| Sightseeing Highlights:
The Kodanda-Ramaswamy temple is one of the most famous sites in Chikmagalur town. This state-protected monument is dedicated to Lord Ram. St. Joseph's Cathedral has an eye-catching, shell-shaped portico. To the town's north is Rathnagiri Bore, a hillock that offers majestic views of Mullayanagiri, Karnataka's highest peak. Rathnagiri Bore has now been converted into a garden and is called Mahatama Gandhi Park. Manikyadhara Falls is a popular waterfall near the renowned pilgrim centre of Baba Budangiri Dattatreya Peetha.
The area surrounding Chikmagalur is rich in ancient architecture, which can be seen today in the form of numerous temples and shrines that dot the landscape. The ancient Chennakeshaya temple, dating back to 1150 AD, is very close at Marle, 12km from town. The Baba Budan range houses the Inam Dattatreya Peetha, a laterite cave which is now an important place of worship for both Hindus and Muslims, some 28km from town.
The Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is to the north-west of Chikmagalur. Surrounded by hills, the reserve houses a diverse wildlife population. Kemmangundi, at a height of 4,705ft and 55km north of Chikmagalur, is a scenic hill station. It was Wodeyar king Krishnaraja Wodeyar's favourite summer camp. Just 10km from Kemmangundi are the Kallathigiri Falls or Kalahasti Falls. To Chikmagalur's south (95km) is Kudremukh (horse face), a mountain peak that overlooks the Arabian Sea. The Kudremukh National Park is the largest declared Wildlife Protected Area (600 sq km) of a tropical wet evergreen type of forest in the Western Ghats.
Activities:
Chikmagalur is a trekker's paradise as its countryside offers several excellent hikes. Also recommended are stays at coffee or pepper plantations, a popular weekend accommodation.
Tourism Info:
Department of Tourism
Tourist officer,
Indira Gandhi road,
Chikmagalur-577 101
Tel. - (91)-08262-228493
Nestled at 3,400ft in the Sahyadri mountains of the Western Ghats, Chikmagalur is situated in the south-western part of Karnataka. Barely 250km from state capital Bangalore,
it lies at the foothills of the Baba Budan range and offers an ideal
getaway for those looking at a quiet weekend. Typical of Ghat
topography, the town offers unending vistas of mountains, streams, and
coffee and pepper plantations. A number of rivers, such as Bhadra,
Hemavathi, Tunga, Netravathi and Vedavathi, originate in the hills
surrounding the town.
Chikmagalur today serves as the headquarters of a district by the same name. It was here that coffee was first cultivated in India in 1670 by Baba Budan, a Muslim saint who brought coffee seeds from Yemen,
and after whom the mountain range to the north of the town is named.
Later taken up by European planters, coffee production and trade has
since been Chikmagalur's mainstay. |
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