Shimoga district, officially known as Shivamogga district, is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

in the

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

state of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. A major part of Shimoga district lies in the Malnad region or the Sahyadri.

Shimoga Shimoga, officially known as Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the central part of the state of Karnataka, India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of ...

city is its administrative centre. Jog Falls view point is a major tourist attraction. As of 2011 Shimoga district has a population of 17,52,753. There are seven taluks:

Soraba Soraba is a Taluk in Shivamogga district in the state of Karnataka in India. Anavatti is the Major Town and commercial centre in Soraba Taluk. Soraba is located at . It has an average elevation of 580 metres (1902 feet). History Th ...

Sagara Sagara may refer to: People * Sagara (ethnic group), a people of Tanzania * Sagara (Vedic king), Ikshvaku dynasty * Sagara clan, a clan of 16th century Japan * Sekihotai (Sagara Souzou), a leader of the Sekihotai military unit during the Boshin ...

Hosanagar Hosanagara is a panchayat town in Shimoga district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is nested in western ghats of India. The World Cattle Conference with main emphasis on cow was held in month of April 2007 in Hosanagar. The different use ...

Shikaripura Shikaripur or Shikaripura is a major town in Shimoga district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Shikaripur taluk and is known as the land of shivasharanas. Geography Shikaripur is located at . It has an average elevatio ...

Thirthahalli Thirthahalli is a panchayat town located in the Shimoga district of the state of Karnataka, India. It lies on the bank of the river Tunga and is also the headquarters of the Thirthahalli Taluk of Shimoga district. Geography Thirthahalli i ...

, and Bhadravathi.

Channagiri Channagiri is a town in Davanagere district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is a taluk headquarters in Davanagere District from 1997. Before it was the part of Shivamogga District. Etymology During Ganga Possession in this place called '' ...

and Honnali were part of

district until 1997 when they became part of the newly formed

Davanagere district Davanagere district is an administrative district of Karnataka state in India. It is the centre of Karnataka. The city of Davanagere is the district headquarters. It had a population of 1,643,494 of which 32.31% was urban as of 2011. This dist ...

Origin of name

''Shivamogga'' was previously known as Mandli. There are legends about how the name ''Shivamogga'' has evolved. According to one, the name ''Shivamogga'' is related to the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

God

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

. ''Shiva-Mukha'' (Face of Shiva), ''Shivana-Moogu'' (Nose of Shiva) or ''Shivana-Mogge'' (Flowers to be offered to Shiva) can be the origins of the name "Shivamogga". Another legend indicates that the name ''Shimoga'' is derived from the word ''Sihi-Moge'' which means ''sweet pot''. According to this legend, Shivamogga once had the

ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (<

Durvasa In Hindu scriptures, Durvasa ( sa, दुर्वासा, ) also known as Durvasas ( Sanskrit: दुर्वासस्), is a legendary rishi (sage). He is the son of Anasuya and Atri. According to some Puranas, Durvasa is a partial avat ...

. He used to boil sweet herbs in an earthen pot. Some cowherds, found this pot and after tasting the sweet beverage named this place ''Sihi-Moge''.

History

Relief of Shiva holding attributes in each of his four arms in the Aghoreshwara temple at Ikkeri

During ''

Treta Yuga ''Treta Yuga'', in Hinduism, is the second and second best of the four '' yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Krita (Satya) Yuga'' and followed by ''Dvapara Yuga''. ''Treta Yuga'' lasts for 1,296,000 years (3,600 divine year ...

'',

Lord Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...

killed

Maricha In the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'', Maricha, or Mareecha (Sanskrit: मारीच, IAST: ) is a demon, who was killed by Rama, the hero of the epic and an avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is mentioned as an ally of Ravana, the antagonist of the epic. Hi ...

, who was in the disguise of a deer at Mrugavadhe near Thirthahalli. The Shimoga region formed a part of the

Mauryan empire The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until ...

during the 3rd century. The district came into the control of

Satavahana The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the l ...

s. The

Satakarni Satakarni (also called Sātakarnī I, Brahmi script: 𑀲𑀸𑀢𑀓𑀡𑀺, ''Sātakaṇi'') was the third of the Satavahana kings, who ruled the Deccan region of India. His reign is generally dated to 70-60 BCE, although some authors have c ...

inscription has been found in the Shikaripur taluk. After the fall of the Shatavahana empire around 200 CE, the area came under the control of the Kadambas of

Banavasi Banavasi is an ancient temple town located near Sirsi in Karnataka. Banavasi was the ancient capital of the Kannada empire Kadamba that ruled all of modern-day Karnataka state. They were the first native empire to bring Kannada and Karnataka t ...

around 345 CE. The Kadambas were the earliest kingdom to give administrative status to the

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

language. Later the Kadambas became feudatories of the Badami

Chalukyas The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty ...

around 540 CE. In the 8th century

Rashtrakutas Rashtrakuta ( IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing the ...

ruled this district. The Kalyani Chalukyas overthrew the Rashtrakutas, and the district came into their rule.

Balligavi Balligavi a town in Shikaripura taluk Shivamogga district of Karnataka state, India, is today known as Belagami or Balagame. Its ancient names are Baligrama, Dakshina Kedara, Valliggame and Valligrame. Dakshina Kedara means Kedarnath of the S ...

was a prominent city during their rule. In the 12th century, with the weakening of the Kalyani Chalukyas, the

Hoysalas The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...

annexed this area. After the fall of the Hoysalas, the entire region came under the

Vijayanagar Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana and ...

. When the Vijayanagar empire was defeated in 1565 CE in the battle of Tallikota, the Keladi Nayakas who were originally feudatory of the Vijayanagar empire took control, declared sovereignty, and ruled as an independent kingdom for about two centuries. In 1763 Haider Ali captured the capital of Keladi Nayakas and as a result the district came into the rule of the

Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...

and remained a part of it until India acquired independence from the British.

Geography

Shimoga district is a part of the Malnad region of Karnataka and is also known as the 'Gateway to Malnad' or 'Malenaada Hebbagilu' in Kannada. The district is landlocked and bounded by

Haveri Haveri is a city in Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Haveri district. Haveri is famous for its cardamom garlands and Byadagi red chillies. Around 25 km away, there is a place called Bada, which is the birthplace o ...

Davanagere Davanagere is a city in the centre of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the seventh largest city in the state, and the administrative headquarters of eponymous Davangere district. Hitherto being a cotton hub and hence popularly known ...

Chikmagalur Chikmagalur, known officially as Chikkamagaluru, is a city and the headquarters of Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the foothills of the Mullayanagiri peak of the Western Ghats, the city attracts tourists from ...

Udupi Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road. ...

and

Uttara Kannada Uttara Kannada is a district in the Indian states and territories of India, state of Karnataka. Uttara Kannada District is a major coastal district of Karnataka, and currently holding the title of the largest district in Karnataka. It is borde ...

districts. The district ranks 9th in terms of the total area among the districts of Karnataka. It is spread over an area of 8465 km². Shimoga lies between the latitudes 13°27' and 14°39' N and between the longitudes 74°38' and 76°04' E at a mean altitude of 640 metres above sea level. The peak Kodachadri hill at an altitude of 1343 metres above sea level is the highest point in this district. Rivers

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In this tra ...

, Gangavati,

Sharavati Sharavati is a river which originates and flows entirely within the state of Karnataka in India. It is one of the few westward flowing rivers of India and a major part of the river basin lies in the Western Ghats. The famous Jog Falls, located ...

and Tadadi originate in this district. The two major rivers that flow through this district are Tunga and

Bhadra ''Bhadra''Feminine: sa, भद्रा, Bhadrā is a Sanskrit word meaning 'good', 'fortune' or 'auspicious'. It is also the name of many men, women and objects in Hindu mythology. Male Figures King of Chedi Bhadra was a king of Chedi Kingdom ...

which meet at Koodli near Shimoga city to gain the name of Tungabhadra, which later joins River

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...

