Regions with significant populations | |
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India | 122,000 |
Languages | |
Kodava Takk | |
Religion | |
Animism |
The Kodava (ಕೊಡವ in Kannada script) are an ethnic group of southern India, most of whom trace their origins to the region of Kodagu (also called Coorg)and natively speak Kodava Takk, although they are bilingual in Kannada.
Demographics and distribution
The Kodava community numbers about 100,000 in Kodagu district, out of a total population of over 500,000. Bangalore and Mysore together have more than 300,000 Kodava, most of them migrating to these cities for better job prospects.
Theories of origin
They are of unknown origin, and are ethnically and culturally distinct from the other people of the area. There are several claims regarding the origin of the Kodavas.
Some historians suggest that the Kodavas might have migrated into their present area in the Coorg district around the 3rd century A.D.
There are different theories about the origin of Kodavas. One view is that the Kodava culture resembles the culture of the ancient trading stock of Arabia (Moeling 1855). Another view is that the Kodavas are descendants of Scythians (Connor 1870, Rice 1878). According to yet another view, the Kodavas belong to the Indo-Scythian race. Kodavas have a distinct appearance among people in south India since their average cephalic index is 80.6 and the nasal index is 65.2. This may prove that the Kodavas are the descendants of the brachycephalic stock who entered into the Indus Valley during the Mohenjodaro period and migrated to the Coorg region (Hutton, as quoted in Balakrishnan 1976). There is also a legend that during the conquest of Alexander the Great, many of his Indo-Greek soldiers, the Yavanas, stayed back in India. They migrated as warriors Kshatriyas down south, married the natives and settled down in the hilly areas of the Western Ghats[1]. These are all theories, and there isn't any definite clue or evidence to prefer one theory over another[2].
Kodavas were called as Kodagas by Mysoreans, Kodakars by Malayalis and Coorgs by the British.
History
The Hindu Puranas (Kaveri Purana of Skanda Purana) claim that Chandra Varma, a Chandravamshi Kshatriya and son of Emperor of Matsya Desha , was the ancestor of the Kodavas.He had 10 sons, the eldest was called Devavrata.The Kodavas were freeholder farmers and soldiers.They served as lords and vassals.
The Kodavas were the earliest agriculturists in Kodagu, living in that place for centuries.Nayakas and Palegaras like Chengalvas and Kongalvas ruled over them.They were soldiers in the armies of the Rajas of Karnataka and Kerala. Also they were associated with several South Indian dynasties like the Kadambas, the Gangas, the Cholas, the Chalukyas, the Rastrakutas, the Hoysalas,and the Vijaynagar Rayas.
Both Changalvas and Kongalvas were the feudal lords of Kodagu.Under the suzerainty of Cholas, the Changalvas continued to rule when Raja Raja Chola was ruling in Tanjavur. The descendants of the Changa-lvas and the Konga-lvas are found today among the Kodava clans of Changa-ndas and Konga-ndas.The name of a Changalva lord Pemma Virappa shows that he belonged to the Pemma-nda clan of Kodavas. So these two sets of lords were Kodavas who also ruled parts of Hassan,Mysore and Wynad.
During 12th century local chieftains in the Chola kingdom rebelled against the Chola kings, among them the Alupas of Tulunad and the Changalvas of Kodagu .However it was the Hoysalas, who were in Belur of Hassan district who drove away the Cholas from the Kannada area of Mysore and surrounding regions. But the Chengalvas who then became independent didn’t accept the rule of Hoyasalas easily. Incidentally, it was during the rule of Pemma Veerappa that for the first time we can see the word “Kodagaru” (Kodavas) carved on the stone shasanas and that the region was called Kodagu. At the same time Kongalvas also accepted the rule of Hoysalas.In the year 1174 AD, Bettarasa the army general of Ballala II, Hoysala King, laid seige upon the Fort of Palpare and fought two battles against the Changalva king Pemma Veerappa. In the first battle Pemma Veerappa defeated the Hoysalas in the “Palser” war but in the second, Bettarasa defeated the Coorgs and made them subordinates. The ruins of Palpare were rediscovered in the 1850s in South Coorg's forests.
