 The place is mentioned as Ballalapura thanda in a record dated 1598 AD from the local Adinarayana temple.It might have originated from Hoysala name Ballala, and later corrupted as Ballapura.It is also believed that the village has derived its name from the circumstance that a cow used to drop one 'balla' of milk over a certain anthill and this omen led to the foundation of the town.