Incredible India Tourism

Marvelous Madikeri

Madikeri, also known earlier as Mercara, is the picturesque capital of Coorg, where time seems to have stopped for feasting the eyes of its honorable guests. Dubbed as the Scotland of India, this town has a lot to offer to the tourist. Misty hills, lush forest, acres and acres of tea and coffee plantation, orange groves, undulating streets and breathtaking views are what make Madikeri an unforgettable holiday destination.

Madikeri is the land of the Kodavas. Kodavas have distinctive dresses, the men wearing wraparound robes called the Kupya and the women with a distinctive style of wearing the sari. They have many distinctive practices such as carrying ceremonial knives, and martial war dances. The culture also includes communal gatherings where drink, dance and special meat dishes seasoned with Garcinia are central attractions.

Dotted with a cluster of red-roofed dwellings and a bustling bazaar, the town situated at an elevation of 1525 m, has a charming old-world feel. Raja's seat perched atop a hill is where the kings of yore spent many pleasant evenings watching the golden sunset.

In Madikeri the main festivals celebrated are Kailpodhu, Kaveri Sankramana, Puttari and Dasara. Karaga festival also starts during the time of Navarathri. Madikeri Dasara procession is a very beautiful procession of mantapas.

Madikeri welcomes its every visitor with open arms into the land full of fantasies. With undulating topography covered in different shades of green, dotted with exquisite coffee plantations, and atmosphere heavy with mist, Madikeri is a picture of magnificence. Madikeri town is full of trekking options with some of the most picturesque trek routes in Karnataka a perfect gateway for a leisure holiday.

History & Culture

Gaddige Raja'sTomb

A historical structure, Raja’s tomb aka Gaddige in Madikeri is a beautiful structure extremely popular among the history buffs. The tomb boasts of the indo-sarcenic style of architecture and the most popular attraction here is the mortal remains of the Kodavad royalty and the court dignitaries. There are many other tombs of famous historical personalities as well.

To the right is the tomb of Lingarajendra, built in A.D.1820 by his son Chikkaveerarajendra. To the left is the tomb of Royal priest Rudrappa, built in A.D 1834. Nearby are buried two royal officials, Biddanda Bopu who died fighting with Tipu Sultan, and his son Biddanda somaiah. This attraction is located just 1 km from Madikeri.

Madikeri Fort

Madikeri Fort was first built as a mud fort by Mudduraja in the last quarter of the 17th century. He also built a palace inside the fort. It was eventually rebuilt in granite by Tipu Sultan who named the site as Jaffarabad.

Madikeri Fort, built of brick and mortar, had witnessed several fierce battles. In 1790, Doddavira Rajendra took control of the fort. The palace was renovated by Lingarajendra Wodeyar II in 1812-1814.

In the north-east corner at the entrance are two life size masonry elephants and a church is present in the south-east corner. The fort offers panoramic views of the city from its walls. This is a fort with archaeological value and a marvel of architecture. The centuries old Madikeri Fort with its stone ramparts houses the prison, a temple, a chapel, a small museum, and assorted government offices.

Nature

Abbey Falls

Located near to Madikeri, the main attraction of Madikeri, Abbey Falls is a breathtaking waterfall where the Kaveri river cascades down a rockface from a height of 70 feet. A hanging bridge has now been built across the gorge here offering a good view of the falls.

The falls can be reached by a narrow road from Madikeri. Cars can reach the entrance of these falls from where a downhill walk of 500 metres (on slightly paved steps) takes one to the waterfalls.

Tucked away between private coffee and spice estates, Abbey Falls offers a splendid backdrop for picnics. As one makes the way past stocky coffee bushes and tall trees entwined with pepper vines, the falls make a sudden and dramatic appearance as they cascade their way down steps into limpid pools to join the river Kaveri River. These falls are most impressive during the monsoons.

However, note that swimming is dangerous here and is not recommended.

Raja's Seat

Raja’s Seat, literally meaning Seat of the King, is located at the western end of Madikeri and is a well maintained garden with a great views of the hills and the valley below and having a small pavilion inside.

A beautiful Musical fountain located in Raja's seat.It is one of the beauty of Raja's seat.A cool Karnataka in Incredible India.

According to legend, the kings of Kodagu spent the evenings here and also used this pavilion for relaxing from the tiring royal duties. But what's unforgettable about Raja's seat is the spectacular sunset that one can enjoy from this place. The beautiful sunset and the far stretching Blue Mountains will take ones breath away. This beautiful hilltop offers spectacular view of the Coorg Valley studded with paddy fields and forests.

Religious

Omkareshwara Temple

Omkareshwara temple was built by Lingarajendra in 1820. It is located very near to the heart of the Madikeri. The temple has both Islamic and Gothic style of architecture. There is a tank in front of the temple and a footpath leading to a small "Mantap".

