A two days week end trip to Madikeri.(08.12.2012 and 09.12.2012)
This
is the district head quarters of Coorg (Kodagu) district of Karnataka State in
southern India. It is often referred to as the Scotland of India. A very
beautiful place indeed and is a hill station with mild climate during the
summer.
It is 120 km from Mysore and 136 km
from Mangalore. From Bangalore, the state capital of Karnataka, one can take
the State Highway 17 (Bangalore - Mysore Highway) and take a deviation just
after the town of Srirangapatna to join State Highway 88 towards Madikeri. From
Bangalore, Madikeri is at a distance of 252 km.
Then we directly went to talakaveri from our lodge,
About
Talakaveri
Talakaveri
is the Birth Place of Kaveri River. Located in the Brahmagiri hill near
Bhagamandala, which is one of the 7 sacred rivers of Sapta Sindhus of the Hindu
scriptures. It is around 1,276 m above sea level. Talakaveri is about 8 km away
from Bhagamandala and 48 km from Madikeri. However, there is not a permanent
visible flow from this place to the main river course.
The
temple here is dedicated to Lord Agastheeswara, which denotes the link between
Kavery and Sage Agasthya. There are 2 temples, a Shiva temple and with a rare
and ancient Shiva Linga, and another temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha. This
temple has a holy Ashwantha tree where, according to the people residing there
saying, the Trimurtis - Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh gave darshan to sage
Agasthya. Kaveri River originates as a spring feeding the tank called the holy
Kundike, which is considered to be a holy place to bath on special days.
Legends
also has it that every year on Tulasankramana day Goddess Parvathi appears in
the Kundike as the sacred Theerthodbhava. Also from Talakaveri, we can see the
steps lead up to the nearby hill called Brahmagri peak, The Sapta Maharishis
are said to have performed a special yagna. we can enjoy a good view of the
misty blue Brahmagiri hills from the peak of the brahmgiri peak.
Bhagamandala
Temple : Triveni Sangama
Bhagamandala
is a pilgrimage place in Kodagu. Which comes while going to talakaveri It is situated
on the river Kaveri in its upstream stretches. Bhagamandala is on the banks of
the confluence of three rivers, Cauvery,
Kannike and the sub terrain Sujyoti,
popularly known as "Triveni Sangama". Located about 38 km from the
district headquarters Madikeri and is connected from Madikeri, Virajpet and
nearby places in Kerala. Sri hagandeshwara temple is a Famous temple near
triveni sangama, where Bhagandeshwara (Ishwara), Subramanya, Mahavishnu and
Ganapati temples are there.. its also called as Bhagandeshwara Kshetra, The
Bhagandeswara temple complex though said to have been built by the Cholas prior
to th 11th century follows the gabled roof style of the Kerala temple
architecture common on the west coast.
A
short distance from Bhagamandala is the temple at Padi, which houses the deity
Lord Igguthapp and is considered by many Kodavas to be the most sacred shrine
in their homeland.
Bhagamandala
is a famous Honey marketing centre, many shops near the temple were selling
honey bottles.
The history about this place: During
1785-1790, the area was occupied by Tipu Sultan. He renamed Bhagamandala to
Afesalabad. In 1790 King Dodda Vira Rajendra took Bhagamandala back into an
independent Kodagu kingdom.
Omkareshwara
Temple : Madikeri :
The
Omkareshwara temple in Madikeri is one of the old temple and its is mix of
Gothic and Islamic styles, Mumammadan
style of architecture with a dome in the center and four turrets at four
corners, The temple is Similar to a Muslim dargah with a Linga installed near
the entrance door. We reached at 11.45am
took the omakareshwara darashana received prasadam. There is a pool in front of
the temple with tons of fresh water fishes in it, in the middle of the tank
there is a "mantapam" connected by a causeway. It is near to the
Madikeri port.
History
of Temple :It is built by Lingarajendra
II in 1820. Temple dedicated to shiva, was built in the 19th century in a mix
of Gothic and Islamic styles. Legend has it that the King put to death a
Brahmin to fulfill his political ambitions and in order to appease the spirit
of the Brahmin, the temple was built. That Brahmin became a
"Brahmarakshasa" and started teasing the king with troubles. It left
the king only when the king 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. The King inscribed the
history of the temple in a copper plate which is fixed at the entrance door
frame.
Abbi
/ Abby WATER FALLS
We reached Abbi falls around 1.30pm
with lots of hope to play in water and enjoy, To enjoy in water we have
prepared in always with our ¾ to have fun in water but when we reached down to
abby falls we have disappointed . Because there is no way we can enjoy in
water, the karanataka forest deportment is restricted to play in water. A
hanging bridge has been built across the gorge here offering a good view of the
falls.We then took some phots then returned from there.
Abbey Falls also called as Abbi
Falls is located around 8 kms from the town of Madikeri. The waterfall is
located between coffee plantations, spice estates and green trees where several
streams join from the mountains and gush down to join the Kaveri river.The
falls appear suddenly, the water cascading over rocks into calm pools. The roar
of the falls can be heard from the road.
