Gustasp & Jeroo Irani encounter the Cauvery in the forests of Karnataka.

A deep trench, meant to keep elephants away from the lush coffee plantation, had the imprint of a large footprint. An elephant had just lumbered past. “He is in the vicinity,” whispered Ganesh, our naturalist-guide.

As we soldiered on through the Dubare Forest in Kodagu or Coorg, Karnataka, past stands of dead bamboo and soaring rosewood and sandalwood trees, the jungle resonated with an air of menace. “Shhh! He’s there, not too far away!” Ganesh said, as our hearts beat a harsh tattoo against our chests. We were in search of the legendary river Cauvery and it seemed like in the process we would be trampled by an elephant. We stood as still as the tall matti trees from whose sturdy trunks tribals draw water to drink. And then, to the huge relief of our group of four, we heard the lone tusker tramp away in the opposite direction.

Parting thickets of leaves and dry twigs that clawed at us, we trod up and down red paths to suddenly arrive at a clearing. An expanse of emerald-green waters, rippled below, tripping over smooth boulders… the Cauvery at last! The mythical maiden river had played truant even with Sage Agastya who fell in love with her. Legend says the sage asked a disciple to keep an eye on his beautiful wife Cauvery and put her in a vessel. The mischievous and self-willed lady was upset and started to flow away. When the young lad protested, she went underground. That is why, it is said, the river disappears from her source at TalaCauvery, high in the Western Ghats in Coorg, to re-emerge at Bhagamandala, a few kilometres away where a charming temple is dedicated to her.

In the land of her birth, the river is worshipped as a living goddess. Every Coorg or Kodava home is adorned with a photograph or oleograph of the Cauvery and a heavy brass lamp is lit every morning and evening to honour the ancestors. We, however, washed our faces in her life-giving waters and splashed it on one another, while Ganesh sang a song to Ma Cauvery, his voice riding over the sound of the rushing river.

When we were there recently, the river was fairly shallow but coracles bearing locals drifted along its length to the various villages. We too twirled down the river in a coracle to the riverside village of Karadigodu, with trusty Ganesh, when the fragrance of freshly-baked local bread wafted over the slowly-awakening hamlet. Children were getting ready for school, cramming into an auto rickshaw that doubled as a school bus, while grandmothers packed tiffin boxes with lunch for their men-folk on their way to work in the coffee plantations. Mothers swung infants on ample hips and waved to older children heading for the nearest college, heaving backpacks on frail backs.

The village had an aura of sleepy prosperity. Neat little cottages were strung in rows, painted in vivid shades of pink, purple, mauve and green and, in some, TV sets played out the latest South India soaps. We stopped at a local stall (grandly called The Riverside Hotel) for some South Indian filter coffee, fresh sweet bread and smoke-flavoured onion bhajias that had just been whipped off a wood fire. And in front of the village flowed the mercurial Cauvery which, when it is in spate, can break its banks and flood the hamlet and the first row of houses! Yet when we took part in harvesting coffee berries in a plantation, we began to understand how the locals feel an almost mystical attachment to the river.

“Without the river and the land that it waters, we are nothing,” said one of the women coffee pluckers whose nimble technique of prying coffee berries off the bush, we tried hard to imitate. “Ma Cauvery is our goddess!” she exclaimed.

After coffee harvesting ends in February, pepper is culled and so it goes on till June when, with the rains, the Cauvery brims with revitalising waters again, the soil sprouts anew and the cycle of life is renewed.

We met the river goddess again in Kabini, a three-hour drive away, past fields of ripening corn, sugar cane and paddy. The forests of Nagarahole were a dark-green tangled smudge beyond the coiling river Kabini which, incidentally, is a tributary of the Cauvery!

