Since Tumkur is at high elevation the guards used to be there on any hill with tumaki (a kind of drum) and used to make sound in case of any alerts, hence the name.

The Indian central government approved the request to officially rename the Tumkur and 12 other cities in October 2014.

It is situated at an altitude of around 800 meters above sea level and is located about 70 kilometres northwest of the state capital, Bengaluru.

The majority of the population belongs to the Hindu religion, with a small minority of Muslims and Christians.

[22][23][24] Tumkur is famous for Siddaganga Matha 5 km toward HITECH city flyover, known for providing free education and dorms for more than 9000 children.

[25] Tumkur has a private FM radio channel, Siddhartha, situated at SSIT campus, broadcasting in Kannada language.