Sullia Venkatramana Credit Cooperative Society office-bearers distribute compensation to the natural calamity at a customers’ meet in Madikeri on Tuesday.
Sullia Venkatramana Credit Cooperative Society distributed a compensation of Rs 8.52 lakh to the victims of natural calamity in the district.
The financial assistance was given at a customers’ convention organised under the leadership of the society president K C Narayana Gowda in Madikeri on Tuesday.
Kodagu Gowda Samaja President Periyana Jayanand said, “The society has posted profit and the profit has been distributed among the victims. The compensation should be utilised properly.”
Kodagu Gowda Vidya Sangha President Hosuru Ramesh Joyappa said the government should take up rehabilitation work before the monsoon. The money given by the donors should be utilised for the educational requirements of the children, he added.
Society Director P C Jayaram said, “The members from Kodagu region have been responsible for the growth of the bank in the last four years. The membership of the bank should be increased in the future.”
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Madikeri / February 19th, 2019
Talakaveri in Coorg district is where the mighty River Kaveri takes birth. Chitra Ramaswamy traces its journey, all the while enjoying some scenic spots along the way… Talakaveri
The sky blushes a monochrome in blue tending to grey-black, with clouds that promise rain. Driving through the winding roads of Kodagu flanked by lush coffee estates and fields of spices, we bring our vehicle to a halt at Talakaveri, the birthplace of the sacred River Kaveri. We are as much awestruck by our surrounds as by the legends associated with the waterbody.
A river’s journey
Kaveri, the sacred, easterly-flowing river of peninsular India, commonly referred to as Dakshina Ganga, was born here in the Brahmagiri ranges of the Western Ghats, at an elevation of 1,341 m. However, Kaveri is not visible as a river at Brahmagiri. Rather, she originated as a gurgling spring that to date feeds a tank built on the hillside by the Kodavas of Kodugu. We witness devotees fill pots and bottles with the holy water from the tank, while others take a dip in it. Kaveri miraculously bubbles up every year at an auspicious moment in rebirth, on Tula Sankaramana day, which falls between October and November. Pilgrims in hundreds of thousands flock here to cleanse themselves during this time.
A temple to Goddess Kaveri, that is also dedicated to Shiva as Agasthyeswara, and Ganesha, overlooks the tank and attracts devotees in droves throughout the year. Talakaveri’s importance as a place of veneration gained greater importance since it is believed that Sage Agasthya was blessed here by Brahma, Vishnu and Ganesha as he sat meditating under the ashwaththa tree. Legend also has it that the saptarishis or the seven great sages who are extolled by the Vedas performed their yajna or ritual sacrifices at Brahmagiri Peak.
After offering prayers at the tank shrines, we ascend a flight of steps leading up to the summit of the mist-kissed Brahmagiri Hill, which offers stunning glimpses of the valley below. It is from here that the shimmering body of blue gleefully begins her downward journey, only to disappear underground. However, Kaveri resurfaces in a steep tumble at Bhagamandala, located at the foothills of Talakaveri where she swells with pride as she unites with River Kannike, and Sujyoti, a mythical river. The trio of rivers forms the much venerated ‘Triveni Sangam’. A dip at this confluence is believed to purge one from all evil and negative influences. Believers proceed to Talakaveri after taking a dip at the sangam and performing rituals for their ancestors.
The entrance to Bhagamandala Temple
Our next halt then is Bhagamandala or Bhagandeshwara Kshetra which derives its name from the Bhagandeshwara Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Though the temple complex was built by the Cholas around the 11th century, it displays Kerala-style temple architecture with copper roofs that curve up at each corner, into rearing and hooded cobras. Shrines to Vishnu, Ganesha and Subramanya with rimmed brass doors dot the courtyard. Painted sculptures of the pantheon of Hindu deities, flora, fauna and men in battle adorn the ceilings.
