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Physical
Features | Historical
Background | Life
style, Culture & Specialty | Festivals
of Kodagu | News
from Kodagu | Tourist
spots of Kodagu (Coorg)
Nature has blessed certain
parts of the world with special favors. One among them
is Coorg a district in Karnataka. So blessed in Coorg the
whole of Coorg can be called as a hill station. Such is
the place. It comes in the malnad region of Karnataka. Karnataka
has been boomed by Nature exclusively that it has a long
coastal line, a Malnad region which is full of thick
forests and plains which no other state in India has.
Coorg about which we
are briefing comes under Malnad region. The specialty of
this Malnad region is, it is full of thick forests, streams,
waterfalls, different kinds of wild life, varieties of insects,
birds belonging to different different groups and families
having various colored wings. This makes one who stands
amidst such type of landscape having a panoramic view feel
that one might have landed in heaven. Heaven is not somewhere
outside, but it is here on earth itself in such places like
Coorg, but only one should have an inner eye to enjoy it.
Coorg is the birthplace
of the river Cauvery; the river is what Ganga is to the
north. Cauvery takes it's birth on the hill of Brahma
giri near Madikeri (Mercara), which is the district, head quarters.
At the top of this hill, there takes Cauvery, its birth
in the midst of thick forests, falls to a valley, goes under
ground and again becomes visible after a few hundred meters.
There is a story in Hindu mythology, "Skanda Purana" which
narrates how Cauvery took her birth. It is an interesting
story to be narrated here and won't think it is out of context.
Agastya, one of the greatest sages that India has seen was
married to Lopamudra, an aesthetic, pious, very religious.
Lopamudra has been considered as one of the greatest pathivrathas,
meaning that a great obedient follower of her sage husband.
The couple were rejoicing
and relaxing in this wonderful heavenly like abode in Brahmagiri.
A man by name Kavera raya went on a penance to get a boon
from lord Brahma, when lord Brahma appeared he asked Brahma
to grace with a baby. Lord Brahma blessed him with the boon
and thus Lopamudra, wife of Agastya took her birth as Cauvery,
the daughter of King Kavera raya.
In fact there is another
story regarding the birth of Cauvery. Once Agastya converted
his wife to water and stored the water in a jug. He went
out of his hermit for attending nature's call. A crow came
and finding the jug thought that some food may be there
in it and overturned the jug. The water in it thus fell
on the ground and flew from there to the valley as a river.
By the time agastya came, everything was over and thus the
crow is responsible for giving a river like cauvery to the
people of the land.
On every 'thula sankramana
day' every year, the spring comes out of the birthplace
of Cauvery even today. The day which is performed by gay,
gaiety and enthusiasm all over the state particularly by
the Kodavas (Coorgis), the original of the land. Cauvery is the most
important river for both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where
it merges with ocean at a place in Tamil Nadu, traveling a
distance of 765 Km .
Coorg, the land of panoramic
natural scene is a gift not only to the state but also to
the country itself. The forests are rich with precious trees
like sandal, rose wood and teak. The sandalwood is the best
of its kind in the whole world as its fragrance has a special
quality and the oil extracted is used in sandal soaps, which
is famous even now.
Plenty is there to write
about the richest district of Karnataka, Coorg it has a
pleasant weather, you can smell coffee at the time of blooming
all over the Coorg. Coorg is famous not only for its natural
beauty but also for its people, their custom etc. about
which the narration will be made in our next episode.
Physical
Features | Historical
Background | Life
style, Culture & Specialty | Festivals
of Kodagu | News
from Kodagu | Tourist
spots of Kodagu (Coorg)
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