12 feet floral statue of Goddess Cauvery to be main attraction

Madikeri: To attract tourists to Kodagu that was ravaged by flash floods and landslides, the Tourism Department and the District Administration have organised a three-day ‘Kodagu Pravasi Utsav-2019’  from Jan. 11 to 13 at Gandhi Maidan in Madikeri. The intention of the festival is to pull in more tourists whose numbers have dwindled, hitting the tourism industry hard.

The festival is being organised on the lines of the just concluded Mysuru Winter Festival-2018. Apart from an open street festival, flower and dog shows and exhibitions, the main attraction will be a 12 feet floral statue of Goddess Cauvery, the Kula Devi of Kodavas and Gowda communities.

The Cauvery statue, to be set up at Raja’s Seat, will be unique and special flowers are being procured to make it a prime attraction. In the night, the statue will be illuminated, said Tourism officials. Apart from Cauvery statue, floral and vegetable models of elephant, peacock, guitar, Spiderman, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, tabla, star fish and octopus will be displayed.

 The poster for the Pravasi Utsav was released in Madikeri recently by Deputy Commissioner P.I. Sreevidya. She said that the festival will be inaugurated by Tourism Minister S.R. Mahesh, who is also the Kodagu District Minister, on Jan. 11 at 4.30 pm. The Flower Show will be inaugurated by Horticulture Minister M.C. Managooli at the same venue.

As part of the Flower Show, thousands of flower pots are being arranged at Raja’s Seat. Flower pots and a large variety of flowers including African marigold, Celosia, Lady Lace, Gladiolus, Gerbera, Anthurium, Bird of Paradise, Carnations, Lilium, Tuberose, Orchids, Stasis, Chrysanthemum, and Limonium will attract visitors.

While an entry fee of Rs. 10 has been fixed for adults, there will be no entry fee for children.

The open street festival, slated for Jan. 13, will offer Yoga and Zumba demonstrations, cultural programmes, performances by Chinese lions and local folk artistes, a live pottery demonstration and artists sketching portraits on the spot.

There will also be 40 stalls of traditional desi clothes and fashion accessories. An exclusive Aahara Mela will be set up at Gandhi Maidan where traditional and authentic dishes from Kodagu will be offered. Hotel and Resort Owners Association and Home Stay Association will host the food festival.

There will be a host of cultural programmes from 5 pm to 10 pm every day and noted artistes including M.D. Pallavi, Arjun Janya, Anuradha Bhat, Indu Nagaraj and Lakshmi Nagaraj will perform.

On all three days, the Horticulture Department will host a flower show. In addition, a three-day expo has been organised to showcase agricultural and horticulture produce, products of women self-help groups and various other organisations. 

Tour package: The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation, which has announced tourism packages for Kodagu, has arranged buses from Mayura Valley View Hotel in Madikeri on different routes covering Bhagamandala, Talacauvery, Nalaknadu Palace, Chelavara Falls, Abbe Falls, Mandalapatti, Gaddige and Raja’s Seat. The bus will leave the Valley View Hotel at 8.30 am and the charge per person per trip is Rs. 430.