Inscriptions at Palur and Bhagamandala refer to a king by name Bodharupa (1380) who has not been identified so far properly.A Council of Elders governed over the Coorgs. Some important Coorg Leaders were (Ajjikuttira) Achunayaka of Anjikerinad, Karnayya Bavu of Bhagamandala,Kaliatanda Ponnappa of Nalknad and (Nayakanda) Uttanayaka of Armeri.
From around 1600 until 1834 the Haleri Rajas ruled over them.But in between from 1774 until 1792 the Mysore Sultans were their rulers. Under the Paleri dynasty Kodagu attained a status as an Independent kingdom. 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. In addition to king’s samadhis, “samadhis” were built for diwans and for “Rajguru” Rudrappa. We can see samadhis built for army chief Biddanda Bopu, who was the commander-in-chief for the army of Dodda Vira Rajendra, and his son Somaiah’s samadhi too. On the samadhi of Biddanda Bopu, there is a plate carved in Kannada praising him for his bravery shown in the wars fought against Tipu Sultan.
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. Cheppudira Ponnappa was retained as Dewan of Coorg and later his descendents assumed the role of administrators. Under British protection, Kodagu became a State with nominal independence. The Kodavas in turn earned a name as valiant soldiers and officers in the army. Many Kodavas fought in the two World Wars. 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.In 1956 the state of Coorg was merged into Karnataka.
Customs and traditions
The names of Kodava people are characteristic and include a clan name. The clan is central to Kodava culture and families trace their lineage through clans. Marriage within a clan is forbidden.
We don’t have to go all the way upto Switzerland to see the effects of lax gun control. The Kodava (Coorg) community in India has special rights to carry guns, it was the British who made relaxed gun control laws especially for them .When a son is born in their community, they celebrate by firing guns. When a daughter is born, they ring a bell.They are known for their beautiful and athletic women.Chances are, you wouldn’t even have heard of them in relation to crime.
Kodavas have many cultural differences from other communities in southern India. Kodavas do not accept Brahmin priests, preferring that their ceremonies are conducted by their own elders. The elders of the community help in organising the ceremonies. The importance of fire god found in most of the Hindu rituals is completely absent in Kodava culture. Usage of slokas and vedic chants is absent.
They have distinctive dresses, the men wearing wraparound robes called the Kupya (now only seen at ceremonial occasions), and the women with a distinctive style of wearing the sari. The Kodava woman wears a sari with the pleats at the back and the loose end pinned at the right shoulder.They have many distinctive practices such as carrying ceremonial knives, and martial war dances. The culture also includes communal gatherings where drink, dance and special meat dishes seasoned with Garcinia are central attractions.
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.
Typical surnames
The names of Kodavas are characteristic and include a clan name and Kodava families trace their lineage through clans. Kodava clan names follow patrilineal nomenclature. However traditionally the clan name preceeded the personal name. For instance as in Pemma Virappa, Biddanda Bopu, Cheppudi Chittauwa and Ketoli Changappa. This was like the normal South Indian nomenclature, but the difference was that elsewhere in South India, the individual's name was preceeded by the village name. Under the Raj, Kodavas wrote their clan name first, then their father's name and finally their individual name. As in Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, shortened as K.M. Cariappa. This system of naming was followed even after independence(e.g. M .P .Ganesh). But the nomenclature in vogue now is to not include the clan name in one's name, instead use the personal name as the first name(often a common pan-Indian name) and the surname is either the person's second name or his/her father's name(a Kodava name). This is as in Ashwini Nachappa, Rohan Bopanna, Robin Uthappa, Prasad Bidapa and Nikhil Chinappa. So the surname will be a Kodava personal name, not the clan name. A Kodava clan name ends with a '-nda'(singular) or an '-era/-ira'(plural) suffix which means "belonging to-". So "Ketolira" means "belonging to the Ketoli clan". This nomenclature finds parallels among the Bunts and Nairs, like in the case of "Kayyara Kinhana Rai", a well-known Tulu poet. A Kodava name is traditional South Indian, it ends with an 'appa'/'achu'(man),'ayya'/'aiah'(elder),'amma'/'avva'(woman),'anna'(brother) or 'akka'(sister).
