It is the seventh largest city in the state, and the administrative headquarters of eponymous Davangere district. Hitherto being a cotton hub and hence popularly known before as ''the Manchester of Karnataka'', the commercial ventures of the city is now dominated by education and agro-processing industries. Davanagere became a separate district in 1997, when it was separated from the erstwhile undivided district of

Chitradurga Chitradurga is a city and the headquarters of Chitradurga district, which is located on the valley of the Vedavati river in the central part of the Indian state of Karnataka. Chitradurga is a place with historical significance and a major tou ...

for administration conveniences. Davanagere is known for rich culinary traditions which encompass the diversity of entire Karnataka's dishes due to its geographical position in the state as its centre. Notable among them is its aromatic

benne dose Davangere benne dose or dosey, ) or butter dosa is a type of Dosa (food), dosa which traces its origin to the city of Davanagere in Karnataka, India. The term "''benne dose''" in Kannada means simply "butter dosa." It is prepared by the addition ...

.District Gazetteers Karnataka state
/ref> Davanagere was selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a

smart city A smart city is an urban area that uses digital technology to collect data and operate services. Data is collected from citizens, devices, buildings, or cameras. Applications include traffic and transportation systems, power plants, utilities ...

under the

Central government A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or deleg ...

Smart Cities Mission Smart Cities Mission was 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 Development ...

. It was among the first 20 towns to be developed under the mission by Ministry of Urban Development. According to 2020 human living index, it was selected as the top 9th most livable city with a population under 10 million in India.

Civic administration

Davangere has been at the forefront in municipal administration with the city attaining the status of a municipality as early as 1870. The ''Imperial 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. The civic administration of the city was managed by the ''Nagarasabhe'', before it was established as a municipality on 7 August 1951. It now has the status of a

City Corporation Municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally ow ...

, 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.

Geography

Davanagere is the "Heart of Karnataka". Davanagere is surrounded by the

Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () is a city located in Vijayanagara district of Karnataka state in India.Vijayanagara

,
Shimoga Shimoga, officially Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the Karnataka state of India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of the Western Ghats, the city ...
, Chikmagalur and
Haveri Haveri or Hāvēri is a city and headquarters of Haveri district of Karnataka State in India. Haveri is famous for its cardamom garlands, Byadagi red chillies and Hukkeri Math. Around 25 km away, there is a place called Bada, which is the b ...
districts. Davanagere is at the centre of Karnataka, 14°28' N latitude, 75°59' longitude and above sea level. Davanagere District receives an average annual rainfall of . 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 the Bhadra reservoir. It has Asia's 2nd largest irrigation tank called Sulekere (shanthi sagara) which is a major water source for farmers in the district.

Demographics
The current estimate population of Davanagere city in 2025 is 633,000 http://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.

Davanagere Literacy Rate and Sex Ratio
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.

Climate
Devanagere has been ranked 25th best “National Clean Air City” under (Category 2 3-10L Population cities) in India.

Transportation
Davangere is well-connected by road to
Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
,
Chitradurga Chitradurga is a city and the headquarters of Chitradurga district, which is located on the valley of the Vedavati river in the central part of the Indian state of Karnataka. Chitradurga is a place with historical significance and a major tou ...
,
Dharwad Dharwad (), also known as Dharwar, is a city located in the northwestern part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Dharwad district of Karnataka and forms a contiguous urban area with the city of Hubballi. It was merged ...
,
Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
, Goa,
Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...
,
Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...
and
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
through NH 48 (previously National Highway 4).
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is a state-owned public road transport corporation company in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is wholly owned by the Government of Karnataka. It serves routes to 31 districts and as wel ...
, 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.

Rail
The city's
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
comes under the
South Western Railway zone The South Western Railway (SWR) is one of the 19 Indian Railways, railway zones of Indian Railways, headquartered at Hubballi in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Karnataka. SWR was created from carving out the routes ...
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.

Air
The nearest domestic airport to Davanagere is Shivamogga Airport (IATA:RQY), which is from the city and the nearest International airports are Bangalore International Airport and Mangalore 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.

Gallery

See also
*
Benne dose Davangere benne dose or dosey, ) or butter dosa is a type of Dosa (food), dosa which traces its origin to the city of Davanagere in Karnataka, India. The term "''benne dose''" in Kannada means simply "butter dosa." It is prepared by the addition ...
* Shamanur

References
{{Authority control Smart cities in India Cities and towns in Davanagere district Cities in Karnataka