The town of Virajpet is the second town of the district of Kodagu, in Karnataka. It is the main town of the Virajpet taluka, in the south of the district. The name is an abbreviation of Virarajendrapete after the former ruler of Kodagu, Virarajendra, and this latter form is still sometimes used. It is a small town of importance for the local coffee and spice crops. Nearby towns are Gonikoppal, Ammathi and Ponnampet. Virajpet is around 30km away from Madikeri, the district headquarter and is about 250km from Bangalore. The only way to reach Virajpet is by road. Some of the tourist attractions in and around Virajpet are the Ayyappa temple halfway up and the Shiva temple at the top of the Malethirike hill, a semispherical hill at Kakotuparambu which is about 8km from Virajpet, St. Anne's church which is about 220 years old and has been built in Gothic architecture style. The tower of the church has two massive bells of the ancient times and are in use till date, the clock tower ...
