A Journey To Coorg - PART II

Coorg is better known as Kodagu among the locals. It is a small district in Karnataka having 4 main Talukas(town) Madikeri, Virajapet, Somawarpet &  Kushalnagar . Madikeri being the district headquarters. We had booked our stay in Madikeri.

The excitement was building up as we were nearing our destination. All the fatigue had disappeared, the cool breeze seemed like a magical portion, hypnotizing us to fall in love with every scenery along the way.

ON OUR WAY TO COORG

MISTY WAYS

The lush green trees ,standing tall & strong ,embracing us with pride to this beautiful place were doing their job perfectly well.It had just  rained. The entire road was covered with mist.The foggy weather trying its best to keep up the mystery ; revealing bits & parts of the distant mountains .The air had an aroma of freshness - pure unpolluted  air ..The whole environment was so serene and peaceful that I wish I could somehow pack it in a box and seal it so that whenever needed I could open it & breathe in the magic within….

As the bus was nearing Madikeri ,I could see a lot of small houses,many of which were converted into homestays.All these small houses dint have anything fancy about them.Just plain simplicity at its best.
Finally we reached the state run bus stand.The weather there was so amazing.The fog had engulfed the entire area. Chilly winds were greeting us to madikeri. I had already informed the homestay of our arrival timing and details.I was in a dilemma when choosing this place online but the photos and the reviews seemed pretty good. It was in the center of the town and very modest looking from the outside. But luckily for us the place turned out to be better than our expectations. :)

Coorgshell as it is rightly named was a small humble setup .The interiors of the house were done up very well with elegant furniture lighting. Every wall had beautiful photographs of Coorg .We got a hall and 2 rooms for ourselves for just 2500 per day with complimentary breakfast…unbelievable but true… 

AT THE DINNER TABLE

OUR ROOM

After we had a quick peek at everything , we freshened up and got ready for the day ahead.It was almost 12 and time for some brunch - hot idli’s  and sambhar & chutney was such a treat.The homestay was a home away from home experience.

Tour de Coorg 

We had hired a cab and decided to cover the nearby places for Day 1.

Now our tour de Coorg had actually begun.Going through some deep valleys & paddy fields we encountered nature at its best .Greenery everywhere and the weather was so perfect even during the peak hours of the afternoon .

Our first stop was “triveni sangam” at the Bhagmandala. Triveni Sangam in hindhu traditions means the confluence of three rivers.And the place of confluence is considered to be a holy place.

At Bhagmandala river Kaveri or Cauvery (in English) is joined by two other rivers kannika & mystical Sujyoti river. Sujyoti is mysterious coz when u go to the place of confluence you can only see two rivers joining together.Sujyoti is supposed to be the invisible river joining from underground :)

BHAGANDESHWARA TEMPLE

BHAGANDESHWARA TEMPLE ENTRANCE

In close proximity is the Bhagandeshwara temple. A beautiful picturesque temple ,just like most of the south Indian temples – very calm ,unembellished god’s abode. We took blessings of the various deites there and continued our journey uphill.

We were now heading to one of the highest point in coorg. "Talakuveri" – the place where river Kaveri originates in Brahmagiri hills. On the way you will find a lot of beautiful view points overlooking the valley but all this seems very ordinary , when you reach the ‘Talakuveri’.

AMAZING TALAKUVERY 

 Talakuveri – please note is a Must visit place in coorg!!! The panoramic view of this place is just fanstastic. You are literally in clouds. Its magical – One moment the mist & clouds engulf the place , anything more than a few meters away is barely visible and the very next moment its all gone!! Wow cant explain the astonishing feeling in words. You must be there to experience .

TALAKUVERY SHIVA TEMPLE

Thalakuveri has two small temples dedicated to shiva and lord Ganesha. There is a small pond from where kaveri originates as a small perennial spring. We spent some time in the temple feeling closer to the divine.

Talakuveri is around 33 km from madekeri .On our way back we had some Hot tea and pakodas  .By the time we reached Madekeri it was almost 4 in the evening.The other places of interest within the town are Raja’s Seat , omkareshwar temple & a fort .

At the end of day 1 we did some shopping for spices, dry fruits, honey & homemade chocolates. There are a lot of shops selling these but I ensure whichever shop you enter ,the aroma of spices and chocolates  will never let you come out empty handed .And it’s worth the buy.

Back at the homestay ,It was very cold ,we had a lovely south Indian dinner and  quickly went to sleep all tucked in our comfortable & cozy beds.

COFFEE GREEN BEANS 

Next morning we woke up to a bright clear day.All pumped up to explore the other side of Coorg. 

The second day we had a lot of things on our list. Coorg is called the Scotland of India & definitely we were falling in love with its beauty. We now were moving down hill as compared to the the hilly terrain of day1 , day 2 had sightseeing of kushalnagar. Our first stop was at a coffee & spices plantation estate. We closely observed and learned the very interesting process of making coffee there.




Next we visited the Dubbare elephant camp. Here you can enjoy a short boat ride and also feeding & bathing the elephants. The driver then took us to a lesser known dam nearby to Dubbare.This place is known just to the locals & we were lucky to visit it thanks to our driver-cum-guide. A perfect sight for a photoshoot.

THE DAM

THE UNKNOWN DAM EXPLORED

Next we went to the Nisargadham forest.It is said to be a small island formed by river kaveri  accessible though a rope bridge.It has thick bamboo groves & if u are lucky you might find various kinds of flora and fauna waiting to welcome you. Though we just found deers ;-)

After a good meal now it was time for the famous tibetian monestory located in a place called Bylakuppe.As we were nearing this place suddenly we felt we had reached some place in Tibet.Monks dressed in their formal monk attire could be seen everywhere.

If in Coorg ,you cant give a miss to this place. It’s a totally different atmosphere inside .Gardens with varied kinds of flowers, small little monks busy with their routine, oblivious of the many tourists that visit the place. The pagodas(temples) housing the gigantic Buddha statues in gold are awe-inspiring. 



The tranquility of this spiritual place gives you inner peace. There are continuous prayers and rituals .You might not understand what they pray but you can still feel connected ,such is the power of the place. The colourful paintings on the walls , the architecture of the place & the Buddha idols all resonate positive vibrations. – A Must visit.

I purchased a beautiful wind chime , just to remind me of the divine sound of the bells.

Our last spot to be explored for the day was the Abby falls,not very far from the madekeri town.



This water fall is a popular tourist attraction. A narrow path way through dense foliage takes you to the gushing waters of the Abby falls.

With that our Day2 had come to an end .

Next day early morning we bid good bye to our lovely homestay & the beautiful town of madikeri with a sure wish to come back again and explore madalpatti ,nagarhole national park ,the golf club and much more of coorg’s best kept secrets.

This culminates my journey to Coorg – the Scotland of India