It is a recently-created breed, bred in the late nineteenth century as a draught animal for agricultural purposes.

A local breed known as Gaonti was cross-bred with Gir, Kankrej and Ongole, with selection for the power and size needed to plough the sticky soil of the valleys of the Krishna River and its tributaries such as the Ghatprabha and the Malaprabha.

[2]: 222 [3][4]: 98  Its range included the districts of Sangli, Satara and Solapur in Maharashtra, and of Belgaum, Bijapur and Raichur in Karnataka.

[2]: 222  The range of the breed has contracted, and it is now found only in northern Karnataka,[5] in the districts of Bagalkot, Belgaum and Bijapur.

[2]: 222 The Krishna Valley was bred for heavy draught work, both for ploughing agricultural land and for the transport of crops such as cotton and sugar cane.