Unique and Independent
Kodavas of Kodagu

Kodagu (anglicized as Coorg), a fertile mountainous region of Karnataka blessed with natural beauty, is the birthplace of Kaveri River.  Nestled in the Sahyadri Mountains of the Western Ghats, this rugged and hilly region is inhabited by a unique group of people with martial traditions. They are a relatively a small community called Kodavas (Coorgs or Coorgis).  The Kodavas have fiercely guarded their tradition and customs as well as their uniqueness.  Kodavas are the dominant class living in Kodagu though they only form about 15 to 20 percent of the population.  There are 100,000 Kodavas in Kodagu with a total population of 545,000. They co-exist with people of other castes and tribes peacefully that include the Yeravas, Kurubas, the aborigines called Kudiyas, the lower caste called Poleyas.  The region was later settled by Vokkaligas from Hassan and Chikmagalur, Shettys from Dakshina Kannada, who were businessmen and Mapilles (Moplahs), who are the Islamic converts left over from Hyder Ali and Tippu’s era. 

The Kodavas are reputed to be handsome and hospitable, and are hunters and harvesters.  In their customs and worship they distinguish themselves as quite different as compared to Hindus, with whom they now identify.  They have carved out their own unique society.  Kodavas are people who are fond of song, dance and merriment.  They have a rich collection of folk songs fit for every occasion, like birth, marriage and festivals.

The Land

Kodagu is a small mountainous region on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats.  The average altitude ranges from 3000 to 5500 feet.  The highest peak is Thadiyanda Mol at 5729 feet.  Kodagu is bordered by Tulu speaking Dakshina Kannada to its Northwest, Kannada speaking Hassan District to the North and Mysore to the Northeast.  To the South and Southwest are the Malayalam speaking Kannur and Kozhikode districts of Kerala.  Thus all three languages have had an impact on Kodagu.  The region is drenched with heavy rainfall, along with the coastal Karnataka, a result of the deluge of Southwest Monsoon. 

This abundant rainfall has resulted in lush forest growth that is typical of the Western Ghats with its rain forest in this range of mountains.  The heavy rainfall is also conducive to growing rice paddy in flatter areas.  The wet slopes are also ideal for growing coffee beans.  Some of the best coffee estates in South India, first established by the British, are to be found in Kodagu.  A drive through the thoroughfare certainly will reward one with natural scenic beauty of canopies of trees and expansive scenery of the mountains.  It is also not unusual to see coffee plantations, pregnant with red berries on either sides of the road.  Coffee, cardamom, pepper, orange, timber and honey known as ‘Coorg Honey' are the major products of Kodagu. Tea, rubber. Arecanut, coconut, citrus fruits, pineapple, papaya, plantain, piggery and poultry are other products fueling its economy.  Kodagu, which is a district of Karnataka State, has three Taluks namely Madikeri, Somavarapete and Virajapete.


TheOrigins

The origin of the Kodava tribe is unknown.  Their strange customs, both marriage and death ceremonies, and the kind of worship has spawned many speculations.  It is generally felt that they are not indigenous tribes but are mlecchas or foreigners who migrated to the region in the remote past. 

The most common theories are:

1. Descendents of soldiers of Rajput ancestry with Indo-Scythian origins. 

2. Group of Kurds/Yemenis, who fled to escape from the onslaught of Islam and forced proselytization in the 7^th century.

3. Early Harappans living on the banks of River Saraswathi in Rajasthan who migrated south during Vedic period.

4. A tribe of people from the northern Mysore who migrated in the 11^th century to escape from famine, searching for fertile grounds.

5. A nomadic group from unknown region, who over centuries slowly migrated south and found a safe haven in the rugged, secluded, sparsely populated mountains of Kodagu.

Wherever the Kodavas originated from, it is clear that they maintained a clear and separate identity of themselves for many centuries.  Skilled in warfare and cultivation, they formed a society that remained different than that of their neighbors for many centuries.

History

Starting from very early in its history Kodagu has been under various dynasties that typically controlled the neighboring regions of Karnataka.  Kodagu has been ruled by the Gangas, Kadambas, Chalukyas, Cholas, Kongalvas and Changalvas (both local prominent dynasties), Hoysalas, Vijayanagara and Nayaks.  There is not much historical record of Kodava history or any record of the origins of Kodava people.  Most of the history is recorded only after the 16^th century. 

