Kodagu

Kodagu, Karnataka, India: Omkareshwara Temple

Kodagu, formerly Coorg, district, southwestern Karnataka state, southwestern India. It is situated at the southern end of the Western Ghats and is rugged and hilly with ample annual precipitation and a climate tempered by elevation. The thickly forested hills often exceed 5,000 feet (1,500 metres) in elevation and rise from the Karnataka plateau. Notable summits, all above 5,300 feet (1,600 metres), include Tadramol, Pushpagiri, and Kottebetta. The name Coorg is probably a corruption of the Kanarese kodagu (“steepness”).

Kodagu is drained by the upper Kaveri (Cauvery) River and its tributaries, which, according to legend, have some of the life-giving properties of the Ganges (Ganga) River. Rice is cultivated on the valley floors. Coffee plantations occupy hillside clearings. Other crops are tea, cardamom, rubber, pepper, and millet. There are orange groves in the south and evergreen timber forests in the west.

From the 9th century ce Coorg was an independent kingdom. A Hindu dynasty ruled almost continuously from the late 16th century until it was overthrown by the British in 1834. The region became a province (a state after 1950) of British India and because of its ruggedness was sometimes referred to as the “Wales of India.” Administered by the chief commissioner of Mysore from 1881 to 1947, Coorg was absorbed into Mysore (now Karnataka) in 1953.

The main towns are Marikeri (Mercara), Somvarpet, Virarajendrapet, and Ponnampet. Area, 1,585 square miles (4,104 square km). Pop. (2001) 545,322; (2011) 554,519.