Indian Columbus

Nisargadhama is a lovely picnic spot in Coorg. This is located at a distance of around 30 kms from Madikeri. If you reach Kushal Nagar town, this place is hardly 2 kms from there. The entire forest is located inside an island. You either need to cross the river Kaveri through a hanging bridge, or ride an elephant or a boat, to reach the place. The sprawling 64-acre forest has a deer park.  Nisargadhama is a treat to our eyes with thick bamboo groves, sandalwood and teak trees surrounded by river Kaveri. You will also get to spot rabbits and peacocks in the forest. Nisargadhama also has a beautiful children park. This is a perfect picnic spot where you can get elephant ride, boat ride, bird watching, watching deer, peacock and rabbits, children parks and beautiful sight of bamboo trees along the banks of river Kaveri. If you want to stay in the forest and enjoy nature, there are resorts inside the forest. Let me provide more information on various other pla...

"Is this a place in India? Or else, have I come to Tibet?" - This is what you will ask yourself when you visit Bylakuppe Golden Temple in Coorg. Let me give you a background about the place first. Bylakuppe is a Tibetian settlement, and this is the settlement with the maximum number of Tibetians in India outside the Himalayas. This settlement is located very near to Kushal Nagar town. Kushal Nagar is located at a distance of around 40 kms from Madikeri. Bylakuppe houses the beautiful golden temple, which has become one of the most important destinations of Coorg. The temple complex is vast, and it houses the main shrine and two sub-shrines too. The temple tower is highly ornate. The outer walls flanking the doorway are decorated with huge colorful murals. The doors are huge and colored red. The main shrine has the 40' high gilded images of Guru Padmasambhava, Buddha Sakyamuni and Amitayus. The walls are entirely covered with exotic paintings. The altar is...

As promised in my previous post, I am starting my posts on a few important destinations outside Madikeri in Coorg. Let me begin with the Dubare Forest first. Dubare Forest is an elephant capturing and training camp of the Karnataka forest department. It is located on the banks of the river Kaveri at a distance of around 45 kms from Madikeri. You can hire a cab from Madikeri to reach the place. From there, you need to cross the river by boat to reach the forest. This place is one of the best attractions for nature lovers as well as kids in Coorg. The wild elephants are trained and tamed by the tribals with the help of already trained elephants. If you want to stay in this forest, there are cottages available here. You need to book with Karnataka tourism for the same. A trained naturalist would explain to you the various aspects of elephants and their life. You can also observe multiple activities of elephants. Water rafting facility is also available here; however,...

Raja's Seat is a famous tourist site of Coorg. It is located in the heart of Madikeri. It is believed that Kodagu Kings used to enjoy their evenings here, which is why this place is named Raja's Seat. We get a spectacular view of the sunset and far-reaching mountains and valleys from this place. Besides, it gives us a complete aerial view of Madikeri. Well...With this, I have covered all the important places in Madikeri. When you go to Coorg, please do visit all these places and write to me about your trip. Also, do not forget to buy Coorg Coffee at Madikeri. As promised in my earlier blogs, I will write about Madikeri's surrounding towns in my forthcoming posts. Till then... Happy travelling. Visit my site,  krishnakumartk.com  to know more about the travel guides and other books that I have written. 

Raja's tomb, which is also known as Gaddige, is one of the most important places in  Madikeri , Coorg. This is important for both history lovers as well as for nature lovers, as this monument is located at a place from where we can get a commanding view of one part of Madikeri city. There are three structures in this complex. The monument was built in the Indo-Saracenic style in 1820 CE. The Indo-Saracenic style appears to be popular during that period. The tombs are in the design of Muhammadan edifices with domes in the center and turrets at the angles. Two main tombs, one of King Veera Rajendra and his wife, another of his brother Linga Rajendra, which mark the place's significance, are located in the central structure. Shiva Linga symbols are found in the tomb, as the King was a Hindu. A tomb built for a Hindu monarch is unique, as all other tombs in India are built for Muslim Rulers or saints. The graves of the King's priest and the two army commande...

Abbi Falls, also called Abbey Falls, is located at a distance of around 5 km from Madikeri city. It is the second most beautiful waterfall in the Coorg region. The word 'Abbi' means waterfalls in the local language of Coorg. Abbi Falls is located inside a calm and pleasant coffee estate. The vehicles can go only to the entrance. From there, a downhill walk of about half a km will take us to the waterfalls. On the way to the waterfalls, we can view beautiful coffee plantations on both sides. We can visit Abbi falls throughout the year, though the best season is during monsoon. During monsoon, the water flow is very high. Taking a bath in the waterfalls is not allowed. We can watch the beauty of waterfalls by standing in the hanging bridge in front of the falls. Don't miss Abbi Falls if you visit Coorg. It is one of the best destinations in Coorg, for sure. Watch this blog for more travel tips. Till then... Happy Travelling. Visit my site,  krishnakumartk.com...

Welcome back to my posts on Coorg travel. As I promised in my last post, I will provide details about the destinations in Madikeri. Let me start with Omkareshwara Temple. This temple is located in the heart of Madikeri city. This is a small beautiful temple built by Kodagu King Lingaraja in 1820 CE. A well-maintained tank in front of the temple enhances the beauty and serenity of the temple. In India, all the temples have a legend apart from the historical information. This temple too has its own legend. It is said that king Lingaraja killed a "Brahmin" (a person belonging to the Hindu priest community) for his political ambitions. That Brahmin became a "Brahma rakshasa" (a powerful evil force) and started troubling the king. To get rid of the "rakshasa", the king brought a Shivalinga idol from Varanasi (Kasi) and installed it in this place. He named this Shivalinga as "Omkareshwara". The temple's architecture is both Islamic and ...

"Are you making fun of me, my dear friend" - one of my American friends asked me. "What made you think so?" "You claimed that Coorg is one of the most beautiful places in India and all....but, I don't find a city named Coorg in the official tourist site. Are you kidding?" My friend was showing me the official tourism site of Karnataka state. Yes, he was correct. He couldn't figure out the city named Coorg in the site, because there is no such city in India. People who visit the beautiful cities, such as Ooty, Shimla, Manali, Darjeeling and so on assume themselves that Coorg must be a city. Even many Indians too think so. But, there is no city called Coorg. It is a region. Madikeri and the surrounding regions are together known as Coorg. Madikeri is the most important place in the Coorg region. If you want to roam around Coorg, Madikeri is the best destination for lodging. The nearest airport is at Mangalore (around 140 km) and the...

I am planning to write a series of posts on Coorg and provide a complete travel guide. Before I start, let me warn you. If you are the kind of person who would not love to visit the same place, again and again, you better do not travel to Coorg. Or else, you will fall in love with this place and you will hardly like traveling to other places. People call this place as 'the Scotland of India'. Well, I have never been to Scotland. So, I cannot say if Scotland is as beautiful as Coorg. But, for sure, Coorg is one of the best hill stations in India. If you are traveling to India for the first time, Coorg is one of the 'must visit' places. Coorg is a trekker's paradise. If you are a trekker, get your boots on and get moving. Else, if you are a nature lover, then also you would love Coorg. Coffee and pepper plantations, waterfalls, paddy fields, mountain ranges, bamboo forests, sandalwood forests, wildlife sanctuary, flowers.....the list is endless. :-) ...