Hospet


Hosapete, also known as Hospet, is a city in Ballari District, Karnataka, India. It is located on the banks of Tungabhadra River, 12 km from Hampi. The present day Hampi is a World Heritage site containing the ruins of the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire.

History

Hosapete city was built in 1520 AD by Krishna Deva Raya, one of the prominent rulers of Vijayanagara Empire. He built the city in honour of his mother Naagalaambika. The city was originally named Naagalapura; however, people referred to the city as Hosa Pete, which meant "New City". The area between Hampi and Hosapete is still called Naagalapura. This was the main entrance to the city of Vijayanagara for travellers coming from the west coast.
The current MLA for this area is Anand Singh. The government approved a request to rename the city in October 2014, and Hospet was renamed "Hosapete" on 1 November 2014.

About

Hosapete is well connected to several important cities in India. Ballari is located approximately 60 km away. Hosapete Junction railway station lies on Hubballi-Guntakal railway line. The nearest airport from the city is Jindal Vidyanagar airport approximately 30km away from Hosapete which serves flights to and from Bangalore and Hyderabad everyday. Bangalore is 330 km away. In addition, the city has a well-developed market area. Hosapete is a well-known tourist destination, mainly due to its proximity to Hampi and Tungabhadra Dam. Hosapete is also noted for its iron ore mining and steel plants.
Municipal Ground is famous for evening walks, sports club, occasional exhibitions and also place is well surrounded with snacks centre.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, the total population of Hospet was 206,159. The town has an average literacy rate of 80%, with male literacy at 85% and female literacy at 67%. In Hospet, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.