Shivakumar Jolad and Mehr Kalra explore efforts to rename or carve out new districts in Karnataka based on linguistic, cultural or historical considerations

Last week, the Karnataka state government approved a proposal to rename the district of Ramanagara to Bengaluru South. The move was intended to help Ramanagara residents reap the benefits associated with the prestige of Bengaluru. When the proposal was first discussed in 2023, it received mixed reactions. While some were hopeful that Ramanagara would now become the centre of new infrastructure and opportunities, others were concerned about the loss of  Ramanagara’s distinct identity. Ultimately, the government decided to rename the district, without much discussion of the impact on the identity of the region.  

The Ramanagara district was created only in 2007 after being split from Bangalore Rural district. The creation of new districts and renaming of old ones is not new in Karnataka or for that matter any state in India. It is often a political move rather than an administrative decision and may not always be a reflection of people’s preferences and aspirations. In 2014 alone, the names of 11 districts in Karnataka were nativised (like Bangalore to Bengaluru, Belgaum to Belagavi and Mysore to Mysuru).

The story of Karnataka districts and their evolution draws significantly from the history of the state formation. In 1956, the erstwhile state of Mysore was linguistically reorganised to create the state of Karnataka. The state came together through the amalgamation of Kannada-speaking districts in the five states and provinces of colonial India.

Nine districts from erstwhile Mysore state, four districts from erstwhile Bombay state (namely Bijapur, Belgaum, Dharwar and Kanara), three districts from Hyderabad state (namely Bidar, Gulbarga and Raichur), Bellary, South Kanara districts and Kollegal taluk from Madras state came together to create the present-day Karnataka. Coorg was initially retained as a special centrally-administered Part C state but was later integrated into Karnataka as Coorg district, under the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission in 1956.

While many are familiar with the major districts that were transferred to the state of Karnataka, in certain cases, only a few taluks from a district were transferred to Karnataka from other states - a decision taken largely on linguistic grounds. For instance, the Chandgad taluk of Belgaum was moved to the Sawantwadi district of Bombay state. Kodangal and Tandur taluks of Gulbarga district, Alampur and Gadwal taluks of Raichur district were retained in Hyderabad state. Similarly, Ahmadpur, Nilanga and Udgir taluks of Bidar district went to Bombay state. Dominated by the Soliga tribe, Kollegal taluk was transferred from the Coimbatore district of Madras to Mysore state.

While the South Canara district was transferred to Mysore state, the Kasaragod taluk was transferred to Kerala, accounting for the majority of Malayali-speaking people in the region.  

Basis for transfer

Language was not the sole basis of transfer. Kolar district had a majority of Telugu speakers but was included in Karnataka due to its historic ties with Mysore state.  

Post state formation, Karnataka witnessed the renaming of quite a few of its districts. Kanara was renamed North Kanara and Chitraldurg was rechristened Chitradurga (1956). In 1973, South Kanara, North Kanara and Dharwar were nativised to Dakshin Kannad (Dakshina Kannada), Uttar Kannad (Uttar Kannada), and Dharwad respectively. The fixation with name changes was put to rest thereafter. It was only in 2014 that the names of districts were again put to discussion and 11 were nativised.

District creation on the other hand continued. In 1986, Bangalore was split into Bangalore and Bangalore Rural. In 1997, Bagalkot, Davangere, and Koppal were created from Bijapur, Chitradurga, and Raichur districts respectively. At the same time, Dharwad was trifurcated into Dharwad, Gadag and Haveri districts.  

By 1998, Chamarajanagar was carved out of Mysore district. In 2007, Chikkaballapur district was carved out of Kolar district and Bangalore Rural was further split into Bangalore Rural and Ramanagara.  

In 2009, Yadgir was carved out of Gulbarga and more recently, in 2021, Vijayanagara district was carved out of Ballari district, to pay homage to the glorious Vijayanagara empire. The Karnataka government also plans to honour the 12th-century saint poet Basaveshwara by renaming Vijayapura in his honour. Basava Nadu or Basaveshwara district, are some names proposed for the district, as per a recent government order in October 2023.

Political move

Typically, the stated reason for splitting districts is due to administrative convenience. Many former bureaucrats we spoke to however highlighted that splitting and renaming of districts has a clear political motive. Politicians also often feel pressure from their constituencies to create or rename districts.  

Ramanagara, the silk city of Karnataka, produces 40,000 to 50,000 kg of cocoons every day — integral to the production of Mysore silk sarees. It is also known for its magnificent rocks, where iconic movies like ‘Sholay’ and ‘A Passage through India’ (on Ramadevarabetta betta) were shot. With the renaming of the district, it will be seen as an urban extension of Bengaluru.

Authors: Prof. Shivakumar Jolad, Faculty of Public Policy, and Mehr Kalra, Research Assistant at the Dept. of Public Policy at FLAME University.