Bhadravati is an industrial city and taluk in the Shimoga District of Karnataka state, India It is situated at a distance of about 255 kilometres (158 mi) from the state capital Bengaluru and at about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the district headquarters, Shimoga.[2] The town is spread over an area of 67.0536 square kilometres (25.8895 sq mi) and has a population of 151,102 as per the census held in 2011Bhadravati derives its name from the Bhadra River which flows through the city. It was earlier known as Benkipura[2] (or Venkipura), and earlier Benki Pattana which in English means city of fire. Iron ore from the hill station of Kemmannugundi and water from the Bhadra River helped the establishment of an iron mill in 1918 and a paper mill in 1936. Hoysalas ruled the city. The Goddess "Halldhammadevi & Antargattamadevi" guard the city from past time. The sacred temples are still present in the city.Based on the 2011 Indian census, Bhadravati has a population of 151,102, of which male and female are 75,009 and 76,093 respectively. Bhadravati has an average literacy rate of 86.36%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 91.39% of the males and 81.46% of the females literate.[4] 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.[5]Kannada is the main language spoken in this city.
