Davangere is an educational centre. It is known for its higher educational institutes.In Davangere there are 2 Government First Grade Colleges. One is Government College for Women and another is Government First Grade College and P.G. Centre. In Davangere there are three major engineering colleges, two dental colleges, two medical colleges, one Ayurvedic medical college,Bapuji Pharmacy College (offering Pharm.D, B.Pharma, D.Pharma and M.Pharm), a number of management schools and colleges, an art college, and a fashion design college. JJM Medical college in Davangere is an internationally renown medical college which produces 245 MBBS graduates every year. Bapuji Educational Association in Davangere is a conglomerate of over 50 educational institutions across the city of Davangere. The institute was established in the year 1958 with the start of a first grade college in Davangere. Two medical colleges, 2 dental colleges, an engineering college Bapuji Institute of Engineering & Technology, Bapuji B-Schools and numerous other colleges are associated with the association. These colleges account for around 50 institutions. Dr. S. Kotrabasappa, Kasal Srinivasasetty, Maganur Basappa, Rajnahally Lakshman Shetty, Ajjampur Rangappa have been the significant personalities behind the growth of the organisation. Davangere also has other three engineering colleges, G M Institute of Technology, and University B.D.T College of Engineering. Recently in the academic year 2011-2012, a new engineering college has been started in Davangere called Jain Institute of Technology. It is situated near Avargere(Near to Bada cross).
Davangere town is a major trading center in Central Karnataka. It was well acclaimed as the “Manchester of Karnataka” for housing many cotton mills and cloth business establishments. It’s geographical location at the center of the State and good rail and road connectivity provides ample scope for trading. The surrounding hinterlands provide support to the businesses at Davangere. Around half of the Davangere District is irrigated, thanks to the Bhadra Reservoir. Many rich cash and food Crops like Rice, arecanut, Maize and cotton are traded here. Currently the major agro-industrial activity around Davangere revolves around rice and sugarcane, with a number of sugar mills in and around this area. The Shamanur Sugar Mills, situated in the Dugavathi village near Davangere, is a major industry in Davangere. Many of the rice mills are established in the industrial area near the Bypass Road. There are many rice mills making puffed rice and beaten rice in and around this town. Davangere is famous for textile mills. Shankar Textile Mills, Chigateri Mills, Chandrodaya Mills Ltd, Yallamma Cotton Woollen and Silk Mills Ltd, all contributed to the economic development of the city. The cotton mills which are existing till date are: Anjaneya Cotton Mill, Ganesh Mill, and Siddeshwara Cotton Mill. Davangere was a major cotton textile exporter during the 1960s until the 1980s. But most of the mills were shut down during the 1990s. Davangere has a big garment and clothing shop, i.e. B.S. Channabasappa and Sons. This is one of the biggest garment shop of Central karnataka with its branches spread all over the city.
New Davanagere comprises residential extensions, including: Nittuvalli, KTJ Nagar, KB Extn,Srinivasa Nagar, PJ Extn, MCC A Block, MCC B Block, Anjaneya Extension, Swamy Vivekananda Extension, Shamanur,Naganur, Shiramgondanahalli, Nijalingappa Layout, SS layout A Block, SS Layout B Block, Vinobha Nagar,Bati, Vidyanagara, Taralabalu Badavane,Sanjeevininagar, Vinayaka Nagara, Sarswathi Nagara, Shivakumara Swamy Nagar, 1st stage and 2nd stage, Ranganatah Badavane,Jaya Nagara A Block, Jaya Nagara B Block, DCM Layout, Ragavendra Nagara, Shakthi Nagara, LIC colony, Avargere, Vinayaka extension, Banshankri, Belavanur, Tolahunasi, Sri Ram Nagara, S O G Colony, Bhoomika Nagara, Siddaveerappa Nagara, etc. The national highway 4 and the railway track exactly cut the city into two halves. In the late 18th century, Haidar Ali, ruler of Mysore, gave Davanagere to the Maratha leader Apoji Ram, who encouraged merchants to settle there. The city eventually developed into an area with a large-scale textile industry and as a trading center for cotton and grain. Davanagere has established 803 villages.
