make your perfect way to coorg (kodagu)

The clan of Kodavas in the Indian state of Karnataka have a long history of association with the game of field

hockey. The district of Kodagu which is the land of the Kodavas is considered as the cradle

of Indian hockey. More than 50 Kodavas have represented India in international hockey tournaments, out of

which 7 have also participated in Olympics. B P Govinda, M P Ganesh, M M Somaiya, C S Poonacha are

some of the prominent Kodavas who have represented India. The passion for hockey in Kodagu is so much that

more than 200 families participate in an annual hockey festival. This festival is recognised as one of the largest

field hockey tournaments in the world and has been referred to the Guinness Book of Records.However it has

already found a mention in the Limca Book of Records, which is an Indian variant of the Guinness Book.

Origin OF KODAVA HOCKEY FESTIVAL :

The Kodava hockey festival was started in the year 1997 and was the brainchild of 69 year old Pandanda

Kuttappa who was a first division hockey referee and an ex-employee of State Bank of India. He conceived the

idea of creating a platform in which the different Kodava families can get together. Realising the passion of

hockey in Kodagu, he decided that a hockey festival would be a good event to bring Kodavas together. He also

chose the hockey festival because he was disturbed about the growth of junior hockey players

from Kodagu.The finances required for the inaugural tournament were provided by Kuttappa ably supported by

his brother Pandanda Kashi Ponnappa. The response was very good and this tournament held at Karada and

called as Pandanda Cup attracted around 60 families. Some rules were framed which included that all the team

members must belong to the same family (surname) and participate in a full hockey attire. Even women could be

a part of the team and it was left to the woman to decide whether she wants to represent the father's family or

that of the husband's.

The founder of the festival, Pandanda Kuttappa (Kuttani) hit a silver hockey ball with a silver hockey

stick on the field to formally inaugurate the fest on the Kodava Sports and Cultural Centre grounds,

amidst applause by a large crowd.

Growth OF HOCKEY

After the inaugural tournament, an academy called as The Kodava Hockey Academy was started to oversee and

have the final say in all matters related to the future tournaments.Each subsequent tournament would be

organised annually by a different Kodava family and the name of the family was given as the name of the

tournament. The organising family was mainly responsible for arranging the finances and infrastructure needed

for

the festival. The cost was recovered from the sponsors and raffle tickets. Kodava families which participated in

the tournament also shared a part of the cost depending on their capacity and will. The response to the

tournament grew year by year and reached a maximum in the year 2003 in which 280 teams participated for

the Kaliyanda Cup at Napoklu. The maximum women participation was in the year 2000 when 30 women took

part in the Cheppudira Cup held at Ponnampet. The opening and closing ceremonies are held with pomp and

splendour and various dances and martial arts of Kodavas are demonstrated. The tournament is inaugurated by a

guest by doing a pass-back of the hockey ball using a silver hockey stick. Stalls setup around the venue do

brisk

business because of the large crowds that come to view the matches.

The 14th edition of the Kodava hockey tournament is being held by the Maneyapanda family [4] in Ponnampet

from April 18 to May 9. The tournament was inaugurated by the Union Minister for Sports and Youth affairs Dr M

S Gill.^[4] Dr. Gill said here on Sunday that the Government of India would do its bit to raise the sagging fortunes

of Indian hockey.

Calling Maneyapanda Kodava Hockey Festival as a “special national occasion”, Mr. Gill said he had spoken to

president of the International Hockey Federation Leandro Negre that India and other hockey-playing nations in

Asia should have a fair share in all matters relating to international hockey, such as management and umpiring.

At the same time, he said, India needed experts in all aspects of the game.

An exhibition match was played between All Star Indian XI and Coorg XI in which the latter won 3-2. All Star

Indian XI was led by Dhanraj Pillay and Coorg XI was led by C.S. Poonacha.

The 15th edition of the tournament was held at Ponnampet and was hosted by Machamada^[5] Family. A total of

228 teams participated in this edition with Palanganda family emerging as winners once again.