Climate

As the district lies in the tropical region, rainy season occurs from June to October. In the years 1901–1970, Shimoga received an average annual rainfall of 1813.9 mm with an average of 86 days in the year being rainy days. The average annual temperature of Shimoga district is around 26 °C. The average temperature has increased substantially over the years. In some regions of the district, the day temperature can reach 40 °C during summer. This has led to water crisis and other problems.

Geology

* The major soil forms found in the Shimoga district are red gravelly clay soil;

red clay soil Ultisols, commonly known as red clay soils, are one of twelve soil orders in the United States Department of Agriculture soil taxonomy. The word "Ultisol" is derived from "ultimate", because Ultisols were seen as the ultimate product of continu ...

; lateritic gravelly clay soil; lateritic clay soil; medium deep black soil; non-saline and saline alluvio-colluvial soil;

brown forest soil Brown earth is a type of soil. Brown earths are mostly located between 35° and 55° north of the Equator. The largest expanses cover western and central Europe, large areas of western and trans-Uralian Russia, the east coast of America and easte ...

. * The major minerals found in the district are

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

; white quartz;

kaolin Kaolinite ( ) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is an important industrial mineral. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedra ...

;

kyanite Kyanite is a typically blue aluminosilicate mineral, found in aluminium-rich metamorphic pegmatites and sedimentary rock. It is the high pressure polymorph of andalusite and sillimanite, and the presence of kyanite in metamorphic rocks gener ...

;

manganese Manganese is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of ...

. The plain land of the district is suitable for agriculture.

Economy

Foundry, agriculture and

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

are the major contributors to the economy of Shimoga district. The crops cultivated in this district are

paddy Paddy may refer to: People *Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname *An ethnic slur for an Irishman Birds *Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon * Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species *Black-faced s ...

, arecanut,

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American English, North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous ...

, oil seeds,

cashewnut The cashew tree (''Anacardium occidentale'') is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America in the genus ''Anacardium'' that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as , but the dwarf cul ...

pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

, chili,

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of ...

, Ragi. Karnataka is the largest producer of arecanut in India, the majority of which is cultivated in the Shimoga district. The farmers have cultivated crops like

Vanilla Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus '' Vanilla'', primarily obtained from pods of the Mexican species, flat-leaved vanilla ('' V. planifolia''). Pollination is required to make the plants produce the fruit from whic ...

and Jatropha that has yielded high monetary benefits. Spices like, clove, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom are grown along with areaca plants. This multi cropping can help in maximum utilisation of land space and improve soil fertility. As spices have high commercial value it provides additional income to farmers.

Industries

Iron, agriculture, Textiles and

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

are the major industries in Shimoga district. Foundry activity has a long history there and Pearlite Liners (P) Led., one of the oldest industries of Karnataka (earlier known as Bharath Foundry), is the largest private-sector employer in the district. , there were about 9800 industrial units in Shimoga District (small, medium and large), with more than 41,000 employees. Major investments are made in food; beverages, engineering, and

mechanical Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations ...

goods. Other rural industries in this district are

carpentry Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters t ...

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

beekeeping Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in man-made beehives. Honey bees in the genus ''Apis (insect), Apis'' are the most-commonly-kept species but other honey-producing bees such as ''Melipona'' stingless bees ar ...

, stone cutting,

handlooms A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but t ...

, agarbathi, and

sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus '' Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for ...

carving. Karnataka government has created industrial regions to encourage industrialisation of the district: KIADB Nidige Industrial area in Bhadravathi taluk; Machinahaali Industrial Area. Mandli-Kallur Industrial area in Shimoga taluk; Shimoga Industrial estate in Shimoga; Kallahalli Industrial estate in Shimoga. KIADB Devakathikoppa Industrial Area. KSSIDC Siddlipura Industrial Area. Major industries in Shimoga district are VISL and MPM.

Administrative divisions

Shimoga district is divided into seven taluks: Soraba, Bhadravathi, Thirthahalli, Sagara, Shikaripura, Shimoga and Hosanagara. The district administration is headed by the deputy commissioner who has the additional role of a district

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

. Assistant commissioners,

tahsildar In India and Pakistan, a Tehsildar or Mamlatdar is a tax officer accompanied by revenue inspectors. They are in charge of obtaining taxes from a tehsil with regard to land revenue. A tehsildar is also known as an executive magistrate of the relev ...

s, shirastedars, revenue inspectors and village accountants help the deputy commissioner in the administration of the district. The headquarters is Shimoga city. The Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency comprises the entire Shimoga district and also covers parts of Nalluru and Ubrani

hobli A hobli, nad or mágani is a cluster of adjoining villages administered together for tax and land tenure purposes in the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, India. This clustering of villages was formed mainly to streamline the collection of t ...

s of Channagiri taluk of

. As of 2005 it had 1,286,181 voters:

Scheduled Castes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

and

Scheduled Tribes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

account for 2.2 lakhs;

Lingayat Lingayatism or Veera Saivism is a Hindu denomination based on Shaivism. Initially known as ''Veerashaivas'', since the 12th-century adherents of this faith are known as ''Lingayats''. The terms ''Lingayatism'' and '' Veerashaivism'' have bee ...

s account for two lakhs; Deevaru (

Idiga Edigas or Idigas is a Hindu toddy tapper community in Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The traditional occupation of Idiga people was that of toddy tapping. They are mostly concentrated in the Malenadu and Shivamogga districts. Simila ...

)account for 1.8 lakh; ( Madivala) account for 1.2 lakh;

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

account for 1.6 lakh;

Brahmins Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

and

Vokkaliga Vokkaliga (also transliterated as Vokkaligar, Vakkaliga, Wakkaliga, Okkaligar, Okkiliyan) is a community, or a group of closely-related castes, from the Indian state of Karnataka. They are also present in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. As ...

s account for 1.25 lakh each. Seven members are elected to the Legislative assembly of the state of Karnataka. The assembly constituencies in Shimoga district are: * Soraba * Sagara * Shimoga * Shimoga Rural * Shikaripura * Bhadravathi * Thirthahalli

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Shimoga district has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 1,752,753, which is roughly equal to population of the nation

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

and the state of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

of the United States. The district ranks 275th in India out of a total of 640 districts. The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 6.88%. Shimoga has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species dev ...

of 995

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...

per 1000 males and a

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

of 80.5%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 17.58% and 3.73% of the population respectively. Shimoga taluk has the highest population with Hosanagara taluk having the lowest. The district has a sex ratio of 977 females to 1000 males. Shimoga Taluk having 991 females to 1000 males has the lowest sex-ratio. At the time of the 2011 census, 70.20% of the population spoke

, 12.71%

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

, 4.07%

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

, 2.95%

Lambadi Lambadi, Gor Boli, Banjara, Labanki or Banjari is a language spoken by the once nomadic Banjara people across India,Ancient Pastoral Nomadic Community of India Ancient Warrior Community/Raajputs Medieval Traders/Grain Carriers Modern Grain Tra ...

, 2.10% Marathi and 1.47% Konkani as their first language.

Culture

Heritage and architecture

Ballegavi, also known as 'Dakshina kedara' was the capital of Banavasi rulers during the 12th century CE. There are many temples in Ballegavi, some constructed as per Late Chalukyan architecture: Kedareshvara temple, Tripurantakeshvara temple, and Prabhudeva temple. They are known for architecture and sculpture. Shivappa Naik palace is located in Shimoga on the banks of river Tunga; it was constructed by Shivappa nayaka of Keladi. The Lakshminarsimha temple in Bhadravathi was built as per

Hoysala architecture Hoysala architecture is the building style in Hindu temple architecture developed under the rule of the Hoysala Empire between the 11th and 14th centuries, in the region known today as Karnataka, a state of India. Hoysala influence was at its pe ...

