Kolar

Kolar town, the headquarters of this district was formerly known as Kuvalala. Kolar was the first capital of the Gangas, till about the 4th century A.D. In 1004 A.D., the Cholas annexed Kolar with their empire. Later, Kolar came under the Vijayanagar empire, before being taken over by the British in 1768. In 1792, Kolar was given to Tippu Sultan, by the British. This town came under the rule of Maharaja of Mysore and since then several improvements have taken place and with a result that it became the district Head quarters. It was Krishnaraja Wodeyar who was responsible for connecting the road and Railways.

Historically, Kolar is said to be associated with the epic age, which recalls many legends associated with Avani in Mulbagal Taluk, which was also called Avani Kshetra. This region is home to legends from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

It is also believed that the sage Valmiki, the author of the epic Ramayana, lived here and Sri Rama stayed here on the way back to Ayodhya, after his conquest of Lanka. The legend goes further to establish that Seetha Devi, after being rejected by Rama, gave birth to her twins Lava and Kusha in this Avani.

The hill to the west of Kolar, called the Satasringa Parvata or 'Hundred-Peaked Mountain' is 'Antharagange', associated with the story of Parasurama and his fight with King Kartaviryarjuna over Surabhi, the divine cow.