Madikeri (Coorg) holidays

The territory of Coorg is beautiful hill country most of which is between 3000 and 4000 feet high. Coorg still retains much of its old world charm and the district is characterised by clusters of villages, crisp air, thick tropical forests, miles of exotic spices and coffee plantations and extensive paddy fields and an abundance of flora and bird life. The Kodavas or Coorgs (not Coorgis) are said to be the descendants of the Greeks (Alexander's soldiers), they are fiercely independent and were never conquered. The Kodavas speak "Kodava Thak", a mixture of the Kannada and Malayalam languages. They are ancestor worshipers, with each family maintaining an ancestral house called "Aiynmane". Kodavas have their own distinctive traditional dress for special occasions. The men wear an outfit called "kupia" and women "sari" pleated at the back. Local attractions are focused on the natural beauty of the district and include plantations, rivers and waterfalls