Coorg Tourist Guide – Land of Beauty

Coorg Tourist Guide: Overview

Coorg or Kodagu is one of the smallest districts of Karnataka which covers an area of 4,104 sq.km.  It was only in 1956, it lost its position as a state and became a district of Karnataka. Till then it had an elected Chief Minister and the Legislative Assembly. Now it is a part of Mangalore Loksabha Constituency comprising three Legislative Assembly Constituencies namely,Mercara, Virajpet and Somwarpet.In the administrative level, it is divided into three taluks, viz, Madikeri or Mercara, the District Head Quarters, Virajpet and Somwarpet.The boundary at the north is Hassan District and at the northwest it is Dakshin Kannada District.At the same time Mysore District shares the east boundary, Kannur District of Kerala the south west and Wayanad District of Kerala the south. Coorg is situated on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats with highest peaks like Tadiandamol and Pushpagiri.

Elephant Training Camp, Dubare : The Elephant Training Camp, which trains the wild elephants with the help of local tribes Kurabas, is under the Forest department. It is a scenic beauty to watch the tamed elephant bath in the river and to be scrubbed fresh by their mahouts. The mahouts will then exhibit the various commands the elephants can comply with. This can be vividly portrayed by making elephants execute some mock logging operations. Enthusiastic tourists can opt here for free elephant rides within the camp. One can enjoy the rarest friendship of tamed elephants in this camp, where in one can get a lucky chance scrubbing the elephants and feeding them.

What is unique in Coorg and why?

It is known for its breath-taking scenery – rugged hills, dense tropical forests and Coffee Plantation.   Coorg  (Kodagu) has become the second highest coffee producing region in India, accounting for 30% of all Indian coffee.  Coorg is also splendid for trekkers to enjoy trekking at the western ghats. The landscape is diverse and breathtakingly beautiful. Thadiyandamol, Iruppu falls, Galibeedu to Subramania, Brahmagiri are some of the popular routes.   It is also famous for trekking and camping experience where tourist get unique experience through trekking at Thadiyandamol, Iruppu falls, Galibeedu to Subramania, Brahmagiri are some of the popular routes.

Places to visit in Coorg

Gaddige Raja's Tomb, Madikeri  

A historical structure, Raja’s tomb aka Gaddige in Madikeri is a beautiful structure extremely popular among the history buffs. The tomb boasts of the indo-sarcenic style of architecture and the most popular attraction here is the mortal remains of the Kodavad royalty and the court dignitaries. There are many other tombs of famous historical personalities as well.

To the right is the tomb of Lingarajendra, built in A.D.1820 by his son Chikkaveerarajendra. To the left is the tomb of Royal priest Rudrappa, built in A.D 1834. Nearby are buried two royal officials, Biddanda Bopu who died fighting with Tipu Sultan, and his son Biddanda somaiah. This attraction is located just 1 km from Madikeri.

Madikeri Fort, Madikeri  

Madikeri Fort was first built as a mud fort by Mudduraja in the last quarter of the 17th century. He also built a palace inside the fort. It was eventually rebuilt in granite by Tipu Sultan who named the site as Jaffarabad. Madikeri Fort, built of brick and mortar, had witnessed several fierce battles. In 1790, Doddavira Rajendra took control of the fort. The palace was renovated by Lingarajendra Wodeyar II in 1812-1814. In the north-east corner at the entrance are two life size masonry elephants and a church is present in the south-east corner. The fort offers panoramic views of the city from its walls. This is a fort with archaeological value and a marvel of architecture. The centuries old Madikeri Fort with its stone ramparts houses the prison, a temple, a chapel, a small museum, and assorted government offices.

Nalknad Palace, Kakkabe 

Nalknad palace, built by Dodda Viraraja in 1792, once belonged to the Hindu king Langaraja, promises the tourists a valued visit and enthralls everybody with its eye-catching paintings and marvelous architecture. Used as a hunting lodge, it is not a palace in the usual meaning. It is a double storied structure used by the Kodava kings. The palace has intricate wood carvings all around the structure. Nalnad Palace is situated at the bottom of the highest peak Thadiyandamol. Decorated with ancient paintings and historical architecture, Nalnad Palace attracts many to its fold.

Abbey Falls waterfall

Abbey Falls is a breathtaking waterfall where the Kaveri river cascades down a rockface from a height of 70 feet. A hanging bridge has now been built across the gorge here offering a good view of the falls. The falls can be reached by a narrow road from Madikeri. Cars can reach the entrance of these falls from where a downhill walk of 500 metres (on slightly paved steps) takes one to the waterfalls.

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Coorg   

Located on the northern part of Coorg is the Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, a thick evergreen forest with a shola grassland habitat. A home for different types of wild species like elephants, deer, leopard etc Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary is a worth seeing spot while paying visit to Coorg. Kumara Parvat peak lies within the Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, also adjoining with the Bisle reserve forest in north as well as Kukke Subramanya forest in west. Those trekkers who like to experience the wilderness of Western Ghats can always visit Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary and have a great time. The best time for visiting this spot is during the months of November to March.

Omkareshwara Temple, Madikeri   (part of Coorg region)   

Omkareshwara temple was built by Lingarajendra in 1820. It is located very near to the heart of the Madikeri. The temple has both Islamic and Gothic style of architecture. There is a tank in front of the temple and a footpath leading to a small "Mantap". It is said Lingarajendra killed an honest and pious Brahmin to fulfill his political ambitions. That Brahmin became a "Brahmarakshasa"and started troubling the king. The king got rid of him only when he brought a Shivalinga from Kashi and installed it after building a temple. The Shivalinga was named as "Omkareshwara" and regular rituals were performed. The bars of the windows of the temple were made of Panchaloha and an alphabet lim has been placed in between the bars

 Elephant Training Camp, Dubare   (part of Coorg region)   

The Elephant Training Camp, which trains the wild elephants with the help of local tribes Kurabas, is under the Forest department. It is a scenic beauty to watch the tamed elephant bath in the river and to be scrubbed fresh by their mahouts. The mahouts will then exhibit the various commands the elephants can comply with. This can be vividly portrayed by making elephants execute some mock logging operations. Enthusiastic tourists can opt here for free elephant rides within the camp. One can enjoy the rarest friendship of tamed elephants in this camp, where in one can get a lucky chance scrubbing the elephants and feeding them.

What to eat in Coorg

There are some small and very basic places to eat in Coorg region with some good restaurants in Kalpetta area. In Coorg region Bamboo shoot curry is a popular dish in that is prepared during the rainy season. The Coogie pork curry is also a must popular delicacy here.

Ideal time to visit Coorg

The best time to visit Wayanad and Coorg is between August and March when the weather is pleasant, it rains occasionally turning the land in shades of green.

How to Reach Coorg

Road - Madikeri is accessible by Highway 88 that runs from Mysore to Mangalore. Frequent buses run from every major town of Karnataka as well as from nearby cities of Kerala. One can drive here from Bangalore or Mysore by NH88 or so.​

Rail – While the nearest railway station is in Hassan, Bangalore and Mysore are the biggest railway station that one can access and then travel further journey by bus or car.

Air - The nearest airports to Madikeri are in Mangalore , Bangalore and Calicut. Frequent domestic and international flights come and go from here to the important cities.