Story of TALACAUVERY

“THIS IS A PLACE OF WORSHIP. NOT A PICNIC SPOT” A board greets you when you step in to the Talacauvery temple located at 3700 mts above MSL. True to what is written on it, Talacauvery is the most important Goddess for the people of Kodagu or Coorg and worshipped by one and all. It is located by the Brahmagiri hills and is considered generally to be the source of river Cauvery. However there is not a permanent visible flow to the main river except during rainy season.

TALACAUVERY

How to reach Talacauvery?

Talacauvery is about 48 kms from Madikeri and 8 kms from Bagamandala. For the people who are not aware, Coorg or Kodagu is the name of the district and there is no town or city by that name. Madikeri is the headquarters of Kodagu which is approximately 240 kms from Bangalore.

People coming from Bangalore need to take a left turn near the General Thimmaiah circle and take the Mangalore road. And people coming from Madikeri bus stand will have to take a right. There are sign boards at every junction, so one doesn’t really need to keep asking people for directions.

The road to Talacauvery passes through zigzag route on either side of which you can see coffee plantations interspersed with pepper and orange crops, paddy fields, banana and cardamom crops.

First you will cross by a small town called Cherambane and then reach Bagamandala. The roads are in good condition as of 2012 and one can certainly plan to drive down there. Or there are many buses from Madikeri private stand going to and fro Talacauvery.

At Bagamandala one can see the Triveni Sangama (Meeting of 3 rivers) namely Cauvery, Kannike (Tributary of Cauvery) and the mythical Sujyothi. It is common for people to take a dip here and perform rituals for their ancestors before proceeding to Talacauvery. There are neat and clean changing rooms and toilets which have been well maintained. 

Triveni Sangama at Bagamandala

Changing rooms

On the other side one can see the Bagandeshwara temple and people perform pooja here after completing their rituals at Triveni Sangama. 

Bagandeshwara temple

There are many scenic landscapes and hills all around to keep a photographer busy.

 There are many hotels serving breakfast and lunch in Bagamandala.

From here Talacauvery is located upstream at about 8 kms and with lot of sharp curves. One should be careful while driving here.

At Talacauvery a tank or Kundike has been erected at the hillside that is considered to be the origin. A small temple has also been constructed there. The river originates as a spring feeding the tank and the water is said to flow underground to emerge as a river some distance away.

On tulasankramana day (the first day of Tula masa month according to the Hindu calendar which usually falls in mid October) thousands of pilgrims flock to Talacauvery to witness the rise of the fountain head , when the water gushes up from the spring at a predetermined moment. 

What the mythology says?

According to the Mythology saint Kavera meditated at Sahyadri hills to please the Gods to bless him with a child. Lord Brahma pleased with Kavera blessed him with an adoptive daughter Cauvery. Kavera returned to his ashram at the Brahmagiri hills with his daughter Cauvery. His ashram was frequently visited by the young saint Agasthya who fell for Cauvery. Both got married and Cauvery who was very committed to Agasthya warned him that she would leave him if he ever left her.

But Ahasthya muni after some time once again fell in love with Kannike. To make sure that Cauvery didn’t come to know about his secret, he put Cauvery in his kamandalam and went to meet Kannike. But Cauvery who came to know this secret spilled out of the mandal  and went down flowing taking Kannike along with her. When she came down, the force of the water was such that it pushed the pleats of the sarees of the Kodava women, who were waiting there for her, from the front to the rear. It is said that ever since then, in the traditional Kodava style of draping the sari, the pleats are tucked in at the waist at the back rather than in front, as is common in most parts of India.

A Kodavathi woman in her distinctive attire

After taking a dip in Talacauvery and performing pooja one can climb about 370 steps which lead to the peak of Brahmagiri hills. It is a scenic view from there and a photographer’s paradise. On a clear day one can see the coast of Arabian Sea.

Way to Brahmagiri peak

These wind mills are not in use now