What is "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.

Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 28 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Karnataka state in southern India. As of 2005 it had 1,286,181 voters, of whom Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes account for 220,000; Lingayats for 200,000; Deevaru for 180,000; Muslims for 160,000; and Brahmins and Vokkaligas for 125,000 each.