Shimoga district

Shivamogga District (:ಶಿವಮೊಗ್ಗ) is a district in the state of. Shivamogga is alternatively spelt as Shimoga. A major part of this district lies in the region of the ; a region known for its green forests, plentiful rainfall, beautiful waterfalls and also of being the source of many rivers that flow in. is the headquarters of this district. The most popular attraction of this district is the. It is also the district that is the native of most number of s of the state of.

Origin of name
There are various legends of how the name Shivamogga has evolved. According to one legend, the name Shivamogga is related to the God. 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 Shivamogga is derived from the word Sihi-Moge which means sweet pot. According to this legend, once had the  of the sage. 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
The history of the Shivamogga region is very much the history of Karnataka itself, considering that all the great kingdoms that came to power here have vied for control of and ruled this land of rich resources. Prior to the beginning of the first millennium, the Shivamogga region formed a part of the empire. The then came to control in central India and Shivamogga must have formed one of the southern most provinces of the kingdom.

After the fall of the Shatavahana empire around 200 C.E., after a brief interlude of confusion that existed, the area came under the control of the  of  around 345 C.E. The Kadambas were the earliest kingdom to give administrative status to  language. Banavasi is just across the border from Shivamogga inside district. Later the Kadambas became feudatories of the Badami around  C.E..

Shivamogga passed into the hands of the in the. It was only under the Kalyani Chalukyas who overthrew the Rashtrakutas did Shivamogga come into prominence in Southern India. Balligavi in Shivamogga district had its greatest and grandest time during there rule. Later in the 12th. century with the weakening of the Kalyani Chalukyas the annexed this area. Shivamogga continued to play an important role in the development of Kannada culture and arts during this time. After the fall of the Hoysalas to the invasion of the Khilji dynasty around 1343 C.E. the entire region came under the without any bloodshed. The kings of the Vijayanagar empire find their roots in this region. After the defeat of Vijayanagar empire in 1565 C.E. in the battle of Tallikota, Shivamogga had one more last surprise in that the local s who were originally feudatory of the Vijayanagar empire took control, declared sovereignty and ruled mostly as an independent kingdom for about two centuries, often waging wars with the, the Sultans of and finally the. In they were finally absorbed into the Kingdom of Mysore and remained a part of it till independence from the British.

Geography
Shivamogga district is a part of the region of  and is also known as the "Gateway to Malnad" or Malenaada Hebbagilu in. Located in the central part of state, Shivamogga district is landlocked, i.e. neither does it have a coastline, nor does it border any other state of. It is bounded by to the northeast,  to the east,  to the southeast,  to the southwest, and  to the northwest.

Ranking 9th in terms of the total area among the districts of Karnataka, Shivamogga district is spread over an area of 8465 km². .

Shivamogga lies between the latitudes 13o27' and 14o39' N and between the longitudes 74o38' and 76o04' E at a mean altitude of 640 metres above sea level. The peak of the hill at an altitude of 1343 metres above sea level is the highest point in this district.

The or  range and the numerous rivers that originate there provide Shivamogga with abundant natural beauty. The numerous lakes, ponds and water bodies make the land very suitable for. Shivamogga is called the rice bowl of Karnataka.

Shivamogga district is the origin of the rivers, Gangavathi, and Tadadi. But the two major rivers that flow through this district are and  which meet at a place called Koodli near Shivamogga city and flow together as.

Climate
Shivamogga district being a part of the region receives good  rainfall; the months from June to October being the rainy season. In the years 1901-1970, it 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 Shivamogga District is around 26oC. The average temperature has increased substantially over the years and the trend can be viewed here

In some regions of Shivamogga district, the day temperature can really soar to about 40oC during summers, leading to water crisis and other problems

Geology
The major soil forms found in the Shivamogga district are Red gravelly clay soil, Red clay soil, Lateritic gravelly clay soil, Lateritic clay soil, Medium deep black soil, Non-saline and saline Alluvo-Colluvial soil and Brown forest soil

Major minerals found in this district are, , , and.

