a trip to heaven, quite literally

Majority of India goes away on a vacation in the scorching month of May. Places like Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Goa and Kerala are the most visited and top the list of best vacation destinations. But last year, not only did I choose an off-season time, but also an offbeat place.

 Leave alone the phirangs; in my opinion, even most Indians are not aware of this little heaven in the middle of Karnataka state called Coorg. I heard about Coorg for the first time from my Kannada friend a few years back. It stayed sleeping in the back of my mind only to surface last November when my dad asked me, where in south can we travel?’ As we had already covered the obvious ‘Mysore-Ooty-Bangalore’ trip, ‘Coorg’ instantly came to my mind.

So off we were, first to Bangalore to visit my sister and then to Coorg. One can reach this eerily tranquil place by train, getting down at Mysore or Hassan railway station, or by plane at Mangalore and taking the local buses to Madikeri, the capital of Coorg. But for me the best route was a road trip from Bangalore along the Mysore highway to Madikeri. There are several private tourism companies in Bangalore that will provide you with a vehicle, a driver and an itinerary at a reasonable cost. Throw away the itinerary and take the rest because you will realize as you start your trip, the more you stay there, the more you want to be there.

The southern clouds have always seemed very dramatic to me and the sugarcane fields with tamarind trees that run along the road after passing Mysore, make it look like as if it just popped out of some 17th century painting. The famous ‘Ramgarh’ village of iconic Bollywood film ‘Sholay’ also lays on the way and your driver-cum guide will be prompt to point it out, it’s a matter of great pride for a state that has its own separate film industry.

Coorg or ‘Kodagu’ as it was called in earlier days, literally means ‘a dense forest in steep hills’, hence the weather is pleasant or rather chilled all round the year. Being close to equator the rains are unpredictable and leave the place looking unworldly beautiful and romantic. If you happen to visit in the month of September, you get a bonus of witnessing the ‘Kailpodhu festival’, celebrated on 3^rd September. It signifies the completion of rice crop transplantation. Kail means weapon and Podhu means festival. Thus the festival is celebrated with great zeal and consists of several sports that require the men to exhibit their physical strength. This festival makes for some vividly colourful and spontaneous pictures; unfortunately I could only get a glimpse of it in the tourist booklet.

The Coorgis or the Kodavas are said to be the descendants of Alexander the Great, when his troops invaded India somewhere around 327 BC. Perhaps, that should explain their unique Greek-ish physical features like the well-built men and exotic beauties with chiseled faces such as Miss World ‘Aishwarya Rai’.

On the first day we visited the ‘Namdroling’ Buddhist monastery at ‘Byalukuppe, closer to Mysore district. The moment you enter its premises you forget that you are in south India; instead it feels like north east. Housing nearly 5000 monks and nuns who are the descendents of Tibetian exiles who settled here in 1963, Ngagyur Nyingma Institute (Shedra) (Higher Buddhist Studies and Research Center), is the largest teaching centre in the world of ‘Nyingmapa’, a lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. The bang of gigantic; metal drums, metal bells, metal plates and wooden muyu along with the constant chanting of hymns take you in a trance and sooth your soul instantly. The main temple called ‘Golden Temple’ is a huge hall that roofs the 60 ft tall golden statue of Lord Buddha, surrounded by two other statues of Lord Padmasambhava and Lord Amitayus, each 58 ft in height. The statues are adorned by enormous china ware and heaps of brilliantly and coloured flowers. The walls are covered with vivid paintings of Buddhist mythology and characters. Outside the monastery the monks and students earn their livelihood by selling several antiques and unique Buddhist stuff in the well organised shopping alley. The good thing about them is, they are not hard sellers and thus it makes shopping a pleasant experience for a change. I bought the famous Buddhist bell, which is claimed to be made by an alloy of 5 metals and produces a soothing sound on being rubbed by a wooden stick. One thing you will notice without fail is that, in spite of all the activity the monastery seems calmingly quiet.

