Virajpet

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?Virarajendrapete Karnataka • India
Virarajendrapete
Coordinates: 12°12′N 75°48′E / 12.2, 75.8
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 909 m (2,982 ft)
District(s)	Kodagu
Population	15,206 (2001)
Codes • Pincode • Telephone • Vehicle	• 571 218 • +08274 • KA-12

Coordinates: 12°12′N 75°48′E / 12.2, 75.8 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.

Clocktower inscription

It is a small town of importance for the local coffee and spice crops. Nearby towns are Gonikoppal, Ammatti and Ponnampet. Virajpet is around 30Km away from Madikeri, the district headquarter and is about 250 km 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 8 km from Virajpet, St. Anne's church, the clock tower (pictured), Tadiandamol (the highest mountain in Kodagu) and the Igguthappa (local deity) temple, both in Kakkabe about 15 km from Virajpet.

[edit] Demographics

Clocktower in Virajpet town

As of 2001 India census^[1], Virajpet had a population of 30000. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Virajpet has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 78%. In Virajpet, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.