In India, summer is the season when most people travel to places of better climate and of natural beauty to escape the tropical heat. While at Bangalore, my son had travelled to Coorg and stayed at several scenic places there. When he advised me to visit this beautiful place, I made immediate arrangements for a few days’ visit to Coorg, a famous tourist destination in the adjacent Karnataka State.
On 8th May 2011, we started our journey from my hometown, Thrissur in Kerala, South India, via Calicut to Coorg. Once we reached the border of Kerala with Karnataka, our journey continued with awesome experiences and our excitement climbed to the azimuth. An unimaginable bliss pervaded us as the landscape opened its mesmerizing assets to us.
Coorg is nuzzled in the Western Ghats of the Sahyadri Mountain range. It is categorized by scattered villages and homesteads. The languorous neighbourhood has an old world charm and is very noteworthy with undulant hills and loquacious rivers. It has many amazing viewpoints. God has blessed this paradise on earth with many enchanting gifts of nature. It has lush green valleys, torpid hills, meandering roads, dazzling mountains and a numinous air all around. Its unrivalled beauty is also enhanced by vast areas of tea and coffee plantations that extend across the land. Haughty teakwood and sandalwood trees adorn the place and augment its opulence manifold. Coorg is nicknamed as the "Orange Country", for its countless orange groves. With the captivating aroma of coffee, sandalwood and oranges, Coorg imparts a delight to our olfactory senses and ocular pleasure. Coorg is also known as the ‘Scotland of India’.
At 5-30 A.M we reached Kushal Nagar, a picturesque town in Coorg, which is 80 KM from Mysore and 35 KM from Madikeri, the district headquarters of Coorg. Our place of stay was the Parumpara Holiday Resort Coorg, in Kushal Nagar (http://travel.ciao.co.uk/Parumpara_Holiday_Resort_Coorg__7866311). We checked in one of the cottages at this beautiful resort. After freshening ourselves and rejuvenating with refreshments, we moved around the resort. The cottages are located in the midst of coconut and arecanut groves with eye-catching greenery. There is an adventure play park with rope ladders, Rope Bridge, climbing walls, Tarzan swings, sky walk and tree houses and landscaped garden space with hammocks to rest on.
Soon it was dinner time and we walked to the dining hall open all four sides, in front of which is a stage for entertainment. The orchestra was on with folk singers and dancers performing. An adjacent bar was very noisy and the DJ was demonstrating his skills while ladies and gentlemen danced very ‘spiritedly’. The breeze was very pleasant as we walked back to the cottage after a delicious dinner.
In the morning of 9th May, we were educated by the resort receptionist about the weather in Coorg. It is pleasant throughout the year with a maximum of 35C and a minimum of 25C in the summer and 20C and 9C in the winter. The Manager gave us a brochure showing the places of tourist attraction, and we drove out of the resort to our first destination, Dubare Elephant Camp.
Dubare Elephant Camp.
We reached the banks of river Cauvery and hired a motor boat to reach the other bank. The damp forests of Dubare are the abode for many birds and wild animals. It is a natural island having an area of 11 acres. This is a magnificent picnic location where one can mingle with the nature on the beautiful banks of River Cauvery. The holidaymakers regularly sight wild elephants, stag and spotted deers.
Dubare is mainly an elephant capturing and training camp of the Forest Department. We saw elephants bathing in the river with the mahouts scrubbing and washing their bodies. Some of the visitors were scrubbing the elephants themselves, while some were feeding them. Water rafting is also available and there was no much gushing of water in the river. The guide explained to us that the Indian Bison or Gaur and bears are also seen in these forests and visitors also can get a glimpse of many crocodiles in the waters of River Cauvery at Dubare, and peacocks, kingfishers and woodpeckers.
There is a jungle lodge here with 10 luxurious cottages with attached bath.