The 16th edition of the tournament was held at Ammathi (South Kodagu) and is hosted by Iychettira family. The

Iychettira Hockey Cup 2012 saw 217 teams and 3255 players participate in 23 days of action packed Hockey.

Over 2 lakh people came to watch the matches and experience the festival atmosphere at the Iychettira Hockey

Cup and Palanganda family was the winners again.

The 17th edition of the tournament was held at Balugodu near Virajpet hosted by Madanda family. An exhibition

match was played between Punjab XI and Coorg XI ended in a 1-1 draw later. Total of 225 teams participated in

Madanda Hockey Fest-2013 and Anjaparavanda grabbed the victory against Strong Palanganda family.

The 18th edition of the tournament will be hosted by Thathanda^[6] family at Virajpet. Thathanda family holds the

credit of hosting 2nd edition of Kodava Cricket Cup in the year 2001.

Tournament

No.	Year	Name	Held at	Number of teams	Winner	Runners Up
1	1997	Pandanda Cup	Karada	60	Kaliyanda	Anjaparavanda
2	1998	Kodira Cup	Kadanga	116	Kullettira	Koothanda
3	1999	Ballachanda Cup	Kakotparambu	140	Koothanda and Kullettira	-
4	2000	Cheppudira Cup	Ponnampet	170	Koothanda	Nellamakkada
5	2001	Nellamakkada Cup	Ammathi	220	Koothanda	Cheppudira
6	2002	Chekkera Cup	Hudikeri	252	Kullettira	Nellamakkada
7	2003	Kaliyanda Cup	Napoklu	280	Nellamakkada	Konerira
8	2004	Maleyanda Cup	Madapur	235	Koothanda	Nellamakkada
9	2005	Biddanda Cup	Madikeri	222	Nellamakkada	Koothanda
10	2006	Kallichanda Cup	Ponnampet	217	Palanganda	Machamada
11	2007	Mandettira Cup	Kakotparambu	186	Mandepanda	Anjaparavanda
12	2008	Alamengada Cup	Ponnampet	216	Anjaparavanda	Koothanda
13	2009	Mandepanda Cup	Ammathi	231	Nellamakkada	Koothanda
14	2010	Maneyapanda Cup	Ponnampet	214	Palanganda	Mukkatira(Bonda)
15	2011	Machamada Cup	Ponnampet	228	Palanganda	Kaliyanda
16	2012	Iychetira Cup	Ammathi	217	Palanganda	Kaliyanda
17	2013	Madanda Cup	Balugodu	225	Anjaparavanda	Palanganda
18	2014	Thathanda Cup	Virajpet	this year

http://www.thathandahockeyfest.com/

This is all about coorg/kodagu

before

you land on warriors land

Coorg was earlier a small

independent kingdom till 1834, which

was annexed by British, as a result of

Coorg War and the King of Coorg was

deposed. Coorg as such in 1834

became a separate province (main

administrative division ) of British

India.

Coorg State was a separate State

within Union of India from 1950 to 1956

with Mercara as its Capital. Cheppudira

Muthana Poonacha was the first and

last Chief Minister of Coorg State from

1950 till 1956. In 1956, when India's

state boundaries were reorganized, it

became a district of the then Mysore

State Mysore State was later renamed

as Karnataka, as the historical region

Coorg, now forms the part of Kodagu

district of Karnataka

The Coorgs or the people of Coorg are

known for their great hospitality and

sense of humour.

Their friendly nature

makes visitors travel to Coorg over and

over again.

kodagu(Coorg)

Total Area - 4102 Sq.km

Population - 5,45,000 (approx.)

Altitude - 5000ft / 1525m

Temperature - Max:32c Min:10c

Average Rainfall - 120-135`` (Inches)

Highest Rainfall - Bhagamandala 235``

Taluks - Virajpet, Madikeri, Somwarpet

Head Quarters - Madikeri, Ht: 1,525 mts08272

“ The Scotland of India”

• One of the District with dense forest in

India with 80% of its area covered by forest.

• Some parts of the forest are set aside as

sacred land called “ Devara Cadoo”

( God’s Forest).

• One of the 8 hot spot of biodiversity in the

world ( Is the term used to describe the

variety of life found on earth & all of the

natural processes ).

• Trees like Teak, Rose Wood, Sandal wood,

Nandi, Honne etc., are found.

• Largest coffee growing district in India.

Arabica and Robusta are the main two

variety of coffee grown.

• Spices like Pepper, Cardamom, Ginger

and

fruits like Orange and Banana are other

crops.

• Other fruits like Mangoes, Jackfruit and

Lime are also available in plenty.

• Rice is the major crop of Kodagu and is

the staple food of Kodavas.

• Coorg Honey is famous for its richness

and distinct flavour.

Coffee

• Country of origin Ethiopia

• Introduced Approx. 15th century

(beverage)

• Color Dark brown, beige, black, light

brown

• Two most commonly grown Coffee

Species are Coffee Arabica and

Robusta.

• Once ripe, coffee berries are picked,

processed, and dried. The seeds are

then roasted to varying degrees,

depending on the desired flavor. They

are then ground and brewed to create

coffee. Coffee can be prepared and

presented in a variety of ways.

State of Karnataka accounting 53%

followed by Kerala 28%

Tamilnadu

11% of production of 8,200 tones.

Indian coffee is said to be the finest coffee

grown in the shade rather than direct

sunlight anywhere in the world.

Grading of Coffee

Coffee Arabica :- Planatation AA,

Planatation A, Planatation B , Peaberry,

Cuts & Splits.

Robusta :- Planatation A, Planatation B,

cuts & Splits.

Famous Personalities from

Coorg

Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa

Cariappa :- (28 January 1899 - 15 May 1993)

HE was the first Indian Chief of Staff and one of the highest

Indian Military rank holders. He was appointed as the

Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Military in 1949.

Kodendera Subayya Thimayya :- (March 30, 1906 -1965).

He became a commissioned officer of the British Indian Army

1926.

He became Chief of Staff of the Indian Army in 1957.

PLACE TO VISIT IN COORG

River Cauvery

•Rising from the Western Ghats range

of Karnataka, Cauvery (also Kaveri)

is one of the sacred rivers in India. It

of particular importance to South

India, where the river flows before

merging into the Bay of Bengal. The

river covers a distance of about 765

km and flows through the state of

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. On its

journey to the Bay of Bengal, the

river is joined by its tributaries, which

include Shimsa, Hemavathi,

Honnuhole, Arkavathi, Kapila,

Lakshmana Theertha, Kabini,

Lokapavani, Bhavani, Noyil

and Amaravathy.

•Talacauvery (also Talakaveri)

located

about 5000 ft above sea level is

considered the source of the Cauvery.

Talacauvery is located in Coorg

district of Karnataka and is 47 km

from madikeri. Talacauvery is

considered a famous pilgrimage site

in

Karnataka. At the source of the

Cauvery there is a temple where every

year on Tula sankramana thousands

of pilgrims gather to pay their
respects

to the Cauvery.

Dubare Elephant Camp

Dubare Elephant camp is a

project undertaken by forest

department and Jungle

Lodges and Resorts Ltd. This

camp has plenty of

elephants which are trained

under naturalists A trained

Naturalist is at hand to

explain the various aspects

of Elephant history,

ecology and biology. The

visitor can not only observe

and learn but also

participate

in various activities

involving

Elephants.

Golden Temple Tour

The Tibetan Monastery or the

Tibet

Camp as locally called is

located

around 6 kms from

Kushalnagar

town towards Mysore. This

Tibetan

settlement at Bailkoppa or

Baylkuppe is the the second

largest Tibetan settlement

outside

Tibet. There are over 7,000

monks

and students at the Tibetan .

After the Chinese took over

Tibet, the refugees were

settled at Bylkuppe near

Kushalnagar and the Buddhist

Monastery was re-established

here in 1972. It houses over

7,000 monks and students

today. The monastery not only

attracts large number of young

Tibetans seeking

enlightenment

and education, but also draws

huge tourists from all over

India and abroad.

The 40 ft tall golden Buddha

statues are the major

attractions of Bailkoppa. The

statues of Buddha,

Padmasambhava, and

Amitayus are the notable

ones. The walls of the

temples and the institutions

are decorated with colorful

paintings depicting gods and

demons from Tibetan

Buddhist mythology. The

altar is decorated with

flowers, candles and incense

sticks.

Apart from the calm and

peaceful surroundings there

are shopping centers near

the

temples where one can shop

for traditional Tibetan items

like costumes, statues,

carpets, jewelery etc.

Abbi falls

In the mountains of the Western

Ghats, several streams combine,

swelling with the monsoon rains

and plunging down the mountain

slope at enormous speed, hitting

the huge boulders hard and

forcing

through the crevices and ravines.

misty cloud hangs over the falls.

From here the water flows into

the Kaveri River. During the

monsoon season the water flow is

very high. During the dry seasons

the flow is considerably

diminished.One can find a lot

of leeches inside the water.

The waterfall is located between

private coffee plantations with

stocky coffee bushes and spice

estates with trees entwined with

pepper vines. The falls appear

suddenly, the water cascading

over

rocks into calm pools. A hanging

bridge constructed just opposite

the falls comes in handy for the

Tourists. There is a Kali Mata

temple on the other side of the

bridge and Coffee and Black

Pepper trees on the other side.

Raja Seat

Raja's Seat (Seat of the King) is a

seasonal garden of flowers and

artificial fountains. It is one of the

most important tourist spots

in madikeri of Coorg District. It is

270 km away from Bangalore, the

capital of Karnataka.

A pleasant spectacle of refreshing

layers of greenery, chain of high

and low-rise-mountains attired

with mist, the Raja Garden is one-

time-favourites of Kings

of Kodagu who used to watch the

setting sun, and spend time with

their queens here.^[1] The structure

is small square in brick and

mortar

of four pillars bridged by arches,

enhanced by beautiful

surroundings. This lovely spot

was

a favourite place of recreation for

the Rajas and hence was

permanently associated with them.

It is built on a high level ground

with a commanding view of the

cliffs and valleys to the west. Early

in the morning as the sun is just

rising in the east, the mist

shrouded valley below offers a

rare

sight. The golden light of the

setting sun is a splendor to watch.

There is also an attraction of the

Toy Train for children.

Jeep Safari & Treks

Mugilupete(Mandalapatti):

MugiluPete (Mugilpete) is around 20-30kms from Madikeri. This place is popularly

known as Mandalpatti. It is called as "Mugilupete" due to Kannada film "Galipata". MugiluPete is very cold & almost all the place is covered by mist.

This place comes near to Somwarpete town. Mandala Patti is one of the trekking points in Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary or Pushpagiri Forest Range. Pushpagiri Forest Range spreads from Subrahmanya in Dakshina Kannada district to Somwarpet in Coorg district covering an area of 102.6 sq km. Kumara Parvata Peak stands the tallest amongst the peaks in Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary.

The route is adventurous, with steep curves and zigzag tracks, and Abbi Falls lies along the way. As the roads leading to MandalPatti are narrow, ones who have decided to make it to the beautiful spot need to be a bit adventurous too. But the adventure is worth for the way to the spot is dotted with nature’s bounty as one passes through viewing lush green coffee estates, paddy fields and mountains.

Famous Kannada movie “Galipata” has been shot here. In that film they have shown this place as Mugilu Pete. So after that Mandalpatti became famous as Mugilupete. Only 1 song “Nadhim Ta Na” and last seen of Galipata has been shot here. Many other Kannada films like "Modala Sala", "Raj" has been shot here.

Overnight Camping