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“Far from the madding crowd” was the yearning I had as I traversed down the packed roads of Bangalore during rush hour. It was getting to me - the daily commute to work through rush hour traffic; the incessant ring of my phone; the glare from my boss as a harassed me walked late into office; the constant deadlines to be met at work; the pressure of the family to reach home “on time” in order to spend quality time with them. I really needed to get out of this rut in order to keep my sanity intact! The opportunity presented itself when I saw a long weekend on my holiday list!
This was heartening news but the next question that posed itself was, where does a person go?
Weekend getaway
Bangalore has a great advantage of being within reach of a host of places boasting of tourist attractions. However, my criteria was to be away from the crowds in a place where I could be one with nature and such a place turned out to be Coorg. It did not seem too far, within 250 kms from Bangalore, and as per the guide book there was the promise of coffee covered hills, breath taking vistas, lush verdant valleys, the mighty Cauvery and its tributaries, national parks, delicious Kodava cuisine and the much sought after peace and quiet!
Coorg, here I come!
Coorg or Kodagu means dense forest on a steep hill and the region was originally known as Kodaimalenadu. Being a nature lover the very meaning of the name made me decide on spending my precious 3 days here. My destination was the south of Coorg, to the area which I felt was devoid of the usual ‘touristy’ fanfare that I wanted to avoid. It was an estate called Chilligere, in the small village of Kutta.
Chilligere Estate presents a breathtaking view of the mighty Brahmagiri range, a beautiful valley and is set amidst a plantation where coffee, pepper, ginger, banana, and cardamom are grown. The couple running the homestay, Banu and TT Sommiah, are extremely warm and make one feel part of the family. Banu pioneered the concept of homestays in Coorg over 12 years ago as a way of allowing visitors to stay and experience Coorg at a time when there were no hotels. Today this concept has become immensely popular and now there are over 600 homestays all over Coorg, definitely a wonderful way to enoy the “Coorgi experience”.
Scrumptious cuisine
Banu is an extremely good cook and rustles up some mouth watering dishes typical of the area for every meal. Kodagu cuisine has a lot of South Indian influence and uses generous amounts of curry leaves, mustard seeds and coconut. A major difference is that while the rest of the South Indian cuisine is predominantly vegetarian, Kodagu cuisine is non vegetarian. Pork is a hot favourite and the ‘pandi curry’ is especially very popular. However we did not try it as we do not eat pork. The rest of the dishes were no less mouth watering, with a range of curries, stir fried vegetables, bamboo shoot pickles, fried fish and our son’s favourite, the steamed rice dumplings. Not to forget are the endless cups of home grown coffee that are offered. In the evenings Banu also treats the visitors with some of her delicious home made wines and liqueurs.
Natural bounty!
For the nature lover there can be no better place than this. The verdant hillsides, lush valleys, gentle breeze, rustling leaves and twitter of birds in the trees makes one forget the urban chaos one left behind. The beauty of the place is also in the quaint red tiled cottages that dot the slopes of the different estates and in the cheerful and welcoming faces of the people. You want to capture it all on film in the hope that it would transport one back to these serene environs once the holiday is over.
Irupu Falls!
The tributaries of the Cauvery, the Ramtirtha and the Lakshmantirtha meander through this area and not far from the Chilligere Estate are the Irupu Falls that lie at the base of the Brahmagiri range. A trip to these falls is incomplete without a shower under the icy gushing waters. Another major treat here are the rare butterflies that flutter around in hues of brilliant blue, black and yellow. The bird lover would also be able to spot a few rare beauties. At the base of the waterfall is the famous Ishwara Temple, which traces its history back to the days of the Rama. It is believed that Rama himself consecrated the ‘shivlinga’ over here.
I spotted a Cheetah!
Another good reason to be in Kutta is the proximity to two large National Parks – the Rajiv Gandhi National Park at Nagarhole and the Tholpetty Wildlife Sanctuary. A trip to these sanctuaries from Kutta does not take more than an hour and within no time one is within dense jungle with some of the most exotic wildlife. Nagarhole is enroute to Kutta. It is a picturesque journey, but for the pot hole ridden roads that seem to be constant reminders of the ones in Bangalore.
The trip to the Tholpetty Sanctuary in Kerala was more memorable as it was here that we spotted a cheetah, very lucky indeed as per the guide who took us into the park. This park offers many more chances of seeing animals in the wild and this is probably due to the fact that it is not as popular with visitors as its larger cousin at Nagarhole. We had our share of spotting herds of deer, bison, wild elephants and numerous birds.
Before I realized it, my precious three days in these beautiful vistas drew to a close and I was back in the urban rut yet again. But this time it was with the knowledge that there was a place not far from home where I could return; where the peace and quiet would soothe my frazzled nerves and the warm faces around me would reach my heart and spread warmth there too. As the famous song goes, “…and the vision that was planted in my brain still remains with the Sound of Silence!”
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