The best time to visit is early
winter when the monsoons bring plenty of water. 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.
Dubare - Elephant camp
After
abby falls disappointment we then made ahead to dubare. Its good place to visit
and there we got in to rafting which made more enjoyable of that day. Along
with a rafting guide we went on the river ride with 10 friends and guide by
paying each 100rupeees. He took us to the middle of the river and said dive in,
many of my friends were knew the swimming they got in to river with curious.
After some few min I also took dive in to river wow it was totally amazing.
About
the place: The moist forests of Dubare are home for many wild animals and
birds. Just about 18 kms from kushalnagar is a natural island with
approximately 11 acres of land. This is a fabulous pick nick place where you
can enjoy the Nature. Situated on the banks of River Cauvery [Kaveri], this
place is an ideal holiday spot, Sighting of wild Elephants are regular and so
is spotting the sambhar and the spotted deer. There is also Water rafting in a
small stream which has no hus-gush water flow. You get to enjoy a clean rafting
for u and your family. The Indian Bison or Gaur and bears are also seen in
these forests. Dubare is mainly an elephant capturing and training camp of the
Forest Department.
Bailkuppe : Golden Temple
After
finishing the rafting we had a cup of tea and around 5.30pm we left dubare and reached
bailkuppe around 6.30pm.
Bailkuppe
near Kushalnagar is one of the largest Tibetan settlements in south India. Most
notable among them are the large educational monastic institution Sera, the
smaller Tashilunpo monastery and Namdroling monastery .The Mahayana Buddhist
University is at Sera. There are many monks and nuns. The gold-coated Buddhist
statues in the monastery are imposing and unique, reflecting the rich cultural
heritage of the Tibetans. The statues are of Guru Padmasambhava, Buddha
Shakyamuni and Amitayus. They make handicrafts, carpets and incense. Tourists
can shop for sweaters, dress material and other accessories which are available
at outside.
After golden temple visit
we went back to madikeri(to ladge) and got fresh then went for to have dinner,
searched for good restaurant finally got one SHIVE Sagare, there the we got an
worst sever, service and worst food at that night.
2ed day morning on
Sunday(9.12.2012) ……………………………………
Madikeri Fort
First place on the Sunday morning Madikeri
fort there not much more to see in the place, we took some photos and returned
to TT.
The Palace of the erstwhile kings located inside the Fort, now houses the
offices of the Deputy Commissioner.
About place: it 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. One can find two life size masonry
elephants in the north-east corner at the entrance and a church in the
south-east corner.
Raja’s Seat
Raja’s Seat is a small pavilion with
a garden surrounding it; offering a view of the green valley below. According
to legend, the kings of Coorg spent their evenings here. The spectacular sunset
and the far stretching Blue Mountains will take ones breath away. This is the
spot from where the kings watched the sunsets with their consorts and is the
most scenic sport in South India. It offers breathtaking view of towering
hills, green valleys, studded with paddy fields. The most fascinating view is
the road to Mangalore like a curved ribbon lying in the valley.
Nisargadhama :
Nisargadhama is a breath taking and
beautiful island off the state highway, Just 2 km from Kushalnagar town and
around 30 kms from Madikeri. An Ecological Park for young and old and a
paradise for the nature lovers also it has a small snack house, a deer park,
boating and elephant ride. It gives immense pleasure to all the Nature loving
tourists. Elephant rides and boating are some of the other attractions. We took
elephant ride it was wonderful, This place is for one who wants to spend a nice
time in the green with family, there are also tree houses boating and other
activities conducted around this place. But at our visit boating was not
running.
We
reached Iruppu waterfall around 3.30pm and took the ticket for entry to falls
by paying 20 rupees each, walked around 1km to reach the falls it looks very
nice and we all played in water for more than a hour, the water of the river
was very much cold it was an good fun with playing with cold child water. We
left this place at 5.30 and crossed the
nagarehole forest there is a timing for travelling in nagarehole forest 6pm to
6am there is no entry. Finally made our
journey toward Bangalore at 1am we reached
our place.
About place: it is one of Coorgs major tourist
attractions. Iruppu is a sacred place and is located in south Coorg on the
Brahmagiri range of hills. River Lakshmana-tirtha flows nearby. According to
legends Rama and Lakshmana, passed this way in search of Sita. Lakshmana shot
an arrow into the Brahmagiri hills and brought into being the river Lakshmana
tirtha when Rama asked him to fetch some water.The river descends into a water
fall known as the Irupu Falls and takes a 60 meter plunge down the river amidst
the lushy green mountain and Here is the Rameswara Temple,This falls can be
reached through step climbing path of about one km from the temple.
Irpu
Falls is around 30kms from Gonikoppa and 80 kms from Madikeri. Nagarahole is
just 25 kms away from Irpu Falls and about 45 kms from Virajpet under the
Jurisdiction of Kurchi Village.