Economy
(including ) is the major contributor to the economy of Shivamogga district. ,, , and  are the major crops cultivated in this district. Karnataka is the largest producer of in India, majority of which is cultivated in the Shimoga district. The farmers from Shimoga are said to be very innovative and have managed to cultivate crops like and  previously unheard of in ; yielding high monetary benefits.

Industries
Agro-based, Automobile-based and Engineering are the major industries present in Shivamogga district. Maximum investment has been made in the and  sector followed by / goods sector. To encourage rural industry, rural youth are being imparted training in, , motor winding, hand pump repair and other areas. Other rural industries in this district are related to, y, , , beekeeping, stone cutting, handlooms, agarbathi( sticks) and carving.

Karnataka Government has created the following Industrial regions to encourage industrialisation of the district:
 * Nidige Industrial Area, Nidige, Taluk
 * Mandli-Kallur Industrial Area, Shivamogga
 * Shivamogga Industrial Estate, Shivamogga
 * Kallahalli Industrial Estate, Shivamogga

Major industries located in Shivamogga district are:
 * (VISL), : Started under the able guidance of, VISL (earlier known as Mysore Iron and Steel plant) has been a pioneer in production of high quality alloy and special s and pig iron. VISL has an installed capacity of 77,000 tonnes of alloy and special steels and 205,000 tonnes of hot metal. This steel plant now belongs to.
 * M/S Mysore Paper Mills Limited (MPM), : The Mysore Paper Mills Limited is an ISO 14001 Company engaged in the manufacture and marketing of Newsprint, Writing, Printing and Packing Paper of different varieties and Sugar at its plant at Bhadravati, Shimoga District with production capacity of 75000 MTA (Metric Tonne per Annum) of Newsprint, 30000 MTA of Writing, Printing and Packing Paper and 2500 TCD (Tonne Crushings per Day) of Sugar

Divisions
Shivamogga district is divided into 2 Sub-divisions and 7 s. The Sub-division comprises the s of, ,  and  while the  Sub-division comprises the s of ,  and.

The Shivamogga district administration is headed by the who also has the additional role of a District. s, s, Shirastedars (revenue official at level), Revenue inspectors and Village Accountants help the  in the administration of the district.

city is the headquarters of the district. It lies in the south-eastern part of the district. The city is spread over an area of 50 km² and has a population of 274352, in which 140224 (51.11%) are males and 134128(48.89%) are females. It has a high literacy rate of 83.79%. The city rose into prominence recently when the 73rd was held here in the month of December-2006.

Shivamogga elects 1 person to the, the Lower House of the Indian Parliament. The Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency comprises the entire Shivamogga district and also covers parts of Nalluru and Ubrani s of of. As of 2005 it had 1,286,181 voters, of whom and  account for 2.2 lakhs, s for two lakhs, Deevaru  for 1.8 lakh,  for 1.6 lakh, and  and s for 1.25 lakh each.

Shivamogga also elects 8 people to the Legislative Assembly of the state of Karnataka. The Assembly constituencies in Shivamogga district are:, , , , , , and.

Road
Shivamogga has a total road length of 6632 km. of which 222 km. belong to the s and 402 km. belong to State Highways.
 * National Highways: Shivamogga has two National Highways passing through it:
 * NH-13 ( - ): Starting from the district's border with, this road passes through the cities of and  on to the  border.
 * NH-206 ( - ): Starting from the district's border with, this road passes through the cities of , and  on to the district's border with.
 * State Highways: Shivamogga has three State Highways passing through it:
 * SH-1 ( - border): Starting from the district's border with, this road passes through the towns of , ,  in Shivamogga district on to the district's border with.
 * SH-26 (Halageri - Hulikal) : Starting from the district's border with, this road passes through the towns of Ayanur, Arasalu and ends at Hulikal which is a town near the district's border with.
 * SH-48: ( - border): Starting from the district's border with, this road passes through the towns of  and  on to the district's border with.

