Chikmagalur Tourism

The state of Karnataka is an immensely cultural region where music and other forms of art have flourished over hundreds of years. This region has made several contributions to the field of music. Both Carnatic and Hindusthani style of music is very popular in this region. Of the number of fairs and festivals that take place here, the DasseraMahotsav is one event you should not miss. During the Dassera Mahotsav you will be able to witness folk performances like Dollu Kunitha and Veeragase Kunitha. Kannada is the official state language. It is widely understood and spoken in this region. Apart from this there are several other native languages like Tulu, Kodava and Konkani, which are also spoken here.

The Hebbe Falls is a 551 ft. tall waterfall which is located inside a coffee estate. To reach this site one either has to take a walk or drive a four wheeler. This waterfall while, flowing down divides into two. These two are named Dodda Hebbe and Chikka Hebbe. 

The local cuisine is one of the oldest cuisines as it has been mentioned in old documents dating back to 1500 AD. Irrespective of the districts having their own popular dishes, there are some dishes which are common to all. Rice is popular and apart of the regular diet consumed by the locals. Both vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian side dishes can be found in Chikmagalur. Rice pudding is a desert that is particularly liked by the peopleof this region.

One of the dishes which is very popular isBisi Bele Bath. This dish is a rice dish cooked along with lentils and vegetables. You will find similar dishes like Vaangi Bath, Chitranna, Mosaranna, Puliyogare, etc. these are all rice dishes, but cooked in different styles. Apart from these, there are varieties of rice crepes which are popularly known as Dosas. These can be plain or sometimes filled with spiced mashed potato filings.  

Another place that you must visit is the Hanumana Gundi Waterfalls. It is a 100 meter high waterfall where the water falls on natural rock formations. The view is absolutely spectacular. If you are fond of trekking, you’ll like this spot even more since some trekking is requiredto reach this waterfall.

Chikmagalur is not really known for its nightlife, but you will find some bars.On excellent place to drop in at is the Mukwada Bar at The Gateway Hotel.It is a poolside bar where you can enjoy a drink or two. 

Chikmagalurmay be a small town but it has excellent places to shop. The shopping experience has become even better after 1991 as Chikmagalur now has many malls too. There are two places you should definitely visit. One is Vipul Shopping Centre while the other is Shri Maruti Shopping Arcade. If you want to visit a supermarket, you can go to either Shudh Supermarket or More For You or Kellar Super bazaar or SM Supermarket.

This place is famous for its coffee plantations, so the one thing which one should absolutely buy here is coffee. Market Road is famous for the sheer variety of coffees available. You can choose from any kind you like. Coffees are available in both bean form as well as powdered form.

Trekking is allowed at Kudremukh Range from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm. Beyond these timings, no one is allowed to enterthe forest. Adventure lovers will love to hear that there about 13 trekking routes in Kudremukh, ranging from easy to tough. There are cottages and tents which are excellent options for accommodation.However, it is advised that they should be booked well in advance as they are quite popular. Another thing which should be kept in mind is that littering is absolutely prohibited in the Kudremukh range. If you are adventurous you can even visit the Bhadra Tiger Reserve to catch glimpses of wildlife.

The hotels and resorts offer numerous options to rest and relax here. It is an ideal destination to spend a relaxing weekend along with your friends and family. Two of the places you can stay at are the Arabida cool Bungalow and the Ozone Valley Resort.

Located at Hiremagalur, this is a Hindu shrine. From the architecture of this temple it is quite evident that it has been built in three stages. The earlier temple has been built in the Hoysala style. Later portions have been added to the original structure in the 14th and 16th century. This portion resembles the Dravidian style of architecture.

The temple is dedicated to the Hindu God Rama and it houses his idol along with an idol of his wife Sita and one of his brother Lakshmana. Inside the temple there are idols of many other Hindu Gods and Goddesses.  

Almost 84% of the total population of this region is Hindu while around 12% are followers of Islam. The rest of the community comprises Christians, Jains, Buddhists, etc.Chikmagaluris a city that has several temples in and around it. About 67 kilometers away from the city you will finda temple called the Amritheshwara temple. It was built by Amriteshwara Dandanayaka, a general who belonged to the Hoysala period, in the year 1196AD. This temple is famous for the fine craftsmanship you see when you observe the Hoysala style of architecture. Apart from that there are several other temples which are all equally beautiful and worth visiting.

The Chikmagalur district is 30% forest area. Similarly the Chikmagalur city has several hills in and around which are covered by lush green forests.Towards its north west, Chiakamagalur has the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. This sanctuary is surrounded by the scenic hills and steep slopes of the Baba Budan Giri Range, and covers an area of around 492.46 km2. In the year 1998, this Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as a Project Tiger Reserve. This sanctuary is the first tiger reserve in the country to complete a successful village relocation program. By the year 2002, 26 villages in the sanctuary were successfully relocated to M C Halli which is about 50 km away from the sanctuary. This tiger reserve has around 33 tigers apart from several other species of animals like elephants, black leopards, sloth bears, gaurs, barking deer, flying squirrels, porcupines, jackals, sambhars, etc.

The forests of this sanctuary are deciduous and evergreen forests. These forests have several species of timber trees such as Teak and Rosewood, apart from many others. Along with these forests there are mountain grasslands as well. This area is rich in flora as there are several species of plants which can only be found here. You can also find several species of medicinal plants here.  

Kudremukh is the mountain range which is situated in Chikmagalur. The word Kudremukh means horse face and it refers to the side view of the mountain which resembles the face of a horse. There is a Kudremukh National Park which encompasses the hilly slopes of this mountain range. The highest point of this mountain range is at 1892 meters and is known as the Kudremukh Peak.

Located at the foothills of the Mullayanagiri Range, the city of Chikmagalur is surrounded by the Chandra Dronha hills and dense forests of this region. The Chikmagalur city is situated at a height of 1090 meters above the sea level. Chikmagalur is famous for its coffee cultivation and thecoffee variety known as Arabica is grown on the upper hills while the Robusta variety is grown on the lower levels.

In and around Chikmagalur there are a number of hill stations and waterfalls which are very popular among the tourists. The Baba Budan Giri Hill Range or Chandra Drona Parvathais home to the highest peak of Karnataka known as Mullayanagiri. It is 1930 meters tall and is famous for the view of beautiful sunsets you can see from there. The way to the peak is very narrow, thusyou can only drive halfway. The rest of the journey to the peak has to be made on foot. From the top of the hill, on a clear day, you can evensee the Arabian Sea.