. Keladi and Ikkeri were the capital cities during the time of Keladi Nayakas. There are three temples in Keldai: Rameshvara temple, Veerbhadreshvara temple, and Parvati temple. The Aghoreshvara temple is in Ikkeri. The Sacred Heart church, constructed in the 1990s, is second largest church of Asia.

Poetry and literature

Shimoga district has produced several Kannada writers and poets: *

Kuvempu Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa (29 December 1904 – 11 November 1994), popularly known by his pen name Kuvempu, was an Indian poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He is widely regarded as the greatest Kannada poet of the 20th century. He wa ...

was born in the village

Kuppalli Kuppali, also known as Kuppali (ಕುಪ್ಪಳಿ), is a small village in Thirthahalli taluk of Shimoga district in the state of Karnataka in India. It is famous for being the childhood home of the renowned Kannada literature, Kannada poet ...

in Thirthahalli Taluk. *

G. S. Shivarudrappa Guggari Shanthaveerappa Shivarudrappa (7 February 1926 – 23 December 2013), or colloquially GSS, was an Indian Kannada poet, writer, and researcher who was awarded the title of ''Rashtrakavi'' (national poet) by the Government of Karnataka in ...

born in Shikaripur. * U.R. Ananthamurthy was born in Melige village in Thirthahalli Taluk. *

P. Lankesh Palya Lankesh (8 March 1935 – 25 January 2000) was an Indian poet, fiction writer, playwright, translator, screenplay writer and journalist who wrote in the Kannada language. He was also an award-winning film director. Early life and career ...

born in Konagavalli. * K. V. Subbanna from

* M. K. Indira *

Na D'Souza Lanard Dsouza ( kn, ಲೇನಾರ್ಡ್; born 6 June 1937) is a novelist and writer in Kannada language living in Sagara, Karnataka, India. He was selected as the President of 80th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held in Madikeri in the year 2014 ...

from

H. M. Nayak Harogadde Manappa Nayak (1931 - 10 November 2000) was an academician, writer and folklorist. Early life and career He was born in the village Harogadde, Shimoga district in Karnataka. He served as a lecturer, and then professor, at the Mysore ...

from Thirthahalli *

Poornachandra Tejaswi Kuppali Puttappa Poornachandra Tejaswi (8 September 1938 – 5 April 2007) was a prominent Indian writer and novelist in Kannada. He also worked as a photographer, publisher, painter, naturalist, and environmentalist. He made a great impress ...

, the son of Kuvempu. In December 2006, the 73rd

Kannada Sahitya Sammelana The Kannada Sahitya Sammelana () is the premier gathering of writers, poets and Kannadigas. It is held with the aim of preserving and developing the Kannada language, its literature, art, culture and music. It was started in 1915 by H. V. Nanj ...

took place in Shimoga. K.S.

Nissar Ahmed Nissar Ahmed is an Indian Educationalist, entrepreneur, CO Founder Chairman of Presidency Group of Institutions (The BPGI Group) and Founder Chancellor of Presidency University, Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), i ...

was the president of the event. This was the third Kannada Sahiya Sammelana held at Shimoga: The first one was held in 1946 (president: Da.Ra.Bendre) and second one in 1976 (president: S.V.Ranganna).

Ninasam

Nilakanteshwara Natya Seva Sangha is located in a village called

Heggodu Heggodu is a village located in the Sagar Taluk of Karnataka. It is a very important cultural and educational hub in South India, because of the organizations at this place. Institutes Apart from a pre-university and an undergraduate degree ...

. It was established by K. V. Subbanna in 1958. Ninasam is a drama institute. The headquarters is in Heggodu. It has a library, rehearsal hall, guesthouse and theatre. Shivarama Karantha Rangamandira is an

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, communit ...

for Ninasam. It was opened in 1972. Ninasam started a ''Theatre-in-education'' project called Shalaranga with the help from the government of India during 1991–1993.

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

has volunteered in establishing a rural theatre and film culture project called Janaspandana. Ninasam conducts a summer workshop for youngsters. Ninasam chitrasamaja is an organisation to encourage film culture and to hold film festivals.

Handicrafts and sculpture

Gudigar Gudigar or Gudigara are a group of people residing in the state of Karnataka, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous countr ...

s are a clan of craftsmen who are specialised in carving intricate designs on wood, mainly sandalwood. They are concentrated in the Sagara and Soraba taluks. The articles they make are sold at government emporiums.

Ashok Gudigar Ashok Gudigar (born 1965) is a sculptor who specialises in making statues out of sandalwood, stone, metal, and fiberglass. He hails from Sagara, Shimoga District, Karnataka, India, and lives in Bangalore. Early life and education After studying ...

is one of the sculptors from this clan. A 41-foot Bahubali statue is one of his works. He has won the Vishwakarma award for his Chalukyan-style Ganesha sculpture. He has won the National award in 1992 for his Hoysala-styled Venugopala sculpture.

Dance

Dollu Kunitha Dollu Kunitha (Kannada:ಡೊಳ್ಳು ಕುಣಿತ), is a major popular drum dance of Karnataka. Background In all temples of Beereshwara, the major instrument Dollu is hung by means of a thick thread tied to hooks in the ceiling. Ever ...

and

Yakshagana Yakshagaana is a traditional theatre, developed in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Kerala that combines dance, music, dialogue, ...

are some of the dance forms which are prevalent in this district. Yakshagana has a long history in the district and Dr. Kota Shivarama Karantha suggests that origin of the 'badaguthittu' form of Yakshagana took place in the region between Ikkeri of Shimoga district and

Fairs

Dasara is celebrated every year in Shimoga. Many cultural programmes are held during this time. A folk fair was organised in Shimoga in 2006. Marikamba festival is celebrated in Sagara once in 3 years.

Cinema

The tele-serial ''

Malgudi days ''Malgudi Days'' is a collection of short stories by R. K. Narayan published in 1943 by Indian Thought Publications. The book was republished outside India in 1982 by Penguin Classics. The book includes 32 stories, all set in the fictional to ...

'' which was based on a novel written by

R K Narayan Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001) was an Indian writer known for his work set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English along with Mulk ...

was shot in Agumbe. It was directed by the Kannada actor and director

Shankar Nag Shankar Nagarakatte (9 November 1954 – 30 September 1990) was an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, and producer known for his work in Kannada-language films and television. A popular cultural icon of Karnataka, Nag is often referred to as ...

. The film ''Kanoora heggadathi'' which was based on the novel written by Kuvempu was shot in Thirthahalli taluk. It was directed by

Girish Karnad Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, playwright and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in South Indian cinema and Bollywood. His rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the ...

B. V. Karanth Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth (Kannada: ಬಾಬುಕೋಡಿ ವೆಂಕಟರಮಣ ಕಾರಂತ) (19 September 1929 – 1 September 2002) widely known as B. V. Karanth was an Indian film director, playwright, actor, screenwriter, co ...

composed music for this film. The film ''Samskara'', based on the novel written by U. R. Anantha Murthy, was shot in a village in the Shimoga district. Cinema personalities born in Shimoga district: *

Girish Kasaravalli Girish Kasaravalli (born 3 December 1950) is an Indian film director, in the Kannada cinema, and one of the pioneers of the Parallel Cinema. Known internationally for his works, Kasaravalli has garnered fourteen National Film Awards, including f ...

: Film director who has won several Swarna Kamal awards for Kannada art movies. *

: Editor of the tabloid ''

Lankesh Patrike ''Lankesh Patrike'' is an Indian vernacular weekly published in Kannada language from Bangalore, Karnataka. The weekly newspaper was started by P. Lankesh in 1980 on the lines of ''Harijan'', a newspaper published by Mahatma Gandhi. The week ...

