Shimoga is a city of Chikmagalur district of Karnataka state. It is the head quarters of the district known by the same name. The district spreads covers an area of 8,465 sq. km. and the population as per the 2001 Census is 14, 52,259. The city is 274 km from the state capital Bangalore. It is situated on the banks of the sacred river Tungabhadra. During the days of Keladi Nayakas, Shimoga was very popular.
Shimoga has very interesting landscape interspersed with historic monuments. There is a temple at Badravathi in Shimoga. The presiding deity of this temple is the Lord Lakshminarayana. It was constructed following the Hoysala architecture. There are also large numbers of industries in the Shimoga city. This city is well known for its ivory and sandalwood industries. These articles of the city attract lots of tourists. The visitors can enter the factories filled with the exotic sandalwood fragrance and those suffused with the coveted ivory.
Shimoga attracts lots of visitors with diverse interests, with its architectural temples and wonderful industries. It is also an enchanting picnic spot. The Jog Falls here stands out as the highest waterfalls of the Nation. The Mahatma Gandhi Hydro-Electric Power Station is also a worth visiting place here.