Tourism
How Davanagere got its name?
Davanagere is derived from the word "DAVANA KERE" which means "Village of Lake" This City has historical background, as this village was within the province of "Nolambavady" ruled by great Chalukya Kings. During 1173-1220, this province was ruled by Pandyas. Then Hoysalas ruled this province after defeating Pandyas. In 1342, Nolamba province was conquered by the great kings of Vijayanagara. After the downfall of Vijayanagara Kingdom, it came into the hands of local "Palyagars" of Chitradurga. This province was also ruled by Maratha Sardars as this town was given to Maratha sardar, Sri Devrao as "Jahagirs" by Hyderali. This part of land became very prosperous during the reign of Tippu Sultan and Mysore Maharajas.
The city of Davanagere is located at a distance of about 260 km from the state capital of Bangalore. It is nestled at the foothills of the Western Ghats. Previously known for its cotton mills, it is a fast developing city of Karnataka. The arid town was once a thriving textile center. This place is also called as 'Manchester of Karnataka' or textile capital of South India.
Tourist attractions
Kunduvada Tank:
Kundwada Tank is situated on the left side of Poona-Bangalore NH4 bypass road near Kundwada village of the Davanagere city. The catchment area of Kundwada tank is nearly 253 Acres. Recently, it was renovated and treated as Summer Water Storage Tank. The capacity of the tank is 20 MLD. Water supply facility provided by the tank covers more than 50% of the city area from past 2 years. Kundwada tank adds to the beauty of the city. Davanagere City Corporation has made a resolution to rename Kundwada Tank as " KUNDWADA TANK- RENNOVATED S. S. MALLIKARJUNA SAGARA "
COMPREHENSIVE WATER SUPPLY SCHEME (T V Station)
Davanagere city Ist stage water supply scheme was started during 1917 from the Tungabhadra river near Harihara town as source with 4.5 MLD. This water became inadequate during 1969-70. So Comprehensive Water Supply Scheme was taken up with the Bhadra canal as source to the extent of 18.00 MLD which is treated as Summer Storage Water Tank. The catchment area of the storage tank is about 38 Acres and the capacity of the storage tank is about 45 Gallons, which will be supplied for about 40-45 days to the public during summer season. Usually, In summer season publics make visit to T V Station and hence it is a picnic place .
DURGAMBIKA TEMPLE
Sri Durgambika temple is very popular and biggest temple in the city. It is located in old Davanagere ie., Halepet in Shivajinagar. Surrounding this temple area is called "DEVARA HATTI". According to legend, around 200 years ago a stone brought from Duggatti village worshipped as Godess Durgamma known by different names such as Dugamma, Durgavva, Durgambika, etc., During 1932, the small temple was converted into a beautiful and biggest temple. Every Tuesday and Friday, a special pooja is arranged by the Committee. Once in 2 years a grand fair will be celebrated by the Hindu religious people regularly. People from far off district like Chitradurga, Haveri, Bellary, Dharwad, Shimoga etc., take part in this occasion.
CHENNAGIRI RANGAPPA CLOCK TOWER
Sri Chennagiri Rangappa Clock Tower foundation stone was laid by Sir Mirja Ismail, the then Deewan of Mysore province during 1937 and it was inaugarated during 1961 by Sri. T Subramanya, the then Hon'ble LSG Minister of Mysore. The entire cost of construction of Clock tower was beared by Sri. Chennagiri Rangappa. The height of the Clock tower is about 75 feet. The said clock tower was handed over to the Davanagere City Municipal Council for maintainence. During the year 1980, the clock in the tower was not in the working condition. At that time, again Sri. Chennagiri Rangappa's family invested around Rs. 3.00 lakhs by replacing it with Solar HMTclock during 2002 and now it is working in good condition.
ST. THOMAS CHURCH
St. Thomas Church was built during 1946 in P J Extension (Prince Jayachamarajendra Extension) 6th Cross and it was rennovated as a big church during 2002. The Roman Catholic Christians make regular vist to this church on every Friday and Sunday. The Christmas Fest is celebrated on a grand scale in the church. The structure and style of church gives an impressive and attractive look. Hence it is a famous church in the city.
Harihar
Harihar is famous for a Harihareshwara temple, which is also know as "Dakshina Kashi". It is situated on the banks of Tungabhardra river. The Harihareshwara temple, dating back to the 12th century during the period of Hoysalas. This temple astpounding for his wealth of Sculptural details.
The syncretic deity known as Harihara is an attempt to combine the worship of Shiva ("hara") and Vishnu ("hari"), the two polar Hindu deities, into a single object of devotion. On his right side, Harihara holds Shiva's trident and wears his hair in the Shiva ascetic (piled-up) style; on his left side, Harihara displays Vishnu's discus and wears a crown. The two smaller figures are personified attributes.
Sulekere
About 30 kms from Davangere is a very important picnic spot. The pond is one of the largest in India. Large number of tourists visit this place regularly. There is also a temple called Sri Siddeshwara near the pond.
Bagali
About 8 km from Harpanahalli, Bagali has a 9th Century Kalleshwara temple of Chalukya period. There are Panchalinga temples on the premises of Kalleshwara temple and also beautifully sculpted Ugranarasimha idol. The Outer walls of the temple have erotic sculpting. Pillars inside the temple have intricate carvings.
Karanji Mantapa :36 kms form the district HQ, the tank of Santhebennur is famed as the ost beautiful tank in South India. The wonderful sculpture resembling the stone chariot in the middle of the tnak looks similar from all the four directions. The pushkarni is built in red stone in Kushmanda style in the 16th Cemntury AD by Kenga Hanumanthappa Nayaka of Santhebennur. The pushkarni originally had eight mantapas of which only six exist now. The pushkarni has 52 big steps from its main entrance in the west. Other three sides have 44 steps each. Renowned for its architecture and sculpture, this great mantapa has four tires. Locals call this ‘ Karnaji Mantapa’ The water stored below the mantap had a system of springing out from the top.
Anekonda
About 4 km from the HQ on Davangere-Jaglur road, Ane konda – the place where elephants were tied up is a historical palce. Accoridng to the legend, when Betur was the capital, the King’s elephants were tied here and hence the name. Aneknoda was a big city during 11 and 12 Century AD. The place has many epigraphs of Gandas, Uchangi, Pandyas, Chalukyas and Hoysalas.
How To Reach Davanagere
By Air : Davanagere does not have any airport. The nearest airport is at Hubli and the nearest International airport is at Bangalore.
By Rail : Davanagere is connected to Miraj, Bangalore and Mysore by regular trains. The City Railway station is located in the heart of the city.
By Road : Davanagere is linked with Pune, Bangalore, Shimoga and Hospet by road.
This page is maintained by Sri.A D Manjappa, Office Manager, City Corporation, Davanagere +91 93410-11507, updated on 23/01/2012