'' and director of a few films. * Ashok Pai:

Psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

script writer A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. T ...

and film producer who produced Kannada film ''Kadina Benki'' and others. *

Sudeep Sudeep Sanjeev (born 2 September 1971), also known as Sudeepa, is an Indian actor, director, producer, screenwriter, television presenter and singer, who primarily works in Kannada films. He has also worked in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films. He i ...

Kannada actor born in Shimoga *

Arun Sagar Arun Sagar (born 23 October 1963) is an Indian actor, art director and comedian who mainly works in the Kannada film industry. He has been recognized as a leading art director throughout his career starting from his first movie, '' Bhoomi Gee ...

A Kannada Actor from Sagara

Cuisine

Rice is the staple food for majority of the people in Shimoga district. The food in this district is somewhat similar to Udupi cuisine. However, exclusive dishes specified to

Malenadu Malnad (; Malēnādu) is a region in the state of Karnataka in India. Malenadu covers the western and eastern slopes of the Western Ghats or Sahyadri mountain range, and is roughly 100 kilometers in width. Malnadis a region of Karnatak ...

are a part of Shimoga District. The cooking in the Malnad region of Shimoga district includes items like ''midigayi-uppinakai'' (tender-mango pickle), ''sandige'' (similar to

pappadum A papad is an Indian Deep frying, deep fried dough of Vigna mungo, black gram bean flour, either fried or cooked with dry heat (flipped over an open flame) until crunchy. Other flours made from lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca, millet or potat ...

), ''avalakki'' (beaten rice) and

akki rotti Akki rotti ( kn, ಅಕ್ಕಿ ರೊಟ್ಟಿ) is a rice-based breakfast item unique to the state of Karnataka, India. ''Akki rotti'' means "rice bread" in the native language, Kannada. It is made of rice flour which is mixed with salt an ...

. Havyaka people have their own cuisine consisting of such varied items like ''genesale'' (sweet made of

jaggery Jaggery is a traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Africa. It is a concentrated product of cane juice and often date or palm sap without separation of the molasses and crystals, and ...

, rice and coconut), ''thotadevvu'' (sweet made of rice and sugarcane juice) and ''thambli'' (a

curd Curd is obtained by coagulating milk in a sequential process called curdling. It can be a final dairy product or the first stage in cheesemaking. The coagulation can be caused by adding rennet or any edible acidic substance such as l ...

preparation containing other ingredients like ginger,

turmeric Turmeric () is a flowering plant, ''Curcuma longa'' (), of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the rhizomes of which are used in cooking. The plant is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast ...

root,

jasmine Jasmine ( taxonomic name: ''Jasminum''; , ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae). It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are widely culti ...

and

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

sprouts).

Flora and fauna

Indian Tiger at Bhadra wildlife sanctuary

Baron butterfly at Bhadra wildlife sanctuary

The Malnad region is a

biodiversity hotspot A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after which the c ...

with a rich diversity of flora and fauna. The region has protected areas classified as wildlife sanctuaries to ensure the protection of these species: *

Gudavi Bird Sanctuary Gudavi Bird Sanctuary is a tourist destination in Malenadu region of Karnataka, Sanctuary is spread over an area of 0.74 square km. It is part of Soraba Taluk of Shivamogga district in Karnataka. As per a 2009 survey, 217 different species of ...

is in Sorab Taluk. The sanctuary is spread over an area of **There are many species of flora found here:

Vitex leucoxylon ''Vitex leucoxylon'', the white wood chaste tree, is a species of deciduous woody plant with 15m height, in the family Lamiaceae. Native to Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī La ...

, Phyllanthus polyphyllus, Terminalia bellerica,

Terminalia paniculata ''Terminalia paniculata'' is a tree native to southwest India (including the Western Ghats and Karnataka). Known in the timber trade as kindal, it has a variety of names in local languages. It is economically important for wood, medicinal uses, ...

Terminalia chebula ''Terminalia chebula'', commonly known as black- or chebulic myrobalan, is a species of '' Terminalia'', native to South Asia from India and Nepal east to southwest China ( Yunnan), and south to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Vietnam.Flora of Ch ...

, Lagerstroemia lanceolata,

Dalbergia latifolia ''Dalbergia latifolia'' (synonym ''Dalbergia emarginata'') is a premier timber species, also known as the Indian rosewood ( Tamil / தமிழ்: Eetti / ஈட்டி). It is native to low-elevation tropical monsoon forests of south east ...

Haldina cordifolia ''Haldina cordifolia'', syn. ''Adina cordifolia'', is a flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae, the sole species in the genus ''Haldina''. It is native to southern Asia, from India east to Yunnan and Vietnam and south to Peninsular Malaysia. I ...

Xylia xylocarpa ''Xylia xylocarpa'' is a species of tree in the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the family Fabaceae. Description and properties This perennial tree is very conspicuous in the flowering season owing to its bright yellow flow ...

Caryota urens ''Caryota urens'' is a species of flowering plant in the palm family, native to Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar and Malaysia (perhaps elsewhere in Indo-Malayan region), where they grow in fields and rainforest clearings, it is regarded as introduced ...

Ficus bengalensis ''Ficus benghalensis'', commonly known as the banyan, banyan fig and Indian banyan, is a tree native to the Indian Subcontinent. Specimens in India are among the largest trees in the world by canopy coverage. It also known as the " strangler fig" ...

Ficus religiosa ''Ficus religiosa'' or sacred fig is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhi tree, pippala tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipal tree ...

Butea monosperma ''Butea monosperma'' is a species of ''Butea'' native to tropical and sub-tropical parts of the South Asia and Southeast Asia, ranging across Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, ...

Santalum album ''Santalum album'', or Indian sandalwood, is a small tropical tree, and the traditional source of sandalwood oil. It is native to southern India and Southeast Asia. It is considered sacred in some religions like Hinduism, and some cultures plac ...

Diospyros melanoxylon ''Diospyros melanoxylon'', the Coromandel ebony or East Indian ebony, is a species of flowering tree in the family Ebenaceae native to India and Sri Lanka; it has a hard, dry bark. Its common name derives from Coromandel, the coast of southeas ...

;

Madhuca longifolia ''Madhuca longifolia'' is an Indian tropical tree found largely in the central, southern, north Indian plains and forests, Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. It is commonly known as madhūka, , mahuwa, Butter Tree, mahua, mahwa, , Iluppai or vippa che ...

, ''Kirganelia reticulata''. **191 species of fauna have been recorded here: 63 are water-dependent; 20 species are known to breed here. Water birds in the sanctuary include

black-headed ibis The black-headed ibis (''Threskiornis melanocephalus''), also known as the Oriental white ibis, Indian white ibis, and black-necked ibis, is a species of wading bird of the ibis family Threskiornithidae which breeds in the South and Southeas ...

, Darters, Little

Cormorant Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven ge ...

, Indian shag,

Cattle Egret The cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') is a cosmopolitan species of heron ( family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Bubulcus'', although some authorities regard ...

, Little Egret, Large Egret,

Spoonbill Spoonbills are a genus, ''Platalea'', of large, long-legged wading birds. The spoonbills have a global distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica. The genus name ''Platalea'' derives from Ancient Greek and means "broad", refe ...

Grey Heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more north ...

, Purple Heron,

Pond Heron Pond herons (''Ardeola'') are herons, typically long with an wingspan. Most breed in the tropical Old World, but the migratory squacco heron occurs in southern Europe and the Middle East and winters in Africa. The scientific name comes fr ...

, night heron,

Coot Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus ''Fulica'', the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usually ...

Pheasant-tailed Jacana The pheasant-tailed jacana (''Hydrophasianus chirurgus'') is a jacana in the monotypic genus ''Hydrophasianus''. Like all other jacanas, they have elongated toes and nails that enable them to walk on floating vegetation in shallow lakes, their p ...

