TUMKUR, or Toomkoor, a town and district of southern India, in the West of Mysore state. The town has a station on the Madras & Southern Mahratta railway, 43 m. N.W. from Bangalore. The area of the district is 4158 sq. m. It consists chiefly of elevated land intersected by river valleys. A range of hills rising to nearly 4000 feet crosses it from north to south, forming the water parting between the systems of the Krishna and the Cauvery. The principal streams are the Jayamangala and the Shimsha. The mineral wealth of Tumkur is considerable; iron is obtained in large quantities from the hill-sides; and excellent building-stone is quarried. The slopes of the Devaray-durga hills, a tract of 18 sq. m., are clothed with forests, in which large game abounds, including tigers, leopards, bears and wild hog. The climate of Tumkur is equable and healthy; the annual rainfall averages 39 in.
The population in 1901 was 679,162, showing an increase of 17% in the decade. The cultivated products consist chiefly of millets, rice, pulses and oil seeds. The chief industries are the making of coarse cotton cloths, woollen blankets and ropes.