Hospet also called Hosapete is a city in Bellary District in northern Karnataka India. Hospet is on the Tungabhadra River 12 km from Hampi the World Heritage site consisting of the ruins of the medieval city of Vijayanagara former capital of the Vijayanagar Empire. Hospet was built by Krishna Deva Raya one of the rulers of Vijayanagara in memory of his mother Nagalambika. The city was named Nagalapura however people referred to the city as Hosa Pete meaning New City. An area between Hampi and Hospet is still called as Nagalapura. The town is located near many places of historic and mythic importance many of which are described in the article on Vijayanagara. Due to great international demands for iron-ore particularly from China there has been considerable mining in this region. To an extent the Tungabhadra Dam as well as the ruins of Hampi are now endangered by this development.
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