Kodagu - Coorg

The Picture Perfect Kodagu

A tiny district perched at a height of 4000 ft, Kodagu stood isolated from the rest of the land till recently when its immense tourist potential was discovered. With its dense green rainforests, pepper, cardamom, and coffee estates sprawled over misty mountains and valleys, the place is definitely the dream of any nature lover or honeymooning couple. The rivers Kaveri, Bara Pole and Payaswani and their tributaries crisscross the landscape and the virgin forests here are home to animals of all kinds, including wild elephants.

The climate of Kodagu is pleasantly cold throughout the year, which makes it one of the most visited tourist destinations of Karnataka. Drenched in the heavy monsoons, the place gives an altogether different feel, although the tourists might find traveling difficult. Kodagu is also one of the major producers of orange, timber, arecanut, pineapple, papaya etc as well. A drive through one of the plantations is bound to be an enchanting experience.   

The native inhabitants of Kodagu are called Kodavas, who have a unique religion and culture of their own. Initially, Kodagu was under the kingdom of Ganges. Later, it saw invasions by the Cholas and the Changalvas, followed by the Hoysalas. Kodagu was officially part of the kingdom of the Hoysalas and Vijayanagar from the 14th to the 16th centuries.   The Nayaks followed and established their supremacy till the arrival of Hyder and Tippu Sultan. Legend goes that Chandravarma, the son of Siddhartha, once visited the area while on a pilgrimage and was inspired to settle down there with his eleven sons. As Goddess Kaveri blessed the eldest son of the King, her sari knot turned, resulting in a twist in the course of the river.