Also famous is the variety of juices available in the area, and some of the noted juice stalls are the Archana Juice Stall (Dental College Road), Rasapriya Juice Centre (Medical Boys’ Hostel) and Rasavanthi Juice Stall (Ram & Co Circle). One of the old shops for “Kara Mandakki” is the Hotte Nanjappa shop at Vijayalakshmi Road, near B S Channabasappa & Sons Shop. Gundi circle is one of the famous spots where people can get many road-side cuisines, like south Indian, North Indian, Chinese and so on. Snow Land Ice Cream Parlor is a popular hangout located in front of JJM Medical College. People call Davangere as “Heaven city” because of the variety of food available in this city. Every food of Karnataka also India is available in Davangere as it situated in center of karnataka state.
Railways also play a major role in connectivity. The city’s Railway Station comes under South Western Railway Zone (India) and was constructed during the British period and has been renovated recently. The station code is DVG. The railway station is located in front of Davanagere Municipal Corporation and is located very close to the old (private) bus stand. Davanagere railway station has been upgraded, and the public is provided with high-class facilities. A new proposal to lay a rail track between Davangere to Tumkur would further reduce the travel time from Bangalore to Davangere. This would further connect to Shimoga, Kottur, etc. along with the Harihara-Kotturu Rail Line which is awaiting for inauguration.
Davanagere was originally an obscure village, forming one of the suburbs of Bettur. Sultan Hyder Ali gave it as jagir to a Maratha chief named Apoji Ram, who encouraged merchants to settle there. While Apoji Ram died without heirs, the place continued to grow, favored by Tipu Sultan. After the fall of Tipu Sultan’s regime, a European firm stepped in and started a cotton mill. These mills flourished as cotton was grown in plenty, in and around Davanagere, as well as the adjacent town of Harihar. Climatic conditions and the nature of the soil (black gypsum) favoured its growth. Davanagere Cotton Mills is now a well-known name in the region.
Kannada is the major language spoken. The Kannada particular to Davangere has mild regional influences. English and Hindi are also widely spoken, owing to the presence of a sizable student population, hailing from across India and overseas. The tone of the language is rather harsh and might seem objectionable to those unaccustomed to it. To the residents of the town, however, certain ways of using the language may connote a great rapport and level of comfort between people. And also there are minority people migrated from Andhra Pradesh , Tamil Nadu , Maharashtra and Kerala (Malayalam) residing in the city and surrounding areas.
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, KSRTC has a divisional office situated in Davanagere City. The city is well-connected to Bangalore and other cities in the state by KSRTC buses. It has Volvo and multi-axle Volvo bus connectivity to Bangalore & Chennai. But, in spite of Davanagere having a Divisional KSRTC office, there are no Volvo buses originating from Davanagere City. Thus, if someone wishes to travel outside Karnataka state by Volvo buses, their only option is private buses. KSRTC does not give booking and service of Volvo buses from Davanagere to Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Goa, Hyderabad, Tirupati, Shirdi, etc.
Davangere has its name synonymous with bodybuilding and powerlifting in the state of Karnataka. The people of the city have been nurturing the sport/art since olden days. Gyms are found throughout the city, with a lot of interest within the youngster community. L.M. Karibasappa, Ekalavya award winner and five-time Mr. India titler in bodybuilding is from Davangere. Davangere has produced the highest number of Mr. India athletes. Many builders like Gangappa, Styanarayana and many others represented India in events like Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. Maheshwarayya was a famous powerlifting athlete from the city.
Anekonda: The Eshwara temple at Anekonda is a little one in the Hoysala style. It was restored about 1912 with mud walls and plastered. Originally it had three cells, though there are only 2 at present, the south cell being no longer in existence and a navaranga. The garbhgriha doorway is well-executed and has figure of Gajalakshmi in the middle of the lintel. The sukhanasi door-way, which is also good, has ornamental screens at the sides and a figure of Siva on the lintel, flanked on the left by Vishnu and Subramanya, and on the right by Brahma and Ganapati, with makaras beyond these on both the sides.
