The district of Chikballapur was created in the year 2007 when land in the form of 6 talukas was taken away from the district of Kolar to create the new district. The district headquarters is located in the town of Chikballapur itself. The original name of the district was Chinna Balaporum which has its main roots in the language of Tamil or Telugu. The name refers to a land where the production of grains is low. The district and its nearby regions were once under the rule of the famous Vijayanagar Empire. The district covers a land area of around 4209 sq km with a population of around 12 lacs approximately. The district has a population density of around 298 people per sq km. The district is famous all over the state of Karnataka and India for the different historic temples and rare monuments that it has. The district has a literacy rate of around 70%.