Talakaveri

Talakaveri, in the Brahmagiri range of Kodagu (Coorg), is revered as the source of the Kaveri, one of the great rivers of southern India, which flows on through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The site lies about 1,276 metres above sea level and has drawn pilgrims for centuries.

A small holy tank marks the spring where the river is said to rise, and a temple complex surrounds it. Each year crowds gather on a set day to watch water well up from the spring, an occasion that matters greatly to people throughout the region. Steps climb from the shrine to a lookout on Brahmagiri Hill, with wide views over the forested ridges and valleys of the Western Ghats, best at sunrise and sunset.