Coorg

State: Karnataka

Main languages: Kannada and Kodava takk

 

History:

 

Coorg is also known as Kodagu. It is a province located in Karnataka. Coorg has been a part of the kingdom ruled by the Hoysalas from the 11th to the 14th century. After this it became a part of Vijayanagar and the Chengalvas. The Wodeyars ruled here from the 17th to the 19th century. In 134 this town had been annexed by the British and had been administered by Chief Commissioners. It joined the India in 1948. It is said that Tippu Sultan had named Madikeri, the capital of Kodagu as 'Jaffrabad'. The city gets it's named from standard transliteration. It is also said that it was named in popular etymology since kudu meant steep or hilly. There are various derivations of its name apart from this also. 

 

Geography:

 

Coorg occupies about 4,100 square kilometres of land. It is situated in the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats of South western Karnataka. The capital of this province is Madikeri. It is bordered by the Dakshina Kannada District in the North West and Mysore District to the East. The hilly district also has the lowest elevation in the of 900 meters sea-level in the region. The main river here is the Kaveri. There are various tributaries and drains here. There are various forest reserves in the south and east along with many wildlife sanctuaries like Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary and Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary and Rajiv Gandhi National Park.

 

Climate:

 

Coorg gets its rain during the months from June to the end of September from the south west monsoons. There are often rain showers in November. 

 

Demographics: 

 

As per the 2001 census Coorg had a population of 548,561.

 

Economy:

 

One of the main sources of income in the district is agriculture. There are rice fields on the valley floors along with plantation crops. The most common agricultural cultivation here is coffee, especially C. robusta and C. Arabica. Other forms of crops include black pepper, para rubber, teak, and cocoa. Thick wood bamboo grows in these forests along with teak and Sandalwood. 

 

Culture:

 

Coorg is also known as the Scotland of India and has many communities with diverse ethnic origins living here. The Kodavas are the main ethnic group which speaks their local language called Kodava takk. There are various other local tribes and communities living here. Since the Kodavas are traditionally warriors and agriculturists many of their traditions and festivities revolve around the same. Their main festivals are Kailpodhu or festival of arms, Kaveri Shankaramana and the harvest thanksgiving at Puttari which occur between September and December.

 

Tourism:

 

There are various places to see in Coorg like the temple tank of Omkareshwara, Talakaveri, Nisargadhama, Iruppu Falls, Abbey Falls, Dubare an elephant-capturing and training camp, Nagarahole- the national park, Bhagamandala and Bylakuppe which is also the second-largest Tibetan settlement in India. Trekking and hiking are also popular activities here.

 

Transportation-

 

The nearest airport from here is Bangalore about 260 km away and Mangalore about 135 km away. The nearest Railway Station is Mysore about 146 km away. There are various roads connecting Coorg to the highway.