Hospet

Hospet or Hosapete is a city in the Bellary District in central Karnataka, India. It is located on the Tungabhadra River, 12km from Hampi. Hampi is a World Heritage site containing the ruins of the medieval city Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire.

History

Hospet was built in 1520 AD by Krishna Deva Raya, one of the rulers of Vijayanagara. He built the city to honour the memory of his mother Nagalambika. The city was originally named Nagalapura; however, people referred to the city as Hosa Pete, which meant "New City". The area between Hampi and Hospet is still called Nagalapura. This was the main entrance to the city of Vijayanagara for travellers coming from Goa and 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

Hospet is well connected to several important cities in India. Ballari, the regional capital, is located approximately 60km away from Hospet. Bengaluru is 330km away. In addition, the the city has a well-developed market area. Hospet is a well-known tourist destination, mainly due to the proximity of Hampi. Tungabhadra Dam is another asset that makes Hospet a popular destination for tourists. Hospet is also notable for its iron ore mining and steel plants.