Coffee at Coorg

A better part of a two-hour drive saw us swerve into Madikeri, the headquarters of Coorg district. Originally called Muddu Raaja keri meaning ‘town of Mudduraaja’, it is the birthplace of India’s first Field Marshal KM Cariappa and proudly displays his statue in the town centre. From the Madikeri bus stop, we turned off into a country road that wound down before a sharp ascent between coffee bushes took us into an open space encircled by charming cottages on three sides. The tiny lawn in the centre had a wall on the fourth side encrusted with flowery climbers that were a riot of colours. Above this wall and reached by two flight of stairs was the dining room with open patio on stilts. Lunch there to the whisper of the silver oaks and a tinkling mountain spring below was like tasting ambrosia.

The balcony of each cottage hung off the grassy plateau. Each one boasted a wooden enclosed verandah suspended above silver oaks, hibiscus creepers and dark green coffee bushes. A homestead in the middle of a coffee plantation, it was a heavenly place, as peaceful as its name ‘Serene Woods’. The aroma of drying coffee beans pervaded the entire area. The food at this homestay was simple but consisted of several dishes varied every day. The service was quiet, courteous and friendly.

Next day, we were on our way to the renowned Talacauvery, source of the River Cauvery. Given the kind of legends connected to this only land-locked Indian river it had been my dream for a long time to visit the place. Here is one legend. Apparently, the Kaveri or Cauvery river was being held in the kamandelu (container of sacred water) by Sage Agastya. When the sage was meditating, Vinaayaka (Lord Ganesha) took the form of a crow and perched on the kamandelu. As the sage shooed away the bird, it tilted the pot with its beak. Kaveri poured out of her captivity and began to flow. The crow then transformed itself into a little boy. The angry sage tried to box the naughty little boy-crow’s ears. It is then that Lord Ganesh appeared in his true form. Aghast at his sin, the sage knocked his own head with clenched fists. That is the reason that the temple at Talacauvery is dedicated to Kaveriamma and Sage Agastya.

Another legend says both Kaveri and Krishna rivers were girlhood friends and began to flow across the Indian peninsula together. On the way, they quarreled bitterly, and Kaveri turned back in a miff. River Cauvery is the only river that flows backwards and does not empty itself into the sea as all other Indian rivers do. Fascinating isn’t it?

Talacauvery is around 48 kilometres from Madekeri. As we climbed upwards, I noticed the pristine roadsides. At short intervals, there were trash cans and the ground beside the road was swept clean. It made me wonder how much we, the self-centred urban people, need to learn from our compatriots who live close to nature. Here trust and faith in honesty was so strong that the plantations did not even have fences around them. Planted in regular rows, coffee bushes were hung with bunches of coffee berries in varying hues of green, yellow and red. Tall silver oaks and nilgiris rose at intervals to provide shade to the coffee and in the undergrowth were the thin-leafed bushes of cardamom. Through the leaves, one could hardly spy the green cardamom pods borne on stalks close to the ground.

Entrance to Talacauvery is through an imposing gate. It is a recent structure bearing an uncanny resemblance to the architectural style of Buddhist monasteries with prayer wheel-like outcrops. It is heartening to observe that India, even in its remotest corners, shows a curious amalgamation of the diverse beliefs and communities it harbours. Climbing numerous broad stairs that gave on to splendid views of green hills and blue, forested valleys, we reached the kundike.

The source of Cauvery is a spring that bubbles up only in the monsoon. The kundike or a small tank of water marks the spot. The river rises from the fountainhead and then gurgles underground to emerge some kilometres away as the Cauvery River. A small temple to Kaveriamma on the paved ledge of the kundike was a place of worship for throngs of pilgrims. A few more flights took us to the stone structures of the temples dedicated to Sage Agastya and other deities.

This is a pilgrimage site for many and especially for the Kodava clans. On Cauvery Changrandi day generally in October, thousands of pilgrims flock here to witness the outpouring of the fountainhead. They welcome the Cauvery as she gushes out at a predetermined moment with prayers. Sacred baths are undertaken here as in all pilgrim towns on the banks of Cauvery. Veneration of this river is understandable as she fulfills water demands not just for Coorg but all over Karnataka.

As I stood near the kundike, I observed a newly-married Kodava couple had come with their parents to seek Kaveriamma’s blessings. Both the ladies were gracefully garbed in saris worn in Coorgese style; the sari is pleated behind leaving the front smooth and flowing. The end of the sari was pulled over the right shoulder and pinned with a beautiful brooch. I was lucky that they agreed to pose for a snap.

On our return from Talacauvery, we passed the confluence where Cauvery meets two of her tributaries called Kamini and Karnika. This sangam or confluence is a holy site to pay homage to departed souls. Groups of devotees were performing rituals of reverence to their ancestors as our car passed by. The scene was a fitting end to a day consecrated to revering the Omniscience existing not only within us but in the miracles wrought by Nature.