Some typical Kodava names are: Achaiah, Achappa, Aiyanna, Aiyappa, Appachu, Appaiah, Belliappa, Bheemaiah, Bidapa/ Biddu, Bojanna, Bopanna, Bopaiah, Cariappa, Carumbaiah, Changappa/ Chengappa, Chinappa/ Chinnappa, Chitiappa, Devayya, Ganapathy, Kalappa, Kaveri, Kaveriappa, Kushalappa, Machaiah/ Machiah, Mandanna, Monappa/ Monnappa, Muthamma, Muthanna, Nachappa, Nanaiah, Nanjappa, Ponnappa, Poonacha, Poovaiah, Poovamma, Somaiah/ Somaiya, Somanna, Subbaiah, Uthappa, Uttaiah.
Religion
Kodavas are primarily ancestor worshippers. On thier ancestral clan lands they have a shrine (Kaimada), which is the shrine of the clan's first ancestor (Guru Karana), where they offer prayers and obeisance. The shrine is usually made of clay or wood or covered with sheet metal, and housed within a roofed structure built near the entrance to the ain-mane. The founder of each clan (Okka), the Guru Karana, is worshipped by the members of that particular clan. Sometimes it is simply kept on a platform under a sap-exuding tree near the entrance of ain-mane. Some clans 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 karana, the original founder of the particular clan. 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.
References:Chinnappa, Nadikerianda: Pattole Palame
Festivals
The Kodavas are traditionally warriors and agriculturists. Most of their rituals, traditions and festivities center around their agriculture and military prowess. Originally most of their lives were spent in the field: cultivating and harvesting, waging war, hunting for food and guarding their fields from the depredations of wild animals. It is in these contexts that weaponry became an integral part of the culture, with deep emotional and religious significance.
There are three main festivals: the Festival of Arms or Kailpodhu, Kaveri Shankaramana and the harvest thanksgiving at Puttari (puthari). These three festivals occur between September and December.
Kailpodhu
Kailpodhu is celebrated on the 3rd of September. Officially, the festival begins on the 18th day after the sun enters the Simha Raasi (the Western sign of Leo). Kail means weapon or armory and Pold means festival. The day signifies the completion of "nati" - meaning the transplantation of the rice (paddy) crop.
The festival signifies the day when men should prepare to guard their crop from wild boars and other animals, since during the preceding months, in which the family were engaged in the fields, all weapons were normally deposited in the "Kanni Kombare", or the prayer room. Hence on the day of Kailpoldu, the weapons are taken out of the Pooja room, cleaned and decorated with flowers. They are then kept in the "Nellakki Nadubadec", the central hall of the house and the place of community worship. Each member of the family has a bath, after which they worship the weapons. Feasting and drinking follow. The eldest member of the family hands a gun to the senior member of the family, signifying the commencement of the festivities. The whole family assembles in the "Mand" (open ground), where physical contests and sports, including marksmanship, are conducted. In the past the hunting and cooking of wild game was part of the celebration, but today shooting skills are tested by firing at a coconut tied onto the branch of a tall tree.
Traditional rural sports, like grabbing a coconut from the hands of a group of 8-10 people (thenge porata), throwing a stone the size of a cricket ball at a coconut from a distance of 10-15 paces (thenge eed), lifting a stone ball of 30-40cm lying at one's feet and throwing it backwards over the shoulders, etc., are now conducted in community groups called Kodava Samajas in towns and cities.
Kaveri Sankramana
The Kaveri Sankramana festival normally takes place in mid-October. It is associated with the river Kaveri, which flows through the district from its source at Talakaveri.
At a predetermined time, when the sun enters Tula Rasi (Tula sankramana), a fountain from a small tank fills the larger holy tank at Talakaveri. Thousands of people gather to dip in this holy water. The water is collected in bottles and reaches every home throughout Kodagu. This holy water is called Theertha, and is preserved in all Kodava homes. A spoonful of this water is fed to the dying, in the belief that they will attain moksha (spiritual emancipation) and gain entry to heaven.
