Madikeri

Madikeri, also known as Mercara, is the headquarters of Kodagu district, Karnataka. Distance from Golden Temple, Kodagu, Avarthi to Madikeri is 34.3 km and takes around 53 min via NH275.

The history of Madikeri is related to the history of Kodagu. From the 2nd to 6th century AD, the northern part of Kodagu was ruled by Kadambas. The southern part of Kodagu was ruled by Gangas from 4th to 11th century. After defeating the Gangas in the 11th century, Cholas became the rulers of Kodagu. In the 12th century, Cholas lost Kodagu to the Hoysalas. Kodagu fell to the Vijayanagar kings in the 14th century. After their fall, the local chieftains (Palegars) started ruling their areas directly. These were defeated by the Haleri kings who ruled Kodagu from 1600-1834 A.D. Haleri kings made the place Haleri, near Madikeri as their capital. Mudduraja, the third king among the Haleri kings started leveling the land around Madikeri and built a fort in the year 1681. This place was named as Muddurajakeri which later became Madikeri. Kodagu became the part of British India after 1834 A.D.

Tibetan Golden Temple in Coorg

The Tibetan Monastery (Namdroling Monastery Golden Temple) or the Tibet Camp as locally called is located around 6 kms from Kushalnagar town towards Mysore. This Tibetan settlement at Bailkoppa or Baylkuppe is the the second largest Tibetan settlement outside Tibet. There are over 7,000 monks and students at the Tibetan monastery. After the Chinese took over Tibet, the refugees were settled at Bylkuppe near Kushalnagar and the Buddhist Monastery was re-established here in 1972. It houses over 7,000 monks and students today. The monastery not only attracts large number of young Tibetans seeking enlightenment and education, but also draws huge tourists from all over India and abroad.



Bylakuppe Tibetan settlement consists of a number of small camps close to each other, and has a lot of monasteries, nunneries. Most famous among them are the large educational institution Sera, the smaller Tashilunpo monastery and Namdroling monastery. The 40 ft tall golden Buddha statues are the major attractions of Bailkoppa. The statues of Buddha, Padmasambhava, and Amitayus are the notable ones. The walls of the temples and the institutions are decorated with colorful paintings depicting gods and demons from Tibetan Buddhist mythology. The altar is decorated with flowers, candles and incense sticks. Apart from the calm and peaceful surroundings there are shopping centers near the temples where one can shop for traditional Tibetan items like costumes, statues, carpets, jewelery etc.

Raja's Seat

At the Western End of Madikeri, Raja's Seat is a small pavilion with a garden surrounding it; offering a view of the green valley below.

Madikeri Fort

This fort was first built by Mudduraja in the last quarter of the 17th century. He also built a palace inside the fort. It was eventually rebuilt in granite by Tipu Sultan who named the site as Jaffarabad. In 1790, Doddavira Rajendra took control of the fort. The British who added to the fort in 1834. The palace was renovated by Lingarajendra Wodeyar II in 1812-1814. In the north-east corner at the entrance are two life size masonry elephants and a church is present in the south-east corner.

How to Reach Madikeri

By Road
Madikeri lies on the Karnataka State Highway 88 that runs from Mysore to Mangalore. It is 120 km from Mysore and 136 km from Mangalore. From Bangalore, the state capital of Karnataka, one can take the State Highway 17 (Bangalore - Mysore Highway) and take a deviation just after the town of Srirangapatna to join State Highway 88 towards Madikeri. From Bangalore, Madikeri is at a distance of 252 km. Nearby towns are Hassan (115 km) in Karnataka state and Cannanore and Tellicherry in the Kerala (each around 115 km. away). Distance from Golden Temple, Kodagu, Avarthi to Madikeri is 34.3 km and takes around 53 min via NH275.

By Rail
Madikeri does not have a railway station. Nearest railheads are Hassan, Kasaragod, Cannanore and Tellicherry (each of which are almost equidistant 115 km away). Mysore and Mangalore have railway stations with very good rail connectivity and are good alternatives to reach Madikeri.

By Air
Madikeri does not have an airport. The nearest airports are Mangalore (136 km. away) and Calicut (180 km). [[Bangalore](260 kms)] airport is an alternative. However, with the upgrading of the existing Mysore airport, that would be the nearest airport to Madikeri.

Distance from Magadi to Madikeri, Karnataka is 217.7 km and travelling takes around 4 h 8 min via NH75. Distance from magadi to Dabaspet is 58 Km. Dobbspet is a tiny town located in Nelamangala Taluk, Bangalore Rural District, Karnataka, India. formerly called as Somapura re named as Dobbspet in memory of Major General Richard Stewart Dobbs first collector of Tumkur District, who is an eminent statesman who devoted his major part of life for the service of the People by the establishment of order and systematic administration in Tumkur district. Dobbspet is located 50 km away from Bangalore along National Highway 4.Nearest city is Tumkur. Hindu pilgrimage site of Shivagange lies near the town. NH 207 from Hosur terminates here. Distance from Bengaluru to Heggadahalli, Karnataka is 126.0 km and travelling takes around 2 h 48 min via NH275.