Coffee Village Retreat

A home stay in the lap of the mountains!

Coffee Village Retreat is based at Kimmane Coffee Estate and belongs to the KTG Group from Shimoga. The group is one of the country's largest producer and traders of betel nut, and have been pioneers in the region, being instrumental for the development of the region in many arenas.
Having acquired the lovely estate Jairam G Kimmane, Chairman of the Group, had a fervent desire to spend more time in this wonderful location. For this reason he refurbished the existing 150-year old bungalow built by the British. However, his family and friends visit this place only a few times in a year.
On contemplation, they decided that it was too beautiful a place to be enjoyed or left alone. They wanted to share it with others who enjoyed nature at its best, shared their values for the ecology and who would benefit from its rejuvenating air.
For in more ways than one, Kimmane seems to be crammed with heaven, as Elizabeth Barret Browning, so eloquently puts in her lines - "Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God…"
Pursuing this idea they added a dashing and imposing modern day structure on a hill lock offering a 360 degree view of the locale.

History

Kimmane Coffee Estate has the honour of being the headquarters of the British Coffee planters who had made their base here. But interestingly, prior to coffee, it was cardamom that was cultivated in over 3000 acres of the estate land.

The cardamom was exported to Britain and even today, at Kimmane, you will still find the spice is still being cultivated. But coffee, the kind of beverages, has a full sway on the land and rightly so, for it may have been the first of the many plantations to venture into coffee in the early days.

Right next to Mudigere near the Retreat are the famed Kemmangundi (Red) Hills also known as Baba Budan Giri (and Dattatri, after Guru Dattatreya), named after a mystic saint, venerated by both Hindus and Muslims.

High among the hills amidst the clouds and sleepy environment,nestles a shrine (Dhargah) in dedication to him - as also a temple to Guru Dattatreya.
Three large caves said to have been sanctified by three siddhas contain their icons and gaddiges (tombs) and an annual 'jatra' (fair) is held here in their honour. The enthralling scenery around makes this a much frequented pilgrim centre.

Legend, as quoted even by coffee biographers has it that Baba Budan, on Haj, brought back seven coffee beans from Yemen and planted them in the hills here. Pioneering efforts of the early British planters, who braved the elements and the terrain, opened up vast swathes of land for coffee cultivation in 1820.

The baton was passed on to the early Indian planters who kept that spirit intact and today, thanks to the effort of these early pioneers, the Coffee industry is thriving in Karnataka.