COORG
corners, ensconced among groves or clusters of cultivated trees, and
betrayed by a wreath of smoke, can one discover the thatched houses
of the Coorgs, who love a secluded abode near their fields. In general
the summits of the hills are covered with coarse grass, the valleys with
evergreen forest, and the mountain-sides with woods in the hollows,
through which flow streams and rivulets. But the appearance of the
country varies considerably in different parts. In the vicinity of
Somvarpet in the north the hills are gently rounded, alternating with
sloping glades interspersed with clumps of forest trees, resembling the
finest park scenery in Europe. Near Mercara the hills are closer
together and more abrupt, and the ravines deeper and more wild.
Towards Fraserpet the country assumes the champaign character of
the Mysore plateau, with scattered solitary hills. In the direction of
Virarajendrapet, especially in Beppunad and Kadyetnad, the country is
open, the woods are neither dense nor high, and beautiful grassy downs
rise from extensive rice valleys. The eastern frontier, between the
Cauvery and Lakshmantirtha rivers, presents an almost uninterrupted
jungle, deciduous in character. West of this the forest is evergreen,
largely intermixed with bamboo, forming what is known as the Bamboo
district.
The main range of the Western Ghats extends from Subrahmanya in
the north-west to the western point of the Brahmagiris in the south, or
for more than sixty miles. From this backbone several long and
elevated ridges run from west to east. The grand mountain mass of
Subrahmanya or Pushpagiri rises to 5,626 feet above sea-level; and
among the many ridges branching off from this part of the Ghats the
most remarkable is the one which attains its greatest height in the
double-peaked Kotebetta (5,375 feet), 9 miles north of Mercara. Near
Mercara the Bengunad range starts west to the Ghats, forming an acute
angle with them. At this point is Brahmagiri, the source of the
Cauvery river, and north of it is the Sampaji valley through which
descends the road to Mangalore on the west coast. Continuing on the
line of the Ghats, which runs south-east from here, the most prominent
peaks are the well-wooded Tumbemale, Iggutappa Devarabetta or
Iggutappakundu, Tadiandamol (5,729 feet), and Somamale. Some
distance to the south is the Periambadi ghdt road to Cannanore and
Tellicherry on the west coast. In the extreme south-west lies the
Marenad range, with the great lateral ridge of the Brahmagiris, which
form the southern boundary of the country, separating it from the
Wynaad. The highest point in these is Davasibetta (4,500 feet), which
towers up from a beautiful plateau called Huyalemale. To the west
are conspicuous points called Hanumanbetta and Perumalemale.
Many spurs from the Brahmagiris branch off over the whole of Kiggat-
nad, producing a- ramification of narrow-ridged hills, some ascending
|
![[Digital South Asia Library]](/graphics/thirdlevel.gif)
