Raichur sits on the doab between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers in the northeastern part of Karnataka, part of the Kalyana Karnataka region and bordered by Telangana to the east. This fertile strip of land, with a documented history running over 2,000 years, made Raichur one of the most fought-over corners of the Deccan, passing through the hands of the Mauryas, Satavahanas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, Kakatiyas, the Bahmani Sultanate, the Vijayanagara Empire, the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur, the Mughals, and eventually the Nizams of Hyderabad before joining the Karnataka state.

The Battle of Raichur in 1520, where the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya defeated the Adil Shahi Sultan of Bijapur to capture Raichur Fort, is remembered as one of the greatest military victories in Vijayanagara history — and the granite hilltop fort built and rebuilt across these dynasties still dominates the town today.

Beyond its own fort and old town, Raichur has become the natural Karnataka gateway to Mantralaya, the riverside seat of Sri Raghavendra Swamy just across the Andhra Pradesh border, along with a cluster of nearby sacred sites — Abhaya Anjaneya Swamy Temple, Panchamukhi Anjaneya Temple, and Bichale — that together draw pilgrims from across South India.

Away from the fort walls, Raichur remains a working district of farmland and small towns rather than a polished tourist circuit — agriculture built on rice, cotton, jowar, and pulses irrigated by the two rivers, alongside a significant thermal power generation sector — which is part of its appeal for travellers who prefer history and pilgrimage over crowds. Most visitors base themselves here for a day or two, splitting time between the old fort and the wider Mantralaya pilgrimage circuit.