, Purple Swamphen,

Common Sandpiper The common sandpiper (''Actitis hypoleucos'') is a small Palearctic wader. This bird and its American sister species, the spotted sandpiper (''A. macularia''), make up the genus ''Actitis''. They are parapatric and replace each other geographi ...

Little ringed plover The little ringed plover (''Charadrius dubius'') is a small plover. The genus name ''Charadrius'' is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek ''kharadrios'' a bird found in ri ...

Little Grebe The little grebe (''Tachybaptus ruficollis''), also known as dabchick, is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''takhus'' "fast" and ''bapto'' "to sink under". The specific ''ruficollis'' is from Lati ...

, Cotton Teal. An average of about 8000 White Ibis visit the sanctuary every year. * Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is in Sagar Taluk. It has evergreen and semi-evergreen forests with its eastern portion adjoining the

Linganamakki The Linganamakki Dam (Kannada : ಲಿಂಗನಮಕ್ಕಿ ಜಲಾಶಯ) was constructed by the Karnataka State Government in 1964. Located in the Kargal village of Sagara taluk, the dam has a length of stretching across the Sharavathi ...

reservoir. **The species of flora found here:

Dipterocarpus indicus ''Dipterocarpus indicus'' is a species of large tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is recognised as an endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct ...

Calophyllum tomentosum ''Calophyllum tomentosum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Calophyllaceae, commonly known as bintangur. It is found in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, � ...

Persea macrantha ''Persea macrantha'', the large-flowered bay tree, is an evergreen tree in the laurel family ( Lauraceae), native to southwestern India and Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO () ...

, Aporosa lindleyana,

Calycopteris floribunda ''Getonia'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Combretaceae. Its native range is India, Assam to Peninsula Malaysia. Getonia floribunda ''Getonia floribunda'', commonly known as ukshi, is a large climbing shrub whi ...

, Entada scandens,

Acacia concinna ''Senegalia rugata'' is a spiny climbing shrub native to China and tropical Asia, common in the warm plains of central and south India. It is renowned as a raw material for shampoo, and the leaves and young shoots are often eaten. Archaeobota ...

, Gnetum scandens. In the semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, common species include: Lagerstroemia microcarpa,

Hopea parviflora ''Hopea parviflora'' is a species of plant in the family Dipterocarpaceae. It is endemic to India. It is called 'kampakam' or 'thampakam' in Malayalam and கோங்கு 'vellaikongu' or 'irubogam' in Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ...

, Dalbergia latifolia, Dillenia pentagyna,

Careya arborea ''Careya arborea'' is a species of tree in the Lecythidaceae family, native to the Indian subcontinent, Afghanistan, and Indochina. Its common English names include wild guava, Ceylon oak, patana oak. ''Careya arborea'' is a deciduous tree tha ...

, Emblica officinalis, Randia, Terminalia, Vitex altissima. **The animals found here:

gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

Lion-tailed Macaque The lion-tailed macaque (''Macaca silenus''), also known as the wanderoo, is an Old World monkey endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. Characteristics Lion-tailed macaques are covered in black fur, and have a striking gray or silver ...

, Tiger, leopard (black panther),

Wild Dog A free-ranging dog is a dog that is not confined to a yard or house. Free-ranging dogs include street dogs, village dogs, stray dogs, feral dogs, etc., and may be owned or unowned. The global dog population is estimated to be 900 million, of ...

, jackal,

Sloth Bear The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus'') is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss and degradation ...

Spotted Deer The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also known as the spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Po ...

sambar deer The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local ins ...

barking deer Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking ** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...

, Mouse Deer, Wild Boar, common langur,

bonnet macaque The bonnet macaque (''Macaca radiata''), also known as zati,Chambers English Dictionary is a species of macaque endemic to southern India. Its distribution is limited by the Indian Ocean on three sides and the Godavari and Tapti Rivers, along wit ...

Malabar giant squirrel The Indian giant squirrel or Malabar giant squirrel (''Ratufa indica'') is a large multi-coloured tree squirrel species endemic to forests and woodlands in India. It is a diurnal, arboreal, and mainly herbivorous squirrel. Distribution and hab ...

, giant

flying squirrel Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they a ...

Porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethiz ...

Otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes we ...

Pangolin Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (, from Ancient Greek ϕολιδωτός – "clad in scales"). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: '' Manis'', ''Phataginus'', and '' Smuts ...

s. Reptiles include King Cobra, python,

rat snake Rat snakes are members – along with kingsnakes, milk snakes, vine snakes and indigo snakes – of the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. They are medium to large constrictors and are found throughout much of the Northern Hemi ...

Crocodile Crocodiles (family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant me ...

Monitor Lizard Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are rec ...

. Avian species found here: three species of

hornbill Hornbills (Bucerotidae) are a family of bird found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a casque on the upper mandibl ...

Asian paradise flycatcher In 2015, the Asian paradise flycatcher was split into the following three species: * Indian paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone paradisi'') * Blyth's paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone affinis'') * Amur paradise flycatcher The Amur paradise flyca ...

;

Racket-tailed Drongo The greater racket-tailed drongo (''Dicrurus paradiseus'') is a medium-sized Asian bird which is distinctive in having elongated outer tail feathers with webbing restricted to the tips. They are placed along with other drongos in the family Di ...

;

lories and lorikeets Loriini is a tribe of small to medium-sized arboreal parrots characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar of various blossoms and soft fruits, preferably berries. The species form a monophyletic group within the ...

. *Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary lies adjacent to Shimoga city and has forests ranging from dry deciduous to semi-evergreen and is spread over an area of . Large areas of forests have been destroyed due to

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames ...

. **Trees of the dry deciduous parts include ''

Terminalia tomentosa ''Terminalia elliptica'' is a species of '' Terminalia'' native to southern and southeast Asia in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.Sal and Saaj Deforestation in West Nepal"Terminalia Tomentosa"/ref> It is a ...

'', '' Terminalia bellerica'', ''

Gmelina arborea ''Gmelina arborea'', (in English beechwood, gmelina, goomar teak, Kashmir tree, Malay beechwood, white teak, yamane ), locally known as gamhar, is a fast-growing deciduous tree in the family Lamiaceae. Distribution and habitat ''Gmelina arborea ...

'', ''

Tectona grandis Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...

'', ''

Anogeissus latifolia ''Anogeissus latifolia'' is a species of small to medium-sized tree native to the India, Nepal, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. Its common names are axlewood (English), ''bakli, baajhi, dhau, dhawa, dhawra'', or ''dhaora'' (Hindi), ''takhian-nu'' ( Thai) ...

'', ''Lagerstroemia lanceolata'', ''

Wrightia tinctoria ''Wrightia tinctoria'', Pala indigo plant or dyer's oleander, is a flowering plant species in the genus ''Wrightia'' found in India, southeast Asia and Australia. It is found in dry and moist regions in its distribution. Various parts of the plan ...

'', ''

Cassia fistula ''Cassia fistula'', commonly known as golden shower, purging cassia, Indian laburnum, or pudding-pipe tree,U. S. Department of Agriculture, William Saunders; Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agriculture; ...

''; and '' Emblica officinalis''. In the moist deciduous forest species like ''

Adina cordifolia ''Haldina cordifolia'', syn. ''Adina cordifolia'', is a flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae, the sole species in the genus ''Haldina''. It is native to southern Asia, from India east to Yunnan and Vietnam and south to Peninsular Malaysia. I ...

'', ''

'', '' Grewia tilaefolia'', '' Kydia calycina'', Bamboo ''

Dendrocalamus strictus ''Dendrocalamus strictus'' is a bamboo species belonging to the ''Dendrocalamus'' genus. The culms (stems) are often solid. Common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquia ...

'', ''

Bambusa arundinacea ''Bambusa bambos'', the giant thorny bamboo, Indian thorny bamboo, spiny bamboo, or thorny bamboo, is a species of clumping bamboo native to southern Asia (India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indochina). It is also naturalized in Seychelles, Cent ...

