Weekend at Chikamagalur

My last post helped a friend plan his family vacation at Coorg. With a long weekend round the corner, I thought "how about inspiring someone to visit Chikamagalur"!

Chikamagalur is the 'birthplace of coffee' in India; the first coffee plant having it's roots in Yemen! The story goes that Baba Budan, a 17th century sufi saint, on his travel to Mecca was introduced to coffee. Taken by its strong aroma, he brought back seven coffee beans and planted them in Chikamagalur at a place, now famously known as Baba Budangiri. A shrine dedicated to Baba Budan is located on top of the hills, and is frequented by Muslims and Hindus alike.

Another popular destination is Mullayanagiri, 25 km from the main city on the road to Tarikere. It is the highest mountain peak in Karnataka belonging to the Western Ghats. Famous for it's difficult trekking routes and splendid views, Mullayanagiri attracts tourists and trekkers all year round. A word of caution to those afraid of heights : these hills are notorious for their steep inclinations!



Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullayanagiri

Apart from the coffee estates, hill ranges and mountain peaks, Chikamagalur has lovely resorts, stay-homes and cottages for a perfect laid-back holiday. One such popular resort is the Gateway Hotel at KM road. Here are some pictures from an outing by family members and friends...



Photos by Prabha & Venkatesh

Other Tourist Spots around Chikamagalur :

Hiremagalur: 3 km from the city, this town has an ancient Ram temple which is famous for the mantras chanted in Kannada. This place is also famous for its tasty sajjappa and chaklis

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary: Being a Project Tiger Reserve, you get to see wild animals from close quarters. A safe haven for more than 300 species of birds, this is a paradise for bird watchers

Kemmangundi: It's a hill station nearby and has huge waterfalls like the Hebbe falls and Kallathi falls

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kemmangundi

I hope by the end of this post, you would have found enough inspiration to plan a holiday or your next trek at Chikamagalur -:)

 

Coorg Visit '01_A trip down memory lane

It had been a tough semester at college in the summer of '01 and we decided it was time for some respite from studies. So we packed our bags and headed to Coorg for some adventure!

Coorg, also known as Kodagu is located in the Western Ghats and is famous for tourist places like Talakaveri, the Abbey Falls, the Buddhist Golden Temple and of course the coffee estates.

It was time to soak in the rain and walk through the clouds!

After an overnight journey from Tumkur, we reached our destination and headed first to :

Abbey Falls : Monsoon had just ushered in and the streams were bountiful. After some trekking through the dense coffee plantations, we reached a ropeway that lead us to these falls.

Some of my friends jumped right into the river for a swim!

Next Stop: Talakaveri, where the Kaveri river originates. There's a temple here built to mark the origin of the river, which is in the form of a spring. After a brief visit to the temple, we then made our way to the top of the mountain. The steep climb of around 400 steps literally took our breath away!

Mid-way, some of us gathered to capture this Kodak moment..


The view from the top was awesome and you could almost touch the clouds..

After the amazing sights, we headed to a restaurant serving traditional Coorg food at Madikeri town. The Kodavas are very friendly and have great pride in their culture. This truly reflected in the tasty, finger-licking dishes like the bamboo shoot curry and rotti that we had.

Final stop : Buddhist Golden Temple near Kushalnagar

It was evening when we reached this magnificent Golden Temple of Buddha, located at Bailkuppe. The serenity of the temple cannot be described in words and we were completely mesmerised in it. Many of us sat in silence, as is the practice, and absorbed the energy around us. It was a refreshing and memorable experience for all of us....





Class of '98 EEE, SIT Tumkur



The Mystic Western Ghats

Cradled between the mountains of the Western Ghats, lies a beautiful village, with a meandering river flowing by. You can see exotic plants and flowers with little butterflies hovering over them, lush green forests, the clear waterfalls and the beautiful sunrise over the hills. Home to thousands of plant and animal species, some probably undiscovered, these mountains are a Trekkers' Paradise. This region is famous for holiday destinations like Dharmasthala, Udupi, Sringeri, Kudremukh, Madikeri and Chikamagalur. Driving on a clear day is fun on these long winding roads...

Recently, I took a road trip from Bangalore to Mangalore, a distance of about 350 kms, via the Charmadi route of the western ghats. It was a pleasure driving on NH-48, with the landscape rapidly changing from buildings and markets to open green pastures. I was just happy to be away from the crowded city streets, enjoying the music and the cool morning breeze!

At about 120 km from Nelamangala junction, I took a short break at the Kamat Upachar restaurant for some mouth-watering South Indian breakfast -:) It is the best eatery on NH-48 and I recommend a pit stop here to all those planning on taking this route. After a plate of hot, tasty utthapam followed by a cup of coffee, I continued my journey. On reaching Hassan, you can either continue on NH-48 via Sakleshpur or take the Belur-Mudigere-Charmadi route to reach Mangalore. I preferred the Charmadi route not only because it's more scenic but also because it has better roads.

As you approach Mudigere, you will see numerous coffee estates around you. Located on a mountain peak, this town is a part of Chikamagalur district, where the success story of Cafe Coffee Day began. Driving through the village roads, you cannot help but wonder about the amazing work that goes in bringing the freshness of the coffee beans from the hills to the hot cup of coffee, that we have each morning!! With these thoughts, I headed downhill towards Charmadi Ghats. The weather was pleasant and the scene had changed to beautiful flowers on small misty hills. I could see the mountains afar standing tall, with the playful clouds above them. After a delicious cup of coffee here, I continued my journey. This section of the western ghats offers some amazing views.

The picture above was taken from one such breathtaking view spots. Here, you can truly listen to the sound of silence...

After traversing through the scenic ghats, it was time to drive down the hills into the plains of Dakshina Kannada, also known as South Canara. Green paddy fields, the amazing coconut and arecanut farms all along the road to Mangalore, added to the beauty of the trip and was a sight for my sore eyes!