Overview
Bengaluru Urban is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It encompasses the city of Bengaluru, the state capital, and is among the most densely populated and economically significant districts in India. The district was carved out of the larger Bangalore district on 15 August 1986, when the latter was bifurcated into Bangalore Urban and Bangalore Rural districts. Following the official renaming of the city in 2014, the district is also referred to as Bengaluru Urban.
Key facts
| State | Karnataka |
|---|---|
| Division | Bengaluru Division |
| Headquarters | Bengaluru |
| Formed | 15 August 1986 |
| Predecessor | Bangalore district (bifurcated) |
| Neighbouring districts | Bengaluru Rural, Ramanagara, Chikkaballapur, Kolar |
| Official languages | Kannada, English |
Geography
The district lies on the Mysore Plateau (a part of the larger Deccan Plateau) at an average elevation of around 900 metres above sea level. The terrain is gently undulating, marked by numerous tanks (kere) that historically served as the principal source of water for the region. The district is drained mainly by minor tributaries of the Pinakini (Ponnaiyar) and Arkavathi rivers. It shares boundaries with Bengaluru Rural and Ramanagara districts to the west and south, and with Chikkaballapur and Kolar districts to the north and east.
Administration
The district is administered by a Deputy Commissioner. For revenue and administrative purposes, Bengaluru Urban is divided into taluks, which include Bengaluru North, Bengaluru South, Bengaluru East, Anekal, and Yelahanka. Most of the urban area falls under the jurisdiction of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the municipal corporation responsible for civic administration in Greater Bengaluru. Outside the BBMP limits, town municipal councils, town panchayats, and gram panchayats handle local governance.
Police and law enforcement
Policing within the city is administered by the Bengaluru City Police, headed by a Commissioner of Police, while areas outside the city limits fall under the Bengaluru District Police.
History
The region around modern Bengaluru has been inhabited since antiquity, with stone age and megalithic remains reported from sites such as Jadigenahalli. In the medieval period, the area came under successive rule of the Western Gangas, Cholas, Hoysalas, and the Vijayanagara Empire. The city of Bengaluru was founded in 1537 by Kempe Gowda I, a feudatory of the Vijayanagara emperor. After Vijayanagara's decline, the region passed through the hands of the Adil Shahis, the Mughals, and the Wodeyars of Mysore, and was held briefly by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. Following the fall of Tipu in 1799, Bengaluru reverted to the Mysore princely state under British paramountcy, with a Cantonment established by the British.
After Indian independence and the linguistic reorganisation of states in 1956, Bengaluru became the capital of the new Mysore State (renamed Karnataka in 1973). On 15 August 1986, the erstwhile Bangalore district was split into Bangalore Urban and Bangalore Rural districts. In 2007, Ramanagara district was further carved out of Bangalore Rural. The names Bangalore Urban and Bangalore Rural were officially changed to Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural in 2014.
Demographics
Bengaluru Urban is one of the most populous districts in Karnataka and ranks among the most populous districts in India. According to the 2011 Census of India, it had a population of around 9.6 million, with a high level of urbanisation owing to the dominance of the city of Bengaluru. Kannada is the principal language, with Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Hindi, English, and Malayalam also widely spoken, reflecting the cosmopolitan nature of the district. The literacy rate is among the highest in the state.
Economy
Bengaluru Urban is the economic engine of Karnataka and a major contributor to the national economy. The district is widely known as the centre of India's information technology and biotechnology industries, with extensive software exports from technology parks such as Electronics City, Whitefield, and the International Tech Park. Major public sector undertakings headquartered or with significant operations in the district include Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT), and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO