Haveri District, Karnataka

Haveri (ಹಾವೇರಿ), historically celebrated as the spiritual heartland of saint-philosophers, is a culturally vibrant district situated in the geographic center of Karnataka. Traversed by the sacred Varada and Tungabhadra rivers, Haveri is internationally celebrated for producing the world-famous Byadgi Chilli, known for its deep crimson red color, high oleoresin content, and mild pungency.

Covering an area of 4,823 square kilometres, Haveri was home to 1,597,668 people in the 2011 Census of India. The district holds immense spiritual significance as the sacred land where saint-poet Kanakadasa composed his divine Keertanas at Kaginele and Santa Shishunala Sharif preached universal human harmony.

Haveri is also renowned for medieval Chalukyan stone temples and extensive cardamom garland handicraft clusters. Explore the taluks, Gram Panchayats, and villages below to discover comprehensive civic data.

Haveri's antiquity is reflected in over 250 stone inscriptions dating to the Badami Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Western Chalukyas, and Hoysalas. In the 12th century, magnificent shrines like the Siddheshwara Temple in Haveri and Tarakeshwara Temple in Hangal were consecrated.

In the 16th century, the celebrated mystic-philosopher Kanakadasa established the Adi Keshava temple at Kaginele. In the 19th century, Santa Shishunala Sharif and his guru Govinda Bhatta lived here, epitomizing Hindu-Muslim syncretic brotherhood through philosophical folk verses (Tatvapada).

Haveri was also an epicenter of India's freedom struggle, with Mailara Mahadevappa leading non-violent satyagrahas before attaining martyrdom in 1943. Haveri was carved out from undivided Dharwad district in 1997.

Haveri is situated in the central transitional belt of Karnataka, bounded by Dharwad and Gadag to the north, Ballari and Vijayanagara to the east, Davanagere and Shivamogga to the south, and Uttara Kannada to the west. The terrain slopes gently from the wooded western hills toward broad eastern alluvial river basins.

The district is drained by four important rivers: the Tungabhadra, Varada, Dharma, and Kumadvathi, supporting rich agrarian livelihoods.

The administrative machinery of Haveri district is organized into several revenue taluks, each administered by a Tahsildar under the supervision of the Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate. Local rural governance is delivered through three tiers of Panchayati Raj institutions: the Zilla Panchayat at the district level, Taluk Panchayats, and Gram Panchayats serving rural village clusters.

Explore the interactive taluk cards and accordion directory below to discover verified counts of Gram Panchayats, inhabited hamlets, and canonical revenue villages registered in the national Local Government Directory (LGD).

Haveri's economy is strongly anchored by agro-trade and processing, dominated by the Byadgi Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)—Asia's largest commercial trading market for red chillies. The Byadgi chilli generates hundreds of crores in foreign exchange through oleoresin export to global food and cosmetics industries.

Cotton ginning, oilseed pressing, maize starch production, and traditional cardamom garland manufacturing in Haveri town provide diverse rural employment.

Agriculture forms the livelihood of the vast majority of Haveri's population. Byadgi chilli is the signature cash crop, cultivated alongside commercial cotton, hybrid maize, jowar, and groundnut.

Canal irrigation from the Tungabhadra and Dharma reservoirs supports paddy and sugarcane in southern taluks like Hangal and Hirekerur, while horticultural crops include mangoes, bananas, and betel leaves.

Haveri hosts the Haveri Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS), Government Engineering College, and the Karnataka Folklore University (Karnataka Janapada Vishwavidyalaya) at Gotagodi, the world's first university dedicated exclusively to folklore studies.

Comprehensive government school networks operate across every taluk, monitored through state educational registries.

The KarnatakaInfo.com database holds 2,041 school records for Haveri district (UDISE+). This dataset covers schools only; colleges and universities appear in the text above where verified.

• Primary with Upper Primary827
• Primary532
• Secondary Only299
• Pr. Up Pr. and Secondary Only179
• Higher Secondary only/Jr. College119
• Upper Pr. and Secondary51
• Pr. with Up.Pr. Sec. and H.Sec.17
• Up. Pr. Secondary and Higher Sec10
• Secondary with Higher Secondary5
• Upper Primary only2

School listings are available on each village and taluk page.

Haveri Institute of Medical Sciences (HIMS) operates the District Teaching Hospital in Haveri, delivering specialized surgical, pediatric, and intensive medical care, supplemented by sub-divisional hospitals at Ranebennur and Hangal.

The database records 305 public health facilities in Haveri district. This is the dataset available on KarnatakaInfo.com and should not be read as a complete list of all hospitals.

• Immunisation Facility174
• PHC130
• CHC1

Haveri offers a remarkable variety of historical, cultural, and natural tourism destinations, spanning ancient stone temples, fortresses, scenic river ghats, and wildlife sanctuaries.

Visitors explore diverse heritage circuits across the district that showcase Karnataka's architectural excellence and natural splendour.

Haveri is steeped in Haridasa and Tatvapada musical traditions, where folk singers perform Kanakadasa's verses using the Ektara and Tambura. The annual Kanakadasa Jayanti and Kaginele Utsav draw lakhs of devotees and folk artists.

Rural festivals feature vibrant performances of Veeragase, Dollu Kunitha, and traditional bull-taming celebrations.

Haveri's food culture features dishes enriched with aromatic Byadgi chillies, such as spicy Menasinakai Bajji, Mandakki Oggarane, and wholesome Jolada Rotti with Ennegai curry.

Sweet preparations include Rava Ladu, Shenga Holige, and special festive payasa.

The perennial Varada and Tungabhadra rivers provide plentiful irrigation and drinking water resources. The southern taluks feature rich forest belts yielding timber, bamboo, and medicinal flora.

Grassland biomes in Ranebennur support fragile wildlife species, including the largest population of blackbucks in Karnataka.

Haveri is situated directly along National Highway 48 (Pune-Bengaluru corridor) with exceptional multi-lane connectivity. Haveri Railway Station is a primary junction on the South Western Railway route connecting Bengaluru with Hubballi.

KarnatakaInfo.com brings together the administrative hierarchy of Haveri district: its taluks, Gram Panchayat counts and revenue villages. Each taluk has a village directory, and each village has a profile with Census population and literacy figures where available, land-use data, nearby schools, healthcare facilities, post offices, nearby tourist attractions and distances to the nearest bus and railway stations.