As our boat put-putted down the Kabini that circles the south-eastern edge of the Nagarahole National Park, we saw a couple of wild elephants, long tusks grazing the ground, a marsh crocodile sunning itself on a bank, as still as a log of wood, an iridescent kingfisher that dived for his meal and emerged triumphant. All around us was a world as fresh as at the dawn of time and we thanked Ma Cauvery for her life-nurturing presence which even embraces the wilderness.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Sunday Magazine / by Gustaspjeroo Irani / July 13th, 2013

A nondescript town in the lap of the majestic Pushpagiri mountain, Kumarahally’s geography makes it the perfect place to look for some solitary adventures, writes B V Prakash

Not all those who wander are lost, said a great man once; it surely must be the love of adventure. During my latest visit to Coorg, I decided to give the usual sights a miss and filled with an urge to explore the unseen, I deviated towards Somwarpet to drive through the primitive villages spread across the mountain ranges of the majestic Pushpagiri.

The destination was the nondescript town of Kumarahally. Also called Kumarally (in short), this town has nothing to boast of as a tourist destination; it is just one of the many small towns with similar names such as Shantalli, Kundalli, Bidalli and Bachalli through which one has to pass. However, it serves as a good base from which you can foray into a couple of interesting and exciting locales.

Leaving Somwarpet by afternoon, I headed north-west, breezing past the lush coffee estates and the green fields shining bright in the afternoon sun. After about five kilometres, a deviation to the left led me to a rustic settlement. Named Abbi Matha, this settlement is a religious place where devotees come for worship. But for others, it is a popular picnic spot thanks to the presence of the Abbi Matha Falls. The two-tier cascade may not steal the show, but it is impressive in its austere simplicity — surely an interesting diversion to break the 20-km journey to Kumarally. A dilapidated mutt premises can be visited here. Getting back on the track, I continued my journey towards Kumarally; the remaining journey was covered in half an hour and before dusk, I had reached my destination. The homestay at Kumarally — there is only one — is the ideal place to spend the night before exploring the locales nearby.

The nearest and most sought after sight here is the enchanting waterfalls of Mallalli. If you take the kuchcha road that goes beside the homestay, within a little less than three kilometres, you reach the famed waterfalls. However, driving on the slippery muddy stretch into the valley is indeed a torture. Mornings are the ideal time to visit the falls which are a sight to behold during sunrise. So at dawn, while still dark, I headed for the falls. After driving two kilometres on the treacherous path, I chose to walk the remaining way which proved to be a pleasant experience thanks to the fresh air and the sweet call of the birds. As I reached the edge of the wide gorge, I was left dumbfounded by the sheer beauty of the white cascades rolling down gently. I had all the time in the world to admire its beauty and also walk down all the way to its base.

From the front, the two distinct falls, each with its own form, appeared even more charming. The river Kumaradhara, which flows from here, tumbles down over short drops at a couple of places before joining the Netravathi at Uppinangadi. Rejuvenated from the astounding beauty in front of me, the tough climb back hardly mattered. On the way, I remembered the suggestion of my host Ponnappa and traced a trail through the coffee estates to see an unknown little falls which he said was called the mini-Mallalli falls.

Back at the homestay, after relishing a typically Coorgi breakfast of Votti (rice chapathi) and a cup of refreshing coffee, I drove up to Heggademane, a sleepy town six kilometres away. These places are familiar to trekkers as the trek to Pushpagiri begins from here. But you don’t have to be one to enjoy the panoramic view of the tall rounded peak rising into the blue sky from a lush forest. The Shantamallikarjuna temple here is worth visiting. In recent times, it has undergone a thorough improvement. The 850-year-old Champaka tree in the backyard is something that must not be missed.

Another interesting spot nearby is a hilly tract called Pattepare, which has some strange heaps of stones. Placed in triangular cairns of pebbles with a small opening, these were used as hideouts by erstwhile soldiers in times of battles, according to Ponnappa. There are also caves with narrow entrances. Though the whole place looked bizarre, it did evoke a feeling of belonging to a bygone era. With the sight of the mountain peak, the charming falls, the temple and clusters of age old cairns, Kumarally had me captivated.

How to get there

Kumarally is 20 kilometres from Somwarpet which is well connected with other cities. Though buses go to Kumarally it is easy to visit the spots with own transport in a day. The only homestay here provides food and accommodation.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / by B V Prakash, DHNS / July 30th, 2013