The earliest mention of Kodagu is in the Sangam literature in the 2^nd century A.D., where it is stated that the Pandya kingdom extended west up to Kudukam (kuda meaning west in Tamil). It is believed by historians that Kudukam is Kodagu. Early on the northern part of Kodagu was under the control of Kadambas and the southern regions under the Gangas.  Under the protection of Gangas, the Changalva Arasus flourished.  The Gangas and the Changalvas were defeated in the 11^th century by Cholas.  However, under the suzerainty of Cholas, the Changalvas continued to rule the southern regions when Raja Raja Chola was ruling in Tanjavur.

A Kongalva called Nayak Manija had helped the Cholas in their quest to defeat the Gangas.  He was made the ruler in some northern areas of Kodagu and Hassan.  A century later the Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra defeated the Cholas but the Changalvas did not accept them fully as the rulers.  Then Hoysala Bettarasa defeated the Changalva king Pemma Veerappa and made him the vassal of Hoysala Kingdom.  Incidentally, it was during the rule of Pemma Veerappa that the region was called Kodagu for the first time.  When Hoysala kingdom declined after the Muslim invasion in the 14^th century (Alauddin Khilji through his infamous commandant Malik Kafur), the Changalvas became prominent rulers of Kodagu.  They however co-existed with the Kongalvas.  However, both Changalvas and Kongalvas were nothing more than feudal lords of Kodagu and had no influence beyond its borders. 

As an answer to Bahmani kingdom south of Deccan, the Vijayanagara kingdom was established and flourished.  Vijaynagara Empire controlled all the lands in South India which were not under the influence of the Bahmani Empire of Bijapur.  Kodava kings paid fealty to the Vijayanagara kings and were thus protected.  After the defeat of Vijayanagara by the concerted effort of the Muslims, various Nayaks ruled splintered Kodagu until the 16^th century.

In the 16^th century, in the aftermath of the fall of Vijayanagara Empire, the Keladi Nayaks of Ikkeri consolidated power in Kodagu and established the Paleri (Haleri) dynasty (so called because of their capital in Paleri).  Paleri kings, who were Lingayats of Veerashaiva faith, ruled the region for more than 200 years (1580 – 1834).  The first ruler of Paleri dynasty was Vira Raja.  His grandson Muddu Raja I was a popular ruler and ruled for more than 50years.  He moved his headquarters to current day Madikeri in 1681.  It was called Muddu Raja Keri and later shortened to Madikeri (anglicized as Mercara).  Under the Paleri dynasty Kodagu attained a status as an Independent kingdom.

Dodda Vira Raja (also called Siribai Dodda Vira Raja) ruled from 1687 – 1736. Dodda Vira Rajendra (1780 – 1809) and Linga Raja II (1811 – 1820) also had significant impact on the history of the region.  Dodda Vira Raja improved transportation by building bridges across ancient trenches.  He also streamlined the administration of the region into villages, districts and appointed district headmen.

In the 18^th century, Hyder Ali had usurped the rulers of Mysore and set his sights on Kodagu.  A weak ruler called Chikkaveerappa was ruling Kodagu.  Hyder Ali grabbed some Kodava land in 1763 but his mighty troops were defeated by the gallant Kodavas in 1766.  After Chikkaveerappa’s death the Paleri dynasty was split into Paleri and Horemale and two rulers called Mudduraja and Muddaihraja came to power.  After their death in 1770, an internal skirmish between Linga Raja I and a Devappa Raja of Paleri and Horemale respectively, gave Hyder Ali an opening.  He sided with Linga Raja I and installed him on the throne and acted as his protectorate.  When Linga Raja I died, Hyder Ali took direct control of the Kodavas.  This enraged the Kodavas and they started heckling the Muslim garrison in Madikeri.  In 1782 the Kodavas took power back from Hyder Ali.  In the same year, Hyder Ali died and his son Tippu Sultan started his ambitious expansion of his kingdom. 

In 1785, Tippu attacked Kodagu, while returning from Mangalore to Srirangapattana, his capital city.  He retained control of Kodagu for sometime. 

Tippu never could continuously hold his power in Kodagu.  As soon as he turned his back on Kodagu, the local heroes revolted and took power back from the Muslim rulers.  Tippu returned to reclaim control though he found the Kodavas a pesky thorn on his sides.  Both Hyder Ali and Tippu were interested in Kodagu because of its abundant rice crops.  In 1788, Dodda Vira Rajendra, who had been taken prisoner, escaped and defeated Tippu and recovered his kingdom.  In 1790 Dodda Vira Rajendra signed a treaty with the British, who promised to protect his kingdom against Tippu’s onslaught.  Eventually, the Kodavas backed the British troops and Tippu fell in the year 1799.  The Paleri rulers continued to rule until 1834, when the British exiled the last of the rajas, Chikka Vira Raja, and took full control of the region.  They charged him with cruelty to his people and sedition as an excuse to annex Kodagu under the British Raj.