Kunduvada kere (Mallikarjuna Sagara Parivartita Kunduwada Kere) in Davangere, is a picturesque lake. It is one of the sources of drinking water for the city. It is restored from its ruins. During the last decade, when Davangere was suffering from water shortage, the local MLA Mallikarjuna worked to restore Kunduvada kere and made it as a water reservoir for the city. New garden and walking paths have been built around the lake, and it is quite pleasant to take evening walks along the lakeshore. Another one is a lake at the TV station, that has a good view of sunsets and is a popular picnic spot.
Bathi Gudda is situated 4 km (2.5 mi) from Davangere city towards Harihara. From the top of this hill, the city looks scenic. On this hill, there is a Temple and Dargah where believers go for prayers and mercies. Chaman Sha Wali Dargah of Baathi is a famous place to visit for all communities. Every year there are festivities conducted jointly by all the community leaders. Near this hill, the Bhadra sugar factory and Bathi lake are situated. Visitors can even visit the Davangere Dairy located in Bathi, which supplies milk to Davanagere and Chitradurga District.
Subramanya Temple Subramanya temple is located close to NH4 highway on lokikere road. The presiding deity in this temple is Subramanya, also known as Lord Muruga. Aadi Krithigai is a day auspicious for Lord Muruga. This year it falls on Aug 10, Subramanya or Muruga is the second son of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvathi. Extolled as the epitome of beauty, valour and “Jnana” , Muruga is worshipped in several ways, through various rituals. Here, special poojas and yagams are conducted for Lord Subramanya on Aadi Kirthigai day.
Davangere or Davanagere is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka, lying in western South India. It is the administrative headquarters of Davangere District, which lies at the centre of the state of Karnataka. The city is located on National Highway 4 (India), at a distance of about 265 kilometres (165 mi) from the state capital, Bangalore. Davangere became a separate district in 1997, when it was separated from the district of Chitradurga, for administration conveniences. It is the 7th-largest city in Karnataka.
Davanagere is located on the Bangalore-Pune national highway NH4, which is part of the Golden Quadrilateral highway network. Geographically, the city is divided into Old Davanagere and New Davanagere. Old Davanagere comprises most of the market areas, such as Mandipet, Hasabavi Circle, Avaragolla,Kaddlebalu,Chowkipet, Kaipet, Chamrajpet, K.R. Market, Kalikadevi road; and residential areas like Gandhinagar, Anekonda, Basavapura, Shivajinagar, Devaraj Urs Layout, SM Krishna Nagara, S S Layout, Karur,Kondajji, etc.
Shanthi Sagara near Davangere, is a major water supply source and also the second-largest pond in Asia. It was built by namesake Princess Shanthi during the 12th century. Now it is a source for both drinking water and agriculture. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Siddeshwara near the lake. An aqueduct designed by Sir M Vishweshwariah is also a major tourist attraction. The government is taking steps to improve tourist attractions in the area.
The civic administration of the city was managed by the Davangere City Corporation (Davanagere Mahanagara Palike), before it was established as a municipality on 7 August 1951. It now has the status of a City Corporation, and gained this on 6 January 2007. It is headed by a mayor, assisted by commissioners and council members. The city is divided into 41 wards, and the council members (corporators) are elected by the people of the city.
It is popularly believed that the Chalukyas halted at this place to rest after a long horse-ride. A lake (“kere” in Kannada, the local language) was excavated for them to quench their thirst. The place thus came to be known as “Devan giri” (an abbreviation of ‘danivina kere’) and eventually “Davangere”. This popular belief is not attested by any concrete historical evidence. There is no lake to show to prove this note.
Santhebennur: is a village situated from Davangere at 40 km, is famous for a pond called “Pushkarani,” locally called “Honda.” Apart from the structure in the center, four more can be seen on the surrounding steps, and there are two more – one each on the left & right. The Pushkarani itself is in front of a gallery kind of structure, open towards the Pushkarani, and without any rooms. These structures are built
The Shivagangothri Campus is located at Tolahunase, 8 km from Davangere and houses the post graduate departments of Commerce, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Economics, Food Technology, Accounting & Finance, M.Ed., and MSW. The Institute of Management studies is also located at P.G. Centre. The campus of 73 acres (30 ha) has attractive buildings as well as hostels.