Hospet (also spelt Hospete or Hosapete, officially Hosapete) is a city and municipal council in the Vijayanagara district of the Indian state of Karnataka. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Vijayanagara district, which was carved out of Ballari district in 2021. The city lies on the banks of the Tungabhadra river and is best known as the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hampi, the ruins of the medieval Vijayanagara Empire's capital.
| Official name | Hosapete |
|---|---|
| State | Karnataka |
| District | Vijayanagara |
| Country | India |
| Language | Kannada (official) |
| River | Tungabhadra |
| Nearest heritage site | Hampi (approx. 13 km) |
| Civic body | Hosapete City Municipal Council |
The name Hosapete is derived from Kannada, where hosa means "new" and pete means "town" or "market settlement". The town is traditionally said to have been established as a "new town" associated with the Vijayanagara capital. In 2014, the Government of Karnataka revised the official English spelling from "Hospet" to "Hosapete" as part of a broader exercise to align city names with their Kannada pronunciations.
Hospet is situated in the semi-arid plains of the eastern Deccan plateau in northern Karnataka. The Tungabhadra river flows just north of the city, and the Tungabhadra Dam, one of the major irrigation and hydroelectric projects of southern India, is located a short distance to the west. The terrain around the city is marked by the boulder-strewn granite landscape characteristic of the Hampi–Anegundi region.
The town's origins are associated with the period of the Vijayanagara Empire (14th–16th centuries CE), when settlements grew around the imperial capital at Vijayanagara (modern Hampi). Hospet developed as a satellite urban centre serving the capital. After the empire's defeat at the Battle of Talikota in 1565, the capital was abandoned, but Hospet continued as a regional town.
Under British rule, the area was administered as part of the Madras Presidency. Following the reorganisation of states in 1956, Hospet became part of the Mysore State, later renamed Karnataka in 1973. It was for long a taluk headquarters in Bellary (Ballari) district. In October 2021, the Government of Karnataka created the new Vijayanagara district by bifurcating Ballari district, and Hosapete was designated as its district headquarters.
Hospet's economy is closely linked to iron ore mining and steel production in the Bellary–Hospet belt, which contains some of India's richest haematite reserves. The city is home to a major integrated steel plant operated by JSW Steel at nearby Toranagallu, one of the largest steelmaking facilities in India. Agriculture, supported by canals from the Tungabhadra Dam, is also significant; paddy, sugarcane, cotton and groundnut are commonly cultivated. Tourism, driven by visitors to Hampi, contributes substantially to local trade and hospitality.
Hospet is served by Hosapete Junction railway station on the South Western Railway zone, providing connections to Bengaluru, Hubballi, Vijayawada, Hyderabad and other major cities. National Highway 50 (formerly NH-13) passes through the city, linking it to Solapur in the north and Mangaluru in the south-west via Hubballi. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) operates regular bus services. The nearest airports include Jindal Vijayanagar Airport at Toranagallu and the larger Hubballi Airport.
Hospet functions as the principal base for travellers visiting Hampi, the capital ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. Other places of interest in and around the city include:
Kannada is the predominant language, while Telugu and Urdu are also widely spoken given the city's proxim