Under British protection, Kodagu became a State with nominal independence.  Coorgs Bopanna became the first governor and later his descendents assumed the role of administrators.  The Kodavas in turn earned a name as valiant soldiers and officers in the army.  They earned a reputation as able commanders and brave fighters both under the British rule as well as post independent India.  Eventually, famous sons of Kodagu became prominent members of the armed forces of India.  General K.S. Thimayya DSO and Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa OBE are both well known names to Indians.

 

The British found the region to be extremely backward with no decent amenities.  They did some improvements but still improvement in educational facilities and infrastructure had to wait for full independence.  Kodagu had been directly under British rule and attained statehood shortly after independence. In the early fifties it was a full state with two representatives.   In the year 1956, with the division of states according to languages predominant to the region, Kodagu became part of Karnataka.

The legend of River Kaveri

          The main river of Kodagu is the legendary Kaveri.  River Kaveri has attained a sacred status in Kodagu, not unlike River Ganga in the North.  Kaveri takes origin in Brahmagiri hills in Kodagu, in a place aptly called Talakaveri (head of Kaveri).  It starts from a small spring (kundike – pond), gathering body as it courses downhill.  It is joined by its two tributaries Kanake and Sujyoti.  The confluence of these three rivers takes place in Bhagamandala.  From here River Kaveri courses through its serpentine route, giving life and sustenance to millions of people, through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, to eventually drain into the Bay of Bengal on the eastern shores of Tamil Nadu, near Kaveripattinam.

River Kaveri is said to be an incarnate of Goddess Parvati.  Lopamudra was an adopted daughter of Sage Kavera.  She was given in marriage to Sage Agatsya, who had crossed the Vindhya Mountains and ventured down south.  Sage Agatsya is credited with bringing Aryan religion to the southern regions of India.  Goddess Parvati had promised Prince Chandravarma, who had propitiated and meditated on her that she would appear in Kodagu as a river.  Lopamudra, who was the incarnate of Goddess Parvati, became River Kaveri in Kodagu.

Chandravarma was the son of king Siddhartha of Matsya kingdom.  He traveled to various temples like Kanchi, Tanjavur and Chidambaram and came to Brahmagiri hills in Kodagu.  Here he performed penance and Goddess Parvati, pleased with his devotion granted him the boon of a horse, a sword and an army.  She gave him the power to overthrow the mlecchas (foreigners) and take over the kingdom of Kodagu.  She also promised him that she would bless the land with her incarnation in the form of River Kaveri.  A Sudra girl was created by Parvati as a bride to the Kshatriya Prince, who bore him eleven sons.  The sons married one hundred daughters born to Sudra wives of the Kshatriya king of Vidarbha.  The hundreds of children they bore settled in the land of Kodagu, with the blessings of River Kaveri.

The brave grand children of Chandravarma leveled the hills for cultivation with their bare hands like the wild boars.  Hence the land came to be known as Kroda Desa (kroda meaning a hog or a boar).  This later came to be called Koda Desa and eventually Kodagu.  Chandravarma in his old age relinquished his kingdom to his eldest son Devakanta.  Thus the patrilineal society where the succession is based on the primogeniture became the practice.

Tula Sankramana (first day of Kodava month of Toleyar – mid October) is celebrated as the day of birth of Kaveri.  Legend has it that Parvati appeared in a dream to Devakanta and asked him to gather the family of his father Chandravarma in Balamuri and await her arrival.  He did as he was instructed and on the day of Tula Sankramana, River Kaveri came flowing down.  The families of Chandravarma bathed in the holy waters of Kaveri and were purified.  The force of the water moved the pleats of the saris of women to the rear.  Hence the unique habits of the Kodava women of wearing the sari with the pleats in the back and not in the front as commonly worn by Hindu women.

The Kaveri Purana is a part of Skanda Purana, one of the last Puranas written.  Some researchers see Kaveri Purana as a way of trying to integrate Kodavas to Hindu society by explaining that they are the progeny of Kshatriya kings and Sudra women.  Kodava culture did not recognize the Aryan varnashrama and hence did not have caste systems.  This helped to diffuse any friction between Kodavas who were radically different than their Hindu neighbors. 

The following poem gives us a sense of devotion of Kodavas to Mother Kaveri:

Kodava Anthem

Sri Mula kanniye,
(O primeval sacred maiden)
O Mother Kaveri,
Wear pommale* Kodagu as a garland, O Mother!

