Shimoga or Shivamogga

Shimoga or Shivamogga is a city located in Shivamogga district in the central part of Karnataka and lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Shimoga is administrative headquarters of the district. Distance from Shimoga to Keladi is 79.8 km and travel time is around 1 h 16 min. Distance from Shivamogga to Sri Chowdeshwari Temple, Panchayat Dasarighatta, Tiptur is 144.7 km and takes around 2 h 56 min via NH206.

Shimoga is Located 285 Km East towards State capital Bangalore. Being the gateway for the hilly region of the Western Ghats, the city is popularly nicknamed as "Gateway of Malnad". Distance from Adhishakthyathmaka Sri Annapoorneshwari Ammanavara Temple, Mudigere Taluk, Chikamagalur to Shivamogga, Karnataka is 128.4 km and travel time is around 2 h 54 min via NH169. Distance from Honnavar to Shivamogga, Karnataka is 161.6 km and travelling takes around 3 h 26 min via NH69.

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

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

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

Shivamogga is known as cultural capital of Karnataka. It's a modern, progressive city with strong cultural roots and warm hearted people. Shivamogga has the biggest areca nut market and famous for producing high quality areca nut. Shivamogga's economy is directly linked to areca nut price and demand. Simple life style, frequent cultural activities, low cost of living and less pollution made Shivamogga as retired people's paradise.

Shimoga-Talaguppa Railway

Shimoga-Talaguppa railway is a railway line in Karnataka connecting the city of Shimoga to the village of Talaguppa in Karnataka. The line passes through the city of Sagara.

The Mysore State Railway started laying the Shimoga-Talaguppa 1,000 mm (metre gauge) line in the year 1930 to provide access to Jog Falls. Another purpose was to transport wooden logs from the forests of the Malnad region to make wooden sleepers and also to be used as a fuel in the furnaces of the Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Limited at Bhadravathi. In 1938, Mirza Ismail took the maiden journey on this line to visit Sagara city. The final section of the line from Sagara to Talaguppa was inaugurated on 9 November 1940. Some of the prominent people who have used this line to visit Jog Falls include Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, Sir M. Visvesvaraya, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Morarji Desai. Socialist leader, Ram Manohar Lohia travelled in a train on this line to participate in the Kagodu Satyagraha but was arrested at Sagara station.

Initially, 3 daily passenger trains and goods trains used to run on this line. The trains also used to carry construction material needed for the construction of the Linganamakki dam and the associated power house. Subsequently, the number of passenger trains were reduced to one and goods trains were withdrawn. In the 1990s, the line between Bangalore and Shimoga was converted to broad gauge, after which the passenger train on the Shimoga-Talaguppa line was replaced by a railcar. The railcar could accommodate 52 passengers and took 3:45 hours to cover the distance of 82 km, a journey which took considerably lesser time to cover by road. It was one of the few trains with conductors on board and tickets could be bought on the train itself, whereas the normal practice followed in Indian Railways, was that passengers should buy tickets before boarding a train. Once the railcar reaches Talaguppa, the rail car has to be reversed using a turntable, so that it can start its return journey.

State Protected Monuments in Shimoga

State Protected Monuments officially reported by Archeological Survey of India in Shimoga, Karnataka is listed below

State Protected Monuments in Shimoga
  • Lakshminarasimha Temple
  • Jain Basti in Shimoga
  • Umapathi Temple
  • Shivappa Nayaka Palace
  • Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple
  • Bhimeswar Swamy Temple
  • Rameshwara Temple

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

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

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

Distance from Cuddalore to Shivamogga is 641.9 km and travel time is 10 h 57 min via National Highway 4.

Best time to visit Shimoga along with Shimoga Tourist Places, best attractions, top things to do,Sightseeing Places, Best Season/Time to visit Shimoga and accommodations in Shimoga for a memorable trip. Kodachadri, Jog Falls, Kundadri, Sakrebailu Elephant Camp, Sharavati River, Bhadra River Project Dam, Keladi, Kavaledurga, Dabbe Falls, Kudajadri Hills, Shivappanaika Palace Museum, Gajanur Dam, Mattur Lake and Jewel Rock arefew of the famous Places to visit near Shimoga.

Distance from Shimoga to Sri Humcha Padmavathi Devi Jain Temple, Karnataka is 58.3 km and takes around 1 h 6 min via NH206, SH 52 and SH1. Distance from Shimoga to Heggadadevanakote, Karnataka is 275.8 km and driving in this route takes around 5 h 30 min via NH206 and Bangalore - Shimoga Road.

Bangalore to Shimoga Bus Services

Temples in Shimoga

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is a temple built by the Hoysalas in Bhadravathi, which is around 20 km from Shimoga in Karantaka. Talagunda Pranaveshwara Temple was known as Sthanagundur and it was a place of religious learning or agrahara. This place is the earliest agrahara found in Karantaka. Tripurantaka Temple or Tripurantaka is one of the eminent temples in Balligave town of Shivamogga district, in Karnataka state.

Laterite Stone in Shimoga

Laterite is a typical rock formation found commonly in the tropical monsoon regions as a capping over the hillocks. Laterites are residual sedimentary rocks, reddish or brownish coloured, comparatively soft rocks, containing high degree of porosity and are carrying vermiform structures. Laterite brick is generally red in color. In vernacular, it is called as “chenkallu”. Laterite has immense economic value as it contains the ores of iron, aluminium and manganese. The origin of laterite is intimately connected with the physical, climatic and denudational processes of a particular region. The laterization process operates at well under warm and humid warm and tropical climates with seasonal rainfall. Though many hypotheses have been advanced by different geomorphologists, the origin of the laterite is as yet a much debated question. Present investigation is an attempt to analyse the empirical observations on Laterite and laterization from a geographical perspective.

Distance from Shivamogga to Anandapur, Karnataka is 47.5 km and travelling takes around 48 min via NH 69.