Coorg or Kodagu, as the people of this little district in Karnataka call their land, is an altogether different facet of India: unsullied, beautiful, green, and exciting with the lovely blue Sahyadari Mountains, dense forested valleys, gurgling mountain streams and waterfalls. It is the land of coffee bushes plump with red berries, cardamom fields covered with white and purple blossoms, old silver oak trees laden with huge hives, and of the sturdy handsome people called the Coorgis who charm by their hospitality and cuisine, their intriguing customs and  the  reverence with  which they worship their river , the Cauvery.

Nestled in the Western Ghats, near Mysore in the Indian state of Karnataka, Coorg is the birthplace of the River Cauvery and home of some of India's bravest soldiers like General Thimayya and Field Marshal Cariappa. Hiking across the country, or simply motoring down mountain trails in Coorg, you will encounter panoramic views of the morning mist rolling down thickly wooded hill slopes and undulating paddy fields and neat rows of coffee bushes under the blue skies.

Coorg is a region full of scattered villages and hamlets, with a few townships standing out. Postcard pretty with their red tiled cottages and purple flowering shrubs, the Kodagu towns have an old-world charm about them. There are ample opportunities for trekking to the top of Tadeyendamol, the highest peak in the region and view the Arabian Sea in the distance. Alternatively, you may simply follow the mountain trails dotted with little shrines, some beside waterfalls and others on the banks of rivers.

Kodagu has a few temples worth visiting. The Bagamandala Temple at the confluence of the Cauvery. Sujyothi Rivers is built in the multi-roofed Kerala style. The Omkareshwara Temple, dedicated to Shiva, is almost 200 years old and is a surprising blend of Islamic and Gothic styles.

Famed for their hunting skills, the Kodavas have assumed guardianship of their homeland' s natural wealth. So if you hear shots ringing out in Kodagu, rest assured that some Kodavas are only testing their marksmanship on the coconuts up in the trees. Off late, the click of the camera is replacing the gun as more and more people yield to the lure of this beautiful, unsullied Eden and its fun loving, hospitable people.