Coorg

This vivacious district is characterized by thick forests and mountains on the western ghats. Its undulating landscape varies in altitude between 823 and 2700 m above sea level. The main agricultural produce of the region is coffee and rice while orande groves are also found in plenty. This district became part of Karnataka in 1956. The hearquarters Mercara which has been re-christened as Madikeri lies at an altitude of 3781 ft above sea level.

Coorg offers an interesting variety of landscape. The inhabitants of the district called the Kodabas are a race of soliders. The dialect of these people is slightly different from that of others in other parts of Karnataka though the language is one and the same.
Merkara or Madikeri, the district headquarters had been the capital of the Helari Kings. This place gains historic importance from the monuments it holds. The meeting of Cauvery and Kanike. Bagamandala has a famous Siva temple. The Abbey Falls makes a fine picnic spot. Talacauvery, the legendary place from where the sacred river Cauvery originates, has a rare temple dedicated to Goddess Cauvery. The Bandipur wildlife Sancturay and the Nagrahole Wildlife Sancturay unhold the hidden beauties of nature with the former one having been declared a ‘Tiger Project’ in 1973.

Madikeri
Sri Ohmkareswara Temple dedicated to Lord Siva here blends the architecture of Gothic and Islamic styles. It was built in the year 1820 by Lingaraja II.

Atop a scenic hill stands the fort which was built by the kings of Kodagu and then repaired by the Tipu in 1781 and from then on known as Jafarabad. The fort encompasses a church which houses the sate archaeological museum, and a beautiful palace built by Lingaraja II in 1812. When the British took over the territory the fort, the palace and its apartments were all transformed into different districts offices. Two magnificent mortar elephant figures can also be seen inside the fort.

The tombs of the Kodagu kings Lingaraja and Doddaveera Rajendra which reflect the Indo-Sarcenic style are also found here.

Abbey Falls
This beautiful picnic spot is situated about 3 km from Madikeri. Here a ravishing rivulet gives a rise to a sizzling waterfall which attracts a number of tourists.

Talacauvery
About 48 k, from Madikeri, in the ranges of Kodanda, this spot is very the holy river Cauvery has her founts. The legend has it that Lopamudra, the daughter of Lord Brahma. The creator, was given in marriage to the mythical sage Agasthya, by her foster father, another mythical sage, Kabhir Muni. Sorrowed by the marriage, Lopamudra turned herself into water and sought asylum in the ‘Kunda’ or the mountain cauldron. It is believed by the faithful that she still dwells in the ‘Kunda’ in which an amazing phenomenon occurs on the 17th of October every year without fail. The placid waters of the pond turn vibrant in the form of bubbling spring on the day, bearing testimony to the belief.

Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary
About 80 km from Mysore, at an altitude of about 1022 to 1454.5 m above sea level, this verdant sylvan region on the beautiful Nilgiri hills became the venue of a ‘Tiger Project’ in 1973 under the WWF scheme and was named ‘Venugopal Tiger Project’. This picturesque region abounds in flora and fauna. Elephants, bisons, sambars, deers, tigers, panthers, cheetahs and bears grace the sanctuary. Beside, fascinating birds can also be seen here. This sanctuary also offers elephant and jeep safari.

In the 400 sq. km. lush expanse of the beautiful landscape adjacent to Mudhumalai forest of Tamil Nadu and Wynad of Kerala, there are sumptuous plantations of sandalwood, mahogany, ebony teak, bamboo, . The beautiful Mayar River acts as a boundary between the two. Though it can be visited throughout the year the tourist season falls between January and May is all the more enchanting.

Nagarhole Wildlife Sanctuary
The beautiful river Kabini which jinks joyfully through the picturesque region lends it to name Nagarhole, through its serpent-lake zigzag. ‘Nagar’ means serpent and ‘hole’ means river. In olden days it was the hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Mysore. This sanctuary has a number of wildlife beings such as the elephants, bisons, panthers, foxes. Deers and tigers. A large number of reptiles and fascinating birds can also be seen here. This region also has a plenty of coffee plantations. There are jeeps and minibuses, ‘Safari’, through the sanctuary. Sanctuary is situated 67 km from Mercara and 91 km from Mysore.