1. Madikeri is a hill station
town
in Karnataka state, India.
Also known as Mercara, it
is the headquarters of the
district of Kodagu (also
called Coorg). It is a
popular tourist destination.
2.
3.
4. The history of Madikeri is related to the history of Kodagu. From the
2nd to the 6th century AD, the northern part of Kodagu was ruled
by Kadambas. The southern part of Kodagu was ruled
by Gangas from the 4th to the 11th century. After defeating the
Gangas in the 11th century, Cholas became the rulers ofKodagu. In
the 12th century, the Cholas lost Kodagu to the Hoysalas. Kodagufell
to the Vijayanagar kings in the 14th century. After their fall, the local
chieftains (Palegars) started ruling their areas directly. These were
defeated by the Haleri kings who ruled Kodagu from 1600-1834 AD.
Haleri kings made the place Haleri, near Madikeri as their capital.
Mudduraja, the third Haleri king started leveling the land around
Madikeri and built a fort in the year 1681.Madikeri Fort was original
built of mud and was replaced by Tipu Sultan.Kodagu became the
part of British India after 1834 AD.
7. Bylakuppe (Kannada: ಬಪೈಲಕುಪ್ಪೆ Bailakuppe
, Tibetan: བ་ལ་ཀུ་པེ་ Balakupé) is a town
in Karnataka which is home to two of
the manyTibetan settlements in India,
established by Lugsum Samdupling (in
1961) and Dickyi Larsoe (in 1969). It is
located to the west of the Mysore
district in the Indian state
of Karnataka. The twin
town Kushalanagar is about 6
kilometres (3.7 mi) from Bylakuppe.
8.
9. The town is mainly inhabited by Tibetans who,
according to a demographic survey carried out by
the Central Tibetan Administration's Planning
Commission[1] in 1998, accounted for 10,727
individuals at that time. However, it is unclear
whether these figures included
the Vajrayana Buddhist monks living there. Today,
an estimated 70,000 Tibetans live in the
settlements; these were established on land leased
by the state government to accommodate some of
the Tibetan expatriates who came to resettle in
India after 1959. Bylakuppe consists of a number of
agricultural settlements, colonies are close to each
other, and has number of monasteries and temples
in all the major Tibetan Buddhist traditions.
15. The Omkareshwara temple in Madikeri was
built by Lingarajendra II in 1820 in the
Mumammadan style of architecture with a
dome in the center and four turrets at four
corners. 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.
17. 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
18. There is a pool in front of the temple with tons
of fresh water fishes in it. The temple has four
minarets around it and a dome in the center.
The temple is Similar to a Muslim dargah with
a Linga installed near the entrance door. The
King inscribed the history of the temple in a
copper plate which is fixed at the entrance
door frame. There is a water tank in front of
the temple and in the middle of the tank there
is a "mantapam" connected by a causeway.
There are plenty of fish in the tank which is an
attraction for children.
19.
20. Raja's Seat (Seat of the King) is a seasonal
garden of flowers and artificial fountains. It is
one of the most important tourist spots
in madikeri ofCoorg District. It is 270 km
away from Bangalore, the capital
of Karnataka.
A pleasant spectacle of refreshing layers of
greenery, chain of high and low-rise-mountains
attired with mist, the Raja Garden
is one-time-favorites of Kings of Kodagu who
used to watch the setting sun, and spend
time with their queens here.[1] The structure
is small square in brick and mortar of four
pillars bridged by arches, enhanced by
21. This lovely spot was a favorite place
of recreation for the Rajasand hence was
permanently associated with them. It is
built on a high level ground with a
commanding view of the cliffs and valleys
to the west. Early in the morning as the sun
is just rising in the east, the mist shrouded
valley below offers a rare sight. The golden
light of the setting sun is a splendor to
watch. There is also an attraction of the Toy
Train for children.
22.
23. Kaveri Nisargadhama is an
island formed by
river Kaveri near Kushalnagar in
the district of Kodagu, Karnataka
26. It is a 64-acre (260,000 m2)
island,[2][3] with lush foliage of
thick bamboo groves, sandalwood and
teak trees. The island is accessible
through a hanging rope bridge. There
are deer,rabbits, peacocks, and a
children's playground as well as an
orchidarium.
34. The waterfalls
In the mountains of the Western Ghats, several streams combine, swelling with the
monsoon rains and plunging down the mountain slope at enormous speed, hitting the
huge boulders hard and forcing through the crevices and ravines. A misty cloud hangs
over the falls. From here the water flows into the Kaveri River. During the monsoon
season the water flow is very high. During the dry seasons the flow is considerably
diminished.One can find a lot of leeches inside the water.
The waterfall is located between private coffee plantations with stocky coffee bushes
and spice estates with trees entwined with pepper vines. The falls appear suddenly, the
water cascading over rocks into calm pools. A hanging bridge constructed just opposite
the falls comes in handy for the Tourists. There is a Kali Mata temple on the other side
of
the bridge and Coffee and Black Pepper trees on the other side.
