Shimoga

Shimoga Shivamogga
Population  (2007)
• Total	474,105
Website	shimoga.net

Shivamogga (Kannada: ಶಿವಮೊಗ್ಗ, formerly Shimoga) is a city located in Shivamogga district in the central part of the state of Karnataka, India. It lies on the banks of the Tunga River and is the administrative headquarters of the district.jp is the king of the city,Rajruvamsha

History

The name of the city is derived from the term Shiva-Mukha, meaning Face of Shiva. An alternative etymology is that the name is derived from the term Sihi-Moge, meaning Sweet Pot. The district formed the southern tip of Emperor Ashoka's Mauryan Empire in third century BC. It was ruled during later centuries by the Kadambas (4th century), Chalukyas (6th century), Gangas, Rashtrakutas (8th century), Hoysalas (11th century), and the Vijayanagara rulers (fifteenth century). The city got an independent identity under the Keladi Nayaka rule during 16th century, reaching its pinnacle under the rule of Shivappa Nayaka. From the late 17th century onwards, the city was a part of the Kingdom of Mysore until the independence of India in 1947, when Mysore merged into the Republic of India.

On 1 November 2006, the government of Karnataka announced the renaming of Shimoga to Shivamogga, along with nine other cities in the state.

Geography

Shivamogga is located 13°55′18″N, 75°34′12″E. According to the Shivamogga City Municipal Corporation., the city has a total area of about 50 km² (19.31 square miles). The climate of Shivamogga is tropical wet and dry (Koppen climate classification) summer average temperature 20 -35 Degree Centegrade . This means that the winter and the early part of summer are typically dry periods. Majority of the rainfall occurs between June and early October. Shivamogga is a part of a region vernacularly known as Malnad (land of hills) in Karnataka. Most/All these hills are part of Western ghat, a region famous for plentiful rainfall and lush greenery.

Main Occupation: Agriculture, especially the cultivation of Arecanut & Rice

Most important is that, this is the only district in entire Indian territory having five major rivers across its plains, they are 1) Tunga 2) Bhadra 3) Sharavatti 4) Kumudavatti 5) Vedavatti

Education

Shivamogga is an important center for high school and Pre-University education (classes 11th and 12th) in Karnataka, along with many other major cities in Karnataka. At present, institutes in Shivamogga for Pre-University Education are:Sri Aurobindo pre University(Ind.)college, PACE Ultramodern PU College, Vidya Bharathi PU College, D.V.S Institutes, National College,Sacred heart, Adichunchangiri P.U. College and DVS PU independent college.DVS Composite college.The city gains its importance in part because of lack of good institutes in other parts of the district, whereby students are forced to study their pre-university education in the city. The village of Gajanur hosts a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, or central school, which is a boarding school. Kuvempu University is located in Shivamogga at Shankarghatta.

Shivamogga also holds an Engineering College- Jawaharlal Nehru National College of Engineering [JNNCE] run by the National Education Society (NES). And Newly PES group of institutions also have started Engineering and management institute PESITM in city. There is Edurite College of Management for BBM and entrance exams coaching like Civil Service Exams, KAS, Bank PO, MBA Entrance, B.Ed. CET and all other competitive examinations. Shivamogga also holds the distinction of a new government medical college - Shimoga Institute of Medical Sciences which was inaugurated in 2007, and is operating henceforth. Sahyadri College is one among the four oldest colleges in Karnataka. Learning foreign languages is very easy in shivamogga. Many schools will offer to learn you a language. But the club does much more. It offers a complete cultural experience that, if you allow it to, can significantly change and enrich your life! French club ( http://www.kekseksa.com ) uniquely aims to provide its students with much more than just a course. It aims to provide a context in which they can continue to keep up and practice and enrich their French after their course is finished and even when - as may often be the case - they are far away from Shimoga

Art

Yakshagana a dance drama is popular in Thirthalli, Hosanagara, Sagara, Soraba regions of the district. There are many professional and amateur troupes performing the dance drama in various places across the India and the state of Karnataka. People like Hosatota Manjunatha Bagavatha who is the author of more than 160 Yakshagana prasangas actively teach Yakshagana here.

Others

Shivamogga is known as cultural capital of Karnataka. It’s a modern, progressive city with strong cultural roots and warm hearted people.

"Kuvempu Rangamandira" and "karnataka sangha" are one of the major platforms for cultural activities.

Shivamogga has the biggest areca nut market and famous for producing high quality areca nut. Shivamogga‘s economy is directly linked to areca nut price and demand. Simple life style, frequent cultural activities, low cost of living and less pollution made Shivamogga as retired people's paradise.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Shivamogga had a population of 274,105. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Shivamogga has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 70%. In Shivamogga, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. Kannada is widely spoken in the city.