''. The semi-evergreen forests are represented by ''

Dipterocarpus '' D. retusus'' in Köhler ''Dipterocarpus'' is a genus of flowering plants and the type genus of family Dipterocarpaceae. ''Dipterocarpus'' is the third-largest and most diverse genus among the Dipterocarpaceae. The species are well known for ...

'', '' Michelia'', ''

Hopea ''Hopea'' is a genus of plants in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The genus was named after John Hope, 1725–1786, the first Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. It contains some 113 species, distributed from Sri Lanka and south ...

'', ''

Schleichera ''Schleichera'' is a monotypic genus of plants in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. There is only one species, ''Schleichera oleosa'', a tree that occurs in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Species ''Schleichera oleosa'', kusum ...

'', and ''Bambusa''. Plants like ''

Acacia auriculiformis ''Acacia auriculiformis'', commonly known as auri, earleaf acacia, earpod wattle, northern black wattle, Papuan wattle, and tan wattle, akashmoni in Bengali, is a fast-growing, crooked, gnarly tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Austra ...

'', ''

'', and '' Grevillea robusta'' also exist in the sanctuary. **Mammals in the sanctuary include Tigers,

Leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, ...

Jackal Jackals are medium-sized canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word "jackal" has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-backed ...

Gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

s, Elephants;

Sambar Deer The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local ins ...

Wild Boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species i ...

Common Langur Gray langurs, also called Hanuman langurs and Hanuman monkeys, are Old World monkeys native to the Indian subcontinent constituting the genus ''Semnopithecus''. Traditionally only one species ''Semnopithecus entellus'' was recognized, but since a ...

Bonnet macaque The bonnet macaque (''Macaca radiata''), also known as zati,Chambers English Dictionary is a species of macaque endemic to southern India. Its distribution is limited by the Indian Ocean on three sides and the Godavari and Tapti Rivers, along wit ...

s, Common Mongoose,

Striped-necked Mongoose The stripe-necked mongoose (''Urva vitticolla'') is a mongoose species native to forests and shrublands from southern India to Sri Lanka. Characteristics It is rusty brown to grizzled grey, has a stout body and short legs, a black stripe th ...

, giant flying squirrel,

. Python, cobra, king cobra, rat snake, marsh crocodile are among the reptiles found in the sanctuary. Birds include Hornbills,

Kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

Bulbul The bulbuls are members of a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds, which also includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves, and bristlebills. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropical Asia ...

Parakeet A parakeet is any one of many small to medium-sized species of parrot, in multiple genera, that generally has long tail feathers. Etymology and naming The name ''parakeet'' is derived from the French wor''perroquet'' which is reflected in ...

s, Doves, Pigeons, babblers, Flycatchers, munias, Swallows, Woodpeckers, Peafowl,

Jungle fowl Junglefowl are the only four living species of bird from the genus ''Gallus'' in the bird order Galliformes, and occur in parts of South and Southeast Asia. They diverged from their common ancestor about 4–6 million years ago. Although origin ...

Partridge A partridge is a medium-sized galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They are sometimes grouped in the Perd ...

s. A tiger and lion safari at Tyavarekoppa was created in the northeastern part of the sanctuary in 1988. *

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area and tiger reserve as part of the Project Tiger, situated in Chikkamagaluru district, south of Bhadravathi city, 20 km from Tarikere town, northwest of Chikkamagaluru and 283 km from Bengaluru cit ...

was started in 1951 as Jagara valley game sanctuary covering an area of about . It was combined with the surrounding Lakkavalli forests in 1972 and given its present name of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. It now spans an area of . Some of the wild animals found in this sanctuary are Tiger,

, Wild Dog,

, Elephant, Gaur, Sloth Bear, Sambar Deer, Spotted Deer, Monitor Lizard, Barking Deer,

, bonnet macaque,

Slender Loris The slender lorises (''Loris'') are a genus of loris native to India and Sri Lanka. The genus comprises two species, the red slender loris found in Sri Lanka and the gray slender loris from Sri Lanka and India. Slender lorises spend most of their ...

, the

. Some of the bird species found here are

Malabar whistling thrush The Malabar whistling thrush (''Myophonus horsfieldii'') is a whistling thrush in the family ''Muscicapidae''. The bird has been called ''whistling schoolboy'' for the whistling calls that they make at dawn that have a very human quality. Th ...

; species of Bulbuls;

Woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions ...

s, Hornbills, pigeons,

Drongo The drongos are a family, Dicruridae, of passerine birds of the Old World tropics. The 30 species in the family are placed in a single genus, ''Dicrurus''. Drongos are mostly black or dark grey, short-legged birds, with an upright stance when ...

. The sanctuary has been recently adopted under a tiger-conservation project called

Project Tiger Project Tiger is a tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's tenure. The project aims at ensuring a viable population of the Bengal tiger in its natural habitats, prote ...

which is an initiative from the Indian government. *Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary is a sanctuary from Shimoga town on the way to Thirthahalli. This is a small island surrounded by Tunga river. The birds found here are median

egret Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same buil ...

, cormorant,

darter The darters, anhingas, or snakebirds are mainly tropical waterbirds in the family Anhingidae, which contains a single genus, ''Anhinga''. There are four living species, three of which are very common and widespread while the fourth is rarer and ...

, snakebird. *Sakrebailu Elephant Camp lies 14 km. from Shimoga town on the way to Thirthahalli. This is a training camp where elephants undergo training from

mahout A mahout is an elephant rider, trainer, or keeper. Mahouts were used since antiquity for both civilian and military use. Traditionally, mahouts came from ethnic groups with generations of elephant keeping experience, with a mahout retaining h ...

s. * Tyavarekoppa Lion and Tiger Safari lies about from Shimoga town on the way to Sagar. The safari has lions, tigers and deer.

Education

Shimoga district has a literacy rate of 80.2%. The district has two engineering colleges, two medical colleges, an ayurvedic medical college, dental college, veterinary College and an agricultural college. There are 116 pre-university colleges in the district out of which 51 government pre-university colleges. There are 41 educational institutions managed by National education society. There are 1106 lower primary schools and 1185 higher primary schools.

Primary and high school education

There are 1106 lower primary schools, 1185 higher primary schools and 393 high schools in Shimoga district. There are 1323 anganawadis. National education society has 31 educational institutions including pre-university and first grade colleges. There are five CBSE schools, including Jnanadeepa school. National Residential school is another CBSE school in Thirthalli. Hongirana School Of Excellence is a CBSE School in Sagar, Karnataka.

B G S Central School which is affiliated CBSE is at Karehalli Bhadravathi B, or b, is the second letter of the Latin-script alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''bee'' (pronounced ), plural ''bees''. It rep ...

''Government High School, Jade'' Government High School, Jade is one of the top three high schools in Soraba Taluk. This high school has the biggest playground and more than 500 students from Jade, and surrounding up to 10 km villages are studying in this school. GHS JADE have won several computation organised by Department Of Education, like sports, Prathiba Karanji in every year, In 2015 this high school started to offer English-medium classes for 8th, 9th and 10th students.

Pre-university education

There are 116 pre-university colleges in the district. There are 51 government colleges, 3 bifurcated colleges, 47 unaided colleges and 15 aided colleges. In the 2012 second year pre-university examination, the district ranked 5th with 54.31% of passed candidates.

Diploma courses

There are 8 Polytechnics in the district. Major polytechnics among them are Government Polytechnic - Bhadravathi, Government Women's Polytechnic - Gopala,

Sahyadri Polytechnic Sahyadri Polytechnic is a polytechnic in Thirthahalli, Karnataka, India. It is approved by the All India Council for Technical Education. History The polytechnic was established in 1985 by M.R. Dharmaiah Gowda under the chairmanship of D. ...

