Chamarajanagara is a city and headquarter of eponymous Chamarajanagar district in the Karnataka state of India. It is named after Chamaraja Wodeyar IX, the erstwhile Raja of Mysore, Chamarajanagara was previously known as 'Arikottara'.

Chamarajanagar
City
Tirupati_Passenger_train_in_Chamarajanagar_Railway_Station.jpg
Chamarajanagar Railway Station
Map
Chamarajanagara in Karnataka
Coordinates: 11°55′34″N 76°56′25″E / 11.9260°N 76.9402°E / 11.9260; 76.9402
Country India
StateKarnataka
DistrictChamarajanagar
Named forChamaraja Wodeyar IX
Government
 • BodyMunicipal Council
Area
 • City
18.75 km2 (7.24 sq mi)
 • Rural
1,210 km2 (470 sq mi)
Elevation
720 m (2,360 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • City
69,875 [1]
 • Rural
287,924
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
571 313
Telephone code+91(0)8226
Vehicle registrationKA-10
Official languageKannada[2]
Websitechamarajanagaracity.mrc.gov.in

History

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While the area was previously known as 'Sri Arikottara', the area was later named after Chamaraja Wodeyar, the Wodeyar of Mysore who was born here.[citation needed] The Vijaya Parsvanath Basadi, a holy jain shrine was constructed by Punisadandanayaka, the commander of the Hoysala king Gangaraja in the year 1117 AD.

Geography and climate

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Chamarajnagar is located at 11°55′N 76°57′E / 11.92°N 76.95°E / 11.92; 76.95.[3] It has an average elevation of 720 metres (2,360 ft).

It was ranked among the top 10 Indian cities with the cleanest air and best AQI in 2024.[4]

Demographics

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As of the 2011 census, Chamrajanagar had a population of 69875.[5] Males constituted 51% of the population and females 49%. Chamrajanagar has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 65% and female literacy of 54%. 12% of the population is under six years of age.

Transport

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National Highway 150A (India) originating from Jevargi, terminates at Chamarajanagara. Another national highway NH-948 connecting Bangalore to Coimbatore passes through the town. State Highway 80 (Karnataka) and State Highway 81 (Karnataka) are the other two major highways connecting the town. The RTO Code of Chamarajanagar is KA10[6]

Chamarajanagar railway station is the southernmost rail point in Karnataka. There is a direct train to Tirupati which starts at three in the afternoon and a direct train to Bangalore in the morning. The nearest airport is Mysore airport and the nearest international airports are in Coimbatore International Airport and Kempegowda International Airport.

Religion

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Maaravva or Maaramma is the most widely worshiped deity in the town, more than ten temples of Maaravva can be found in the town. Chamarajeshwara Temple and Haralu Kote Anjaneya Temple are the biggest and the oldest temples respectively. Apart from these, the town has many temples. As far as other religious beliefs are concerned, the town has 2 Jain Basadis, and 2 Buddha Viharas.

Bandit Veerappan

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Since a lot of the southern area of the district is dense forest, it had provided a good refuge to the notorious bandit Veerappan, responsible for the death of over a hundred policemen. He was shot dead in an encounter with the specially formed Special Task Force (STF) on 18 October 2004 in Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu. He had been on the run for over two decades.

The presence of illegal quarrying for black stone imposes a great threat to the forests in the region.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Census Data Handbook 2011" (PDF). Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  2. ^ "50th Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India (July 2012 to June 2013)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  3. ^ "Chamarajanagar district". topographic-map.com. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  4. ^ "India's top 10 cities with the best air quality in 2024: Global cities' AQI insights revealed". The Indian Express. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Census of India 2011". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  6. ^ "Transport Department,Karnataka". etc.karnataka.gov.in. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
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