TUMKUR  , or ToontKOOR, 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 waterparting between the systems of the Krishna and the Cauvery . The principal streams are the Jayamangala and the Shimsha . The mineral wealth of Tumkur is consider-able; 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 igot 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 .