An inscription in its premises refers to Bhagamandala as having been captured by Tipu Sultan in the 1780s. He renamed it as Afesalabad, and as a tribute to himself for the feat he had accomplished, Tipu placed the ‘Salam Kallu’, a stone on the way to Talakaveri. The stone bears testimony to the brutal bloodbaths that he caused. However, in 1790, in a fiercely fought battle, Dodda Veera Rajendra, the most famous of the Haleri rulers of Coorg, regained the territory. Further, he donated the stupika stupika and golden pinnacle of the temple’s cone-shaped shikhara.
Our Bhagamandala trip takes us to Karnataka’s only museum that exhibits objects related to bee-keeping. Bhagamandala is also home to Madhuvana, a bee-rearing and honey marketing centre.
Stuff of legends
A host of legends, most of which have their origins in the Puranas, are associated with Kaveri that has inspired several civilisations that have flourished on its banks. She is inextricably linked with Sage Agasthya, King Kavera and Lopamudra, a trio of puranic icons. The most popular tale associated with the river is that Lord Brahma sent his daughter Vishnumaya to earth as Lopamudra. He had twin objectives in doing so. One, to assist Lord Vishnu as the damsel Mohini, in his ploy to vanquish a demon. Secondly, to allow his daughter to fulfil her keen desire to serve humanity on earth. Brahma gave Lopamudra in adoption to King Kavera who meditated upon him to beget progeny.Pleased with the king’s worship, Brahma gave Lopamudra in adoption to him. As the king’s daughter, she was rechristened Kaveri, and she grew up to be a gorgeous maiden.
Sage Agasthya, who was meditating on Brahmagiri Hill, was entranced by the young Kaveri’s enchanting looks. He sought her hand in marriage. Kaveri accepted him, upon the condition that she would leave him for good if he left her alone for long, at any point in time. As fate would have it, Agasthya once became engrossed in a philosophical discussion and forgot his deal with Kaveri. She immediately left him, transfigured herself into a river, and began to flow in order to fulfil her own desire to serve mankind.
According to another popular myth, Sage Agasthya, by his yogic powers, turned Kaveri to water which he filled in his kamandalu or water pot, and kept it in his ashram. But on one occasion, when he entrusted the pot to his disciples and returned late from a debate, Kaveri used her divine powers to jump out of the kamandalu and emerge as a river to serve humanity. A variant of this version claims Lord Ganesha as having taken the form of a crow and toppling the water from the kamandalu.
Nalaknad Palace
Having feasted our senses on the picturesque Talakaveri and Bhagamandala, we then explored the neighbourhood within a radius of 70 km. Igguthappa Temple, 26 km away, is one of them. After paying our obeisance to Igguthappa, the chief preceptor of the Kodavas, their god of rain and crops, we delight in the verdure surrounding Chelavara Falls, a natural waterfall formed by a tributary of the Kaveri, and Nalaknad Palace which is located at the foot of Tadiandamol, Kodagu’s highest peak. The edifice was built in 1792 by Dodda Veera Rajendra to celebrate his victory against Tipu. It is adorned with exquisite wall murals in various states of preservation. The twin-storeyed palace with a simple exterior has intricate wooden carvings, low conical roof, crested dome and pillared facade.
About 70 km from Bhagamandala, we visit the serene and breathtaking Nisargadhama, a 64-acre island surrounded by River Kaveri. A scenic spot accessed by a hanging bridge across the river, it is ensconced by foliaceous teak and sandalwood trees and bamboo groves. Uma Maheshwara Kshetra and Harangi Dam are our final halting spots on this explorative sojourn of Kodava land. Our hearts and minds fill with a sense of pride at belonging to the land of this holy river. In her 800-km-long long thrilling odyssey, Kaveri traipses amid varying landscapes of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, bounding over boulders, crisscrossing through clusters of expansive palm and paddy fields. She displays several shades of her whimsical nature on this jaunt — a young bride, serene and shy at once, a capricious and tempestuous prankster the next. The mirthful lass creates little and large waterways en route, joins forces with lesser streams, until she takes a final bow and loses herself in the fathomless depths of the Bay of Bengal.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Travel / by Chitra Ramasamy / February 09th, 2019
The Jamiat Ulema-e, a Muslim organization, on Thursday distributed Rs 50 lakh among nearly 350 . The funds were distributed at function organized by the organization at Kaveri Kalakshetra in .
