Chamarajanagar district is a district in the southern part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It lies at the tri-junction of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and is known for its forested landscape, hill temples and tribal communities. The district headquarters is the town of Chamarajanagar, named after Chamaraja Wodeyar, a ruler of the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Karnataka |
| Region | Southern Karnataka |
| Headquarters | Chamarajanagar |
| Formed | 1997 (carved out of Mysore district) |
| Official language | Kannada |
| Neighbouring states | Tamil Nadu, Kerala |
Chamarajanagar district was constituted on 15 August 1997 when it was separated from the larger Mysore district. It shares its borders with Mysore and Mandya districts to the north, Ramanagara to the north-east, the Indian states of Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and Kerala to the south-west. The district forms part of the Mysore Plateau and includes stretches of the Western Ghats in its southern extent.
The district is administered by a Deputy Commissioner. It is divided into several taluks, including:
Kollegal taluk was transferred from Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district to Karnataka following the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, and later became part of Mysore district before being included in Chamarajanagar.
Chamarajanagar contains a substantial area under forest, with terrain ranging from plains in the north to hills and valleys in the south. The district is home to several protected areas, notably the Bandipur National Park in Gundlupet taluk, part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, and the Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve, which marks an ecological bridge between the Western and Eastern Ghats. The Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary lies along the district's eastern boundary.
Major rivers and streams associated with the district include the Kaveri, which forms part of its boundary, along with tributaries such as the Suvarnavathi and Chikkahole. The terrain supports populations of elephants, tigers, leopards and gaur.
Kannada is the principal language of the district. Tamil and Urdu are also spoken, particularly in Kollegal and Hanur taluks adjoining Tamil Nadu. The district has a notable presence of Scheduled Tribes, including the Soliga, who traditionally inhabit the BRT Hills, as well as the Jenu Kuruba and Betta Kuruba communities associated with the forested tracts. The Soliga community has been recognised in landmark forest-rights cases concerning community forest resource rights inside the BRT Tiger Reserve.
The district is dotted with temples and pilgrimage sites. The hill temple of Male Mahadeshwara at M. M. Hills in Hanur taluk is among the most prominent shrines in southern Karnataka. The Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy temple atop the BRT Hills, the Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta in Gundlupet, and the temples at Chamarajanagar town and Yelandur are significant religious and cultural landmarks. Jain heritage sites are found at places such as Hadinaru and surrounding areas.
The economy is predominantly agrarian. Major crops include ragi, jowar, maize, paddy, sugarcane, cotton, turmeric and pulses. Sericulture and dairy farming are important suppl