Rail
The rail network in Shivamogga district can be divided among two distinct railway lines that are present in it:
 * Line: The (standard gauge used by ) line starts from the district's border with  and runs through the  station to end at  station. Numerous trains run from  and  to  on this line. Unfortunately, the broad gauge line ends to . This is the only Broad Gauge line in this district and serves only the  and  Taluks. Other Taluks are still to reap the benefits of rail connectivity.
 * Line: This is the older gauge line used by . This line runs from Station; passes through the town of  and ends at Talguppa station, just 12 km from the famous . This line was laid by the  in the year 1938, to serve a dual purpose of transporting wooden logs from  forests and also providing access to the falls. Numerous celebrities have travelled on this line to catch a glimpse of the falls. The train that runs now on this track has a heritage associated with it. It consists of only 2 bogies and is in the form of a . It is not a very popular way to reach the falls since it takes around 4 hours to reach Talguppa from  where as it takes just over an hour to cover the same distance by road. There is a proposal to convert this line into Broad Gauge and finally connect it to the.

Air
An Airport is under construction in sogane 6km from shivamogga city. Airports at, and  can be used for reaching places in the Shivamogga district. However, district

Demographics
According to 2001 census, the total population of the district is 1642545, of which 830559(50.56%) are males and 811986 (49.44%) are females. The urban population is 571010 (34.76%) and rural population is 1069132 (65.24%). Taluk has the highest population with Taluk having the least population. The literacy rate in the district is 74.86% (82.32% of males and 67.24% of females are literate). Taluk has the highest literacy rate (78.27%) while Taluk has the lowest literacy rate (69.59%). The district has a sex-ratio of 977 females to 1000 males. and Taluks have more females than males and hence have a sex-ratio greater than 1000. Taluk having 961 females to 1000 males has the least sex-ratio.

constitute 85.45% of the population with making up 12.25% of the population; the remaining part of the population is made up by,  and other religious groups. is the dominant language in this district with taking the second place.

Some of the unique ethnic groups found in Shivamogga district are:
 * Brahmins who speak a unique dialect of called 'Havyaka Kannada' or 'Havigannada'.
 * s who are concentrated near the - region of Shivamogga district and speak a unique language called as which is derived from.

Culture
Shivamogga district is considered as the heartland of and culture. The cultural importance of Shivamogga was further highlighted when the was held here in Dec-2006. This event held by the was chaired by the famous Kannada poet and writer.

Poetry and Literature
Shivamogga has contributed the following highly regarded scholars to the Kannada culture:
 * : Kuvempu is the short form of the famous Kannda poet and writer, Kuppalli Venkatappagowda Puttappa; being his native village located in  Taluk. Kuvempu has been conferred the title of Rashtrakavi (National poet laureate) and is also the winner of the  award, which is highest literature award of.
 * : Born in, he is the third person from to be conferred the title of Rashtrakavi. Other awards won by him are  Land  Award, Central Sahithya Academy Award and  Award.
 * : Born in Melige village in Taluk, he is also the recipient of the  award.
 * : A well known Kannada scholar, he won the Sahitya Academy award in 1990 for his work Kannada Mahasamputa (work on the poems and dramas of )
 * : A well known novelist in Kannada, many of whose novels have been made into films
 * : son of and a well-known  writer.

Drama
Any description of the culture in Shivamogga district would be incomplete without the mention of the cultural organisation called Nilakanteshwara Natya Seva Sangha, better known as. Located in a tiny village called in  Taluk,  has made tremendous contribution to the Kannada drama and culture. NINASAM was the result of an experiment by the renowned dramatist, where he started to screen classical films and hold dramas at Heggodu. Slowly, this became popular and attracted lot of people from all over Karnataka. This popularity prompted the foundation to provide a grant for a rural film and drama project called as Janaspandana, in which similar drama/film festivals and courses were held in other regions of Karnataka. An estimated 200,000 people were exposed to the best of cinema and around 5000 people attended the courses. The Ninasam Theatre Institute started in 1980, offers a 10-month long diploma course in theatre. Another cultural troupe related to NINASAM is Tiruguta (started in 1985 and means moving around in Kannada) where three major productions are taken around Karnataka and shown to the public. For his efforts in promoting Kannada culture, K V Subbanna won the

