[1] Due to the discovery of the Kolar Gold Fields, the district has become known as the "Golden Land" of India.

In Kannada, kolahalapura means "violent city" and it was the battlefield for the warring Chalukyas in the north and the Cholas in the south.

Vishnuvardhana (1108-1142) freed Gangavadi from the Cholas and, to commemorate his victory, built the Chennakesava Temple at Belur.

The Western Gangas made Kolar their capital, ruling Mysore, Coimbatore, and Salem.

Under the Cholas, King Sridhar kora (ruled 970–985) reportedly built the temple for Renuka and founded the city of Kolaahalapuram.

Kolar was then ruled by the Marathas, the Nawab of Cuddapah, the Nizam of Hyderabad and Hyder Ali.

In 1791 Lord Cornwallis conquered Kolar and returned it to the Kingdom of Mysore in the peace treaty of 1792.

In the Kolar region, inscriptions document the reigns of the Mahavalis (Baanaas), the Pallavas and the Vaidumbaas.

[12] The district has a population density of 384 inhabitants per square kilometre (990/sq mi),[12] with a growth rate of 11.04 percent from 2001 to 2011.

[15] The district's primary language is Kannada; Urdu, Tamil and Telugu are spoken by large minorities.