I had been long wishing to visit Koorg area of Karnataka and finally got the chance to do so when I was working in Pattuvam water supply project in Kannur.
I set out on my bike from Thalpparamba in Kannur district on a September afternoon in 2008 along the Talipparamba-Irritty road .The distance of 47 kms was covered soon due to the low volume of traffic and the good condition of the road.
After passing Siddapura on the road to Kushal nagar I saw the board of Dubarre elephant training camp and just out of curiosity turned down this small road and suddenly came upon the Cauvery river .There is rafting, elephant rides etc. for the tourists.I crossed the river by a power boat to see the elephant camp.One can even wash elephants .
From the Raja's seat I went to the near by Fort .Which is very charming in its antiquity.The Koorg District Police commissioners office is inside this.It is a large area housing also the district jail. I spend a lot of time wandering inside the premises.There is an old chapel which is now the fort museum,unfortunately for me it was closed at the time since it was already well past 5.p.m.Inside the fort preparations were going on for the next day's Dussera festival procession .There were giant floats of Durga and Hanuman.
Inside the fort I came across two kids who were collecting Rs. 10 as admission fee to the for
t. 
The two little ticket collectors ..........
I set out on my bike from Thalpparamba in Kannur district on a September afternoon in 2008 along the Talipparamba-Irritty road .The distance of 47 kms was covered soon due to the low volume of traffic and the good condition of the road.
I Passed the picturesque town of Irritty on the banks of the Pazhassey river and the nearby Pazhassey dam reservoir.The Kerala-Karnataka border is around 17 kms from Irritty.I passed that at around 6.15p.m.The remaining 30 kilometers is through thick forest and all up hill to Virajpet the gateway to koorg .The road could not be called a road as such.It was a lot of big holes with a few small bits of ancient tarmac in between .The road winds tortuously through very thick jungle.But I couldnot enjoy the scenery because it was already dark.After 20km along this rough stretch I came to some good road 
where I stop ed to take a breath of the cool night air and to my dismay I found that I had lost my riding jacket some where along the way.I had been sitting on it and it had fallen off during the bumpy ride .I reached Virajpet and found lodging in a reasonable hotel.Actually I was lucky considering that it was the Dussera season and the rooms are usually full.The next day I got some nice views of Virajpet from my hotel
After a hearty breakfast I set out for Kushalnagar via Siddapura passing through some of the lovely coffee plantations of Kudagu(Koorg).
where I stop ed to take a breath of the cool night air and to my dismay I found that I had lost my riding jacket some where along the way.I had been sitting on it and it had fallen off during the bumpy ride .I reached Virajpet and found lodging in a reasonable hotel.Actually I was lucky considering that it was the Dussera season and the rooms are usually full.The next day I got some nice views of Virajpet from my hotel
After a hearty breakfast I set out for Kushalnagar via Siddapura passing through some of the lovely coffee plantations of Kudagu(Koorg).
After passing Siddapura on the road to Kushal nagar I saw the board of Dubarre elephant training camp and just out of curiosity turned down this small road and suddenly came upon the Cauvery river .There is rafting, elephant rides etc. for the tourists.I crossed the river by a power boat to see the elephant camp.One can even wash elephants . 
Rafting on the Cauvery
After spending some at the elephant camp I rode on towards Kushalnagar, around 6 kms from Kushalnagar there is a place called Cauvery Nisa
gadama.It is an island in the Cauvery river .I crossed a hanging bridge and came to a wonderful park full of shady bamboo grooves.There is a deer park and a cafeteria for refreshments.
Form there I went to the Golden Temple of the Tibetan Buddhist monks.It is very peaceful; monastery with prayer halls and temples etc.
gadama.It is an island in the Cauvery river .I crossed a hanging bridge and came to a wonderful park full of shady bamboo grooves.There is a deer park and a cafeteria for refreshments.
Form there I went to the Golden Temple of the Tibetan Buddhist monks.It is very peaceful; monastery with prayer halls and temples etc.
I had my photos taken with some monks.Soon I finished the sight seeing and came to Kushalnagar town for lunch . After a good lunch I purchased a couple of cans of beer and set out on the road to Madikeri or Mercara which is the capital of Coorg.It is situated at an altitude of 1000meters above sea level.Coorg is also known as the Scotland of India because of its stunning valleys and misty mountains. 
