Jog Falls during the rainsShimoga is synonymous with Malnad (country or city of hills) as it is nestled in the lush forests of Western Ghats.

With its wildlife, scenic hills, waterfalls & rivers, ancient temples and adventure spots, tourism in Shimoga is well promoted by the Karnataka Tourist department.

In this travel guide, you can find information about Shimoga, the climate, reaching there, the tourist attractions and much more. "Malnadige Swaagata" (Welcome to Malnad)

About Shimoga City

Sharavathi River flows through ShimogaShimoga (which was renamed to Shivamogga in 2005) District is a part of the Malnad region of Karnataka and is also known as the "Gateway to Malnad" or Malenaada Hebbagilu in Kannada.

Located in the central part of Karnataka state, it does not have a coastline, nor does it border any other state of India. It is bordered by Haveri to the northeast, Davanagere to the east, Chikamagalur District to the southeast, Udupi to the southwest, and Uttara Kannada (Karwar) to the northwest. 

Shimoga district is the origin of the rivers Kali, Gangavathi, Sharavathi and Tadadi. But the two major rivers that flow through this district are Tunga and Bhadra which meet at a place called Koodli near Shivamogga City and flow together as Tungabhadra.

With the rivers that originate here and the forests of the Western Ghats (Sahyadri Range), Shimoga is gifted with natural beauty. The numerous lakes, ponds and water bodies make the land very suitable for agriculture. It is called the rice bowl of Karnataka.

History of Shimoga

The history of the Shimoga region is very much the history of Karnataka itself as many great rulers from Ashoka the great (Maurya dynasty) to the Chalukyas, the Hoysalas, the Gangas, the Rashtrakutas and the kingdom of Vijayanagar empire have fought over this resource-rich land.

Read more about the history of Shimoga

How to reach Shimoga and Local Transport

Shimoga can be easily reached from Bangalore (Karnataka's capital city), Mysore, Hassan, Chikmagalur and neighboring towns. Regular buses and trains are available. You can get around the city by auto rickshaws.

Read more about reaching Shimoga

Climate

The temperature varies between 26 deg Celsius to 40 deg Celsius during day times.  The region receives monsoon rainfall between May end and August.

You can visit during the end of the monsoon in late August or September to see nature in its full glory here. Summers are very hot and unless you don't mind travelling in the sun, you can visit here between March and August. 

Holiday destinations in and around Shimoga

Shimoga city itself doesn't have may tourist attractions. However around Shimoga district, there are many tourist places that you can spend days visiting.

Sunset View at AgumbeJog Falls is the main holiday destination. It is the highest waterfall in India and has a place in the leading waterfalls of the world. Agumbe, a hill spot is know for it amazing sunsets.

It also has a concentration of a number of wildlife spots such as the Badra wildlife sanctuary,  Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary, Sakrebailu Elephant Camp, Tavarekoppa Lion Safari, to name a few.

You can also see the numerous dams, reservoirs and river spots such as the Lingamakki dam and Gajanur dam. Ancient temples in Shimoga such as Balligavi and Koodli Sangama are also tourism hotspots.

Around Shimoga you can visit Chikmagalur, Hassan, Udupi and Chitradurga each of which are within 3 to 4 hours travel time

Read more for a detailed guide of Shimoga Tourist attractions 

(photo by magiceye)

Culture

Shimoga has seen many artistes, poets, literatteurs and theatre personalities who have conributed to the culture of Karnataka. The famous ones are Sri Kuppalli Ventakappagowda Puttappa popularly known as Kuvempu; he is a Jnanpith Award winner. G S Shivarudrappa, U R Ananthamurthy, S V Parameshwara Bhatta, M K Indira and Poorna Chandra Tejaswi, son of Kuvempu are the others.

The city is the also is the location of the Gudigar clan. Gudigars are skilled craftsmen who specialise in carving intricate designs on objects like sandalwood. They are concentrated in the Sagar and Sorab taluks. They use simple tools and yet make mind boggling artifacts.

Dollu Kunitha and Yakshagana are some of the dance forms which are popular at this place.

Malnad Cuisine

Like other destinations in Karataka and South India, Rice is the staple food for majority of the people in Shivamogga.  Some favourite dishes of Malnad are Midigayi-uppinakai (tender-mango pickle), Sandige (similar to pappadum), Avalakki (beaten-rice) and Akki rotti (Rice rotis).

Havyaks (a Brahmin sect) prepare items like Genesale (sweet made of jaggery, rice and coconut), Thotadevvu (sweet made of rice and sugarcane juice) and Thambli (a curd preparation containing other ingredients like ginger, turmeric root, jasmine and rose sprouts)

Use the quick links to learn more about Shimoga and its attractions: