make your perfect way to coorg (kodagu): November 2013

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