Shimoga

Shimoga, officially renamed 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 the Western Ghats, the city is popularly nicknamed as “Gateway of Malnad”.The city is 569 m above sea level and is surrounded by lush green paddy fields, arecanut and coconut groves. The population of Shimoga city is 322,428, consisting of 161,978 males and 160,450 females, as per 2011 census.

In Shivamogga the winter and the early part of summer are typically dry periods. The majority of the rainfall occurs between June and early October. Shimoga is a part of a region known as Malnad (land of hills) in Karnataka. Most/all these hills are part of the Western Ghats, a region known for plentiful rainfall and lush greenery and declared during 2012 as a World Heritage site.

Bhadravathi is 20 km from Shivamogga and a four-lane road connects the twin cities. Both are well connected by Road and Rail. There is a 20-year-old plan to make Shivamogga and Bhadravathi twin cities and to establish the Shivamogga-Bhadravathi Mahanagara Palike and thereby develop both cities. Bhadravathi can be called as industrial town with factories like Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Limited, The Mysore Paper Mills Limited etc. are located there. Bhadravathi-Shivamogga Industrial area, established at Machenahalli, in between the twin cities hosts several industries making this district into a full planned city.