Madikeri is a

hill station A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia (particularly in India), but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges ...

town in Madikeri taluk and headquarters of

Kodagu district Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State. It occupies ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

, India.

Etymology

Madikeri was known as ''Muddu Raja Keri'', which meant Mudduraja's town, was named after the prominent

Haleri The Kingdom of Coorg (or Kingdom of Kodagu) was an independent kingdom that existed in India from the 16th century until 1834. It was ruled by a branch of the Ikkeri Nayaka. From 1780 to 1788, the kingdom was occupied by neighbouring Mysore ...

king Mudduraja who ruled

Kodagu Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State. It occupies ...

from 1633 to 1687. From 1834, during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

, it was called ''Mercara''. It was later renamed to Madikeri by the Government of Mysore.

History

The history of Madikeri is related to the history of

. From the 2nd to the 6th century AD, the northern part of

was ruled by Kadambas. The southern part of

was ruled by Gangas from the 4th to the 11th century. After defeating the Gangas in the 11th century,

Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE d ...

s became the rulers of

. In the 12th century, the

s lost Kodagu to the

Hoysala The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...

fell to the Vijayanagar kings in the 14th century. After their fall, the local chieftains like Karnambahu (''Palegars'') started ruling their areas directly. They were defeated by Haleri Dynasty founder Veeraraju, (Nephew of Ikkeri Sadashiva Nayaka who were descendants of Talakadu Ganga Dynasty). In the year 1700 AD Ikkeri Somashekara Nayaka gifted Puttur and Amara Sullia Magnes of Tulunadu to Haleri Kings. Descendants of Veeraraju who are known as " Haleri Dynasty" ruled

from 1600 to 1834 AD. Haleri king Mudduraja built the Fort in Madikeri and made it as their capital. Mudduraja, the third Haleri king started leveling the land around Madikeri and built a fort in the year 1681.

Madikeri Fort Madikeri Fort also called Mercara Fort is a fort in Madikeri, in the Kodagu district of the Indian state of Karnataka, first built by Mudduraja in the second half of the 17th century. Mudduraja also built the palace within the fort. It was rebu ...

which was original built of mud and was replaced by

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He i ...

became a part of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

after 1834 AD. P.A. Mohideen is the Municipal President of the city of Madikeri.

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

, Madikeri had a population of 33,381. Males constitute 57.2% of the population and females 42.8%. Madikeri had an average literacy rate of 85%, higher than the national average of 69.3: male literacy was 83%, and female literacy 80%. 11% of the population was under 6 years of age.

Geography and climate

Madikeri features a tropical highland climate as it has an elevation of . Madikeri is located at . Madikeri lies in the Western Ghats and is a popular hill station. The nearest cities are Hassan to the north,

Mangaluru Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka– ...

to the west, and Mysuru to the east.

Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and a municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the major port city and commercial hu ...

from Kerala is about away. The nearest international airport is

Kannur International Airport Kannur International Airport is an airport serving the North Malabar region of Kerala, Kodagu and Mysore districts of Karnataka and Mahé district of Puducherry in India. It is located east of Kannur, and east of Thalassery, near the muni ...

which is away. The mean daily minimum temperature is lowest in January at about . Maximum temperature in summer is around .Ground Water Information Booklet
Ministry of Water Resources, 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2011. With the onset of the south-west monsoon, the temperature decreases in June and the weather becomes chilly. The lowest temperature recorded is . Raja seat madikeri

Tourist Attraction

Raja's Seat Raja's Seat (Seat of the King) is a culturally significant site and tourist attraction in Madikeri of Coorg District. It is 270km away from Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka. Raja's Seat is located in the middle of a garden called as Gandhi ...

* Sri Omkareshwara Temple * Madikeri Fort * Gaddide ( Raja's Tomb) * General Thimmaiah War Museum * Abbey Falls * Mandalpatti view point

References

External links

*
Madikeri.org: Portal on Madikeri and Coorg

Madikeri: History and Architecture
{{Authority control Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2001 All articles containing potentially dated statements Kodava people Kodava Takk Cities and towns in Kodagu district Populated places in the Western Ghats Tourism in Karnataka Hill stations in Karnataka Hills of Karnataka Former capital cities in India Geography of Kodagu district Tourist attractions in Kodagu district