It is said Lingarajendra killed an honest and pious Brahmin to fulfill his political ambitions. That Brahmin became a "Brahmarakshasa"and started troubling the king. The king got rid of him only when he 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.

Golden Temple Kushalnagar

The Tibetan Monastery or the Tibet Camp as locally called is located around 6 kms from Kushalnagar town towards Mysore. This Tibetan settlement at Bailkoppa or Baylkuppe is the the second largest Tibetan settlement outside Tibet. There are over 7,000 monks and students at the Tibetan monastery.

After the Chinese took over Tibet, the refugees were settled at Bylkuppe near Kushalnagar and the Buddhist Monastery was re-established here in 1972. It houses over 7,000 monks and students today. The monastery not only attracts large number of young Tibetans seeking enlightenment and education, but also draws huge tourists from all over India and abroad.

Bylakuppe Tibetan settlement consists of a number of small camps close to each other, and has a lot of monasteries, nunneries. Most famous among them are the large educational institution Sera, the smaller Tashilunpo monastery and Namdroling monastery.

The 40 ft tall golden Buddha statues are the major attractions of Bailkoppa. The statues of Buddha, Padmasambhava, and Amitayus are the notable ones. The walls of the temples and the institutions are decorated with colorful paintings depicting gods and demons from Tibetan Buddhist mythology. The altar is decorated with flowers, candles and incense sticks.

Apart from the calm and peaceful surroundings there are shopping centers near the temples where one can shop for traditional Tibetan items like costumes, statues, carpets, jewelery etc.

Adventure

Trekking in Madikeri

Madikeri is probably the best place in Karnataka to indulge in adventurous trekking. There are number of trek routes that turn out to be a great fun. Some of them are apt for starters, but there are few that are good enough to test even the most experienced.

Thandiyandamole and Pushpagiri, rising to a height of 5729 feet and 5626 feet respectively are the highest peaks of all in Madikeri. Though not very high from a good trekkers perspective, it is their steepness that makes them tough to conquer.

These trek routes still do not see a lot a lot of human intervention, due to which they are kept very clean and green. The picturesque surroundings only add to the allure of these trek routes.

River Rafting In Madikeri

Coorg lies in Western Ghats edging along the Deccan plateau,South West monsoon starts during June till Mid-October, under the expert guidance of internationally trained rafters Enjoy one of South India’s most challenging White Water Rafting adventures at the Upper Barapole River in Coorg

Miscellaneous

Tala Cauvery

Talacauvery, from where the Kaveri River originates in the Brahmagiri hills, is considered among the most sacred places in Karnataka. It is at a height of around 1276 m above sea level. This is a sacred pilgrim center among the Kodavas. This place is marked by a tirtha kundike or Brahma kundike (small spring/pond) from where the river emerges as a small perennial spring, but flows underground again to emerge a short distance away.

A small water tank has been constructed at the point of origin. There is also a temple build at the spot where regular puja rituals are done. The temple is dedicated to Lord Agastheeswara, who is considered to be the link between great Sage Agasthya and river Cauvery.

From Talakaveri, steps lead up to the nearby Brahmagri peak, where the 7 great sages called the Sapta Maharishis had performed a special yagna. From the peak, as well as on the drive to Talakaveri, tourists can enjoy a good view of the misty blue Brahmagiri hills.

An important day here at Talacauvery is the first day of Tula month according to Hindu calendar. The day is called Tulasankramana. Thousands of devotees come to Talacauvery on this day to witness the rise of fountainhead sprouting water at a specific time. It is considered auspicious by devotees to take a dip in the holy waters. The day is celebrated on various places along the banks of river Cauvery where devotees take a holy dip in River Cauvery.

Apart from devotees, it is a great place for tourists as well, as the entire area is surrounded with breathtaking sceneries.

Nisargalaya Madikeri

Nisargalaya, a beautiful small village with plenty of greeneries and marvellous waterfalls, is located on Madikeri-Siddapur road. Central Horticultural Experiment Station (CHES) is the major landmark here. The land is blessed with misty hills and lush green forests and very picturesque.

Nisargalaya is the beauty of nature in Karnataka.It is the fresh air nature for beautiful relaxing place.This is Marvelous Madikeri Nisargalaya.

A Beautiful Wild sanctuary in Nisargalya.It is the most relaxing place in South India.Marvelous Madikeri in Incredible India

Must See Madikeri

Fast Facts

State: Karnataka
District: Kodagu
Famous for/as: Hill Station
Languages: Kannada, Byari, Kodava
Best Season: Oct - Apr
Weather: Summer 21 to 36°C, Winter 14 to 29°C
Altitude: 1525 m
Pincode: 571201
STD code: 08272