Sculpture
Shivamogga district is the home of Gudigars. Gudigars are a clan of craftsmen who specialise in carving intricate designs on objects like. They are concentrated in the and  taluks. They make exquisite items by making use of simple tools like knives, screw drivers, drills and saws. The articles made by them are sold at Government emporiums. The most well known sculptor from this clan is Ashok Gudigar who was born in. Ashok has experimented with various media such as, , , , red , and. At the age of 21, he won the award for his sculpture titled Chalukyan style Ganesha in Shivahonne wood. He also won the National award in the year 1992 at the age of 27 for his work - Hoysala styled Venugopala in Shivahonne wood

Dance
and are some of the dance forms which are prevalent in this district

Cinema
Majority of the theatres in this district run movies. and Tamil movies are also popular in certain areas in this district.

Shivamogga district rose into limelight, when in  Taluk was chosen as the location to shoot the tele-serial  based on a famous novel written by. This serial was directed by the famous Kannada actor and director,.

Some of the noted cinema personalities born in Shivamogga district are:
 * : A well-known film director who has won more awards for Kannada classic movies than any other living film director in India, thus enriching Kannnda film industry and Kannada culture in general. He was born in a village called  in  Taluk.
 * : Born in a village called Konaganahalli in Shivamogga district, P Lankesh is famous for being the editor of the controversial tabloid, . He was also a renowned film director who won the national award for the best direction for his very first film Pallavi in the year 1976.

Cuisine
Rice is the staple food for majority of the people in Shivamogga district. The cuisine in this district is very similar to the Cuisine.

The cuisine in the region of Shivamogga district includes items like midigayi-uppinakai (tender-mango pickle), sandige (similar to ), avalakki (beaten-rice) and. people have their own cuisine consisting of such varied items like genesale (sweet made of, rice and coconut), thotadevvu (sweet made of rice and sugarcane juice) and thambli (a preparation containing other ingredients like ginger,  root,  and  sprouts.)

