Coorg – The Land Of Coffee

By Author: Raveenwin
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“Coorg – The Land of Coffee”
Coorg is well known for its acres and acres of world famous coffee plantations. It is located in the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats and is a part of Karnataka in the South of India. The district capital of Coorg is Madikeri and other important towns include Virajpet, Kushalanagara and Somwarpet. The climate of Coorg is also very comfortable with the highest temperature of about 28 degree centigrade in the summer months of April and May.
Madikeri as the principal town is the main visiting site for tourist. In Madikeri tourists can visit the Madikeri fort, palace, Omkareshwara temple, the Gaddiga and Raja’s seat. Madikeri was founded by Prince Muddu Raja in 1681 and boasts of a rich history and culture.
The Omkareshwara temple was built by Lingarajendra the second in 1820. The legend behind the temple is that it was built to please the soul of a Brahmin who the prince put to death unjustly. The history of the temple is written on a copper plate and placed on the temple gate. The architecture of the temple is influenced by Islamic architecture. The temple has a dome ...
... in the center and four turrets in the corners. There is a linga in the entrance of the temple and a tank in front of the temple attracts tourist with its many colorful fishes and a bridge in the middle of the tank leads to the temple entrance.
The Madikeri fort is an imposing structure dominating the town. The fort was rebuilt by Tipu Sultan. It originally housed a temple but an Anglican Church was put in its place by the British. Now the Church has been converted into a museum and displays interesting Coorg artifacts. The fort also consists of a public library, a temple and the district prison. The fort also contains the Madikeri Palace built by Lingarajendra Wodeyar ii. Today the palace is converted into the offices of the Deputy Commissioner.
The Gaddiga tombs of erstwhile kings built in the Islamic architectural forms are also worth a visit. The exquisite engravings on the bars of windows are also very appealing. The raja’ seat offers tourists the scenic view of the town. The kings would seat here to view the sunsets and now tourists can enjoy serene views of the setting sun, enjoy a walk amongst the gardens and also enjoy a toy train ride.
Tourists can also enjoy Irrupu and Abey falls, the national park of Nagarhole, and an elephant training camp called Dubare among other attractions. Coorg also boasts of rich and diverse flora and fauna and they can be enjoyed in the three wildlife sanctuaries- Brahmagiri, Talakaveri and Pushpagiri.
Coorg is well connected and reached by roads and railways from Kerala, Mysore and Hassan in Karnataka. The nearest airport is Mangalore. To know more about Coorg and Coorg hotels Visit HolidayIQ