The tranquil moments at the forests still linger in our thoughts. We later drove back to the outskirts of Kushal Nagar to visit Cauvery Nisargadhama
Cauvery Nisargadhama
Nisargadhama is a mind-blowing and awesome island off the Karnataka State Highway just 2 km from Kushal Nagar town and around 35 kms from Madikeri. It is an Ecological Park. It is a paradise for nature lovers, both old and young. It is about 64 acres in area with the beautiful Cauvery River flowing around. It is full of thick bamboo groves, sandalwood, rosewood trees and waterfalls. In addition to these tourist attractions, many cottages offer delicious food and staying facilities. Tree top homes and pergolas are also available.
We parked our car on the extensive parking lot and walked along various shops and snack houses. Visitors were thronging to the hanging bridge to reach the island. We stopped at the centre of the narrow hanging bridge and looked down and saw a large number of fish swimming in the clear flowing water. We could see many pedal boats driven by merry- making tourists. As we walked along, we could see a deer park. Many spotted deers were grazing in the park. Many visitors were enjoying elephant rides, especially children.
The tryst with the nature was enchanting as walked back with the hanging bridge giving us oscillating jerks. The shops offered home-made wine from gooseberry, grapes and ginger. I bought a few bottles of grapes and gooseberry wine while my wife bought a few packs of cardamom.
Lunchtime was approaching and we entered a town restaurant and had a nice and sumptuous lunch. We drove back to the cottage. After having a short siesta and a refreshing hot water shower, we were again ready for another outing, this time to the Golden Temple. It was 4-00 P.M.
We drove about 2km on the Mysore highway and turned right to reach the Golden Temple in Bylakuppe at the Buddhist Monastery.
Bylakuppe is a Tibetan settlement, one of many in India. In the late 1950’s, the Dalai Lama changed his residence to India after his strained relations with the Chinese authorities over the latter’s Tibetan policy. A number of Tibetans followed Dalai Lama to India. The then Prime Minister of India, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru, offered assistance to establish refugee settlements in the cooler parts of India. Bylakuppe is one of those settlements, the first one of its kind, established in 1961. Many Buddhists live here very peacefully. There are many schools, nunneries, temples and monasteries here. Bylakuppe houses one of the largest Buddhist universities called Sera Monastic University. The monasteries practice various traditions of Buddhism.
The tourist attraction is the Golden Temple. Many Buddhists live here. As we entered the premises a grandiose rainbow arch with the inscription ‘NYINGMAPA MONASTERY’ welcomed us. An extensive paved and beautiful yard is surrounded by rectangular buildings. As we entered another gate, a straggling garden with grazing turkeys became visible, inspiring great awe in us, on both sides of the path to the temple. The monks reside in small quarters around the garden. The painting of the temple is very ornate with lively colours. The walls are depicted with tortuous decorations in a repetitive pattern; and frescos of Buddhist themes are also displayed on the walls. Impressive golden images adorn the altar of the Golden Temple. We were overwhelmed to hear Buddhist hymns sung by monks accompanied by Tibetan musical instruments. We forgot that we were in India as the ambience virtually carried us to Tibet. Photography is allowed and we were fortunate to have clicked on the breathtaking images and surroundings of this wonderful temple. The behavior of the tourists was very commendable, very courteous with befitting decorum of such a place of worship.
We did window shopping at the adjacent shopping arcade which had an array of shops selling Tibetan and Nepalese goods. A Tibetan restaurant was very inviting but we did not go in not knowing what to eat. The sun hid below the red horizon and dusk took over. The breeze became cooler as we drove back to the resort.
10th May 2011
The day broke setting aside a cooler night. We had a heavy south Indian breakfast in preparation for a long drive and the impending visits. Our first visit was planned for TALACAUVERI.
TALACAUVERI
At 10-00 A.M, our car started to move on the Mysore-Madkeri State Highway, a well laid asphalt road. Both sides of the road complimented each other with breathtaking scenic greenery. Talacauveri, our next destination is about 85 kms from Kushal Nagar.
We reached Talacauveri at about 12-30 P.M. The scenery on the way was splendid. As we traversed the mountain road, white clouds were caressing the peaks and the breeze, cooler than before, refreshed and excited us.