Flora and Fauna
Being part of the richly forested region, Shivamogga district is the home of various species of flora and fauna. Some of these regions have been protected and classified as wildlife sanctuaries to ensure the progress of these species:
 * Gudavi Bird Sanctuary: This is located in Taluk. Spread over an area of 0.74 km², it comprises a large water tank covering 0.30 ha and a patch of dense moist deciduous forest.
 * Flora: Species of flora found here are  leucoxylon,  polyphyllus,,  paniculata, ,  lanceolata,  latifolia, Adina cprdifolia, Xylia xylocarpa, , , ,  monosperma, , ,  and Kirangamelia reticulata.
 * Fauna: 191 species have been recorded here, of which 63 are water-dependent. 20 species are known to breed here. Water birds in the sanctuary include the, , little , Indian shag, , , large , , , , , , , , , , , and cotton . An average of about 8000 white ibis is known to visit this sanctuary every year.
 * Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary: This is located in Taluk. It has evergreen and semi-evergreen forests with its Easter portion adjoining the  reservoir.
 * Flora: The species found here are indicus,  tomentosum and  macrantha,, Aporosa lindleyana, ,  scandens,  scandens,  and  intia. In the semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, common species include  lanceolata,  parviflora,  latifolia,  pentagyna,  arborea, ,  sp.,  and  altissima.
 * Fauna: The main animals here are s and groups of . Other mammals include tiger, leopard (black panther), wild dog, jackal,, , , , , wild pig, common , , , giant , , s and s. Reptiles include , , and . Avian species found here are three species of , , ,  and.
 * Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary: It lies adjacent to Shimoga town and has forests ranging from dry deciduous to semi-evergreen and is spread over an area of 395.6 sq. km.
 * Flora: Trees of the dry deciduous parts include, bellerica, , , ,  lanceolata,  tinctoria,  and . In the moist deciduous forest, species such as , Xylia xylocarpa,  tilaefolia and Kydia Calycina are found. Bamboos,  strictus and  arundinacea, are also typical of these forests. The semi-evergreen forests are represented by species of , , ,  and . Plantations of ,  and  exist in the sanctuary.
 * Fauna: Mammals in the sanctuary include tiger, leopard, wild dog, jackal,, elephant, , , spotted deer, wild pig, , , common mongoose, , porcupine, , giant and . Python, cobra, king cobra, rat snake and marsh crocodile are among the reptiles found in the sanctuary. Birds include s, s, s, s, doves, pigeons, s, s, s, s, swallows, woodpeckers, peafowl, jungle fowl and s . A tiger and lion safari at a place called Tyavarekoppa was created in the north eastern part of the sanctuary in the year 1988.
 *  was started in 1951 as Jagara Valley Game Sanctuary covering an area of about 252 km². It was combined with the surrounding Lakkavalli forests in the year 1972 and given its present name of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. It now spans an area of 492 km². It has two component areas Muthodi and Lakkavalli. Some of the wild animals found in this sanctuary are, , , , elephant, gaur, sloth bear, , , , , , common , , and the . Some of the bird species found here are shama, , various species of s, s, s and pigeons, s and . The sanctuary has been recently adopted under a tiger-conservation project called '' which is an initiative from the Indian Government. Best season to visit is from October to February.
 * Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary is located on the NH-13 at a distance of 30 km. from town on the way to . This is a small island surrounded by  river and the birds found here are median, ,  and.
 * Tyavarekoppa Lion Safari lies about 10 km. from town on the way to . Lions, tigers and deer are housed here in an enclosed area and a safari is organised.
 * Sakrebailu Elephant Camp lies 14 km. from town on the way to . As the name suggests, this is a training camp where elephants undergo training from s.

Education
Shivamogga district is a major centre for education in the state of. A relatively high literacy rate of 74.86% is testimony to the fact. There are various institutions offering education in this district which are briefly detailed in the sections below

Kuvempu University
Kuvempu University, near the project is the premier institution catering to the needs of higher education in this district. It is named after the renowned Kannada poet and writer,. Apart from Shivamogga district, Kuvempu University has jurisdiction over the districts of, and. . There are 124 degree colleges affiliated to Kuvempu University; in addition to four Constituent Colleges, administered by the University. and teaching programmes exist under the faculties of Arts, Commerce, Education, Engineering, Science and Technology, and Law.

Technical Education

 * Engineering: There are two Engineering College in the Shivamogga district i.e. Jawaharlal Nehru National College of Engineering (JNNCE) which is located at Navule, in the outskirts of Shivamogga city and the other is PESIT&M. JNNCE was established in 1980 by the National Educational Society, this college is affiliated to, . It offers 8 courses in the Bachelor of Engineering and 3 Post Graduate Engineering courses. PESIT&M ( PES Institute of Technology and Management) was established in 2007.
 * Pharmacy:One pharmacy college i.e National college of Pharmacy (NCP)located in the heart of the city, established in 1986 offering diploma, degree and post graduate cources in pharmacy.


 * Polytechnics: There are 7 Polytechnics in the Shivamogga District
 * D.V.S Polytechnic, Shivamogga
 * Government Residential Polytechnic for Women, Shivamogga
 * Govt Polytechnic,
 * Sahyadri Polytechnic,
 * Sanjay Memorial Polytechnic,
 * T.M.A.E. Society's Polytechnic,
 * VI SSJ Govt Polytechnic,

Medical Education
There is one Allopathic Medical College in Shivamogga district. It is SIMS ( Shimoga Institute of Medical Sciences) established in 2007 and located in Shivamogga City. There are two colleges here, one being Bapuji Ayurvedic Medical College located in Shivamogga city and the other being T.A.M.E Society's Ayurvedic College located in Kavalgundi,. Both offer degree courses in B.A.M.S (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicene and Surgery). There is also one dental college i.e. Sharavathi Dental College located in Shivamogga district

Graduate Education
There are 31 colleges in Shivamogga district offering graduation courses.

