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 Madikeri (Mercara), the former British headquarters, is Kodagu district's main town and Veerarajpet its ancient capital. The climate is salubrious most of the year. Only in summer does the temperature rise beyond 300C. The district has three places which receive an annual rainfall of more than 5000 mm.
In Madikeri, the most prominent landmark is the fort and the palace inside it, both built by Mudduraja of the Haleri dynasty in 1681. Now the palace has been converted to a museum. It has a large collection of artefacts, including 'hero stones' or virakkals, from different parts of Kodagu.
At Bhagamandala, nestled at the foot of the Brahmagiri hills, the Kaveri is joined by her first tributary, the Kanaka. People believe that an underground, invisible stream, Sujyoti also joins the Kaveri here. This triveni sangam is deemed as holy as the one at Prayag. It is said that the Ganga comes down to Bhagamandala to cleanse herself of people's sins by bathing in the Kaveri as an invisible, subterranean stream.
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