“Humanism is above religion and each one should cultivate humanity,” said Maulana Mufthi Ifthkar, president, Karnataka Jamiat Ulema-e.
Hajarath Maulana Mufthi Shamsuddin, secretary of the organization, said, “We have come forward to help the people in need and no religion will come in the way of this godly act.”
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source: http://www.milbankmonitor.com / MilBankMonitor.com / Home> World News / by Milbank News Writer / February 06th, 2019
District in-charge minister Sa Ra Mahesh chairs a meeting at the DC’s office in Madikeri on Friday, on rehabilitation activities in Kodagu. Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty, MLAs M P Appacchu Ranjan and K G Bopaiah, MLCs Sunil Subramani and Veena Acchaiah, Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy and ZP CEO K Lakshmipriya look on.
Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murty said that the foundation will construct 200 houses for flood and landslide victims in Kodagu.
Speaking after inspecting the site earmarked for rehabilitation of victims on Friday, she said that during the inauguration of Dasara celebrations in Mysuru, Infosys Foundation had promised to contribute Rs 25 crore for the victims.
“It has now been decided that Infosys foundation will itself construct houses with the fund. Nearly 100 houses will be built in two different phases. The government has agreed to fund Rs 9.85 lakh for each house,” she added.
“The foundation will contribute an equal amount. The remainder will be used to repair damaged houses. Contractors hired by Infosys Foundation will build the houses in a government approved model. The representatives of the foundation will monitor the constructions,” she said.
Other than building houses, 100 cowsheds and 100 poultry farming centres would also be built by Infosys Foundation, Sudha Murty said, adding that there was a plan to construct a poly house for farmers, at a cost of Rs 25 lakh.
Sponsors
District in-charge minister Sa Ra Mahesh said that people ready to sponsor houses for flood victims were welcome.
“The government will undertake river desilting and funds will be set aside in the state budget for it. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will chair the meeting of the Kodagu Reconstruction Authority on February 10. A final decision on the disposal of timber washed away during the flash floods will be made at the same meet. A discussion on ‘C’ and ‘D’ land in the district, will also be held,” said the Minister.
The minister directed officials to complete the rehabilitation projects before the monsoon.
Members of Legislative Assembly M P Appacchu Ranjan and K G Bopaiah, Members of Legislative Council Sunil Subramani and Veena Acchaiah, Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy and ZP CEO K Lakshmipriya were present in the meeting.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> States> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Madikeri / February 02nd, 2019
Catholic Sabha Mangalore Pradesh and Udupi Pradesh (R) gave Rs 4 lac financial aid to flood and landslide victims on January 27 at St Michael’s Church Community Hall, Madikeri. Eighty facilities were supported with Rs 5,000 each for all religions. Victims were identified by Fr Alfred John Mendonca and Catholic Sabha Mangalore & Udupi Pradesh (R) helped 50 families.
Rolphy D’Costa, the president of Catholic Sabha Mangalore diocese welcomed the gathering and Alwyn Quadros, the president of Udupi diocese rendered the vote of thanks. Fr Alfred John Mendonca was present as guest along with them from Udupi diocese Walter Cyril Pinto, Dr Gerald Pinto and Santosh Cornelio were present.
Catholic Sabha Udupi Pradesh (R) with the help of Udupi diocese earlier sent five containers worth Rs 23 lac, three to Coorg and two to Kerala.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Karnataka / by Media Release / January 30th, 2019
Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade hands over a cheque to a victim of natural calamity, as a part of the assistance programme under SKDRDP, in Madikeri on Thursday.
Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade launched a programme to assist flood victims through Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project (SKDRDP) in Madikeri on Thursday.
