Tumkur (Distrikt)

Tumkur District is an administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. It was formerly the part of old Mysuru State. It was formed in 1832 during the days of British commissioner of Mysuru Sir Mark Cubbon as Chitaldroog Division including the area of present Chitradurga and Tumkur districts headquartered at Tumkur, Major General Richard Stewart Dobbs was the first collector of the district (term of office 1835-1861), who was key responsible for the establishment of Munro system of administration. In the year 1862 Chitaldroog division was abolished and Tumkur (Nandidroog division) and Chitradurga (Nagar Division) established as separate districts by Lewin Bentham Bowring. The district headquarters are located at Tumkur. The district occupies an area of 10,598 km² and had a population of 2,584,711, of which 19.62% were urban as of 2001. It is a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka.The district is known for the production of coconuts, called as 'Kalpataru Nadu'. It is the only discontiguous district in Karnataka (Pavagada Taluk has no geographical continuity with the rest of the district).It consists chiefly of elevated land intersected by river valleys. A range of hills rising to nearly 4000ft crosses it from north to south, forming the watershed between the systems of the Krishna and the Kaveri. The principal streams are the Jayamangala and the Shimsha. The mineral wealth of Tumakuru is considerable; iron is obtained in large quantities from the hillsides; and excellent building-stone is quarried. The slopes of the Devarayanadurga hills are clothed with forests. Wildlife such as leopards, bears and wild boar have been recorded here. Although, tigers have been recorded from these forests as late as the 1950s, most recent reports are of stray sightings and need confirmation. The annual rainfall averages 39 inches.