Why do you need a jommale**?
Why do you need a garland of flowers?
Wear the golden land of Kodagu as a garland, O Mother!

O sacred form of Parvati
O Lopamudra,
You descended to earth as a Brahmin’s daughter,
And to cleanse the sins
Of all the sinners
You flowed from the kundike*** to the Eastern sea.

To all the proud ones
You are merely flowing water.
But to the suffering, you are sorrow-relieving holy water.
Those without children
Those without family
And those weary with suffering, bless and care for them, O Mother!

– Nadikerianda Chinnappa

Kodava Society:

The family unit of the Kodavas is called the okka.  It is a joint patrilineal clan with males of common ancestry.  The male members of an okka share an okka name.  Currently there are about 1000 okka names and families in Kodagu.  Traditionally all the members of an okka lived in a large ancestral home called ain-mane (ayyangada mane – House of the Elders).  Usually the ain- mane has a courtyard in the front surrounded by thick mud walls and bamboo thatched roof.  Out houses for additional living space were also common.  Ain-mane is surrounded by large property (jamma) and by huts of laborers attached to the okka, who provide necessary services.  This cluster of homes and property form the nucleus of a village called ur.  A group of ur or villages is called the nad. A number of nads make a sime. Traditionally there were eight simes in Kodagu.  The land belonging to the okka is cultivated jointly by the family members and cannot be partitioned or sold.

The oldest member of the family is the head of the okka and is called pattedara or koravukara.  It is a hierarchy that is passed on to the eldest member of the clan by right.  Similarly each ur(or ooru), nad and sime has a headman called as takka.  The takkas settled disputes and imparted justice after consultation with other elders.

Girls and boys from one okka cannot marry within the same okka.  However, cousin marriage between children of brother and sister is accepted (but not between children of two brothers or two sisters).  Once married, a girl assumes the okka name of her husband.  Mother is held in high esteem in Kodava society.  Mother is the first one to bless a young married couple or a journeyman.  Unlike Hindu society, a widow is still allowed to participate in happy occasions like marriages of her children.  She is the principal figure to conduct the marriage ceremony that traditionally is conducted without a Brahmin priest.  A widow is allowed to remarry and this is a common practice as it is fully accepted.

Worship

Kodavas are primarily ancestor worshippers.  At their homes they keep an idol of their ancestors to whom they offer prayers and obeisance.  It is usually made of clay or wood or covered with sheet metal, and housed in a shrine (kaimada) built near the entrance to the ain-mane.  The founder of each okka, the Karanava, is worshipped by the members of each okka.  Sometimes it is simply kept on a platform under a sap-exuding tree near the entrance of ain-mane. Some okkas conduct a karana kola, a dance of the ancestral spirit during which a Malayalee migrant dresses in elaborate colorful clothing and dances in a trance and acts as an oracle.   During this ceremony he is symbolically possessed by the karanava, the original founder of the particular okka.  In every home a lamp called Nellakki Bolucha is lit in honor of the Guru Karana.  The lamp in the central hall is lit by the embers of the kitchen hearth every day.  Kodavas were also nature worshippers revering sun, moon, earth and fire.  Fire of the kitchen hearth is especially sacred.

Kodavas did not have allegiance to Hindu gods, though more recently Hinduism has influenced them enough that they visit Hindu temples.  The influence is more gradual as more and more people came in contact with Hindus of Kerala and Dakshina Kannada.  Thus Bhagavathi and Chaundi (Chamundi) became recognized goddesses.  Mother Kaveri is their Goddess figure and the festival of Kaveri’s birth, Tula Sankramana attracts Hindus from neighboring districts and states to bathe in the sacred river.  This custom surely is a later addition to Kodava custom as the concept is purely Aryan in its proceedings.    Another goddess, Pannangalatamme is the patron goddess of the original inhabitants of Kodagu.  She has a number of brothers as gods; chief among them is the Shaivite Igguthappa who controls the monsoon rains and coffee bean showers.  His brothers are Pemmaiah, Thambipan, Paloorappa and Thirunalli.  Some of these brothers are Vaishnavite gods, a clear indication of Aryan Hindu influence on this mountain community. Today all the gods of Hindu pantheon are recognized by Kodavas and they are fully integrated into Hindu society.  Due to their martial traditions Kodavas consider themselves as Kshatriyas.

