Coorg Diaries - Day 3 and some last(ing) images

Some final images of Coorg as we leave this beautiful town. I cannot believe that we spent just three days and we gathered a wealth of information and made quite a few friends. Kishore to begin with, who had been our guide and told us about hidden temples and folklore behind them.

A Kodava home and a homestay that we stopped by at ..


We learnt a bit about their traditions and their weapons and understood why this agrarian community is also quite martial ..



Erstwhile, the sound of the bells at the temple in Madikeri Fort

And the flowers unveiled by the mist at Raja's Seat


At Bhagamandala, we met this man ruminating over simple aspects of life.It was interesting to know that Dassera here is celebrated in the night and ten decorated chariots with dolls of gods and demons depict the destruction of the evil forces by the Goddess Shakti.

We went to a beautiful waterfall , nestled inside a coffee estate called the Chelvarayan Falls..not much of water but lots of fun as I climbed down alone listening to the gurgle of the water and the buzzing of bees.





Our drive back took us to Virajpet - one of the key towns and erstwhile capital named after Virarajendra, the Haleri king . The interesting aspect is that Virajpet was once an amalgamation of various communities such as Telugus,Tamilians, Malayalis, Bunts, Moplas, Christians,Brahmins and even Bengalis.Even today you can see streets like Bengali Street, Telugu street going by the cosmopolitan nature of the town that housed several communities.

Virajpet which is just 30 kms from Madikeri is an important town today for coffee and spices and the St Anne's Church and Clock tower stand tall, today reminiscent of the colonial era .It is said that Dodda Veerarajendra established the town in the 18th century to commemorate his meeting with the British General Abercrombie during their joint war against Tippu Sultan .

This also became a shelter for the Roman Catholic Christians who were allegedly persecuted by Tipu Sultan .The St Annes Church was built under the patronage of the king himself, while Subedar Mukkatira Aiyappa was instrumental in erecting the Clock Tower in 1914 to commemorate the Delhi Coronation Darbar of King George V.


And finally we left Coorg as we drove through the forests of Tithimathi amidst through lush greenery, but no wildlife to give us company


One trail ends and another begins..

Madikeri-the capital of Haleri Dynasty

Our journey into Coorg’s past continued as we went into estates and homestays, villages and towns. It is said that the history of Coorg was mainly deciphered through inscriptions . Several dynasties from the Gangas, Cholas, Hoysalas, Nayaks have left their stamp here.

However it is the Haleri kings who have reigned over Coorg for about 250 years. A prince from Ikkeri founded the dynasty by defeating several chieftains and called himself Vira Raja and ruled from Haleri.Bitter battles have been fought by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan and the British to conquer Coorg during their era.


We were in Madikeri when we heard this story..A Haleri king was on a hunting expedition when he suddenly saw his wild dogs chased by a hare in a small hillock. He decided to build a fort there as he felt that there was a powerful energy in the region which made a meek hare courageous . A mud wall garrison was built here and the hamlet, which became the capital was named after the king. The king was Mudduraja , the grandson of Vira raja and the place was called Muddu Raja Keri or Muddurakayray


The fort was eventually rebuilt in granite by Tippu Sultan who named the site as Jaffarabad. It was recaptured by the Haleri ruler Doddaveer Rajendra in the 18th century and it later fell into the hands of the British who renamed it as Mercara . Today the fort houses a palace, a temple, a chapel, a prison and a museum where you can see hero stones or virakkals among other things.


The sun was setting and a mist threatened to rob the sun of its last few moments of glory . We headed to Raja’s Seat to watch the tussle. This popular tourist spot which boasts of scenic views was the seat of the royalty to admire nature and also throw probably to throw their enemies down the hill.


Further away from the city is Cuddige or the Raja’s tombs, which are the samadhis of the kings Doddaveerarajendra and Lingarajendra. A solemn air hung around and it was deserted almost but for a few boys who were playing cricket. The tombs of the divans and army commanders were also placed here. The domes and the minarets at four corners mounted by carved bulls stand tall against the sky.


A visit to Madikeri is never complete without a visit to the.19th century Omkareshwar temple built by Lingarajendra II dedicated to Shiva. Built in the Indo Sarcenic style, it has elements of Gothic and Islamic architecture as well and it is said that there could have been a secret passage below that leads to the palace of the king.


It was dark when we drove back from Madikeri to Kakkabe where we were staying. Our shopping bags were full of honey and coffee, cardamom and pepper .The smell of the spices stayed with us until we reached Kakkabe for dinner .