Kushalnagar-Madikeri Trip

Kushalnagar-Madikeri trip

Participants:

1. Chakrapani and family
2. Wife (Chumki) and Myself
3. Mom and Dad

Date: 6th – 8th April, 2012

Mode of Transport: Toyota Inova

My parents stay in Bangalore has not being quiet fruitful since they have hardly visited any place this time. Reasons being, no long holidays for me, work and weather is too hot to travel out. So, basically house arrest :-).

A long weekend came by and it was decided at least go somewhere to a nearby place. Destination still not decided but a vague plan in making, till the last moment. After lots of searching it was agreed to go a hill station wherein the weather would be comfortably cool compared to Bangalore. So be it, Coorg it is.

Day 1: KushalNagar

We started from Bangalore at around 1500 hrs and reached Kushalnagar at around 2000 hrs after 1 pit stop at Maddur, wherein we had our evening tea/coffee.

Since we have not made any prior booking, we started looking for a place to to rest ourselves. To our luck we were able to get our lodging at Hotel Kodagu Plaza which is located just opposite to Atithi restaurant. Since it was already late we decided to have food at Caravan Restaurant and off to bed for a bright tomorrow.

Day 2: KushalNagar

Tibetan Monastery (Golden Temple):

The Tibetan Monastery is located around 6 kms from Kushalnagar towards Mysore. It is said to be the second largest Tibetan settlement outside Tibet. The settlement consists of a lot of monastries, educational institutions and hospitals. Major attraction of this place includes the 40 ft tall golden statue of Buddha, Padmasambhava and Amitayus. The walls of the temples are decorated with colorful paintings depicting gods and demons. A blueprint of the Tibetan monastry that exists in Tibet is also placed therein.

In case you plan to stay nearby to this place, there are a lot of hotels/lodges to serve to you. Near to this place is a shopping centre, wherein you can buy some Tibetain goods.

Nisargadhama:

Located around 3 kms from Kushalnagar, Nisargadhama is a river island formed by the river Kaveri. The island hosts to thick bamboo groves, sandalwood and teak trees along with a beautiful deer park. The island is accessible through a hanging rope bridge. One can get into the water and play all day. The forest department runs a guest house therein.

Dubare (Elephant Training Camp) :

On the way to Dubare, the rain gods were felt pity on us and it started raining. The weather was awesome. We were not able to go to for the training as we were already late (reach before 3 pm, else it will be closed). People were enjoying boat rides and dipping in water, since it is shallow.

Chiklihole Dam:

The dam forms from one of the tributary of Kaveri. With rain coming puring heavily, the view of the dam was very picturesque. The rain drops hitting the water even made it looking awesome. We were able to go near to the water courtesy our driver, who handed over a huge umbrella to us. The area surrounding the dam is very attractive with a lively thick green forest on the background and an island formation in the middle.

Harangi Dam:

Harangi Dam/Reservoir is located near Hudgur village at a distance of about 9 kms from KushalNagar. The reservoir is formed by a masonry dam built across the Harangi River which is a tributary of Kaveri. As informed by locals, going inside the dam is restricted since last 5 yrs. Water is released only in the evenings/late nights with prior intimation to the villagers, since the path leading to the village is sub-merged in water due to the water.

Day 3: Madikeri

Omkareshwara Temple:

Built in 1820 and located at the heart of the town, the temple depicts the architectural view of both the Islamic and Hindu culture. The small pond in the front, as in case with normal hindu temple, the mantap in the form of a mosque and the Lingam in the centre is all well mixed.

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 the so called Brahmarakshasa 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.

Abbey Falls:

Located between private coffee plantations with stocky coffee bushes and spice estates with trees entwined with pepper vines, the falls appear suddenly, the water cascading over rocks into calm pools. A hanging bridge constructed just opposite the falls comes in handy for the tourists for photographs. There is a Kali Mata temple on the other side of the bridge and coffee and black pepper trees on the other side. One needs to walk down around 500 meters. for viewing the falls.

Gaddige – Raja’s Tomb:

Though, we have not visited this place, I had a glimpsed while on the way to Abbey Falls on the right, through the city. I had to a Google search before coming to know, what place that was. No photographs for this.

Madikeri Fort:

Madikeri fort was first built 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. In 1790, Doddavira Rajendra took control of the fort. The palace was renovated by Lingarajendra Wodeyar II in 1812-1814. It has been renovated again to host a lots of government offices. No photographs for this too.

Bhagamandala:

Bhagamandala is located in the upstream stretches of river Kaveri and is joined by two tributaries, the Kannike and the mythical Sujyoti river. It is considered sacred place and is a common practice for pilgrims to take a dip in the triveni sangama. The Bhagandeshwara temple is located at foot distance from here. KSTDC has a hotel nearby where both food and lodging is available.

Talakaveri:

Talakaveri is generally considered to be the source of the river Kaveri, though, there is not a permanent visible flow from this place to the main rivercourse except during the rainy season. A tank has been erected on a hillside, at the place that is said to be the origin. It is also marked by a small temple, and the area is frequented by pilgrims. The river originates as a spring feeding this tank, which is considered to be a holy place to bathe on special days.

One can climb a further more and have a good panaromic view of the distant hills place as well as of the Talakaveri Forest Range.

Raja’ Seat:

Raja’s Seat is a small pavilion with a garden surrounding it and a musical fountain and offering a view of the green valley below. Though we went there to see the sunset across the stretching blue mountains, we were greated with rains and clouds passing by. The view down below to the valley was awesome.

Overall, it was a good trip. Thanks to the driver also who maneuvered the vehicle very nicely through the curves.

Courtesy:

http://www.gocoorg.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.coorgtourism.org/

Shanthi Bites,
Opp Nisargadhama, B.M Road,
Kushal Nagar, Coorg
Ph. No. +91 8276 27 12 07
Mobile. +91 9481 07 07 07
www.shanthibites.com

Kodagu Plaza,
1-405, Kodagu Towers, B.M. Road,
Kushal Nagar, Coorg
Ph. No. +91 8276 27 33 18