The roads around Chikmagalur are very narrow, especially in the hills. Due to the climate, they will always be moist if not completely wet. The moisture coupled with the thick red mud makes the roads quite slippery — exercise caution while going around corners or even on straights. At some places there is just not enough room for two cars to pass and you may need to back up a bit. The wind blows hard during the monsoons and sometimes uproots trees, so you may come upon a tree blocking your path. But the villagers usually clear this impediment in a jiffy.

Chikmagalur essentially means ‘younger daughter’s town’ in the local lingo. The same way that Hiremagalur (a town which is a little distance away) means elder daughter’s town. Looking at the two towns, one can safely assume that the king who gifted them to his girls was fonder of the younger one.
While Hiremagalur is just a regular town, Chikmagalur stands out by virtue of its surroundings. All around are the western ghats and in these gentle hills are attractive places with fantastic views, pleasing weather and ample flora and birdlife.

Legends surround Chikmagalur, like the one at Baba Budan Dev where two shrines — one Hindu and one Muslim — stand side by side. Inside the Muslim shrine lies the tomb of Shah Hazrat Jamal, who first brought coffee to India. The Hindu temple is dedicated to Dattatraya Peeta. This god of the Hindu
pantheon has three faces: Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. The legend goes that this god’s mother and father lived on a hill, which wasthen called Chandradrona Parvata, and the mother Alyabai was a very dedicated wife. Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara mentioned this fact to their wives Saraswati, Laxmi and Parvati, respectively. Heavenly women were also prone to intense same-gender jealousy like their counterparts on earth and they decided to try and make Alyabai fall in her husband’s eyes. They sent their husbands avisiting when Alyabai’s hubby happened to be away. To cut a long story short, Alyabai made sure their plan backfired and in turn made them beholden to her. In return, Alyabai ensured her son had the faces of the three gods.
Ahead of Baba Budan Dev lie the Manayakadhara Falls, famous for washing away your sins, more so if you leave an article of clothing behind; as a result, there is a huge pile of discarded clothes near the falls. Since these falls make their way through forests, the water is supposed to be rich in natural minerals and has healing powers. Further away, on a hillock, is a temple which King Wodeyar of Mysore would visit every Diwali to seek an audience with Goddess Kali. He would then light a huge bonfire to signal the start of Diwali celebrations to all his subjects in the valley below.