Kodagu is an experience

Susheela Nair

We drove down to Coorg from Bengaluru on the Madikeri-Mysuru highway, and quickly decided to skip over-crowded Madikeri, the main town of Kodagu district. We headed instead to Kushalnagar, a town on the Cauvery river, and spent two days at the TGI Redolent Resort & Spa, just two kilometres away, recharging and calming our city-frayed nerves. With its sprawling garden, silver oak trees, indigenous plants and manicured green lawns, the resort is a haven of peace and tranquility.

Winding pathways led us to 36 cottages set in clusters. What soothed our eyes immensely was the lush landscaping and architectural beauty. The rooms merge seamlessly with their beautiful surroundings. I found the red laterite exteriors a striking contrast to the lush greenery of the five-acre rustic property.

The cottages are large, with an enormous bedroom and patio. The plush interiors feature king-size beds, and silk brocaded cushions that promise the sleep of your dreams. Each room has large windows and doors that open to a verandah overlooking the garden with well-kept hedges and colourful bursts of flowers all around. The resort’s unique design feature is the massive reception area from where one can get a panoramic view of the resort.

If you are the sedentary type, you can recline in a corner of the verandah with a book in hand and disengage yourself or sit in the room and watch the rains drench the pretty landscape. In fact, you can sit all day watching and listening to the occasional pitter-patter of the rain. Post-monsoon, it is a wondrous place for a winter break. The feathery mist lends a surreal touch to the scenic charm of the resort.  So enveloping was the rainy mist that we could see nothing at times. Then, in a fraction of a minute, the mist would vanish, unveiling surroundings doused with drops of water. The salubrious climate and the picture postcard views make it a popular getaway throughout the year.

What catches one’s fancy is Swaarasya, the resort’s restaurant, from where you can admire the well laid-out swimming pool, cottages, spa and the games room.  Amid lush environs, the specialities served here are as delectable as the fresh air. It is an ideal place to sip a cup of tea, nibble snacks and gaze at the blue water of the swimming pool. We got to savour the succulent koli curry (chicken curry) and kadumbuttu (rice dumplings) which are the most delicious dishes in Kodava cuisine.

If you want to explore the sights nearby you can drive to some tourist attractions in Kushalnagar. During the monsoon you can experience the rapids on the Cauvery river along the stretch adjacent to the Dubare Elephant Camp in Kodagu. This stretch provides for some great river rafting for four months during the height of the monsoon. Post-monsoon there is still rafting available in the remaining months. The highlight of the season is the 1.5-hour whitewater rafting adventure on the roaring Barapole river, which originates in the Brahmagiri hills and flows towards the Arabian Sea. Adventure junkies can navigate a 4.5-km stretch of the river featuring four iconic rapids with thrilling sections reaching up to Class 4 for a duration of four months.

On our return journey, we stopped by Cauvery Nisargadhama, a breathtaking emerald green riverine island carved by the meandering Cauvery, soon after it reaches the plains. It is just two km from Kushalnagar on the state highway linking Madikere and Mysore. The sprawling 64-acre nature resort teems with luxuriant bamboo groves, rosewood and teak and has a deer park, orchidarium, machans for viewing and offers a boat ride down the river. The highlight of Nisargadhama is its magical blend of a serene sylvan setting with the meandering Cauvery. Earlier, it was a popular rendezvous for Tibetans from the nearby Bylekuppe settlement. Now it is a popular tourist attraction, drawing hordes of tourists from all over the country every day.

If you are searching for offbeat places in Kushalnagar, Chiklihole Reservoir is an ideal pick. It is also known as Sunset Point because of its breathtaking sunset view. Harangi, Coorg’s only reservoir on the Cauvery, is another place one can explore.

The last halt of our itinerary was Bylekuppe, the Tibetan settlement with its famed Golden Temple, other monasteries and a bustling shopping complex that peddles authentic Tibetan ware. It’s only after we drove inside for a kilometre that we realized the place pulsates with the sights and sounds of Tibet. We found monasteries, Tibetan schoolchildren cycling on the roads, monks in maroon and ochre robes with Buddha-like smiles, a flea market, and white prayer flags fluttering everywhere.

The bustling shopping complex sells authentic Tibetan ware like prayer wheels, thangkas, handicrafts, carpets, incense and other items. The Golden Temple, with its gold-plated roof, transported us straight to Tibet in all its splendour. The expansive halls in the Namdroling Monastery hold 40-foot idols of the Buddha and his disciples, Padmasambhava and Amitayus.

We culminated our sojourn with a visit to a Kodava family to take part in the Huthri celebrations when the paddy is ready to be harvested. The ceremonious cutting of the new paddy crop by the head of the family falls on a full moon night and is accompanied by chants of “Poli, Poli Devd (increase, increase, O God)”. A single shot is fired to summon Lord Iguthappa, the presiding deity of the Kodava people of Kodagu. It was a splendid opportunity to experience a slice of Kodava hospitality and savour the delectable Kodava cuisine.