Tunga Mahavidyalaya (Kannada: ತುಂಗಾ ಮಹಾವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ ) is located at the foothills of Anandagiri in Thirthahalli Town. Tunga Mahavidyalaya "is the offspring of" Tunga Vidyavardhaka Sangha" - an association of the philanthropists. Thirthahalli Taluk is the birthplace of great writers, artists, Jurists and political leaders. It has given birth to two Jnanapeetha awardees - Rastrakavi Kuvempu and U. R. Ananthamurthy, besides a host of other eminent writers like H.M. Nayak, Sri. S.V. Parameshwar Bhat, Poornachandra Tejashwi and so on. Former Chief Minister of Karnataka, Sri. Kadidal Manjappa, socialist leader Sri. S. Gopal Gowda, Justice N.D. Venkatesh, Justice Rama Jois, Cine Director Sri. Girish Kasaravalli, artists like, C.S. Krishna Shetty and B.M. Jagadeesh, B.S. Vishwanath of Co-Operative Mov