Crazy for Coorg! (Part 2)

After the waterfall we drove toward our next destination - Talakaveri.

Talakaveri is considered the birthplace of the Kaveri river, one of the seven sacred rivers of India, and is located in the Brahmagiri hills in Coorg at an altitude of about 4500 ft. (Side note, one of my friends who came along is named Kaveri, and she is named after this river).

There was a young Brahmin in white clothes with colorful markings on his forehead and arms. We stood there and watched him perform prayers and chant over the exact spot of water that marked the origin of the river. The chanting (in Sanskrit) was monotone and went on for a while, and simultaneously he was pouring holy water and some type of red powder into the water. I stood there respectfully as everyone put their hands together and closed their eyes. "Pray for what you want," Kaveri whispered to me, "it works." So I did.

When he finished the chanting he gave us a spoonful of holy water and marked our foreheads with red powder. We then began the climb up the 500 steps to the Brahmagri peak. On the climb up I could see why this place is nicknamed "The Scotland of India." Rolling green hills surrounded us as far as the eye could see, and we were immersed in a white mist that danced around us. It felt like we were climbing a stairway to heaven.

Once we reached the peak there were no words to describe the view that awaited us. If there was ever a place that seemed fitting to worship the gods, this would be it. We were above the clouds, in the clouds. At one point a cloud passed right through us, and we could see nothing but white mist and foggy shades of one another. Exhilaration burst through me as I raised my hands to the sky.

We were in the heavens.