Davanagere District is situated in the southern state of Karnataka and is an ancient city of historical importance. The district headquarter is located at Davangere. It was part of the kingdom of the Devagiri Yadavas.

History of Davanagere District
According to folklore, the name `Davangere` was derived from `Danivina Kere` which was a lake excavated to quench the thirst of the Chalukyas, who halted at this place to overcome the fatigue due to a long horse ride. `Danivina Kere`, in course of time became Devan giri, which evolved into `Davangere` or `Davanagere`. Davangere was a village located on the suburbs of Bettur. It was given away as a jagir by Hyder Ali of Mysore to Apoji Ram, his Maratha Chieftain. It became a major trading centre under Apoji Ram and also during the rule of Tipu Sultan. Davangere rose to the designation of a municipality in 1870. In the year 1997, Davangere became an individual district in Karnataka.

Geography of Davanagere District
Davanagere is well connected to the other parts of India by rail and road. It lies in the Maidan region on the Deccan plateau. It is surrounded by the Shimoga district, Haveri district, Chitradurga district and Bellary district. The prominent cities and towns of the district are Harihara , Honnali and Channagiri. Davanagere became a separate district in 1997 when it was separated from the district of Chitradurga.

Demography of Davanagere District
According to the Population Census in the year 2011, Davanagere District had population of 1,946,905 of which male and female were 989,602 and 957,303 respectively. The population of Davanagere District constituted 3.18 percent of total population of Karnataka. The population density of Davanagere district for 2011 is 329 people per sq. km. In 2001, Davanagere district density was at 302 people per sq. km. Davanagere district administers 5,926 square kilometers of areas.The average literacy rate of Davanagere in 2011 were 76.30 percent compared to 67.43 of 2001. If things are looked out at gender wise, male and female literacy were 83.02 and 69.39 respectively. The total literates in Davanagere District were 1,327,614 of which male and female were 732,582 and 595,032 respectively.

Tourism in Davanagere District
Davangere Districtis well connected and is easily accessible from all the major destinations in and around Karnataka by roads and trains. Some of the tourist attraction sites in this district are Siruvani Waterfalls, Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Marudamalai Temple, Black Thunder Amusement Park, Forest College Museum and many other places.