He handed over cheques to those affected by the recent floods and natural calamities to assist the flood victims in rebuilding their lives.
Heggade urged the government to construct houses for the needy and to rebuild the infrastructure in Madikeri which was destroyed by flash floods and landslides.
“Loans up to Rs 450 crore have been released to Kodagu through IDBI bank. Monthly interest on the loans during the months when flood victims were rendered homeless and jobless was paid by the SKDRDP. There is a need to waive the interest during this period and bank officials should think and act in this regard,” stressed Heggade.
He said SKDRDP will encourage flood-affected women to become self-employed by providing training in the making of handicraft items and processed food among other measures.
SKDRDP executive director L H Manjunath said that every homeless and landless family will receive financial assistance of a maximum of Rs 65,000. The amount will be transferred to the bank accounts of 2,106 families within a week. A total amount of Rs 8 crore had been set aside. An amount of Rs 2 crore was also contributed to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, he added.
Veerendra Heggade visited the six flood-affected villages and listened to the woes of residents.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Adithya K A / DH News Service, Madikeri / January 10th, 2019
New office-bearers have been elected for Coorg Wildlife Society.
Kambeyanda C. Biddappa has been elected as President, Ketolira A. Chengappa as Vice-President, Apparanda A. Cariappa as Secretary, Chendanda S. Poovaiah as Treasurer, Chendanda P. Aiyappa has been elected as Joint Secretary. Prof. Kambeyanda C. Belliappa, Iychettira M. Machaiah, Chendanda P. Jeffrey Muthanna, Bollera B. Chengappa, K.N. Madappa, B.A. Poonacha and C.K. Poovaiah have been elected as Executive Committee members.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / December 22nd, 2018
It was only the next morning that I saw the damage that the floods had inflicted on the family.
It was dark and still drizzling when Thenira Kishore Ganesh pulled into his parents’ house in Mekeri in Kodagu. It was a modest but spacious building in the traditional style within a large compound, with an outhouse, a well and flowering plants of various kinds. When Kishore told his parents that I would be staying in the house for the night, they immediately showed me where to freshen up and asked me how hungry I was.
I had been on the road since the crack of dawn having set out from Bengaluru to cover the impact of the floods and landslides that had hit Kodagu a few days earlier. Heavy rains had lashed the district through July and the first half of August making planters worry about their coffee and pepper crops. But the consistent heavy rain took a far bigger toll when on August 16, it brought entire hillsides and villages down in a series of landslides.
Since the condition of the roads and public transport services was uncertain, I had hitched a ride from Bengaluru with Kishore and his brother-in-law Darshan Thimmaiah. They were travelling back home to check on their families and help with relief work. I met Darshan just the previous day at the relief collection centre in Bengaluru. He works at the Ministry of Human Resources Development while Kishore works with the computer manufacturing company Lenovo in Bengaluru. His parents look after the family’s agricultural lands in Mekeri.
The 250-kilometer drive from Bengaluru to Kodagu took longer than it usually did. The Kushalnagar-Madikeri road bore signs of damage from the landslides. There was heavy traffic as relief from across the state poured into the district. We stopped in Suntikoppa where Kishore and Darshan made their own enquiries of the people displaced and living in shelters, while I gathered information for the reports I had set out to write. We stopped again at a petrol bunk in Madikeri where we met two ambulance drivers who had run out of fuel and cash. Kishore and Darshan paid for the two vehicles to be fuelled up.
While Kishore and Darshan dropped off their bags at the family house in Mekeri, Kishore’s mother offered me – an unexpected and ravenous guest – lunch. I happily wolfed down the otti (rice chapati), mutton curry, dal, rice and pickle.
That afternoon, Kishore and Darshan drove me to a relief centre 20 km away. It was already beginning to get dark when we left and they advised me not to try to get to my hotel in Madikeri since it was still raining, the roads were bad and landslides were still being reported across the area.
With no other place to stay, I went back to Kishore’s parents house. And so, having already shared their lunch, the family shared their dinner with me and readjusted their sleeping arrangements to make room for me.
