The Abbi Kolli Waterfall can be seen from the State Highway SH – 88 Mangaluru – Mysuru – Bengaluru Highway.
The waterfall located in the stretch between Sullia – Madikeri. The small shops which are seen on the side of the road is an indication of a place of interest being available in this stretch of Coorg. The best view is during the rainy season when the large quantity of water plunges from the height and makes an amazing sight. This scene can be appreciated even from moving vehicles. The people of Kodagu refer to it as the Abbi Kolli falls.
Abbi Kolli Falls is also known as Devarakolli Waterfalls. The place where the falls is located Madikeri and it is a hill station town in Coorg District. Also known as Mercara, it is the Headquarters of the District of Kodagu. The District is also known as the Scotland of India. Madikeri was formerly known as Muddu raja keri. Muddurajakeri, which means Mudduraja’s Town, was named after the prominent Haleri King, Mudduraja who ruled Kodagu from 1633 to 1687.
According to Puranas, Kodagu is the redefined name of Krodhadesa meaning Land of Anger, said to have been inhabited by the Kodava tribe. Some historians believe that it is named after the River Cauvery. Coorg was under the Ganga rule during the 9th and 10th centuries and Cholas in the 11th century followed by Hoysalas.
Later Coorg was relatively independent under Haleri Rajas until the British occupied the region in 1834. Coorg was a separate State before its merger with Karnataka in 1956. The form of the name often used in English, Mercara, is derived from Madikeri. Madikeri lies in the Western Ghats and is a popular hill station. The nearest cities are Mangaluru to the West, and Mysuru to the East. Madikeri lies on the Karnataka State Highway 88 that runs from Mangaluru to Mysuru. It is 120 kms from Mysuru, 136 kms from Mangaluru, 265 kms from Bengaluru, the State Capital of Karnataka, 322 kms from Coimbatore and 362 kms from Kochi.
