Excursions
Besides browsing through the mountainside around Madikeri, which would be your base in Coorg, you can take several excursions, to absorb the full flavors of the countryside.
Bhagamandala
This is a 35 kilometer drive, where you spend the day by the waters of the river Kaveri as it merges with the rivers Kanike and the Sujoythi. Pilgrims take a dip at the confluence and offer prayers at a beautiful temple built in the Kerala style. In the months of October-November, there is a special festival here, when the temple is illuminated by thousands of oil lamps. Bhagmandala also has a Central Apiary where you can have an interesting afternoon, seeing the modern methods of bee keeping.
Central Orange and Coffee Research Station
This is on the Madikeri-Siddapur-Virajpet road, at a distance of twenty-four kilometers from Madikeri, and is run by the government There are two main varieties of coffee grown in Coorg -Arabica and Robusta, and you will get to know some of the processes of coffee growing and production at this institute.
Iruppu
A little further away, at a distance of ninety-one kilometers, is the popular pilgrim centre, associated with Lord Rama, hero of the great epic, Ramayana. A Shiva Temple also stands on the bank of the river Ramathiratha. On Mahashivrathri day, thousands of pilgrims take a dip in the waters here.
Nagarhole National Park
Nagarhole is a game sanctuary covers an enormous area of 284 square kilometers. Its tropical and deciduous forests provide a home to several species of wildlife, and you must stay in the forest guest house and use the state transport to enjoy the jungle safaris inside the sanctuary.
However, it is not uncommon to come across a wild elephant while you are motoring around in Coorg, or perhaps even see a wild boar. The bird watcher is likely to have his share of delight, as the estates attract a large variety of birds, which come to pick on the crops of jackfruits, oranges and papaya.
If you happen to be in Coorg between March and June, you may be lucky to see some typical wedding celebrations, at some of the ‘Kalyan mandaps’ or wedding halls found all over the district. The locals would always be ready to extend to you a warm hearted welcome. You will see the bride in red and gold, with the women wearing Coorgi style saris with the pleats at the back, and the ‘pallav’ draped over the bosom and pinned over one shoulder with an attractive brooch, which is either studded with precious stones or made of gold. The male attire would be the Kupya, a long black coat worn over trousers and cut at the elbows to reveal the white shirt underneath, tied at the waist with a gold and red tasseled sash. The bridegroom would be in a white Kupua. You would not be allowed to come away without a delicious meal of some typical Coorgi cuisine of curried pork, rice dumplings, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and homemade wines brewed by the women.
In Coorg, everything is different and you are transported into another world. Where its people are warmhearted and beautiful, as befitting to its unsullied, breathtaking scenery. A paradise, a perfect getaway.
The Coorgis were fames as good hunters. But the shots are fired more to scare away a stray tusker on the estate or to announce the birth of a baby boy. Most of them have turned ardent conservationists. For they have seen the havoc deforestation has caused in the neighbouring districts. So they zealously guard their lands. It is for this reason that they are not keen to throw open their district for large-scale tourism
Coorg also is home of some of India's bravest soldiers. Kodagu is noted for its scenic beauty. Hiking, cross-country, or simply motoring down mountain trails in Coorg, the visitor encounters panoramic views of the morning mist rolling down thickly wooded hill slopes and the undulating paddy fields and neat rows of coffee bushes resplendent under the blue skies.
Historical Background
Places to visit
Excursions
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