Hospet is the largest and fastest-growing industrial city and district headquarters of the Vijayanagara district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Hospet is known as "the steel city of Karnataka". It is located on the bank of the Tungabhadra River and is 13 km from Hampi. Hampi was once the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hospet is the connecting link between North and South Karnataka. It is 333 km from the state capital Bengaluru.