I stoped along the route to take in the the
beauty of the valleys and peaks.The ride was smooth and comfortable with nice scenery all along. Around 8km from Madikeri there is a turning to Abbey falls.I debated whether to go there or not ,I decided not to as the time was around 4p.m and I was worried about finding a room for the night .So I pushed on to Madikeri town which is surprisingly nice. Here also I was lucky to find a room though it was costly for a single person.After checking in I freshened up and went to see the sights of Madikeri.There is a beautiful viewing point known 
as Raja's seat with landscaped garden.The view from there is fantastic.In the olden days the Raja of Koorg used to come to this place with his consorts to view the setting sun.The view from this high point stretches for miles and miles across the valleys towards distant mountains. I could see some rain clouds forming along the distant hills. I sat there and relaxed in the cool air and the pleasant garden.
The Raja's seat...
I stoped along the route to take in the the
beauty of the valleys and peaks.The ride was smooth and comfortable with nice scenery all along. Around 8km from Madikeri there is a turning to Abbey falls.I debated whether to go there or not ,I decided not to as the time was around 4p.m and I was worried about finding a room for the night .So I pushed on to Madikeri town which is surprisingly nice. Here also I was lucky to find a room though it was costly for a single person.After checking in I freshened up and went to see the sights of Madikeri.There is a beautiful viewing point known 
as Raja's seat with landscaped garden.The view from there is fantastic.In the olden days the Raja of Koorg used to come to this place with his consorts to view the setting sun.The view from this high point stretches for miles and miles across the valleys towards distant mountains. I could see some rain clouds forming along the distant hills. I sat there and relaxed in the cool air and the pleasant garden.
The Raja's seat...
From the Raja's seat I went to the near by Fort .Which is very charming in its antiquity.The Koorg District Police commissioners office is inside this.It is a large area housing also the district jail. I spend a lot of time wandering inside the premises.There is an old chapel which is now the fort museum,unfortunately for me it was closed at the time since it was already well past 5.p.m.Inside the fort preparations were going on for the next day's Dussera festival procession .There were giant floats of Durga and Hanuman.
Inside the fort I came across two kids who were collecting Rs. 10 as admission fee to the for
t. 
The two little ticket collectors ..........The main entrance to the fort
Inside -----------------------------------++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
At about 6.30pm I left the fort and went to my room .Later on I went out to get some refreshments where I got acquainted with a nice group of Youngsters of Madikeri who were out celebrating Dussera.They welcomed my company and I also felt thankful for their presence.They took me to the Police maidan where an orchestra programme was on
.I listened to a lot of Kannada songs though I do not know Kannada.Any way we all enjoyed it so much that they asked me to stay there the next day also.But i said I had to get back to my job as I was short of leave and I had to visit Thalakkavery which is the starting point of the Cauvery river the next day.So as a compromise they promised to accompany me to Thalakkavery on their bikes the next day and see me off to Kerala.... The next day we all set off together to Bagamandala and from there to Thalakkavery.Passing through the most enchanting coffee plantation.We visited the temple at Tahalakkavery shrouded in mists and mystery .From there I said sad good byes to my freinds and with promises of a return visit to Koorg I took a short cut to Panathur in Kasargode dt .The trip was short and down hill from Panathur I returned to Taliparamba via Kanjangad.Though I have missed out a lot of places in Koorg I think the trip was a phenomenal success. Totally I had covered a distance of 45okms .
Inside -----------------------------------++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
At about 6.30pm I left the fort and went to my room .Later on I went out to get some refreshments where I got acquainted with a nice group of Youngsters of Madikeri who were out celebrating Dussera.They welcomed my company and I also felt thankful for their presence.They took me to the Police maidan where an orchestra programme was on
.I listened to a lot of Kannada songs though I do not know Kannada.Any way we all enjoyed it so much that they asked me to stay there the next day also.But i said I had to get back to my job as I was short of leave and I had to visit Thalakkavery which is the starting point of the Cauvery river the next day.So as a compromise they promised to accompany me to Thalakkavery on their bikes the next day and see me off to Kerala.... The next day we all set off together to Bagamandala and from there to Thalakkavery.Passing through the most enchanting coffee plantation.We visited the temple at Tahalakkavery shrouded in mists and mystery .From there I said sad good byes to my freinds and with promises of a return visit to Koorg I took a short cut to Panathur in Kasargode dt .The trip was short and down hill from Panathur I returned to Taliparamba via Kanjangad.Though I have missed out a lot of places in Koorg I think the trip was a phenomenal success. Totally I had covered a distance of 45okms .
