At some point during our weekend trip, we passed through Coorg. In the days of the Raj, the homesick British officers would call this the Scotland of India.
Coorg has the coolest climate in Karnataka. It enjoys a fair bit of elevation, enough for the monsoon to be heavy, creating lush green carpets everywhere. The English designed and built terraces, sowed coffee plantations. They erected colonial mansions on the plantations.
Some of these mansions are today available as “home stays” much like the Tuscan agritourisimo.
The home stays serve authentic Coorg cuisine. Different and simple. Raggi mudde, pork, beef and chicken .
The people in Coorg dress differently. The men wear a Kupya - a knee length coat and a Mandi Tuney - a a turban. The women wear a traditional Indian sari wrapped around the chest without the pleats going over the shoulder.
They carry themselves differently. The theories of their origins make thee descendents of the Mohenjo Daro civilization, of Greek mercenaries that accompanied Alexander the Great, immigrants from Yemen, from Oman. Some even call them Arabs.
They belong to the Hindu warrior clan called Kshatriya. People of Coorg are allowed to carry guns without a license. They carry a dagger called Peechekathi. Coorg regiment is one of the toughest in the Indian army. Coorg has given India some of the best military leaders.
Coorg is a vacation I have not yet taken. I guess, now it is a matter of time …
Tea plantations in Coorg
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A rice village in Coorg
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