Under-graduate Education
There are 68 colleges in Shivamogga district offering under-graduate (pre-university) education. Notable among these are the DVS PU (Independent) College and DVS PU Composite college whose alumni have bagged many ranks in the Pre-University and Engineering Entrance Examination

Primary and Secondary Education
There are 1147 schools offering Primary Education and 313 High-Schools offering Secondary Education in the Shivamogga district.

Sports
Some of the common sports being played by the people in Shivamogga district include, , and. The major national sports event held in this district was the 18th Junior National Athletic Championship which was held in Shivamogga in the year 2003.

Arguably, is the most favourite sport in this district as it is with the rest of. Shivamogga district has offered one of the best batsmen ever to play Indian cricket, who was born in. Even roads turn into cricket pitches where the boys play their own version of the cricket with own set of rules, commonly called as galli cricket. No international cricket matches have ever been staged in Shivamogga district; though the district has played host to matches, which is the premier national level cricket tournament in India. The following stadiums here have hosted matches:
 * Nehru Stadium, Shivamogga
 * VISL Cricket Stadium,

Some unique outdoor games like, , , 'goli'(marbles), 'kunte bille' and 'lagori' find more favour in the rural areas of the district. Board games like, and channe mane are also played here.

Places of Antiquity
Legends compare 12th century in Shikaripura taluk to Lord 's Amaravathi or Lord 's Alakavathi. Balligave was the centre of learning, secular arts, commerce and sculpture. The town had thirteen education centers, fifty four temples of which only a few survive today, twelve basadis, three  viharas and many majestic palaces, lakes, wide roads and a population of about sixty thousand. Archaeological evidence points to existence of Balligavi as early as the Shatavahanas. Balligavi was the center of many religions like and , Brahmi, Shaktha, ,.

The Kedareshwar temple ( C.E.) in Chalukya-Hoysala style, Tripurantkeswar temple ( C.E.), Gandabherundeswar temple ( C.E.) in later Chalukya style in Balligavi and the Aghoreshwara temple at Ikkeri and the Rameshwara temple at  both built in the 17th. century by the s are silent reminders of a glorious past. The Nayakas have used a variety of styles from predecessor kingdoms like the late Kadambas, Hoysala and even dravida styles. Balligavi was also the native place of Shantaladevi, queen of Hoysala. Many sculptors who worked for the Hoysalas to build the famous temples at Belur and Halebid came from here including Dasoja, Malloja, Nadoja, Siddoja. During the movement, Balligavi contributed great karas like  who was born here and other like, Animishayya and Mukthayakka who were also associated with this place.

Water falls

 * : This is the 11th highest waterfall in India and ranks 313 in the list of highest waterfalls in the world . With a total height of 253 mts; this is where the river Sharavathi falls into a deep gorge in four distinct flows of water which are termed as Raja, Rani, Rover and Rocket. Jog Falls lies in Taluk and is 30 km. from the town of


 * : Having a height of 455 mts, is the highest waterfall in  and ranks 116 in the list of highest waterfalls in the world . This waterfall is located near  and is formed by the  river. The  is used for the production of electricity.


 * : Located near and 80 km. from  town, Barkana Falls is the 10th highest waterfall in India and ranks 308 in the list of highest waterfalls in the world.


 * Achakanya Falls: This is near a place called Aralsuruli, 10 km from the town of on the way to . This is also formed by the  river.


 * Vanake-Abbey Falls: In the heart of forests, this waterfall is located 4 km. from.


 * Hidlamane Falls: A significant amount of trekking takes one to these falls located near Nittur in Taluk.


