Shivamogga

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Coordinates: 13.9167° N 75.5667° E

Shivamogga
Shivamogga
State  - District(s)	Karnataka  - Shimoga District
Coordinates	13.9167° N 75.5667° E
Area  - Elevation	- 569 m
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Population (2001)  - Density	274105  -
Codes  - Postal  - Telephone  - Vehicle	- 577201 - 577203  - +08182  - KA 14
Website: shimoga.net

Shivamogga (Kannada:ಶಿವಮೊಗ್ಗ), a town and a city municipal council, is located 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.

Contents 1 Getting there 1.1 By Road 1.2 By Rail 1.3 By Air 2 History 3 Geography 4 Demographics 5 Nearby attractions 6 Noted personalities 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Getting there

[edit] By Road

From the state capital Bangalore, Shimoga can be reached on road by car or bus by taking the National Highway, NH-206 via Tumkur and Arsikere. KSRTC, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation has recently introduced Volvo buses which are a comfortable and fast way of reaching Shimoga from Bangalore. Shimoga is around 274 km on road from Bangalore.

[edit] By Rail

Shimoga has a railway station and there are frequent trains that run to Shimoga from Bangalore and Mysore. However, direct trains to Shimoga from other parts of India are non-existent or infrequent. Birur junction which is well connected to most parts of India by rail, is approximately at a distance of 60 kms from Shimoga and can be used as an alternative to reach Shimoga. Umpteen buses run from Birur to Shimoga.

[edit] By Air

The nearest airport is Hubli which is at a distance of 166 kms from Shimoga. But not many airlines fly to Hubli and hence Bangalore or Mangalore airports would be a better alternative. An airport is also currently under construction in Shimoga.

[edit] 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 (15th 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 November 1, 2006, the government of Karnataka announced the official renaming of Shimoga to Shivamogga, along with nine other cities in the state.

[edit] Geography

Shimoga is a part of the Malnad (Male-naadu) region of Karnataka, a region famous for plentiful rainfall and lush greenery.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^GRIndia, Shimoga had a population of 274,105. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Shimoga has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 70%. In Shimoga, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

[edit] Nearby attractions

Gajanur lies 15 km to the southwest. The dam built across the Tunga River here is ideal for picnics.

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.

The town 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).

The Wikipedia page on Shimoga district has information regarding other attractions near Shimoga.

[edit] Noted personalities

• Kuvempu, the national poet and Jnanpith Award winner.
• U R Ananthamurthy, thinker, Kannada novelist, and winner of Jnanpeeta award.
• Prafulla Chandra, agricultural experimenter
• P. Lankesh, writer-journalist
• Girish Kasaravalli, well-known film director and National award winner
• Ha. Ma. Nayaka, well-known columnist and winner of central sahithya academy award( for his column writings) and personally responsible for the remarkable 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, former Chief Minister of Karnataka
• Kadidal Manjappa, former Chief Minister of Karnataka
• K.S Eshwarappa, Present Minister for Water Resources,Karnataka
• B.S. Yediyurappa, Present Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka
• D.H.Shankar Murthy, Present Higher Education Minister of Karnataka
• Kagodu Thimmappa, well-known politician, Senior Congress Leader
• H.M. Mallikarjunappa. Ex M.L.A , First KPSC member. Ex Board of regent for UAS , Bangalore
• Shanthaveri Gopala Gowda, Leader of socialist movement
• 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.
• 'Na. D Souza', Well known Novelist
• S.V.Parameshwara Bhatta, Well known Novelist
• Justice. M. Rama Jois, Former Judge of Supreme Court and Former Governor of Jharkhand
• Shimoga Subbanna, famous light music singer

[edit] See also

• Shimoga District
• Karnataka

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Shimoga from Kiruthik.com
• Profiles of all the Districts in Karnataka
• Shimoga Zilla Panchayat
• Shimoga Profile
• ShimogaOnline
• Western Ghats
• Map of Shimoga District
• Shimoga results
• Schimoga City Website
• Shimoga, India Page
• Photos of Shivappa Nayaka's palace