Carved out in 2004 from
Dharmapuri District, Krishnagiri District is the 30th district of
Tamil Nadu. It is bordered by the districts of
Vellore and
Thiruvannamalai in the east, Dharmapuri in the south, Bangalore Rural and
Mysore of
Karnataka in the west, and
Chittoor District of
Andhra Pradesh in the north.
The name ‘Krishnagiri’ is derived from two words; 'Krishna' means black and ‘giri’ means hill. The Krishnagiri District is well known for black granite hillocks. Another legend is that the region was ruled by Krishna Deva Raya, hence it is named after the name of king. Various rock paintings and rock carvings of the
Indus valley civilization and Iron Age are seen in the Krishnagiri District. Krishnagiri region was called as 'Nigarili Chola Mandlam' and 'Vidhugadhazhagi Nallur’ during the Chola period. The district comprises 352 village
panchayats with seven town panchayats. The main languages spoken are Tamil,
Telugu and
Kannada.
Krishnagiri District covers an area of 5143 sq km with a population of 1.5 million. The climate is generally warm in eastern part and cold in western part. The average rain fall is about 83 cm. The rainy season is between July and November and the winter season between December and February. The Cauvery River and Pennar River flows across the district; the Cauvery River forms waterfalls at Hogenakkal and joins Mettur Dam. Melagiri is a major hill range in the district. Tropical, deciduous, thorny shrubs and bamboo forest are the major type of forests seen in this region. Elephants, sambar, spotted deer, gaur, wild boar and panther are found in the forest area.
Krishnagiri’s moderate climate, high altitude and soil fertility are suitable for cultivation of crops and vegetables such as paddy, maize, ragi, banana, sugarcane, cotton, tamarind, coconut, mango and groundnut. Regional Agricultural Research Center of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University at Paiyur helps the local farmers to develop the modern techniques of cultivation. Mulberry is another important cultivation in Krishnagiri District.
The major tourist attractions are historic forts,
Krishnagiri dam,
Rayakottah, Syed Padsha Hill Fort, Hanumanthathirtham, Arulmigu Penneswarar Moorthy Temple, Angalamman Temple, Balamurugan Temple, Kelevarapalli and Sacred Heart Church of Krishnagiri.
Krishnagiri District is well connected to all the towns in and around the district by road and rail network. The nearest airport is the Bangalore International Airport, which is situated on the northern border of the district. Salem Domestic Airport is also nearby.