File:Mahishamardhini.jpg

Mahisha Mardhini - A monument in the backyard of Shivappa Nayaka's Palace

Getting there

By road

From the state capital Bangalore, Shivamogga can be reached on road by car or bus by taking the National Highway, NH-206 via Tumkur, Arsikere, Banavara, Kadur, Birur, Tarikere, and Bhadravathi. KSRTC, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has recently introduced Volvo buses which are a comfortable but expensive way of reaching Shivamogga from Bangalore. Shivamogga is around 274 km on road from Bangalore. By the coastal route, one can reach Shivamogga by bus / car. From Udupi, there are a number of mini-buses which take about four hours. Car journey from Udupi to Shivamogga may be around three hours. This route passes through Agumbe Ghat with sharp hairpin curves, but this road is quite popular among the tourists coming from Mangalore and Udupi. There is one more road from Kundapur, another coastal town, which takes about four and a half hours. From Sringeri (a famous tourist place, also popular among Kerala tourists and devotees), it is a four hours journey by bus. Hubli, another important city of Karnataka state is also connected to Shivamogga by road by a number of buses, and the journey is around four hours. Shivamogga is better connected with roads from all directions and as such, it is an important bus junction. All major and minor towns of Karnataka have bus access to Shimoga and its bus terminus is always busy. It is also a hub which connects Northern Karnataka to Dharmasthala.

By rail

Shivamogga has a railway station and there are frequent trains that run to Shivamogga from Bangalore and Mysore. However, direct trains to Shivamogga from other parts of India are non-existent or infrequent. Birur Junction which is well connected to most parts of India by rail (especially from Mumbai), is approximately at a distance of 70 km from Shivamogga and can be used as an alternative to reach Shivamogga. Umpteen buses run from Birur to Shivamogga. Currently under construction are railway lines connecting Shivamogga to Honnaver and Goa in the Konkan region (This is the shortest route from Bangalore to Goa). The most popular trains from Shivamogga to Bangalore are the Shivamogga Express (a daily train that leaves at 10 P.M from Shivamogga and reaches Bangalore early morning and a parallel train from Bangalore that starts at 11.15 P.M to Shivamogga) and the Inter City Express Connection train (Hubli - Bangalore) at 8.10 am from Shivamogga. Starting December 8, 2009, an Intercity express service has been introduced between Bangalore City and Shimoga, the train departs from Bangalore City at 4.30 PM and reaches Shimoga Town at 9.55 PM. The train from Shimoga town departs at 6.20 AM and reaches Bangalore City at 11.50 AM. The train runs 7 days a week.

Train No. Name From Dep. To Arr. 6227 SHIMOGA EXPRESS BANGALORE 23:15 SHIMOGA 06:10 6201 SBC SMET EXP BANGALORE 16:30 SHIMOGA 22:00

Train No. Name From Dep. To Arr. 6228 BANGALORE EXP SHIMOGA 22:10 BANGALORE 04:30 6202 SMET SBC EXP SHIMOGA 06:20 BANGALORE 11:55

By air

An Airport is under construction in Sogane 6 km from Shivamogga. Airports at Bangalore (275 km), Mangalore (180 km) or Hubli (195 km) can be used as transits to Shivamogga.

Nearby attractions

• Agumbe 90 km south-west, is unforgettable for its glorious sunset.
• Jog Falls are a spectacular series of waterfalls, located 105 km away from Shimoga. The Sharavathi River takes a spectacular jump from a height of 292 m in four distinct falls to form the highest waterfalls in India. The best time to visit these falls is soon after the monsoon season during July and August.
• Kodachadri is a beautiful hill station in the Western Ghats. It is 120 km from Shimoga.
• Gajanur lies 15 km to the southwest. The dam built across the Tunga River here is ideal for picnics.
• Koodli lies 15 km and is the place where the Tunga and Bhadra river meet and flow together as Tungabhadra.
• Lion Safari lies 12 km on the way to Sagara. Forest department will take for safari ride in the vehicle to spot the wild animals.
• B R P Dam is 28 km from the city on the way to Lakkavalli. This is the dam built on the Bhadra river with a maximum height of 186 feet (57 m).
• Kaveladurga is a trekking spot around 80 km from Shimoga. A fort built on the hill top and the enchanting view of the western ghats can be seen from this place.
• Mrugavadhe lies in Thirthahalli taluk and is famous for its Mallikarjuna temple and its scenic beauty.
• Sigandhooru is 108 km from Shimoga in Sagar taluk. This place is famous for Sigandhoor Sridevi temple and to reach this place one has to go in launch (due to backwaters of river Sharavathi) run by the State government.
• Sringeri is 105 km from Shimoga. This place is famous for the Sharadha temple and Sringeri Mutt.
• Sakkare Bayalu is a nice elephant camp 2 km away from Gajanur Dam on the way to Thirthahalli.
• Ikkeri near Sagara town is known for huge rock temple of Aghoreshwara. Keladi is also having rock temple; both of these temples belong to Shivappa Nayaka period. Sagara town is known for wood carving articles particularly of sandal wood, which can be handy for presentation/memonto.
• The village of Ambuthirtha is about 16 km north-west of Thirthahalli. The Sharavathi River originates here and a Shivalinga is installed at the spot.
• Kemmannagundi is a popular hill station near Shimoga though it lies in Chickmagalur district.