Talacauveri is famous being the mountain region where the river Cauvery originates. It is located in the Brahmagiri hill at 4185ft. above the sea level.
The huge arch greeted us and as we walked on the beautifully paved floor, a kind of tranquility spread through our bodies. The sights on both sides were enchanting. We could see a pond at the place where the river Cauvery is said to have originated. At the back of the pond, a temple is situated.
Beside the temple there is a series of 356 steps which lead to the peak from where the hills can be viewed. Visitors were climbing the steps to reach the top.
The feast to our eyes was delicious, and intoxicated with the splendour of nature, we drove down the mountain. On the way we saw many shops selling homemade wines, coffee, tea, spices and forest honey. We stepped into one of the shops. The aroma of fresh ground coffee and spices engulfed us. We bought coffee, honey and tea leaves. It was quite consoling that the products were not adulterated and were very light on our purse.
We reached Madikeri and had lunch at one of the restaurants. Madikeri reminded me of Ooty, with its narrow roads with steep gradients and houses situated on the slopes of the hills. The place had a kind of charm which endeared it to our hearts. The next place of our visit was Abbey Falls.
Abbey Falls
Abbey Falls is a spectacular waterfall where river Cauvery cascades down a rock surface from a height of 70 ft. We drove through narrow roads and reached the entrance to the falls. From the entrance we walked downhill for about 500 metres. Paved steps with wide treads made the gradient easy. Thick coffee plants and tall trees wound with pepper vines adorned both sides of the walkway, imparting soothing coolness to our bodies. All of a sudden we heard the gurgling melody of falling water and the falls became visible. The steps ended at the base of a hanging bridge built across the gorge. We could not take our eyes off the waterfall. We walked on the hanging bridge and stood there for some time as the whole atmosphere enthralled us. The wind brought water particles to our face giving a thrilling feeling.
Raja’s Seat
Raja’s Seat means Seat of the King. This is located at the western end of Madikeri. We reached the garden and bought tickets to enter the premises. It is a beautiful garden very well maintained. Different coloured flowers of various species ornament the garden. As we walked to the end of the garden, the view of the hills and the valley mesmerized us. The far stretching Blue Mountains made us breathless. The valley below was full of paddy fields and forests. Raja’s seat is a small pavilion with eye catching flowers. It is said that the kings came to this place to watch the beautiful sunset and the nature’s unending beauty from here.
We left before sunset and we could not witness that spectacle. As we were about to reach Kushal Nagar, the Rain God was kind enough to shower the blessings. It was awesome to hear the rain falling on the plantations on both sides of the road. The road got washed clean with the rain and so did our car.
The night at Parumpara Resort, Kushal Nagar was cooler with strong breeze blowing from the west while we had our dinner, with the folk music filling the air. The dancers and singers impressed us.
How to Reach Coorg by Air :
The nearest airport to Coorg (Madikeri) lies at Mangalore, about 135 km away. The second nearest airport is at Bangalore – about 250 km from Coorg( Madikeri).
How to Reach Coorg by Rail :
The nearest railway station from Coorg(Madikeri) is at Mysore, about 120 km away. Mysore is well connected to major cities in India by an extensive rail network. The rail stations in Mangalore and Hassan can also be conveniently used for reaching Coorg.
How to Reach Coorg by Road :
Coorg is well connected by road with all major cities in Karnataka. Cities like Mysore (120 km) from Madikeri, Mangalore (135 km), Bangalore (260 km), and Hassan (115 km) are linked by excellent roadways with Coorg.
11 May 2011
For everything, there is an end and so too for our adventurous tour. Checking out, we drove through the familiar roads of Coorg. Our hearts became heavy with the thought of parting with Coorg. But we traversed the beauty laden surroundings with an oath to come back again to be with Mother Nature, hopefully with our son who is expected to come from the USA to Kerala in a few months.
Good Bye Coorg!!!
And Welcome to Coorg!!! for my readers to visit this heavenly place!!!
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