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About Coorg

Coorg officially known as Kodagu is one of the districts in the Karnataka state in southern India. Despite being the least populated district, Coorg is known in the world for coffee and its rich culture and heritage.
Coorg is located on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, bordered by the Dakshina Kannada district to the northwest, Hassan district to the north, Mysore district to the east, the Kannur district of Kerala to the southwest and the Wayanad district of Kerala to the south. The principal city, and district capital of Coorg is Madikeri or Mercara. The city has a population of around 30,000. Other significant cities in the district are Virajpet (Virarajendrapet), Kushalanagara, Somwarpet and Gonikoppal.

Agriculture is the main occupation of the people in Coorg. Geologically, paddy fields are found on the valley floors, with Coffee and pepper agroforestry in the surrounding hills mainly near Madikeri. The coffee agro-forestry systems of Kodagu are one of the richest agro-forest in the world, with about 270 species of shaded trees inventoried according to the publications of CAFNET project. In those coffee agro-forests are also cultivated spices like black pepper, cardamom, vanilla, rubber, teak, cocoa and oranges. Kodagu is also known for its forest honey. Weather hugely contributes towards economy. In July and August, rainfall is intense, and there are often showers into November. The highest temperatures occur in the month of April and May.

Coorg is rich in wildlife and has three wildlife sanctuaries and one national park: Brahmagiri, Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuaries and the Nagarhole National Park, also known as the Rajiv Gandhi National Park. Some of the common wild animals that are found in the forests of Coorg include the asian elephant, tiger, leopard, dhole, gaur, boar, and several species of deers. Coorg also offers a wide variety of birds; roughly around 300 birds have been sighted and reported over the years.

Coorg is home to many communities with diverse ethnic origins, with Kodavas being the main ethnic group. Other communities are the Kodagu Gowda and Muslims. One-fifth of a total population of over 500,000 is the Kodava community, which speaks Kodava language. The Kodavas Hindus are traditionally ancestor worshippers with a martial tradition, hence, may be called Kshatriyas. Some of the festivals celebrated by Kodavas are Kailpodhu, Kaveri Sankramana and Puthari.

Food is a major part people's life in Coorg. It is majorly influenced by geography, history and culture of its people. Their cuisine is predominantly non-vegetarian, owing to the fact that they always ate what was available off the land. Pandi curry (Pork curry) is one of major delicacies of Coorg. People in Coorg are essentially rice eaters as it is grown abundantly in the fertile valleys.Most of the authentic Coorg dishes are rice based, some of them being Akki Rotti, Kadumbuttu and Noolputtu.

Tourist Attraction

Talakaveri: The place where the River Kaveri originates. The temple on the riverbanks here is dedicated to lord Brahma, and is one of only two temples dedicated to Brahma in India and Southeast Asia.
Nisargadhama: A man-made island and picnic spot near Kushalanagara, formed by the river Kaveri.
Iruppu Falls: A sacred spot in south Kodagu in the Brahmagiri hill range. The Lakshmana Tirtha River flows nearby.
Abbey Falls: A scenic waterfall 5 km from Madikeri. Dubare: Mainly an elephant-capturing and training camp of the Forest Department at the edge of Dubare forest; on the bank of the river Kaveri along the Kushalanagara - Siddapur road.
Nagarahole: A national park and wildlife resort.
Bhagamandala: Situated at the confluence of two rivers, the Kaveri and the Kanika. A third river, the Sujyothi, is said to join from underground.
Mandalapatti: 28 km from Madikeri. On the way to Abbey Falls, before 3 km from Abbey Falls take right, from there 25 km.
Mallalli falls: 25 km from Somwarpet, downhill of the Pushpagiri hills.
Omkareshwara Temple: A beautiful temple in Coorg. A legend is associated with the temple, built by Lingrajendra II in 1820 CE. The king put to death a pious Brahmin who dared to protest against his misdeeds. The spirit of the dead man began to plague the king day and night. On the advise of wise men, the king built this temple and installed a shivlinga procured from Kashi, North India.
Buddist Golden Temple: At Bylakuppe near Madikeri at Kodagu district, is a Tibetan settlement.