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Coorg or Kodagu,
as the people of this little district in Karnataka call their
land, is a different facet of India: unsullied, beautiful,
green, and exciting with the lovely blue Western
Ghats, dense forested valleys, gurgling mountain
streams and waterfalls. It is the land of coffee bushes resplendent
with red berries, cardamom fields covered with white and
purple blossoms, old silver oak trees laden with huge hives,
and of a sturdy handsome people called the Coorgis who charm
by their hospitality and cuisine, their intriguing customs
and the reverence with which they worship their river, the
Cauvery.
Nestled in the Western Ghats, near Mysore in the Indian state
of Karnataka, Coorg is the birthplace of the River Cauvery
and home of some of India/’s bravest soldiers like General
Thimayya and Field Marshal Cariappa. Hiking across the country,
or simply motoring down mountain trails in Coorg, the visitor
encounters panoramic views of the morning mist rolling down
thickly wooded hill slopes and undulating paddy fields and
neat rows of coffee bushes resplendent under the blue skies.
While addressing a public meeting in Madikeri (the district
headquarters of Coorg), the late Prime Minister of India, Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru remarked /”Coorg has given great Generals
to the Indian Army. It is noted for its choicest coffee and
if I am permitted to add one more to these specialties, I can
mention that Coorg is famous for its beautiful and comely women./” |