"Chibbalagude", Thirthahalli, The famous place for Siddivinayaka temple & Fish in Tunga river, (like Shringeri). For all these places, one should find rooms in Shimoga or Sagar only, as other places are almost villages. "Shiva Statue" made of concrete is installed at Harakere, near Shivamogga looks good.

Lion safari is 6 km from Shimoga. Safari drives are conducted in cage vans to get closer glimpse of wild animals.

Other information

Entertainment

At Shivamogga Circuses and fairs are held at regular intervals. Many film theatres premiere celebrated movies. Some of the theatres in Shivamogga are Lakshmi, Veerabhadreshwara, Mallikarjuna, HPC, Manjunaatha, Modern, Vinayaka.

Shopping

Many shops at Shivamogga's widely laid boulevards are a Shoppers paradise. The Nehru Avenue [Road], B.H Road, Durgigudi, Balaraj urs Road, Sowlanga Road, Shivappanayaka Market (Now it is demolished and is shifted temporarily to taluk office premises), Gandhi Bazaar are the major commercial centres of Shivamogga. Cloth and other related items like dresses, saaris etc., are available at cheaper rates than other places. Most of those, though not of international recognition are of very good quality.

Supermarkets are opening up too. Birla group's 'More' is the first one.

Religious centres

There is no shortage of temples at Shivamogga though there only a few large, quiet and magnificent temples. The Guddekal temple, Kote anjeneya temple, Bheemeshwara temple, Mailareshwara temple, Raamanna Shreshti park Ganesha Temple, Ravindra Nagar Prasanna Ganesha Temple, Laxmi temple(vinobanagar) Shankar Mutt are notable ones and Basaveshwara temple in gandhi bazaar, Shivalaya beside veerashaiva kalyana mantapa, veerabhadreshwara temple in chowki matt are the temples.

There are two major churches in the heart of the city, St.Thomas church which is near Old taluk office and Sacred Heart Cathedral Church which is situated on the side of B.H. road just 3 km from the central bus stand, it is one of the major attraction of the town, The architecture of the church is in Roman graphic style, The church is said to be the 2nd largest church in India, The church is about 18,000 square feet (1,700 m²) in area with a big prayer hall, Which has the capacity of 5000 peoples,The attractive statue of Jesus attracts tourists and pilgrims.

There are plenty of mosques for prayer at shivamogga few are

• Jamia masjid in Gandhi bazaar.
• Barline masjid near Kote police station.
• Tank Mohalla Masjid Shimoga.

Local attractions in the city

A small fort of Shivappa Nayaka and adjoining to it is a Kote Anjaneeya(Lord Hanuman) temple near banks of the river Tunga.

Local transportation

Local transportation includes City bus facility which are mostly run by privates. Auto rickshaws are convenient for short distance travel(up to 15 km). Private taxis can be hired for long journeys or for local transport for more than a day. City Taxi service is not available.

Noted persons

• Kuvempu, the national poet and Jnanpith Award winner.
• U R Ananthamurthy, thinker, Kannada novelist, and winner of Jnanpeeta award.
• Girish Kasaravalli, well-known film director and National award winner
• B.S. Yediyurappa, Present Chief Minister of Karnataka
• Poorna Chandra Tejaswi, Kuvempu's son and writer
• M.K.Indira, Well known Novelist and many of her novels have been adopted for Kannada movies.
• Prafulla Chandra, agricultural experimenter
• P. Lankesh, writer-journalist
• Ha. Ma. Nayaka, well-known columnist and winner of central sahithya academy award (for his column writings) and personally responsible for the development of Kannada department (Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe) at the University of Mysore. He was also the former vice chancellor of Gulbarga University.
• K.V Subanna, Magsaysay award winner
• S Bangarappa, former Chief Minister of Karnataka
• Kumar Bangarappa Ex minister, M.L.A and well-known film actor
• J.H Patel J H Patel, former Chief Minister of Karnataka
• Kadidal Manjappa, former Chief Minister of Karnataka
• Khadi ShankarappaVeteran Freedom Fighter
• Shanthaveri Gopala Gowda, Leader of socialist movement
• Na. D Souza, well-known Novelist
• S.V.Parameshwara Bhatta, well-known poet
• Justice M. Rama Jois, Former Judge of Supreme Court and Former Governor of Jharkhand
• Shimoga Subbanna, famous light music singer
• Shivarudraprasad, noted Kannada poet, story writer won prize for his story 'maththe Baruththene', published 3 collections of poems
• Dr.T.M.Shivanandaiah, Ayurvedic practitioner who has completed more than 50 years of service in the field of Ayurveda
• Rajeev B S, volleyball player
• Ameer Ahmed Saheb, Famous landlord, by his name only the Ameer Ahmed circle in the mid of Shimoga city named.

See also

• Shimoga District
• Karnataka

References

• Population according to 2001

External links

• Kuvempu University
• Shimoga from Kiruthik.com
• Profiles of all the Districts in Karnataka
• Shimoga Zilla Panchayat
• Shimoga Profile
• ShimogaOnline
• Western Ghats
• Map of Shimoga District
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers detailed map of Shimoga district 1959
• Shimoga results
• Shimoga City Website
• Photos of Shivappa Nayaka's palace