Trekking, plantation experiences and visiting ancient temples – you can do all these and more when you visit Koppa in the Chikmagalur district of Karnataka.
An Overview of Koppa
Koppa, known popularly as the ‘Kashmir of Karnataka, without the snow’ is a Taluq in Chikmagalur district. Encircled by the Sahyadri Range of the Western Ghats, this is a lovely place located at a height of 763 meters above sea level. The Koppa Taluq covers twenty two Gram Panchayats, one Town Panchayat and three Hobilis. This region has a lot of coffee and tea plantations. It is home to many famous personalities, most prominently, the famous Kannada Poet, Kuvempu.
Must Visit Places in the Region
The Tunga River flowing through this land makes it a fertile, thickly forested region. This holy river has many temples dotted along its course in and around Koppa. The Hedase Shivapanchayat temple, the Uttameshwara temple, the Kamandala Ganapathi Temple, the Tripatanki temple, and the Janardhana Swamy temple in Basrikatte are a few places that you should visit.
Hariharapura and Shakatapuram are two places that attract a lot of pilgrims. Both these places are located on the banks of the Tunga River. Hariharapura has the Sharada Lakshmi Narasimha Peetam established by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. This place has two temples dedicated to Hari (Lord Vishnu) and Hara (Lord Shiva). Shakatapuram has a Sri Vidya Peetam and a lovely temple dedicated to Lord Lakshmi Narayana Swamy.
Trekking in Koppa
The Kote Gudda Fort, the Meruthi Hill Station, the many coffee and tea plantations, and the surrounding forests are all interesting places that offer trekking opportunities. From staying at the coffee and tea plantations and trekking up the Sahyadri hills to walking through jungle trails in the surrounding forests, Koppa can offer a lot of options to tourists seeking an active vacation.
Kuppalli: Trek to Kuppalli which is around 10 km away, and this is the hometown of Poet Kuvempu and his ancestral home, Kavimane, is open to visitors. There is also a rock monument built in his memory on top of a small hill in Kuppalli.
Kote Gudda and Hariharapura: You can trek to the Kote Gudda Fort which is 7 km away. From here, you can visit the temple town of Hariharapura which has a Sharada Lakshmi Narasimha Peetam established by Sri Shankaracharya, and two temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu, situated right across each other.
Chibbalagudde: Chibbalagudde, 20 km away, is another interesting place to visit with its Siddi Vinayak temple and the Matsyadhama Tank with many fishes from the Tunga River.
How to Reach Koppa
- By Air: Mangalore is the nearest airport and it lies 105 km away.
- By Train: The nearest railway stations are Kadur, 37 km away, and Hassan, which lies 51 km away.
- By Road: Koppa is well connected to Chikmagalur, which lies 74 km away.
Koppa is a pleasant hill destination surrounded by dense jungles and misty mountains. With its scenic and varied topography, Koppa is the right place where you can indulge in activities like trekking, camping and walking through jungle trails. Located in the Chikmagalur district, Koppa is now becoming a hot tourist destination.
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