During hid reign, the Haleri King Lingaraja II beheaded a Brahmin who a minister in his court. After his death, the Brahmin is said to have haunted the king as 'Brahmaraakshas'. As a remedial measure the king was advised to bring a Shivalinga from Kashi and install it in Madikeri. The king arranged for it and thus came up the Omkareshwara Temple in 1820. The temple is a quaint mix of islamic and Gothic styles of architecture. The gold leaf inscription atop is accessed through a narrow flight of interesting steps used by the then king to survey his kingdom.

In front of the temple is the holy pond with fishes that leap in symphony to gobble food offered to them. The annual 'teppotsava' or 'boat festival' is a memorable event.

This is a beautiful garden of seasonal flowers and a fountain, overlooking a deep valley and meandering roads. In the yester years, the Rajas of Kodagu spent their evenings at this vintage point watching spectacular sunsets beyond the western gahts. That is how the place came to be known as Raja's seat.

Adjoining, the Raja's seat on the right is an added attraction, a toy train named 'Baba Saheb Express' that takes around children andd adults to enjoy a view of the mountains and the Raja's Seat from a distance. The train chugs around a fun park for kids. To the left of Raja's seat stands the ancient temple, 'Chouti Mariama'. A furlong away stands the 'Gandhi Mantap' with the bust of Mahatma Gandhi built in memory of Gandhiji's visit to Madikeri during the freedom struggle.

A thrilling 8 kilometre drive amid forests and coffee plantations takes one to the most popular picnic spot the Abbifalss. The gush and the grandeur of the waters splashing down from 70 ft, can be witnessed from the hanging bridge. Although the crystal clear waters are inviting, bathing and swimming in the deep waters is unsafe. Heavy vehicles cannot ply the narrow road leading to the falls and therefore jeeps and auto rickshaws come in very handy.

temples of Maha Vishnu, Subrahmanya and Ganapathi. It is here that Cauvery merges in joyous and divine form with the rivers 'Kannike' and 'Sujyothi' to form a 'Triveni Sangam'. It is customany for all the pilgrims to first take a holy dip in the 'Triveni Sangam' and then ascend the hills for one more at Talacauvery.

From here, Cauvery gushes her way through Karnataka and Tamilnadu, sanctifying lakhs of hectares of land enroute. She ends her 760 km journey at Poompuhar in Tamilnadu to join the Bay of Bengal.

During Tula Sankramana, Mother Goddess Caurvery is offered a special worship, with a month long festival fair, attended by thousands from all over. On regular days. visitors are not allowed after 6 pm. Night stayover is prohibited in the area. Umpteen number of buses ply from Madikeri. The entire strech is a Nature lover's dream come true. However the roads with winding curves asks for cautious driving.

Built on high grounds with a unique blend of traditional and modern styles of architecture, the Madikeri Fort looms large over the town. Built during the reign of the Haleri Kings, it was rebuilt in the early 19 th century.

In the centre of the Fort is the palace which presently houses various government offices. At the entrance of

Its on the way to Nagarahole National park, is a picinic hotspot on the Lakshmanatheertha river. A Shiva Temple dedicated by Sri Rama on the Bank of the river where pilgrim congregate on "Mahashivarathri". The natural beauty - a treat to the eyes - Distance 85 kms from Madikeri.

A mere 15 kms from Nagarhole is the unearthly waterfall "Irpu" on the banks of the pristine river Lakshmanatirtha. The river descends in joyous leapes to anoint the Shiva Temple on its banks, believed to have been consecrated by Lord Rama himself. With several patches of eye soothing paddy fields on the surrounding land, it is a wonderful getaway spot. Buses ply from Gonikoppa.

Touching the skyline stand the Gadduge or three tombs with domes in Islamic style and minartes with gold coating built in Indo Sarsenic style. The central tomb, larger and more ornate than the other two on its either sides is a memorial on the graves of Virarajendra and his wife Mahadevi Amma. The other two are the graves of Lingarajendra and of Rudrappa, Guru to Virarajendra. Situated on an elevated plane, the place offers a bird's eye-viewe of Madikeri.

An island surrounded by the Cauvery river, Nisargadhama is a picturesque picnic spot offering a true 'woody' experience amidst a bamboo forest with a hanging bridge, boat rides, elephant rides, tree-top shelter, deer park etc.

Highly eco-friendly cottages named Brahmagiri, Lopamudra, Kannike etc., are especially designed for the ones who want to spend their days and nights in the cradle of nature. To close the eyelids lulled by the sounds of insects and to open them to the ga chirps of birds can be an unprecendented experience.

The beautiful ecological park is stratigically situated situated between Madikeri and Kushalnagar. Reservation for cottages is to be registered with Forest Department, Madikeri.

A dam with a length of 2775 ft and a height of 174 ft is built across the tributary of Cauvery. This reservoir, 8 kms from Nisarga dhama on one side and 6 kms from Kushalnagar on the other, is the only reservior in Kodagu. A true picinic spot where one can admire the gushing back waters and a cauvery temple nearby. A visit to the Kudige Dairy farm close by could be interesting.

Just about 15 kms from kushalnagar is a natural island with approximately 11 acres of land. The island has a wonderful wreath of water and trees around. The cool and gurgling waters of the river offer a pleasant and refreshing view. The Dubare Forest area is maintained by the forest department that runs an Elephant Training Camp here. People visiting the place enjoy the unusual experience of watching the routine of 12 tamed elephants, their herd-behaviour, their intake of enormous 'raagi' balls made specially for them by mahouts etc.

The State Jungle Lodges and Resorts has undertaken the development of the island.

Nagarhole, a National park, known as 'Rajiv Gandhi National Park', is one of the most well maintained game sanctuaries in the country. It is centrally located with Madikeri at 98 kms, Mysore at 9 kms and Virajpet at 64 kms. The sanctuary is spread over an area of 647 sq.kms and is home for heards of elephants, gaur, chita, sambar, barking deer, sloth bear, langur, jackal, crocodile, and over a hundred species of birds. Tigers and leopards, the elusive cats, also have found sanctuary in the park that is rich with teak, rosewood, and sandalwood tress.

The Kabini River makes one's tryst with wildlife enjoyable with Safari, Fishing camp and experiences that are naturally the best. Although private vehicles are prohibited from playing ins-