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The District of Kodagu, about two hours
from Mysore, is completely different from anywhere else in the country.
If you’ve been to India before and done all the tick-list sights, this
is the kind of place that would really intrigue you.
A forested expanse in South West Karnataka, Coorg is often called the
Kashmir of Karnataka for its cool weather and natural beauty.
This small district is home to 260,000 people and is known for its
coffee and tea estates, and the distinct culture of the people - their
language, temperament and lifestyles.
Coorg has its own language known as "Kodava Tak" - a
combination of Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam.
For a start, the local Coorg tribe
don’t look Indian, they have a sort of European-ness about them.
They don’t practise any of the country’s accepted religions: they
worship mother earth and the river.
They eat lots of meat, even pork, and the women are very liberated.
Nobody really knows their heritage: there’s talk that they’re
descended from the Greeks.
Whatever the truth, the reality is that they’re slightly crazy and
love to party.
They’re also unbelievably friendly, so you’ll feel so welcome.
The School Estate is the former home of
Reverend Rictor, one of the early missionaries to Coorg during the Raj.
The estate is now owned by the Aiyapas family, eminent coffee estate
owners and golf aficionados.
As you enter the premises you will be greeted by manicured hedges,
poinsettias, coffee and pepper vines.
The School Estate is surrounded by tea, coffee and vanilla plantations,
and is a rare treat.
Its owner, Rani, is an elegant Coorg woman — a renowned cook who loves
to sit you under the mango tree and talk and eat.
She served me about 15 delicious traditional dishes for lunch as she
told me about her family. It was so civilised, with a touch of the
refined English B&B to it.
Rooms are enormous, old-fashioned and
homey.
There’s such a depth of love in those hand stitched floral covers on
the rosewood beds.
It is very relaxing and, unlike so much
of India these days, it’s still relatively untouched by tourism, so this
place is a real find.
Cold beer on the afternoon lawn
While at School Estate you can try
your hand at golf, go walking through the mountain trails, and learn
the intricacies of Coorg cooking from Rani Aiyapa (the most popular
Coorg dish is 'Pandi curry' made from pork, roasted spices and herb
paste.
A quick trip to Dubare elephant interaction camp (1 hour drive) is
also possible.
Coffee is found throughout Coorg, literally.
Major towns appear as small pockets of life between the mountainous
forests and coffee estates, connected by winding roads lined with
hedgerows, flowering trees, and spices.
Traditional festivals are associated with either the agricultural or
the military nature of its people.
The Coorg wedding is perhaps the only Hindu wedding ceremony where
alcohol, dancing and meat eating, especially pork, are a must.