Dresses and Dances

The old traditions of Kodavas, before embracing Hinduism are unique and vastly different than Hinduism.  None of the festivals, marriages, births or deaths is conducted by a Brahmin priest.  Libations and meat are served in these occasions.  Some of the customs are reminiscent of old Eurasian and pre-Christian Greek traditions.  The traditional costumes of Kodavas resemble that of the people of Middle East, with a long coat (Kuppya) down to mid-calf with a band of gold trimmed sash (chele) with tassels, across the waist tied in a bow.  The ends of this sash hang gracefully over the left thigh.

Traditional clothes Kuppya (jacket), chele (sash), vastra (turban), and peeche kathi (dagger)

The coat has a V-neck showing undergarments at the neck and arms.  The kuppya is a sort of double-breasted coat with the right wrapping over the left side and stitched on the left side of the chest and trunk.  It comes in various colors.  The headdress is a piece of cloth (vastra) tied around the head, a turban, with the loose end hanging in the back at the nape of the neck.  A bridegroom wears white kuppya with a brocaded white turban and a red brocaded chele.

Sports and martial arts like sword wielding are extolled, and hence there are some traditional swords and machetes that are used during ceremonies as well as part of the ceremonial costume.  The most important is the peeche kathi, which is an ornamented dagger that can be worn on the waist band. 

During wedding ceremonies, peeche kathi is used to break coconut and scoop out the inside shavings and offered to others.  An odikathi which is a sword with a broad head is used to cut trunks of banana trees in a ceremonious fashion during weddings.  These rituals are performed by a member of the groom’s party during the initial offerings by the bride’s party.

Kodava women dress in a manner that is unique to their community.  The pleats of the sari are tucked into a band around the waist.  The pallu is brought around the back and then on to the right shoulder and tied in the front with a knot (molakattu).  Chemise and ankle length petticoats are worn under the sari.  A long-sleeved jacket with or without a close collar is worn as a blouse. Married women cover their heads with a cloth, five feet on each side with edges over the ears and then tied in the back with ribbons.  This head garment is called a chowka. A widow will wear only white.  Marriages of widows are not only accepted but also encouraged.

Kodavas are very fond of dancing.  Folk songs are sung while dancing.  Kombat is a dance when the dancers are holding horns of stags, Couriat, with dancers holding yak-tails, piliyat, with peacock feathers, bolakat, with dance done in the temples around a lamp, and kolat, with dancers holding sticks are all commonly performed dances.  Ummalat is a dance by women holding cymbals.  Even in most of the religious functions, liquor and meat are not taboo.  This has given the Kodavas a reputation as fun loving people with little inhibitions, who extol physical strength and skills.

Conclusion

Kodavas are an ancient society, origins of which are unknown, who made their homes in the slopes of Western Ghats in the southern part of the state of Karnataka.  They are fiercely independent people with a proud martial tradition.  Though they form only about 20% of Kodagu, they are the dominant group, synonymous with the region.  The customs followed by the Kodavas are strange and different when compared to Hindu customs.  Over recent centuries, Hindu culture has influenced the Kodavas immensely but yet they still have maintained their uniqueness.  Caste system was unknown to them and they treated the low caste Hindus as equals and did not subscribe to the Brahmanical dominance of Hinduism.  Their worship, weddings and death ceremonies do not call for a Brahmin priest to preside over them.  They are culturally liberal and their women are allowed to marry again if widowed or divorced.  The Kodavas also dress differently and the men wear tunics similar to some of the Middle Eastern or Eurasian tribes.  The women of Kodagu are known for their beauty and men are ruggedly handsome.  They have their own language, without a script, which is thought to be one of the Dravidian languages of South India.  Due to its geographical location, the Kodava language is influenced by Kannada, Malayalam and Tulu languages.

It is also remarkable that Kodavas contributed little to fine arts, music, painting or sculpture.  Because of their isolation, and the wild life around them, they became adept at hunting and self-defense.  Disease and death due to poor access to health care and deadly malaria had decimated their population for many centuries.  Only in the last century or so the population of Kodavas reached 100,000.  Their population had been further trimmed by Hyder Ali and Tippu Sultan, yet the Kodavas refused to be ruled by the foreigners and held the Muslims at bay.  Tens of thousands of Kodavas had been killed by the invaders.  They had not been dominated by anyone else until the British took over rule in the year 1834 by trickery.

Boverianda Chinnappa, and Nanjamma Who translated Pattole Palame into English

The Kodavas are hospitable and pay much attention to personal hygiene and cleanliness.  They strive to keep their homes and surroundings clean and neat.  The freshness of jungle with rain forest, the altitude of a hill station with its pleasant summers, and the fascinating people of Kodagu with their quaint customs makes Kodagu a worthy place to visit.

– Neria Harish Hebbar, MD 
July 4, 2004