Visited Tibetan settlements in South India in Coorg region
Visited Tibetan settlements in South India in Coorg region
I've spent the past few days in Madikeri (or Mercara) in the Coorg (or Koorg or Kodagu) region in southwest Karnataka. This is the western Ghats, the high hills near the west coast of India on the Arabian Sea.
The region is famous for coffee, tea, and spice plantations. There are also wildlife parks nearby with wild elephants.
The weather has been cool, with a mix of clouds and sun and some periods of heavy rain.
For two days I traveled an hour east by bus back to Kushalnagar. A ten-minute rickshaw ride takes you to Namdroling and Sera, two Tibetan settlements.
After the Chinese invaded Tibet, Tibetan refugees came all the way to South India to the hills to settle. There are over 8,000 monks in the two settlements. There are also Tibetan families living in the area. In addition, there are several very large temples with golden statues of Buddha and his incarnations.
When I went a few days ago I was lucky to meet Jigme, a Buddhist monk. He has been at Namdroling Monastery since 1982. He is seven years into a nine-year study of Buddhist philosophy. He was gracious enough to show me around the temples and explain the meaning behind all of the paintings and sculptures.
Although Namdroling is in the Western Ghats, it does not look particularly hilly. The area looks much different than Ladakh and Spiti Valley. Instead of a temple hundreds of years old set into the side of a cliff, you see a large two-year-old temple surrounded by flat farmland, a brand new temple.
Today I am headed to the town of of Kakkabe, one hour away from here. It is supposed to be further into the hills. I am going to try to stay at a place there called Honey Valley Estate. There is actually not too much to do in Madikeri. It is kind of a strange place, a busy little town where the rickshaw drivers don't ask me if I want a ride.
After Kakkabe, I may go to Nagarhole National Park before heading to the west coast and Kerala, including Kochi (Cochin) and the backwaters at Alleppey (Alappuzha).
Visited Tibetan settlements in South India in Coorg region
