Dinesh Valke (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia CommonsBaba Budangiri — historically Chandra Drona Parvatha — is a mountain range on the same ridge system as Mullayanagiri, about 36 km from Chikmagalur town. Its cave, held sacred by Hindus as the seat of Dattatreya and by Muslims as the resting place of the Sufi saint Hazrat Dada Hayat Mir Khalandar, makes it one of the district's few genuinely shared pilgrimage sites, with an annual jatra (fair) drawing both communities.
It is also where Indian coffee cultivation is said to have started — local legend holds that Baba Budan smuggled seven coffee seeds from Yemen and planted them here in the 17th century, which is why the district that grew around them is coffee country to this day.
Distance from Chikmagalur
~36 km
Distance from Kemmangundi
~29 km
Entry fee
None
Timings
6:00 AM – 6:00 PM
No permit required
Open 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily; the annual jatra draws large crowds and is worth checking dates for if you'd rather avoid or catch it.
Required documents
It's a shared pilgrimage site — the cave is revered by Hindus as the seat of Dattatreya and by Muslims as the resting place of Sufi saint Hazrat Dada Hayat Mir Khalandar. It's also the legendary birthplace of coffee cultivation in India.
No, entry is free, and the site is open 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
Yes, the same ridge road connects them — most visitors combine the two into one morning, along with Manikyadhara Falls nearby.
Forest edge, Chikmagalur, Chikmagalur
A slow, green homestay where the forest starts at the gate
A quiet, green homestay on the forest edge — home-cooked meals, a garden that decides the menu, and birdsong loud enough to be the reason you wake up.
2 guests1 bedrooms1 bathsHomestay
₹2,700 ₹5,500 / night
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