On this day, married women wearing new silk saris perform puja to a vegetable, symbolizing the goddess Kaveri. The vegetable is usually a cucumber or a coconut, wrapped in a piece of red silk cloth and decorated with flowers and jewels (mainly 'Pathak' (Kodava Mangalasuthra)). This is called the Kanni Puje. Kanni means the goddess Parvati, who incarnated as Kaveri. Three sets of betel leaves and areca nut are kept in front of the goddess with bunches of glass bangles. All the members of the family pray to the goddess by throwing rice and prostrating themselves before the image. The elder members of the family ceremonially bless the younger. Then an older married woman draws water from the well and starts cooking. The menu of the day is dosa and vegetable curry (usually pumpkin curry (kumbala kari) ) and payasa. Nothing but vegetarian food is cooked on this day, and this is the only festival which is strictly vegetarian.
Huttari
Puttari means “new rice” and is the rice harvest festival (also called huttari in the adjacent Kannada-speaking country). This takes place in late November or early December. Celebrations and preparations for this festival start a week in advance.
On the day of Puttari, the whole family assembles in their ain mane (the common family house), which is decorated with flowers and green mango and banana leaves. Specific foods are prepared: thambuttu, puttari, kari and poli poli. Then the eldest member of the family hands a sickle to the head of the family and one of the women leads a procession to the paddy fields with a lit lamp in her hands. The path leading to the field is decorated. A gunshot is fired to mark the beginning of the harvest, with chanting of "Poli Poli Deva" (prosperity) by all present. Then the symbolic harvesting of the crop begins. The rice is cut and stacked and tied in odd numbers and is carried home to be offered to the gods. The younger generation then lite firecrackers and revel, symbolizing prosperity. Groups of youngsters visit neighboring houses and show off their dancing skills and are given monetary gifts. A week later, this money is pooled and the entire village celebrates a communal dinner. All family members gather for this meal. Dinner normally consists of meat dishes, such as pork, and fish curry. Alcoholic beverages are also served at such feasts.
Language
The Kodava language, Kodava takk, itself is related to, and borrows heavily from the neighbouring languages of Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil; a point which has led ethnologists to speculate that their female ancestry is from the surrounding regions of Kodagu. Kodava takk has a lot of similarity in accent and pronunciation with that of Beary bashe, a dialect spoken by Bearys of Tulunadu.Appaneravanda Appachakavi and Nadikeriyanda Chinnappa are the two important poets and writers of Kodava language.
Achievements
Armed forces
Enlistment in the Indian army has been common among the Kodavas. The most famous son of Kodagu is Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa the first Commander-in-Chief (as a general) of the armed forces of free India. General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya, of the same clan as K.M. Cariappa, served as a consecutive Army chief ( as a general ).
Sports
Kodavas in the have a long history of association with the game of field hockey. The district of Kodagu is considered as the cradle of Indian hockey.[3][4] More than 50 Kodavas have represented India in international hockey tournaments, out of which 7 have also participated in Olympics.[3] The passion for hockey in Kodagu is so much that more than 200 families participate in an annual Kodava Hockey Festival. This festival is recognised as one of the largest field hockey tournaments in the world and has been referred to the Guinness Book of Records.[3] However it has already found a mention in the Limca Book of Records, which is an Indian variant of the Guinness Book.[3]
Notable Kodavas
- K M Cariappa, Field Marshal
- K. S. Thimayya, General
- C B Muthamma, first woman IFS officer
- Rao Bahadur IGP P.K.Monnappa,helped supress the Nizam's rebellion in Hyderabad in 1950, also first police chief of Karnataka and Andhra.
- Sadguru Appaiah Swami,founder of Kaveri Ashram,Virajpet.
- Nadikerianda Chinnappa,folklorist,compiled the Pattole Palome book.
- Appachu Kavi, A veteran poet who has contributed for Kodava poetry.
