Baba Budan Hills — Location, Coffee and Iron Ore

The Baba Budan Hills are historically renowned as the birthplace of coffee cultivation in India.

The Legend: According to history, in the 17th century, a Sufi saint named Baba Budan went on a pilgrimage to Mecca. While traveling through Yemen, he discovered coffee. Since it was illegal to export live coffee seeds from the Arab world, he secretly smuggled seven raw coffee beans hidden in his beard.

He returned to India and planted them in the hills of Chikkamagaluru. The hills were later named after him. Today, Karnataka produces over 70% of India's coffee, and it all started on these very slopes!

Economically, the Baba Budan Hills are highly significant for their vast mineral wealth.

The hills contain extremely high-grade Iron Ore deposits (primarily magnetite). The iron ore extracted from the Baba Budangiri range and the nearby Kemmangundi area has historically supplied the Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant (VISL) at Bhadravati.

• Highest Peak: Mullayanagiri (1,930 meters), which is the highest peak in Karnataka.
• Range: It is a part of the Sahyadri range of the Western Ghats.
• Climate: The hills receive heavy rainfall and have a cool climate, making them ideal for coffee and tea plantations.
• Religious Harmony: The main peak houses a shrine that is revered by both Hindus (who consider it the seat of Lord Dattatreya) and Muslims (who revere it as the dargah of Sufi saint Baba Budan), making it a unique symbol of syncretic culture.