(From left) A waterfall, coffee beans and Jancy’s garden

It is quite a ride from Nagarhole National Park, on the banks of the scenic Kabini in Karnataka, to Coorg, home to verdant coffee plantations and rolling hills.

The distance of about 130km along state highway 88 is lengthened by the deplorable condition of roads in this part of the southern state. Past Virajpet and Gonig, to Gonikoppal, one travels to the little town of Pollibetta, leading to our homestay in this picturesque district.

Victory Home, a picture-postcard homestead on a coffee plantation, belongs to Brig. (retd) Joe Ponappa and his spirited wife Jancy. Staying with them is not only a delightful exposition to the nitty-gritties of coffee production but a gastronomical adventure into Coorgi cuisine and culture as well.

The brigadier even fished in the pond on his estate for our consumption, while Jancy busied herself at the traditional cooking range. She whipped up the local Kodava favourites nuputtu, paputtu, koli curry (spicy chicken curry), chekke (jackfruit) curry, mange (mango) curry, pandi (pork) curry with a breakfast of kadumbuttu (rice balls) and the most scrumptuous dosa anyone ever prepared for us at home.

Taking in the aroma of Arabica (though the more common variety is Robusta) coffee while sipping some on the porch of the Ponappa home, one can hear the trumpeting of a herd of elephants in the vicinity. But that hardly deters us from taking a walk with Brig. Ponappa through his 100-acre plantation, plucking coffee beans from the bushes and sniffing the cluster of coffee blossoms, till he leads us into the yard where coffee beans are being threshed for marketing. The coffee blossoms bloom in February-March and the cherries ripen in December-January, when the crop is harvested.

Coffee blossoms

The next day, we set out early for Talacauvery, the source of the Cauvery river, en route to the headquarters of the district, Madikeri. Through winding routes and many hairpin bends uphill, we reached the pilgrimage site. The height offers a spellbinding view of Coorg, the verdant valley dotted with neat little towns. Most pilgrims stop for a dip at Bhagamandala, at the confluence of Cauvery and Kanika rivers. Another river, the Sujyothi, is believed to join the confluence underground. From there, pilgrims ascend to Talacauvery.

Post-monsoon, the Abbey falls, just 8km from Madikeri, are a gushing cascade of water in the lush coffee county. Following a lunch break in the town, we headed for the Raja's seat, a pavilion with a neatly laid out park offering another panoramic view of the district girdled by the range of blue mountains. Legend has it that the kings of Coorg used to spend their evenings at this site. Madikeri fort, built by Mudduraja in the 17th century, is another destination. The tombs of the kings are among the other monuments that draw tourists to this town.

We also headed to the Omkareswar temple, just a kilometre from Madikeri. Built by Linga Rajendra II in 1820, it is a convenient halt for visitors to the town.

Sightseeing over, we opted to return to the Ponappas via Polibetta. The hourlong drive is one of the best in the region, entirely through undulating miles of coffee plantations till the little red sign marking the lane to Victory Home (and the end of telecom network) appears.

Once on the campus, Jancy’s painstakingly nurtured garden is a sight to behold. As is the antique and curio laden homestead with its cosy attic rooms and furniture designed by Jancy herself. Having driven herself in a jeep on our heels, Jancy then proceeds to indulge our tastebuds with her delectable cuisine all over again!

The Ponappa homestead

Pictures by author