Bhadravati is an industrial city and taluk in the Shimoga District of Karnataka state, India It is situated at a distance of about 255 kilometres (158 mi) from the state capital Bengaluru and at about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the district headquarters, Shimoga. Bhadravati derives its name from the Bhadra River which flows through the city. It was earlier known as Benkipura (or Venkipura), and earlier Benki Pattana which in English means city of fire. Iron ore from the hill station of Kemmannugundi and water from the Bhadra River helped the establishment of an iron mill in 1918 and a paper mill in 1936. Hoysalas ruled the city. The Goddess "Halldhammadevi & Antargattamadevi" guard the city from past time. The sacred temples are still present in the city. Bhadravati lies in the central part of the Karnataka State, in the south-east corner of the Shimoga district. Bhadravati is at an altitude of 597 metres (1,959 ft) above sea level. The Bhadra River flows through the city, then flows into the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary south of the city. The Bhadravati Taluk has a total area of 675.08 square kilometres (260.65 sq mi), a population of 338,611, and a population density of 501.56 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,299.0/sq mi). The taluk borders five other taluks, the Shimoga Taluk to the west, the Honnali Taluk to the north, the Channagiri Taluk to the east, the Tarikere Taluk to the south-east, and the Narasimharajapura Taluk to the south-west. Two national highways pass through the city: NH-206 and NH-13; the two highways converge for a short length starting in Bhadravati and ending in Shimoga. Two state highways pass through the city as well. Buses that go from Bangalore to Shimoga stop at Bhadravati and take around six hours to complete the journey. The Shimoga–Bangalore train, the Birur–Shimoga train, and the Mysore–Shimoga train all go through Bhadravati.It is well connected by rail to the bengaluru city. The airport is under construction. The nearest airport is in Hubli, around 170 kilometres (110 mi) from Bhadravati. Another airport is under construction in Shimoga near Sogane. Lakshmi Narasimha temple, 13th century Hoysala architecture. The Lakshmi Narasimha temple: This temple was built by the Veera Narasimha, The Grand Son of Vishnuvardhana belonging to Hoysala Dynasty in the 13th Century A.D. The temple has idols of Lord Srikrishna, Lord Purushottama, Lord Ganesha, Goddess Sharadamba along with lord Narasimha. Temple is built on a star shaped platform. Halladammadevi Temple is situated in heart of the city. This is the largest and modern temple in Malnad region. Jain Temple is also popular present near NST road. Largest Shiva Idol is Established near Lower Huttha recently. Sri Ranagatha Temple called Gudhe Ranganatha Honneguda near Bharadravati towards BR project. Shree Chandika Durga Temple, Lower Huttha, is a popular temple located on the banks of river Bhadra. [Gondhi, Sunnadahalli, Kudli Mutt near Bhadravati A sharada peetha by Shankara Charya & Shankar-Sharada math are other sacred place built along the banks of River Bhadra.] Shree Rameshwara and subrmaneswara temple, Old town, is located on the banks of river bhadra,which was temple was built in the year 1910. A Shiva Temple which has been there for more than 80 years opp. Reliance Bunk is noted to have been there installed which is famous for the Shivratri that is performed here. Sri Sathya Sai Baba Mandir, & Sri Shiva Sai Krupa Dhama at Newtown are the popular places to visit and take part in the Pooja's and Bhajans that take place on every Thursdays & Fridays.... Wildlife sanctuaries. Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary was started in 1951 as the Jagara Valley Wildlife Sanctuary covering an area of 77.45 square miles (200.6 km2). In 1972, adjacent land was added to the sanctuary, bringing the total area to 492.46 square kilometres (190.14 sq mi). The reserve was renamed in 1974 to its current name.