| Kodagu (Coorg), the thickly wooded grandeur on the Western Ghats, is the most beautiful hill station of Karnataka. It is the home of Kodava people. Madikeri (Mercara) is the headquarters of the district. Kodagu is situated at 4000ft above sea level. Kodagu is full of dense forests, plantations, orange groves and paddy fields. The rich heritage of the people of Kodagu, the land the culture and the abundant natural beauty beckons every visitor to conserve this tiny district |
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The cool bracing wind whips the hair about your faces as you ramble along the streets that dip and rise delightfully. Breathtaking views surprise you from pretty cottages as you sniff appreciatively the heady fragrance of coffee blossoms. You are in Madikeri (previously known as Mercara). A picturesque charming town situated at an elevation of over 5,000 ft (1,525 m) above sea level. |
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| Madikeri is the district headquarters of Kodagu (formerly Coorg). Dubbed as the Scotland of India, Kodagu is the home of colorful, robust, martial race - the Kodavas, Said to be the descendants of the Greeks (Alexander's soldiers), the kodavas are fiercely independent. They were never conquered by either Tipu Sultan neither the British. And so to this day all kodavas retain the privilege of carrying firearms without a license. |
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| Kodagu is famous for the generals it has produced for the Indian army. The woman are known for their beauty. But what kodavas are famous for is their hospitality. Madikeri is a great place to walk, winding lanes meander off the main street, Mountain trails promise visual delights. And the Tadiyandamol, the tallest peak in the area, stands patiently, waiting to be climbed. |
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| Madikeri |
| Madikeri was small town in 1817 AD with hardly 300 houses. After the British annexed Kodagu by 1834 AD the town began to expand. The town was constituted into a municipality by 1870 AD. The headquarters of Kodagu district, Madikeri is now a town with a population of 28,729 as per 1991 census |
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| The town is picturesquely situated on an elevated plateau on the Western Ghats. It is at a height of 3740 feet above mean sea level. The main edifice at Madikeri is the fortress built on a flat topped hill providing spacious enclosures for the palace and its subsidiary buildings. The palace is now converted into government offices including the Deputy Commissioner's office |
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| Abbi falls |
| Abbi Falls is 6 Kms from Madikeri, where the Madikeri or Muttaramutta stream naturally falls from a precipice at a height of 70 feet in between huge boulders to a rocky valley. 'Abbi' in Kodava language means a waterfall. The British called it the Jessy waterfalls in memory of Jessy the daughter of Madikeri's first chaplain. To reach the falls one has to go down from the road amidst coffee estate. This is a favourite spot for tourists |
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| Igguthappa Devara Betta |
| Igguthappadevara betta, in the proximity of the Aiyengeri forest near Kakkabbe , is a lofty peak and is a pilgrim centre for the Coorgs in particular and other Hindus in general. Worshippers from all over the district congregate at the shrine and offer poojas and sometimes "Tulabhara", weighing oneself with rice or coconuts and offering the same to the deity along with some money. The place is highly venerated for the presiding deity Subramanya, the patron God of Coorg |
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| Bhagamandala |
| Bhagamandala is on the banks of the confluence of three rivers, Cauvery, Kannike and the sub terranian Sujyoti, popularly known as "Triveni Sangama". The famous Sri Bhagandeswara temple is located here. A large number of tourists visit Bhagamandala particularly during the Thula Sankramana jatra and the entire Thula month(October-November) |
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| Bhagandeshwara Temple |
| The Bhagandeswara temple complex though said to have been built by the Cholas prior to th 11th century follows the gabled roof style of the Kerala temple architecture common on the west coast |
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| There are four temples in the temple complex of Ishwara, Subrahmanya, Mahavishnu and Ganapathi. The Ganapathy temple is in the outer prakara and the other three are in a line in the inner prakara. The Bhagandeswara temple has a simple structure consisting of a square garbhagriha with a small ardhamantapa. The cone shaped shikhara has the stupika and the golden pinnacle donated by Doddaveerarajendra |
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| Talacauveri (tala-kaa-ve-ri) |
| Talacauveri is the birthplace of the sacred river Cauvery. It is situated on the slopes of the Brahmagiri Hills, and can be reached by a motorable road from Bhagamandala, which is at a distance of 8 kms. There are temples dedicated to Ishwara & Ganapathi at the source of Cauvery |
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| Triveni Sangam |
| A sacred site for the Hindus, Bhagamandala is on the banks of the confluence of three rivers, Cauvery, Kannika and a mythical river Sujyothi, to form the 'Triveni Sangam'. One of the seven sacred rivers of 'Sapta Sindhu', river Cauvery flows for about 800 km across the stats of Karnataka and Tamilnadu before it empties into the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar in Tamilnadu. |
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| Nagarahole National Park |
| The Nagarahole game sanctuary was constituted in 1955, and extends over 111 sq. miles of reserved forests in the eastern region of the district. The game sanctuary comprises three forest ranges namely, Nagarahole, Kallahalla & Thitimathi. The sanctuary is situated at the distance of 105 kms from Madikeri, and is close to Heggadadevanakote of Mysore district. It is accessible by a good all weather motorable road from Thithimati, which branches of from Mysore & Madikeri |
