Malur
Taluk
Malur railway station
Nickname:  Mallikapura
Malur Location in Karnataka, India
Coordinates: 13°01′16″N 77°56′17″E / 13.021°N 77.938°E / 13.021; 77.938
Country	India
State	Karnataka
District	Kolar
Area
• Total	7.12 km2 (2.75 sq mi)
Elevation	909 m (2,982 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	40,050
Languages
• Official	Kannada
• Regional	Kannada
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	563 130
Telephone code	91-80
Vehicle registration	KA08

Malur or Mālūru is a town and taluk headquarters in Kolar district of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is 30 km from Kolar, the district headquarters, and about 50 km from Bangalore. It is accessible from Bangalore by road and railways. The Chennai Central-Bangalore City line passes through Malur, with trains to various parts of India, including Tirupati, Chennai, Kochi, Trivandrum, Patna and Kolkata.

Malur is located at 13°00′N 77°56′E / 13.00°N 77.94°E / 13.00; 77.94.^[1] It has an average elevation of 910 metres (2,990 ft). It has a tropical wet and dry climate, similar to Bangalore. It has summer temperatures rarely crossing 37°C, and winter temperatures rarely falling below 15°C.

Malur lies just 15km away from the Tamil Nadu border, and 55km from the Andhra Pradesh border.

As of 2011^[update] India Census,^[2] Malur had a population of 40,050. Males constituted 20,337 of the population and females 19,673. Malur had an average literacy rate of 82.47% higher than the state average of 75.36%: male literacy was 87.40%, and female literacy was 77.36%. In Malur, 4,589 people, or 11.46% of the population, was under 6 years of age.

Kannada is the major language spoken in Malur, while Telugu is also widely spoken.

The economy of Malur is primarily dependent on business. It is known for clay tile-and-brick industry and some small-scale industries. Eucalyptus plantations are common. Vegetables and millets are the main crop grown, largely beans and tomatoes, as well as rāgi and maize. This region is one of the largest producers of ragi in India. Flowers are also grown widely and are exported to large cities.

Poultry farming is also common on an industrial scale.

Another source of income in Malur is brick kilns, their products being exported to Chennai and Bangalore. Malur is a major industrial centre, with factories like Honda Motor Cycle Limited, Mahindra Aerospace, Scania AB, Medinova and some other factories.

There is a lot of employment available, with labourers from other parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. The number of labourers from North India is also increasing with better accessibility. Challenges being faced include bonded labour, especially in brick kilns.

Malur was once called Malligepura.

Jasmine flowers are cultivated widely here.

A famous temple is situated in Chikka Tirupati, which means "small Tirupati" in Kannada. Karaga is a major festival in Malur. The festival is celebrated in Malur exactly a week after it happens in Bangalore.

• Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, writer