Tumkur is the district headquarters, 70 km. to the north of Bangalore. It is called Tummugere' in a 10th Century record. The oldest temple here is Lakshminarayana built in 1560. It came under Mysore during the 17th century when a Maruti temple was built. Nearby Kyatsandra the Siddhaganga Kshetra is situated on a hill. There is a Veerashaiva Matha at Siddhaganga known for its unique educational service. It runs a free hostel feeding nearly 5000 students. It also runs many educational institutions including an engineering college. Siddhaganga has the samadhi of Siddhalingeshwara, a Veerashaiva saint and there is a natural spring called Siddhaganga.
Kydala just 5 km from Tumkur has beautiful temple with God carved from stone.
Siddaganga about 7 km from Tumkur where Siddaganga Swamiji resides.
Shivaganga is about 25 km from Tumkur.
Gulur where during Navaratri 10 foot high God Ganesh made out of clay will be on display.
Yediyur is about 60 km from Tumkur where God Siddalingeswara Temple is situated.
Gubbi is 20 km from where God Channabasaveswara Temple is situated.
Goravana halli Lakshmi Temple is about 25 km near Kortagere.
Siddara betta
Mycemco cement factory which is the earliest cement factories of Karnataka is located at Ammasandra which is 45 km from Tumkur.
Kunigal Farm: The oldest stud farm is found here.
Pavagada Fort: The Hill Fort built in 1405 by a Vijayanagar chieftain was the scene of fierce battle between the English and Tipu Sultan. It is famous for groundnuts.
Madhugiri: This prosperous town is known for its pomegranates and has one of the finest Hill Forts built by the Vijayanagar Kings.Also to be seen are Jain Basadis and temples. Madhugiri hill, the biggest monolith in Asia, is great for climbers also found here.
Kibbanahalli-Rajathadripur(5) mining centres,industrial centres centre for multi mineral mining activity and industries nearby hilly ranges.
Midigeshi Fort: The fort has a mosque and a temple complex within it and is 19Km from Madhugiri.
Marconahalli :Has a reservoir built across Shimsha river. Boating is available here.
Pattanayakanahalli: Jagadguru Sri Gurugunda Brahmendraswami mata is there.
Nidagallu betta: It is in Pavagada taluk. Its height is above 3000 feets. At the peak of the hill, a Nandi(Basavanna) is there. Down the hill there is a Rameswara temple. It is worth to visit this place once.
Vaddagere VeeraNagamma temple is 5 km from Koratgere. Goddess Veeranagamma's devotees are mainly from Southern karnataka, North Tamil Nadu and even Andhra Pradesh.
Colleges and Schools in Tumkur
Colleges
SSMCH (Sri Siddartha Medical College and Hospital)
SIT (Siddaganga Institute of Technology)
SSIT (Sri Siddartha Institute of Technology)
SIET (Sridevi Institute of Engineering and Technology)
CIT (Channabasaveshwara Institute of Technology)
HMSIT(Hazrath Madari Shah Institute of Technology)
Turuvekere