Coorg or Kodagu as it is called now a days is a beautiful place in South India. Seen by many as an ideal place to hang out for a short vacation. As the word spreads it is gaining popularity very fast attracting tourists. Perhaps the days are not far when this, not so known place so far gets converted into a buzzing hill station. I am not really sure whether I should promote this place as a beautiful, untouched and hence an ideal place to visit or discourage tourists in order to save it.
Madikeri city is surrounded by a number of attractions. Abbey waterfall is nearby, there are temples in the city, a fort for history lovers with statues of two elephants. A park called Raja’s Seat offers nice view of green hills around. Then their is a busy market place selling local made chocolates and drinks. Traffic jams are experienced in the town as like all other Indian cities it is not equipped to handle the large volume of vehicles. Being an old city the roads are narrow.
There is a spot located on hills called Mandalpatti. Locals describe it as ‘Scotland of India’. I don’t understand why do we need labels like this to advertise our spots. Why not call it simply Mandalpatti with its name? It is an amazing spot and offers breathtaking views of green hills. Its pictures are more than sufficient to attract the nature lovers. You could visit it in the rainy climate and enjoy gusty winds, hills surrounded by clouds and sight of rainbows.
Moreover drive to the top is no less a thrill because the road is under construction. You have to take a jeep available locally to tour. In fact, the drive is slippery at some places and better left to the experienced drivers to overcome rocky patches. But that is where the potential problem lies. Tomorrow a solid tar road will be constructed attracting hordes of people and the so called developments like restaurants, hotels and all unwanted things to convert this serene place into a bustling market.
On the way to Mandalpatti you can spot deforestations in progress to build resorts. There is no denying that the entire setup offers jobs to the locals but do we really want the damage to the ecology that will take place in long term?
Dubare National Park is another attraction. Again overcrowded by tourists to see elephants. The entry point is ill managed and there is nothing, absolutely nothing to guide the visitors. When we reached there around 10 in the morning, we were welcomed by a long queue of people waiting to get into the boat but everyone was completely clueless as there was nobody to guide them. People were hopelessly waiting for their turn to get into the boat to the park but no one had any idea if they would really get the tickets and would be able to go in. There was no ticket counter. Only a guard was present but his job was limited to help people board the boat safely. He was not able to provide any information. Finally after an hour we heard from someone that the park is full and now the people would be allowed in the evening.
Better leave the elephants to themselves.
Tal Cauvery is the origin of Cauvery river. A beautiful spot, well maintained. You can see Kerala and far way Arabian Sea if you climb the nearby hill barefoot in the morning. Bright light in the afternoon and evening actually blocks the view of far away places.
Triveni Sangam at Bhagmandala near Tal Cauvery is another serene and beautiful place. Kaveri, Kannike and the river Sujyoti meet near the temple of Bhagmandaleshwar.
The resort where I stayed was about 30 kms away from Madikeri. It was located on hills, surrounded by dense forest and a had a roaring waterfall nearby. Walk to the waterfall through forest offered excellent colorful view of the surrounding during sunrise. Except myself, everybody in the family was stung by leeches after a walk to the waterfall. Website of resort had already warned about the possible insects and animals in the vicinity. That is where the developments bother me. The wildlife in the area should not become extinct to facilitate the tourism. Every morning while walking in the forest I could notice a boiler being run on wood to provide hot water in the hotel. A group of local laborers could be seen bringing the wood from the forest within the resort.
On the last day I happened to meet a group of tourists. They had arrived at the previous evening and consulted me about the places to visit. When we spoke about our experience of the jeep ride to Mandalpatti a few of them were excited abut the prospects of visiting it. They did not seem to be interested in the scenery as some were arguing about going to the other places. To close the discussion one of them turned back to me and questioned “Jeep mein mazaa ayega na boss?”
In spite of the need to develop the place and provide jobs to the locals, better spare the place in its raw natural form to preserve what took millions of years to build; till a sustainable model of development in tune with nature is carefully built by the mankind.
Curious Explorer 