Anegundi Banana Cultivation Heritage in Koppal

The Anegundi valley in Koppal district, sheltered by the dramatic granite boulders of the Tungabhadra gorge, has supported banana cultivation for over a millennium — visible in the Hampi paintings and Vijayanagara-era texts that describe banana orchards in Kishkindha. The microclimate of the river valley, warm and humid compared to the surrounding semi-arid plateau, is ideal for the Nanjangud Rasabale and Red Banana varieties. Anegundi's banana cooperative markets fresh bananas and dried banana chips to Bengaluru retailers and tourist shops around Hampi. The banana plant's non-food products — banana fibre for handicraft, leaves for plate use, flowers for cooking — are all utilised by the farming community, creating a zero-waste crop system.