Chelavara Falls is one of the most beautiful falls in Coorg, which is located around 40 km away from Madikeri and 20 kms from Virajpet. Chelavara Falls is also called as Embepare by the locals meaning Tortoise Rock.

The water fall is really a wonder full view as the water gushes from the top amidst the green coffee plantation.

 Nalknad Palace (Kannada: ನಾಲ್ಕು ನಾಡ್ ಅರಮನೆ) is a palace located in the Kodagu district of the Indian state of Karnataka.

 It is situated the foothill of Tadiyandamol, the highest peak of Kodagu (near Kakkabe village). It is a two storeyed building, supposed to be the summer palace of the Kodava kings. It is located near a village named Yavakapadi and was built between the years 1792 and 1794 AD. This palace was the last refuge of the last king of Kodagu, Chikka Veerarajendra before he was deposed by the British. The Kannada film Shanti, which has only a single actor, was shot in the surroundings of the palace.

After the death of the Kodagu king, Lingaraja I in 1780 AD, Hyder Ali captured Kodagu under the pretext of being a guardian to Lingaraja's sons, Dodda Veerarajendra and Linga Rajendra who were of tender age. The princes were sent to reside in a fort at Gorur in Hassan district, a garrison was stationed at Mercara (capital of Kodagu) and a minister (Amaldar) was appointed to look after the administration of Kodagu. The people of Kodagu were angry at the takeover of Kodagu by Hyder Ali and rebelled against him in 1782 AD. Since Hyder Ali was busy in fighting against the British army, they managed to throw the garrison out of Kodagu and proclaim their independence.

After Hyder Ali's death, his son Tipu Sultan wanted to recapture Kodagu. He moved the Kodagu princes from Gorur to Periyapatna and closely monitored them. However, Dooda Veerarajendra managed to escape and returned to Kodagu. He started to wage battles against Tipu Sultan's army which forced Tipu to send a large force to Kodagu to subdue the king. Tipu Sultan's army was able to capture some forts but suffered heavy losses as well. However, Dodda Veerarajendra managed to recapture the forts except the Mercara fort. He decided to move to a thickly forested area called Nalknad and convert it as a base for its operations. He built the Nalknad Palace here. It was a two-storeyed structure with a tiled roof. Since Dodda Veerarajendra did not have any sons from his first marriage, he married Mahadevammaji in 1796, and this marriage took place in Nalknad Palace. However, his second queen also could not bear him any sons. After Tipu's death, he entered into an alliance with the British to maintain peace with them.

When Dodda Veerarajendra died in 1809, his ten-year old daughter Devammaji was declared as the "queen of Kodagu". However, in 1811, Linga Rajendra, the younger brother of the deceased king, proclaimed himself as the king of Kodagu and ruled the region till his death in 1820. Chikka Veerarajendra, the son of Linga Rajendra, became the king of Kodagu. In 1832, differences began to rise between the king and the British, forcing the king to start a war against the British. However, the Britishers attacked Kodagu with full force and began to make inroads. Chikka Veerarajendra moved to Nalknad Palace which became his last refuge. In order to prevent major losses, the king had to surrender and the British deposed him to Benares. With this, Kodagu came under the direct rule of the British and Chikka Veerarajendra remained as the last king of Kodagu.
 Route Map:

 From Madikeri: Madikeri--> Napoklu --> Kakkabe --> Palace bus stop --> Nalknad Palace

 From Virajpete: Take the road to Kakkabe from Virajpet. Pass through the villages of Karada, Kadanga, Cheyyendane and reach Palace stop. Take a turn here and travel for three km to reach Nalknad Palace.

The palace is a protected monument under the aegis of the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Karnataka. It was renovated by INTACH. There is a proposal to make the palace into a major tourist spot by converting a part of it as a museum to display the crafts of the Kodagu region. A sum of Rs. 2.29 million was spent on renovating the palace.

I  and my friends from the VVIET college went to MugiluPete, Pushpagiri wildlife sanctuary and Dubare  which are near to Madikeri.

The route is adventurous, with steep curves and zigzag tracks, and Abbi Falls lies along the way. As the roads leading to MandalPatti are narrow, ones who have decided to make it to the beautiful spot need to be a bit adventurous too. But the adventure is worth for the way to the spot is dotted with nature’s bounty as one passes through viewing lush green coffee estates, paddy fields and mountains.


Famous Kannada movie “Galipata” has been shot here. In that film they have shown this place as Mugilu Pete. So after that Mandalpatti became famous as Mugilupete. Only 1 song “Nadhim Ta Na” and last seen of Galipata has been shot here. Many other Kannada films like "Modala Sala", "Raj" has been shot here.


You can watch the video about Mandalpatti in youtube.
Youtube TV-9 video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vud2GASOTlM

There is no food facility in Mugilupete.
Accommodation: Madikeri
Best time to visit is September to January (The right time to reach the spot is 12.00 noon and it is better to be back by 4.00 pm.)
Nearest City: Madikeri, Somwarpet
Air: Closest Airport: Bangalore (260 km), Mangalore (135 km)
Rail: Closest Railway Station: Mysore (146 km)
Road: Bangalore - Channapatna - Mandya - Mysore - Kushalnagar - Madikeri - From here the sanctuary is 25 Kms
You can join the "Mugilupete VVIET" community in orkut.

Mantapa in Mugilu pete

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary is one of 21 Wildlife Sanctuaries of India's Karnataka state.

This sanctuary is located in Somwarpet taluk,20 km from Somwarpet town northern part of Kodagu district.and has some attractive scenery. It is home to rare and endangered birdlife and is designated as one of the important bird areas of the world. The rich Kadamakkal reserve forest is a part of the sanctuary. Pushpagiri is the highest peak in it. Kumaraparvat (Kumaraparvatha) is the other peak that lies within it. The sanctuary adjoins Bisle reserve forest to north and Kukke Subramanya forest range to the west.

Pushpagiri, at 1,712 meters, is the highest peak in Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. 

The Pushpagiri (aka Subramanya Hills) lies at an imposing altitude of 5,626 ft and is 2nd highest pride of Kodagu.

About 36 km from Somwarpet and 1.5 km from Kumaralli, it is located amid the jungle. Trekking can be done from the base, Bhagati, which is a 10 km, three-hour walk. Otherwise, trekkers can cross Subramanya, located in Dakshina Kannada district of Pushpagiri Range. The trekking zone can be approached from Pushpagiri or from Kumaraparvat peaks.

Eastern entrance can be obtained from Beedehalli via Heggademane temple and Western entrance from Kukke Subramanya via Giri gadde. However, the entrance through Beedehalli—tiny hill hock boondock— is less strenuous, comparatively.

The entrance from Kukke Subramanya is located the sea level.