| Śivamogga | |
| — city — | |
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| Coordinates | 13°55′00″N 75°34′00″E / 13.9167°N 75.5667°ECoordinates: 13°55′00″N 75°34′00″E / 13.9167°N 75.5667°E |
| Country | India |
| State | Karnataka |
| District(s) | Shimoga District |
| Population | 474,105 (2007[//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shimoga&action=edit [update]]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area |
• 569 metres (1,867 ft) |
Shimoga (Kannada: ಶಿವಮೊಗ್ಗ Śivamogga) is a city in Shimoga 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.
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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 the 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 the 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, but the renaming is yet to get approval from the Central Government.[1]
According to the Shimoga City Municipal Corporation,[2] the city has a total area of about 50 km2 (19 sq mi). The climate is tropical wet and dry (Koppen climate classification) summer average temperature 20–35°C. This means that the winter and the early part of summer are typically dry periods. The majority of the rainfall occurs between June and early October. Shimoga is a part of a region vernacularly known as Malnad (land of hills) in Karnataka. Most/all these hills are part of the Western Ghats, a region famous for plentiful rainfall and lush greenery.
The Shimoga District has seven distinct rivers flowing through it.
Shimoga 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. Bhadravathi is also major education centre of district. Notable institutes in Shimoga for pre-university (PU) education are Sri Aurobindo Pre-University (Ind.) college, PACE Ultra-modern P.U. College, Vidya Bharathi PU College, National College, Vidyanikethan College, Sacred Heart, Adichunchangiri P.U. College, DVS P.U. Independent college, DVS Composite College, PES P.U. College. The city gains its importance in part because of lack of good institutes in other parts of the district; students are forced to get their pre-university education in the city.
The village of Gajanur hosts a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (central school) which is a boarding school. Kuvempu University is located in Shimoga at Shankarghatta.
Notable schools of Shimoga are Jnanadeepa, Saandeepani, Vikasa, Swami Vivekananda, Oxford, Adi Chunchanagiri, PES, Sarvodaya, Mary Immaculate, Vasavi, Sacred Heart, Loyola, Ramakrishna, Rotary, Educare, Mahaveer, DVS.
Shimoga Institute of Medical Sciences is the prestigious medical sciences college at Shimoga. Shimoga also has engineering colleges like Jawaharlal Nehru National College of Engineering run by the National Education Society (NES) and PES Institute of Technology and Management. Sharavathi Dental College also operates from Shimoga. Sahyadri College for Science, Commerce and Arts is one of the oldest in Karnataka. TAMES Ayurvedic medical is in nearby Bhadravathi.
Yakshagana, a dance drama, is popular in the Thirthahalli, Hosanagara, Sagar, Sorab regions of the district. There are many professional and amateur troupes performing the dance drama across 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.
Shimoga is known as cultural capital of Karnataka and is also called 'the Rice Bowl of Karnataka'.[3] It’s a modern, progressive city with strong cultural roots and warmhearted people.
"Kuvempu Rangamandira" and "Karnataka Sangha" are the major platforms for cultural activities.
Shimoga has the biggest areca nut market and famous for producing high quality areca nuts.
There is a 20-year-old plan to make Shimoga and Bhadravathi twin cities and to establish Shimoga-Bhadravathi Mahanagara Palike and thereby develop both cities. Shimoga is the headquarters of the district and all other equipment are in Bhadravathi such as VISL, MPM, AIR-Bhadravathi. Bhadravathi is just 20 km from Shimoga; the four-lane road is constructed between the cities which takes only 15 minutes between the cities. Both are well connected to all metropolitan cities.
Around 200 buses daily travel between Shimoga and Bhadravathi. Many people from Shimoga have been working in Bhadravathi industries for a long time, hence there are frequent buses from VISL and MPM to Shimoga. Town service buses are present in both cities: green colour in Shimoga and blue in Bhadravathi. Just like twin rivers Thunga-Bhadra, Shimoga and Bhadravathi will be twin cities in future. Shimoga Airport and Bhadravathi FM together launch their service in future days. Many IT & BT parks are established in Bhadravathi-Shimoga Industrial area (Machenahalli).
As of 2001[update] India census, Shimoga had a population of 274,105. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Shimoga 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.
The main occupation is agriculture, especially the cultivation of areca nut and rice.
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 from Bangalore. Shimoga is around 274 km by road from Bangalore. By the coastal route, one can reach Shimoga by bus or car. From Udupi, there are a number of mini-buses which take about four hours. Car journey from Udupi to Shimoga may be around three hours. This route passes through Agumbe Ghat with sharp hairpin curves and 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, it is a four-hour journey by bus. Hubli, another important city of Karnataka state is connected to Shimoga by road by a number of buses; the journey is around four hours. Shimoga 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. It is also a hub which connects Northern Karnataka to Dharmasthala.
The new bus station is very spacious and can cater to 882 departures and carry 1 lakh passengers per day. It is one of the biggest bus terminals in the state. It offers all modern facilities like parking bays, spacious waiting lounges, restaurants, etc. This high tech terminal, spread over five acres, has police outpost, computerized reservation counter and waiting rooms.
Shimoga Town has a railway station and there are frequent trains that run to and from Bangalore and Mysore. 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 (especially from Mumbai), is approximately 70 km from Shimoga and can be used as an alternative. Currently under construction are railway lines connecting Shivamogga to Honnavar and Goa in the Konkan region. The most popular trains from Shivamogga to Bangalore are the Shimoga Express and the Inter City Express Connection train. Starting December 8, 2009, an intercity express service was introduced between Bangalore and Shimoga. Recently the intercity train has been introduced between Mysore and Talaguppa after Sagar Town (about 98 km from Shimoga and about 12 km from famous Jog Falls). Also there is a New Railway Line between Shimoga and Harihar under construction.
Shimoga Airport is under construction in Sogane, 6 km from Shivamogga.[4] Airports at Bangalore (275 km), Mangalore (180 km) or Hubli (195 km) can be used as transits to Shivamogga.[5]
There are a number of hotels in Shimoga equipped with all the facilities. There are some guest houses as well for a comfortable stay. Good hotels in Shimoga are Hotel Jewel Rock, Royal Orchid Hotel, Hotel Mathura Residency, Hotel Malnad, Hotel Ashoka Deluxe, Hotel Navarathna International, Athithi Comfort Hotel, Sri Durga Lodge, Sanman Hotel, Hotel Surya Comforts, Hotel Samrat Ashok, Pavana Lodge, Ayodhya Lodge, Hotel Panchami, M G Palace Lodge and Woodlands Hotel.