 * Dabbe Falls: This waterfall is located near a place called Hosagadde in taluk. On the road from  to, Hosagadde lies at a distance of about 20 km from the town of . From Hosagadde a walk of 6-8 km into the forest, leads one to Dabbe Falls

Dams

 * : This dam is built across the river and is located 6 km. from the . It is also the location of the  Hydro-electric project which has a power generating capacity of 55 MW. Water which is released from this dam flows into the . The best sight of the  is in the monsoon season when excess water is released from this dam.


 * dam: This dam lies across at, a distance of 20 km from  City. The whole design of this dam was done by , the then Chief Engineer of Karnataka State. The dam mainly serves the purpose of irrigation in and around  Taluk and  Taluk of.


 * dam: This dam is built across the river in a village called Gajanur, 12 km from  city on the National Highway NH-13 (the road that goes to ).

River sources and confluences

 * : Located 16 km. from the city, Koodli is the place where the two rivers,  and Bhadra join and become  river, one of the largest tributaries of the river . Koodli also contains two temples of the  era, one dedicated to the  God,  and the other to . An inscription in the temple indicates that in the year 1313, the Hoysala king, Veera Ballala III provided grants to the temple. Koodli also contains a religious institution called Koodli Matth, which propagates philosophy of.


 * Ambuteertha: Located 10 km. from on the - road, Ambuteertha is the source of the river . Starting from here,  travels westwards to reach the  near, 132 km. away.


 * Varadamoola: Located 6 km. from town, Varadamoola is the source of the river Varada. Varada flows through the town of  before joining.

Hill Stations and Adventure

 * west of Shivamogga city is at a distance of 90 km. The altitude here is 826 meters, and the place is famous for its enchanting Sunsets. As the Sun sets, it takes on different colours and this is reflected by the Arabian sea.


 * Kavaledurga is a magnificent fort located on a hill at an altitude of 5056 feet.


 * Hills is 115 km. from Shivamogga city. At an altitude of 1411 ft. This hill station provides great views of the forests of the in Shivamogga and  districts. This good weekend getaway is only now being discovered by those other than hardy trekkers.


 * Kundadri has unique rock formations and has good views
 * Chibbalagudde, Thirthahalli, Very calm, nice place which is in bank of tunga river, Siddivinayaka temple, Fish's are like Sringeri and more...

History and Religion

 * Shivamogga fort is mostly in ruins but a well renovated Hoysala temple of Seetharamanjaneya is worth visiting.


 * Shivappa Nayaka Palace and Museum is located right in the city of Shivamogga itself. The palace built by the 17th. century ruler Shivappa Nayaka contains many interesting pieces of sculpture and artifacts from that period.


 * Government Museum in the city contains many ancient coins, manuscripts and inscriptions for the historically inclined.


 * town is called "steel town" for its steel industries. The Lakshminarasimha temple of 13th. century Hoysala style is worth a visit.


 * Chandragutti in Soraba taluk is a short distance from Balligavi. The fort built by Banavasi Kadambas and the Renukamba temple are the places to see.


 * Humcha is a Jain pilgrimage place with 10th and 11th century Panchakuta basadi, Padmavathi temple and Jain Math which are worth visiting.


 * Church of the Sacred Heart is in the city itself and is the second largest in


 * Kubetoor has several Kalyani Chalukyan temples. The Kedareshvara temple is the best.


 * Nagara was the last capital of the Keladi Kings. The Hyder Ali tank, Neelakanteshwara and Venkataramana temple are of interest here.


 * Sagara and Soraba are famous for their wood carvings and handicrafts. They have a long history of the art.


 * Talagunda is an important place in terms of . This place has several ancient temples and has unveiled very important inscriptions including the famous 450 C.E. "Talagunda inscription" of Shantivarman, an early Kadamba king. The inscription is in  language and has given historians very useful information about the Kadamba Kingdom and its history.


 * Uduthadi, birth place of Virashaiva saints and Vaitagyanidhi.

Wildlife
See the section in this page