Journalists often rely on the kindness of strangers and, reporting from the location of a natural disaster, I found myself profoundly thankful for the hospitality of Kishore’s elderly parents that evening.
It was only the next morning that I saw the damage that the floods had inflicted on the family.
Across the narrow road in front of their house, Kishore’s family has five acres of land on which they grow paddy. Kishore’s father, who manages the fields for his relatives living outside Kodagu, had supervised sowing in early July. Now, in mid-August, the rice saplings were lying on their sides, flattened by the water that had come rushing down from the hills in the previous day. A 200-metre long field that belongs to Kishore’s uncle had a large chasm in the middle. A stream that used to run around the field and into an irrigation canal now ran through that chasm, the water muddy with silt washed down from fields upstream.
“We don’t know what kind of losses we will have from this,” said Kishore. He estimated that his family will need to spend at least Rs 1 lakh just to restore the field by filling it in with mud.
And yet, when I offered to split the fuel bill with the brothers-in-law who drove me around for a day and a half, they only asked that I donate that amount to flood relief.
source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> BackStory 2018 / by Nayantara Narayanan / December 25th, 2018
Children light a bonfire to beat the cold weather on Race Course Road in Madikeri on Thursday. DH Photo / Rangaswamy
Chilling cold air blowing across Kodagu district pushed temperatures way down to 10 degree Celsius in Madikeri on Thursday.
The cloudy weather experienced in the past three days ended up increasing the chill factor and sent daytime temperature down to 10-degree Celsius.
With the temperature falling so low, Kodagu is freezing at dawn and dusk. Residents are protecting themselves from the biting cold by lighting up fires in the hearth and wearing warm woollen clothing.
Elderly people preferred to stay indoors. Due to the harsh weather, the Raja Seat now witnesses a thin attendance of people on morning walks.
The number of tourists visiting Madikeri during the winter season also dipped. Tourist agencies have attributed the fall in the number of tourists to fear of natural calamities.
There is no respite from the frosty weather for those residing in the hilly ranges of Mandalpatti, Tadiyandamol, Talacauvery and Brahmagiri.
Indresh, a senior citizen recollected that harsher weather was experienced a decade ago in the district.
“The cold weather was coupled with mist which remained for the most part of the day,’ he recounted.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Districts / by Adithya K A / DH News Service / Madikeri – December 20th, 2018
Kisan Diwas Was Celebrated on 23rd December,2018 at KVK Gonikoppal, Kodagu campus Jointly by the Department of Agriculture, CHES, Chettalli and ICAR-KVK, Gonikoppal. About 100 farmers, Staff from Department of Agriculture, KVK and CHES Chettalli participated in the function. The programme was inaugurated by Shri Raghu Nanaiah, President, Taluka Krishika Samaja President. Other guests on the stage were Shri Chotu Kaverappa, President Zilla Krishika Samaja President, Shric S.C. Thimmaiah progressive farmer, Smt Ashwini Nanda and Shri M.P. Somaiah, President Puthari Farmers Producer Co. Ltd. The programme started with lighting of the lamp, followed by Felicitation of Progressive farmers for their integrated farming and Cleanliness in farming and minimum use of external inputs. Shri S.C. Thimmaiah of Nallur village, Ponnampet, Virajpet and Smt. Ashiwini Nanda were felicitated for their achievements in farming. Puthari Farmers organisation was felicitated in recognition of their services to the farming community.
The award winning farmers addressed the farmers and talked in detail about their farming practices and how through integrated farming system they are reducing the cost of cultivation and achieving higher productivity. The programme started with the playing of Farmers Song. In the beginning Smt. Reena, ADA, Agriculture Department welcomed the dignitaries and the farmers. The whole programme was coordinated by Shri Veerendra Kumar and Shri B. Prabhakar, SMS of this KVK.
source: http://www.iihr.res.in / ICAR – Indian Institute of Horticultural Research / Home / December 25th, 2018
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