Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Coorg - An Introduction

Coorg

A friendly warning to all concerned: One trip to Coorg (Kodagu) and it’ll haunt you for the rest of your life. You might leave Coorg, but Coorg will never leave you. Don’t blame us if you keep returning to it time and again.

That’s Coorg for you- incomparable scenic beauty, lush green valleys, coffee plantations, teak wood forests & majestic mountain ranges. Add to that a strong, brave martial race of Coorgs (Kodavas) that reveres tradition, has a distinct culture and lives life to its fullest.

Coorg is situated on the Western Ghats of Karnataka in South India. Its name is probably a corruption of the Kannada kodagu (“steepness”). For the adventurous at heart, it is an absolute treat. There are trekking, golfing and angling. Religious trips abound on Hindu and Buddhist circuits. Family getaways can be easily arranged. You can also relax your body and mind with special Ayurvedic massages. Coorg is also as trendy and happening as its close neighbour Bangalore.

But the predominant entity here is nature at its best. Coorg is like the dreamland of the philosopher. If you’re the type who likes to mingle with nature, romance in the mountains, feel the tingle of the cool and gentle breeze, watch leaves flutter in dance-like movements and hear sounds of birds fill the air, and then Coorg is just the place for you!

Coorg was an independent kingdom from the 9th century. A Hindu dynasty ruled almost continuously from the late 16th century until overthrown by the British in 1834. The region became a province (a state after 1950) of British India and because of its ruggedness was sometimes referred to as the “Wales of India.” Administered by the chief commissioner of Mysore from 1881 to 1947, Coorg was absorbed into Mysore in 1953.

The Puranas refer to this land as Krodadesa or the land (desa) of the people blest by mother Goddess, River Cauvery (kod, meaning bless, and avva for mother Cauvery). The Puranic name for Coorg was also Matsyadesa (matsya, meaning fish) as is recorded in the Kaveri Purana. Down the ages, it came to be known as Kodagu and the people, Kodavas. This has further changed to Coorg. According to some sources, the word Kodagu is derived from the word “Kudu”, which means “Hilly place”.

2 comments:

VillieMaNillie said...

India rocks man!
well it did a lot and now it only does a little. it was pretty awesome until i learned about the Kama Sutra. dude those dudes were the first porn stars ever. only instead of videos it was hyroglyph type drawings....gahh

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