Davanagere (Davangere), India

This city in Karnataka is no tourist haven. The Davanagere district is home to 1.7 million people, with the Davanagere South Assembly constituency accounting for a portion of that population. The bureaucracy here is a persistent headache, as evidenced by the frequent turnover in the local legislature - the constituency has seen 5 different representatives in the past 15 years. While the city may hold political significance as part of the Davangere Lok Sabha constituency, the day-to-day realities are a far cry from the shiny marketing. This is a place for the pragmatic, not the faint of heart.