, Sanjay Memorial Polytechnic-Sagara, DVS Polytechnic.

Undergraduate education

There are 12 colleges affiliated to

Kuvempu University Kuvempu University is a public state university in Shankaraghattta, Bhadravathi taluk, Shivamogga, Karnataka, India. It was established in 1987 by the act of the Karnataka state legislature through amendment No. 28/1976 dated 29 January 1989 ...

, 5 B.Ed and B.P.Ed colleges and 3 constituent colleges. Sahyadri science college is located in Shimoga city. It was established in 1940 and was upgraded to first grade college in 1956. It offers two undergraduate courses: BSc and B.C.A. There are two engineering colleges in the district: Jawaharlal Nehru national college of engineering and P.E.S. Institute of Technology and Management. Jawaharlal Nehru national college of engineering was established in 1980 by the National education society. The college offers 7 courses in B.E. PES institute of technology and management was established in 2007. The college offers 5 undergraduate programmes in B.E. National College of Pharmacy in the center of the city is one of the oldest college in Karnataka state and students across the nation has studied here. Shimoga Institute of Medical Sciences was started in 2005. It is on the premises of the McGann Hospital in Shimoga, established in memory of British Surgeon Dr. T.G.McGann. The college is affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka. There are 21 departments in the college. Bapuji Ayurvedic Medical college, established in 1996, is in Shimoga, which offers B.A.M.S. Ayurvedacharya degree. T.M.A.E. Society's Ayurved College, established in 1992, is located in Shimoga, which also offers B.A.M.S Ayuvedacharya degree. Both colleges are affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences. Sharavathi Dental college, established in the year 1992, is in Shimoga and has been approved by DCI. It offers B.D.S. in

Dental surgery Dental surgery is any of a number of medical procedures that involve artificially modifying dentition; in other words, surgery of the teeth, gums and jaw bones. Types Some of the more common are: * Endodontic (surgery involving the pulp or root ...

. It is affiliated to Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences.

Postgraduate education

Sahyadri science college offers two post graduate programmes: M.Sc. and MTA. Jawaharlal Nehru national college of engineering has 7 post-graduate programmes: Master of computer applications; Master of business administration; M.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering; M.Tech. in Network & Internet Engineering; M.Tech. in Design Engineering; M.Tech. in Transportation Engineering and Management; M.Tech. in Digital Electronics and Communication Systems. PES Shimoga offers post-graduation in business studies, Master of Business Administration. The Kuvempu University offers courses in Languages, Literature and Fine Arts; Social Sciences; Economic and Business studies; Physical Sciences; Chemical sciences; Bio Sciences; Earth and Environmental Science; Law; Education; M.Tech. in Nanoscience and Technology.

Sports

Shimoga district has three cricket stadiums: Nehru stadium, Jawaharlal Nehru college of engineering cricket ground and PES Institute of Technology Cricket ground. The first match played on the Nehru stadium was in 1974. Since then 13 matches have been played out of which 3 are Ranji matches. The Ranji match between Karnataka and

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

was hosted on the Jawaharlal Nehru cricket ground. Sagara has a very good cricket stadium called Gopalagowda Stadium, It is the only best leather pitch stadium in the district. The work on an international cricket stadium has started near Navule. The VISL cricket stadium is located in Bhadravathi. Shivamogga Lions represents the Shimoga zone in the KPL. Shimoga, Hassan and

Chickmagalur Chikmagalur, known officially as Chikkamagaluru, is a city and the headquarters of Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the foothills of the Mullayanagiri peak of the Western Ghats, the city attracts tourists f ...

districts come under the Shimoga zone in the Karnataka premier league.

Gundappa Viswanath Gundappa Ranganath Viswanath (born 12 February 1949) is a former Indian cricketer. Vishwanath was rated as one of India's finest batsmen throughout the 1970s. Viswanath played Test cricket for India from 1969 to 1983, making 91 appearances ...

is a cricketer from Bhadravathi. He has played

test cricket Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...

for India from 1969 to 1983 making 91 appearances.

Bharat Chipli Bharat Chipli (Kannada: ಭರತ್ ಚಿಪ್ಲಿ) (born 27 January 1983 in Sagara, Karnataka) is an Indian cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a ...

is a cricketer from Sagar who plays for

Deccan Chargers The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...

. The 18th Junior National Athletic Championship was held in Shimoga. State-level

kho kho Kho kho or kho-kho is a traditional Indian sport that dates back to ancient India. It is the second most popular traditional tag game in the Indian subcontinent after kabaddi. Kho kho is played on a rectangular court with a central lane connec ...

and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

competitions are held in the district. The volleyball tournaments are held on the Kuvempu University campus and Nehru stadium. VTU inter-collegiate cricket, football, volleyball and

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...

tournaments are held in the districts. The district

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

team has won inter-district football tournaments. Shimoga was the host for the CBSE National Handball Championship in 2009. City-level

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

tournaments are conducted in Sahyadri College premises. Other sports tournaments held in Shimoga are

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

;

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

;

kabaddi Kabaddi is a contact team sport. Played between two teams of seven players, the objective of the game is for a single player on offence, referred to as a "raider", to run into the opposing team's half of the court, touch out as many of their ...

;

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

. There are proposals to upgrade the Nehru stadium in Shimoga. The upgraded stadium would contain a swimming pool of international standards, an indoor stadium, basketball court and a synthetic track. There are proposals to build sports stadium at Thirthahalli, Shikaripura and Soraba.

Tourism

Waterfalls

*Jog Falls is the highest waterfall in India and second highest in Asia. The river Sharavathi falls into the gorge in four distinct flows which are termed ''Raja'', ''Rani'', ''Rover'', and ''Rocket''. Jog falls lies in Sagar taluk and is 30 km. from the city of Sagar. * Kunchikal Falls is the 11th highest waterfall in India and 313th highest in the world with a height of 455 meters and ranks 116 in the list of highest waterfalls in the world. This waterfall is near Mastikatte and is formed by the

Varahi River Varahi River originate and flows through Western Ghats in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also known as Halady or Haladi river in downstream areas. It joins the Arabian sea after flowing through places like Halady, Basrur, Kundapura and ...

. *

Barkana Falls The Barkana Falls, formed by Seetha River, is a water falls located near Agumbe in Shimoga district of state of Karnataka, India and the water falls is among the ten highest waterfalls in India. This water fall region is filled with water only du ...

is near

Agumbe Agumbe is a village situated in the Thirthahalli taluka of Shimoga district, Karnataka, India. It is nestled in the thickly forested Malenadu region of the Western Ghats mountain range. Owing to its high rainfall, it has received the epithet ...

and 80 km from Thirthahalli town. Barkana Falls is the 10th highest waterfall in India and ranks 308 in the world. Brpbdvt

*Achakanya Falls is located near a village called Aralsuruli, 10 km from Thirthahalli on the way to Hosanagara. The falls is formed by the

Sharavathi Sharavati is a river which originates and flows entirely within the state of Karnataka in India. It is one of the few westward flowing rivers of India and a major part of the river basin lies in the Western Ghats. The famous Jog Falls, located ...

river. *Vanake-Abbey Falls is in the heart of Malnad forests, 4 km from Agumbe. *Hidlamane Falls is near

Nittur Nittur is a village in Tumkur district of Karnataka, India. Nittur is famous for Jwalamalini Temple, an ancient Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through th ...

in Hosanagara Taluk. The only way to reach it is by

trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back, while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey, and may involve camping outdoors. In North America tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain h ...

. * Dabbe Falls, Sagara is located near Hosagadde in Sagar taluk. On the road from Sagar to

Bhatkal Bhatkal, is a coastal town in the Uttara Kannada District of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bhatkal lies on National Highway 66, which runs between Mumbai and Kanyakumari, and has Bhatkal railway station which is one of the major railway s ...