Next up was the 70ft tall ‘Abbi Falls’. Coorg as a vacation spot has not yet been trampled by reckless tourism and its natives, the descendents of Alexander the Great, live very close to the laws of nature, thus keeping the authenticity of the place and its biodiversity very much intact. Abbi Falls is a great example of this and a best place for bird watching and simply relaxing in the thick green forest that surrounds it. The pin drop silence enables you to hear the birds and the gushing water as if they whispered in your ears. You have to fight your urge to plunge into the milk white waters as swimming is strictly prohibited here.

Another water spot in Coorg are the pilgrimages; ‘Talacauveri’ a temple at the origin of the southern Ganges – river ‘Cauvery’ and ‘Bhagmandala’ the confluence of  Cauvery with its tributaries, the Kannike and the mythical Sujyoti river. Here you can awe several intrinsically carved wooden and stone temples, depicting the Hindu mythological events. The temples serve simple, vegetarian south Indian lunch of Sāmbhar-rice and curd or butter milk as Prasad. The Prasad is a true blessing considering the exertion after swimming in the cool waters of Cauvery.

The language in Coorg show heavy influence of the British. The locals speak in Kanada or Kodava, yet the official language is English. Getting around the place is easy if you can speak English and understand English that is coated with heavy south Indian accent. In my entire stay at this immensely tranquil place the only fuss and ironically fun part was communicating with my driver.  Finally after solving the funny confusions with him we decide to go to Dubbare Elephant Camp and end our day 1 in this blissful district. Watching the giants take an evening bath and enjoy themselves with least consideration for their audience, fills your heart up and urges you to plunge in too and give them a hug. If you are adventurous enough you can very well do that; provided you can convince the caretakers as the elephants are not a problem at all, but explaining the caretakers is.

The next day was an early riser, as Nagarhole National Park consumes almost half of your day. It consists of all major Asian spices of animals and birds. If you have been to Mysore zoo, this place will be a repeat telecast except that the animals here are less caged and have more free space to wander around. Feeding the spotted deer and walking on the rough pathways shaded by dense bamboo trees, creates a lasting print on your memory. It is certainly a must on your list if you have kids along with you.

Coorg is known as a perfect retirement or honeymoon destination, crowded only with tea, coffee, orange and spice plantations. Its spices, coffee and forest honey is sold all over India and is a must, on your shopping list. Most restaurants here have adjoining shops that sell original Coorgi spices, remember to bargain although the cost is reasonable enough there is space for a little bargaining.

 All though the eternal vibe of the place is very quiet and tranquil, there is enough activity for people who need more action. Don’t forget to visit the white water rafting in Barapole River, fishing in Valnoor camp and trekking in the mountains of Madikeri, which is no less than a confrontation with the tough and volatile nature. Within the hauntingly silent and thick mountains of Madikeri, one finds himself so close to nature and to himself that it is hard to believe a place like such exists.

The Coorgi cuisine also shows a heavy influence of the British and Portuguese. Non-vegetarian food is easier to find here than compared to other south Indian locations. Due to the river Cauvery it has more access to sweet water fish than sea fish; hence pork and chicken remain its main delicacies. The coal-roasted chicken at a very homely shack was the best lunch I had had in a really long time. It was surrounded by nothing but only green mountains for miles together, and in that silence of the valley I savoured the delicious food as if there was no tomorrow . Being an Indian district, you will also find the typical, religiously vegetarian population, thus vegetarian food also forefronts the menu of many restaurants here.  

We ended this blissfully verdant journey at Raja Seat; a beautifully landscaped and huge garden, famous for its Sunset point and musical fountains. In the olden days, as the name suggests it was the hang out place for the kings and queens.  The experience is extremely magical and you are bound to fall in love, so make sure you plan this trip with the right person, cause I certainly saw some sparks flying between my ‘married for 25 years’ parents.

I long to return to this unrealistically calm place that has had such an effect on me that writing about it alone as soothed every inch of my skin with a cool breeze from my memory in this unexpectedly hot month of March.