- P.I.Belliappa,freedom fighter
- B.D.Ganapathy, noted writer & philosopher
- M. P. Ganesh,former Indian hockey team captain,Olympian and coach,1973 Arjuna Awardee[1].
- Prema (actress),famous Kannada actress.
- Ashwini Nachappa, Athlete,1988 Arjuna Awardee[2]
- Nikhil Chinnappa, MTV VJ & music composer
- Prema Cariappa,Former Mayor of Bangalore, Rajya Sabha MP
- A B Subbaiah,Indian team hockey player,1996 Arjuna Awardee[3]
- M M Somaiya,Indian team hockey player
- Rohan Bopanna, Tennis player
- Joshna Chinappa, Ace squash player
- Len Aiyappa, Ace hockey player
- Biddu Appaiah, Kung Fu fighting song fame
- N. Ponnappa, cartoonist
- Major Ganapathi Puttichanda Somiah,Maha Vir Chakra, known as the Major who kept his cool during the Indian Intervention in Srilanka [4]
- Squadron Leader Devayya,Maha Vir Chakra,1965 Indo Pak War,he was known as the wings of fire.[5]
- Raj Chengappa,Editor of India Today Magazine
- A.T.Raghu,Kannada and Kodava language Film Director
- Benanda Machiah,Boxer,Arjuna Award 1978-79[6]
- P G Chengappa,Former National Badminton Player
- Dr.Kodira Chinappa,part of the Human Genome Project as he worked for Celera Genomics,USA.
- Miss Ada Ponnappa,Principal of Rosyth School,Singapore from 1978 until 1990
- Brinda Somaya, architect and conservationist
- Poonam Bojanna, Athlete
- Poonacha Machaiah,Vice President,Sasken Telecommunications
- Prasad Bidapa, fashion designer, choreographer, model trainer.
- Jagat and Anita Nanjappa, motor racing champions
- Reeth Abraham, athlete
- Daisy Bopanna, Kannada actress
- Pramila Aiyappa(nee Ganapathy), hepthalon athlete, India's representive in 2000 Sydney Olympics and in 2008 Beijing Olympics.
- M R Poovamma, (Maachettira Poovamma) athlete, India's representive in 2008 Beijing Olympics, 4x400 women's relay.
- C M Poonacha, Chief Minister of Coorg State (1952-'56), Union Minister, Governor
- Brigadier P.T. Monappa, VSM,Chief Security Advisor to the Southern Army Commander and Head of all the Intelligence Organizations
- N U Nachappa, Codava National Council
- Uma Poonacha, Bharata Natyam performer & Member UN International Dance Council (UNCID)
- K.M. Chinnappa, director Tata Electric
- Ashok Mandanna, actor
- Jajie Mandanna, writer, activist
- Arati Monappa,textile designer.Arati the design label came into being in 1995, when Arati Monappa was in Ahmedabad until !998
- Naik Pemmanda D Kaveriappa,Kargil martyr
- K C Chinnappa,Technocrat
- PP Appachu,the man who is indirectly responsible for the cycle tyre cords which eventually gave the all terrain bicycles in India,
- PA Kalappa,son of PP Appachu and probably the youngest Indian to have received a dedicated funding from NASA for research on Internal Combustion Engines (Rocket Engines)
- Dr M. Gautham Machaiah, Journalist and Corporate professional
- Shubra Aiyappa, model
- Carun Carumbaiah, model
- Rakesh Chengappa, model
- Ajjikuttira K Subbaiah, Politician
- C Arun Machaiah, Politician
- Ajjikuttira P Appanna, Politician
- Ajjikuttira S Bopanna, Justice, High Court of Karnataka
- P P Bopanna, Justice(Retd)
Kannada Movies based on this culture
Notes
- ^ Enchanting Coorg - www.bangalorebest.com
- ^ ETHNOLINGUISTIC STUDY
- ^ a b c d "Time-out". Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2004-06-13. 2004, The Hindu. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
- ^ "Coorg: A nursery of Indian hockey". Online Edition of The Deccan Herald, dated 2006-04-04. 2005, The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd. Retrieved 2007-06-21.