, Hosagadde lies about 20 km from the town of

Kargal Kargal is a town in the Sagar of Karnataka has a population of approximately 10,000 people. It was recently declared a "town panchayat" by the government of Karnataka. It is located from Jog Falls Jog Falls is a waterfall on the Sharav ...

. From Hosagadde a walk of 6–8 km into the forest leads to Dabbe Falls.

Dams

* Linganamakki dam is built across the Sharavathi river in Sagar taluk and is 6 km from Jog Falls. It is the main feeder reservoir for the

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

hydro-electric project. It has two power generating units of 27.5 MW. It is the biggest dam in Karnataka of 151.75 Tmcft. Sangama

*Bhadra river dam is built across Bhadra river at Lakkavalli at distance of 20 km from Bhadravathi city. The dam was constructed by Sir. M. Vishweshwaraiah, the then chief engineer of Karnataka state. The dam mainly serves the purpose of irrigation in and around Bhadravathi taluk and

Tarikere Tarikere is a taluk in the Chikkamagaluru district in the state of Karnataka of India. The headquarters of the taluk is a town of the same name. It is popularly known as gateway of Malnad because the Malnad area starts from here. The town's name ...

taluk of Chikkamagaluru district. * Gajanur dam is built across the river Tunga in a village called Gajanur 12 km from Shimoga city.

Rivers

* Tunga and Bhadra originates at Varaha mountains. They meet at Koodli and become Tungabhadra river. Koodli is 16 km from Shimoga city and the Smartha monastery in Koodli was founded in 1576 CE by Jagadguru Narsimha Bharathi swami of Sringeri. * Ambuteertha is located 10 km from Thirthahalli on the Thirthahalli-Hosanagara road. River Sharavathi originates at this place. * Varadamoola is 6 km from Sagar town. River Varada originates at this place. Varada flows through the town of Banavasi before joining Tungabhadra.

Hill stations

is 90 km west of Shimoga city. It is known as the

Cherrapunji Cherrapunji () or Sohra is a subdivisional town (Proposed District) East Khasi Hills district in the Indian state of Meghalaya. It is the traditional capital of ka ''hima'' Sohra (Khasi tribal kingdom). Sohra has often been credited as being t ...

of South India. Agumbe is 650 meters above sea level. The place is famous for its sunset view. *Kavaledurga is a fort on a hill above sea level. *Kodachadri hills are 115 km from Shimoga city. The hills are 1343 m above sea level. *Kundadri is a hill near Thirthahalli. It is famous for its rock formations.

Cultural heritage

*Shivappa Nayaka palace and museum is in the city of Shimoga. The palace was built by Shivappa Nayaka during the 17th century CE. Kote Seetharamanjaneya temple is beside it. * Sacred Heart church, built in the 1990s and second largest church of Asia, is in the city of Shimoga. It has features of

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

and Ghothic styles of architecture. *The Lakshminarasimha temple is located in the Bhadravathi city. It has been built in the Hoysala style called 'trikutachala'. *Chandragutti fort is near Balligavi which was built by Banavasi Kadambas. The Renukamba temple is in this village. * Humcha is a Jain pilgrimage place with a Panchakuta Basadi, Humcha which was built during 10th and 11th century CE. *The Kedareshvara temple is located in Kubetoor. It has been built in the Chalukyan style. * Nagara, which was earlier called Bidarur, was the last capital of the Keladi kings and later taken by

Hyder Ali Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...

during 1763. The Hyder Ali tank, Neelakanteshwara temple and Venkataramana temple are located in this city. *Keladi and Ikkeri were the capitals of Keladi Nayakas. The places are near Sagar. * Talagunda is a village in the Shikaripura taluk. The Talagunda inscription on a stone pillar is in

Prakrit The Prakrits (; sa, prākṛta; psu, 𑀧𑀸𑀉𑀤, ; pka, ) are a group of vernacular Middle Indo-Aryan languages that were used in the Indian subcontinent from around the 3rd century BCE to the 8th century CE. The term Prakrit is usu ...

language. The author of the inscription was Kubja, court poet of Shantivarman.

Notable people

* U. R. Ananthamurthy, a Jnanapeeta Awardee *

Sarekoppa Bangarappa Sarekoppa Bangarappa (26 October 1933 – 26 December 2011) was an Indian politician who was the 12th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1990 to 1992. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Karnataka between 1967 and 1996, befo ...

, an Indian politician who was the 12th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1990 to 1992 *

Dattatreya Hosabale Dattatreya Hosabale (born 1 December 1954) is an Indian social worker who is the current General Secretary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since March 2021. During the period of Indian Emergency from 1975 to 1977 he was arrested under ...

, Indian social worker *

Diganth Diganth Manchale (born 28 December 1983), mononymously known as Diganth, is an Indian actor and former model who primarily works in Kannada films. Diganth made his acting debut in ''Miss California'' in 2006. He is a recipient of one SIIMA Awa ...

, Kannada actor * Justice M. Rama Jois, a former Chief Justice of the

Punjab and Haryana High Court Punjab and Haryana High Court is the common High Court for the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh based in Chandigarh, India. Sanctioned strength of Judges of this High Court is 85 consisting of 64 ...

, a former member of

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...

, a former Governor of

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...

and

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

states and a senior advocate in the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...

* M. K. Indira, writer and poet * Kaviraj (lyricist), poet, lyricist and director in Kannada film industry *

, a Jnanpeeta Awardee *

, poet, journalist *

Akka Mahadevi Akka Mahadevi ಅಕ್ಕ ಮಹಾದೇವಿ (c.1130–1160) was one of the early female poets of the Kannada literature and a prominent person in the Lingayat Shaiva sect in the 12th century. Her 430 extant Vachana poems (a form of spont ...

, poet, social reformer *

Kadidal Manjappa Kadidal Manjappa (1908–1992) was the third Chief Minister of Karnataka (then, Mysore State) for a short period of time in 1956 (19 August 1956 – 31 October 1956). He hailed from the village of Kadidal in the nature rich Tirthahalli taluk o ...

, a veteran freedom fighter and a former Chief minister of Karnataka * Anupama Niranjana, noted writer *

J. H. Patel Jayadevappa Halappa Patel (Kannada:ಜಯದೇವಪ್ಪ ಹಾಲಪ್ಪ ಪಟೇಲ್; 1 October 1930 – 12 December 2000) was the 9th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 31 May 1996 to 7 October 1999. Biography J.H. Patel was born on ...

, former chief minister *

Allama Prabhu Allamaprabhu ( kn, ಅಲ್ಲಮಪ್ರಭು) was a 12th-century mystic-saint and '' Vachana'' poet (called ''Vachanakara'') of the Kannada language, propagating the unitary consciousness of Self and Shiva. Allamaprabhu is one of the cel ...

, social reformer * S. Rudregowda, industrialist and Member of Legislative Council * Khadi Shankarappa, a veteran freedom fighter. *

, poet, one of the three Rashtrakavis in Kannada * K. V. Subbanna, artist and writer *

Shimoga Subbanna Shimoga Subbanna or Shivamogga Subbanna (born as G. Subramanya, 14 December 1938 – 11 August 2022) was an Indian Sugama Sangeetha(Light Music) playback singer in the Kannada language. He received a national award for singing for the song ' ...

, a playback singer *

, actor and director of Kannada cinema *

, writer *

, a former cricketer *

B. S. Yeddyurappa Bookanakere Siddalingappa Yediyurappa (born 27 February 1943), often referred to by his initials BSY, is an Indian politician currently serving as the member of the Bharatiya Janata Party Parliamentary board committee since 17 August 2022, t ...

, politician and Chief Minister of Karnataka

Notes

External links

Shimoga 2011 census report

Shimoga Zilla Panchayat

Shimoga district official website

{{Authority control Districts of Karnataka