Chitradurga district is an administrative district of Karnataka state in southern India. The city of Chitradurga is the district headquarters. Chitradurga gets its name from Chitrakaldurga an umbrella-shaped lofty hill found there. Tradition dates Chitradurga District to the period of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The whole district lies in the valley of the Vedavati River, with the Tungabhadra River flowing in the northwest. During the British times it was named Chitaldroog. The district was practically ruled by all the well known dynasties that ruled Karnataka.

Chitradurga is a town in the eastern part of the India state of Karnataka .It is also the headquarters of Chitradurga district .Chitradurga is located at 14°14’N 76°24’E / 14.23°N 76.4°E / 14.23; 76.4. It has an average elevation of 732 meters(2401 feet).

Geography         

The district is hilly, with lots of forts and villages. The district is bounded by Tumkur District to the southeast and south, Chikmagalur District to the southwest, Davanagere District to the west, Bellary District to the north, and Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh state to the east. Davanagere District was formerly part of Chitradurga. The district is divided into taluks, namely Chitradurga, Hiriyur, Hosadurga, Holalkere, Challakere and Molakalmuru. It is rich in mineral deposits, including gold prospecting at Halekal, Kotemardi or Bedimaradi, etc., and open cast copper mines at Ingaldhal.

Demographics

The population was 1,517,896, of which 18.07% were urban as of 2001 comprising Kunchitiga Vokkaligas, Nayakas ( Yadavs), Kurubas, Madigads, Lingayats, and several other communities. Majority of the people in Chitradurga are Hindus with Muslims comprising about 9% of the population. Kannada is the most widely spoken language but Urdu and Telugu is also spoken near areas bordering AndraPradesh.

Temperature: Max 38°C, Min 22°C (summer); Max 25°C, Min 15°C (winter)

Ideal time to visit: October to March.