With the creation of Brigade Hospitality Services Pvt. Ltd, our sphere of activities has expanded to include serviced apartments and corporate residences; senior citizens' residences; clubs; hotels and, most recently, holiday resorts. The theme of this calendar revolves around one of these new worlds…

Our latest venture, the 33-acre Cascades Hill Resort & Spa, nestled in the mountains of the Western Ghats, reflects both an exciting future and a precious past. For it is situated just twelve km away from the town of Chikmagalur…where Brigade Group has its roots. Our founders belong to a respected family of coffee planters from Chikmagalur, known throughout the region for their 100-year-old tradition of philanthropy and business integrity. With this personal connection, it gives us special pleasure to present Chikmagalur and its environs to you in the pages to follow.

Chikmagalur is a quiet plantation town, a centre of Karnataka's 'coffee cradle'. Its charming, old-world ambience—now pleasantly modernised by good roads and a golf course—belies the fact that it is only 4 hours away from the busy metropolis of Bangalore, on the Bangalore-Hassan-Mangalore National Highway 4.

Part of the Malnad, or hill country, this is truly a beautiful region. The mountains (with some of the highest peaks in India) and lowlands around Chikmagalur, criss-crossed by perennial rivers, streams and waterfalls, are rich with dense forests and natural fodder. Which makes it an ecological treasure house, home to a profusion of astoundingly diverse and distinct species of flora and fauna…many of which are endemic to the region. Several bird and wildlife sanctuaries are located close to Chikmagalur.

The wonders of Chikmagalur are not limited to its natural beauty. A day trip from the town takes you to some of the most important historical, cultural and religious monuments and shrines in India. The temples of Belur and Halebid offer some of the finest examples of 12th century Hoysala art and architecture. The seeds of Jainism in Karnataka were sown in the 3rd century B.C. at Sravanabelagola, where the world's tallest monolithic statue stands. Sringeri, one of the four Mutts started by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century, is another important pilgrim centre. The Inam Dattatreya Peetha shrine at Baba Budan is revered by both Hindus and Muslims alike.

The photographs in this calendar will take you on a journey to some of the most beautiful places in and around Chikmagalur. When the Cascades Hill Resort & Spa is operational a couple of years from now, we hope you will revisit these places in person...