Vijayanagara District, Karnataka

Vijayanagara (ವಿಜಯನಗರ), inaugurated on 2 October 2021 as the 31st district of Karnataka, is the monumental heritage homeland of the legendary Vijayanagara Empire. Centered around the modern administrative headquarters of Hosapete, the district encompasses the internationally acclaimed Group of Monuments at Hampi, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Covering an area of 5,644 square kilometres, Vijayanagara was carved out from undivided Ballari district to celebrate Karnataka's imperial heritage and accelerate decentralized administrative delivery. The landscape is dominated by the sacred Tungabhadra River flowing amidst surreal boulder-strewn granite hills and lush sugarcane valleys.

From the active sanctum of the 7th-century Virupaksha Temple and the iconic monolithic Stone Chariot at the Vittala Temple complex to the modern engineering marvel of the Tungabhadra Dam, Vijayanagara stands as a jewel of Karnataka's history. Browse the taluks and village records below to explore comprehensive civic data.

The history of Vijayanagara is synonymous with the founding and glory of the Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646 CE). Founded in 1336 CE by brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I under the spiritual guidance of sage Vidyaranya, the empire grew into one of the wealthiest, most powerful empires in medieval world history, acting as a grand bulwark preserving southern Indian arts, literature, and architectural heritage.

Under Emperor Krishnadevaraya (reigned 1509–1529 CE), the empire reached its zenith of prosperity, military power, and cultural patronage. Persian ambassador Abdur Razzaq and Portuguese travelers Domingo Paes and Fernao Nuniz described Hampi as a magnificent metropolis of diamond markets, grand palaces, and monumental temples unequaled in the contemporary world.

Following the Battle of Talikota in 1565 CE, the imperial capital was sacked, yet its monumental stone monuments, water aqueducts, and carved pillared halls survived across 41 square kilometres. In 2021, the Government of Karnataka formally created Vijayanagara as the 31st district to restore its historical pride.

Vijayanagara is located in central-eastern Karnataka, bounded by Koppal and Bagalkote to the north, Ballari to the east, Chitradurga and Davanagere to the south, and Haveri to the west. The landscape is defined by surreal granitic inselbergs, dramatic boulder heaps, and the perennial Tungabhadra River gorge.

The climate is semi-arid with warm temperatures, tempered in the agricultural plains by the microclimate created by the massive Tungabhadra Dam reservoir.

The administrative machinery of Vijayanagara 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).

Vijayanagara possesses a vibrant dual economy anchored by global cultural tourism and heavy agro-industrial manufacturing. Hampi draws millions of domestic and international travelers annually, supporting a widespread hospitality, guiding, and artisanal ecosystem.

Hosapete is a major hub of steel manufacturing, sponge iron plants, pelletization units, and sugar mills. Extensive sugarcane and banana processing plants operate along the canal belts.

Agriculture is highly prosperous across the river valley, supported by the perennial canal network of the Tungabhadra Dam. Sugarcane and paddy are the primary cash crops, creating verdant rural scenery around Hosapete, Kampli, and Harapanahalli.

Farmers also harvest large volumes of premium Cavendish bananas, maize, commercial cotton, and groundnut, making the district an agricultural powerhouse.

Vijayanagara is home to Kannada University (Hampi), a premier statutory research university established in 1991 exclusively for research and promotion of Kannada language, literature, culture, and history. The district also hosts the Government Engineering College at Huvina Hadagali and numerous professional colleges in Hosapete.

A comprehensive network of public schools serves all taluks, tracked through state registries.

The KarnatakaInfo.com database holds 1,672 school records for Vijayanagara district (UDISE+). This dataset covers schools only; colleges and universities appear in the text above where verified.

• Primary with Upper Primary718
• Primary468
• Secondary Only224
• Pr. Up Pr. and Secondary Only118
• Higher Secondary only/Jr. College84
• Upper Pr. and Secondary33
• Pr. with Up.Pr. Sec. and H.Sec.16
• Upper Primary only4
• Secondary with Higher Secondary4
• Up. Pr. Secondary and Higher Sec3

School listings are available on each village and taluk page.

The 100-bed Hosapete Sub-Divisional Hospital has been upgraded into the District Hospital of Vijayanagara, supported by taluk hospitals and primary health centers delivering round-the-clock medical care.

The database records 410 public health facilities in Vijayanagara district. This is the dataset available on KarnatakaInfo.com and should not be read as a complete list of all hospitals.

• Immunisation Facility323
• PHC71
• CHC16

Vijayanagara 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.

Vijayanagara's cultural life revolves around the celebration of Karnataka's imperial heritage. The magnificent Hampi Utsav, organized annually by the Government of Karnataka, illuminates the ancient stone monuments with sound, light, classical music, and dance performances by international artists.

Traditional bronze casting, stone sculpting, and leather shadow puppetry are preserved by heritage artisan families.

The culinary identity blends royal feast traditions with authentic North Karnataka fare. Visitors relish the traditional Hampi Thali, featuring fragrant Tungabhadra Sona Masoori rice, Bele Saaru, Kosambari, Holige, and crispy Jolada Rotti with Yennegai.

Refreshing sugarcane juice, banana chips, and local filter coffee are popular across heritage sites.

The Tungabhadra River and its expansive reservoir form the primary natural resource, providing drinking water, canal irrigation, and inland fishing. The granitic boulder formations create unique micro-habitats for sloth bears in the nearby Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary.

Significant iron and manganese ore deposits are located in the southern and eastern taluk borders.

Vijayanagara is connected via National Highway 67 and NH 50. Hosapete Junction (HPT) is a major railway hub on South Western Railway with direct trains to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Vasco da Gama (Goa), Mumbai, and Delhi.

The nearby Jindal Vijayanagar Airport at Toranagallu (30 km) provides scheduled commercial flights to Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

KarnatakaInfo.com brings together the administrative hierarchy of Vijayanagara 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.