coorg

coorg

The Coorgs' customs are quite different from those of the other people of India. The people of Coorg are well known for being hospitable. A delicacy that is served at community feasts is pork, prepared in vinegar that has been made from wild berries. The people of Coorg are quite fond of their weapons. They have a festival completely dedicated to weapons called Keil Podh. The Puttari harvest festival is opened up with the firing of guns. When a family is blessed with a son, a single gunshot is fired into the sky to welcome the little one. Likewise, when a Coorg passes away, two consecutive gunshots are fired into the sky to make the neighbors aware of the death. A Coorg Female performing a custom at the wedding. Primarily, the people of Coorg worship ancestors. In their houses, they have idols or images of their ancestors to whom the offer obedience and prayer. The idols are traditionally made from wood or clay, covered with metal, and placed in a shine called a kaimada that is built close to the ain-mane(ancestors home) entrance. A Coorg Elder invoking the blessings of Goddess Cauvery & Ancestors. Coorgs worship nature and they hold the river Cauvery in the highest regards. To them, the holy river is their mother. It is mentioned in the Puranas that the Coorgs were summoned by Lord Brahma when the River was going to take birth. All the Coorgs gathered at Talacauvery and took the first dip when the Goddess appeared and turned into the river. The people of Coorg are blessed by touching their elders' feet. A mother is held in the highest regard within the Coorg society. The mother is the first to bless a journeyman or young married couple. Unlike other Hindu societies, a Coorg widow may still participate in joyous occasions such as her children's weddings. She is seen as the principal figure for conducting wedding ceremonies that are conducted traditionally by elders without the participation of a priest. A Coorg Groom in the ethnic white kuppya and the headgear during the First Day (Oorkudo) Ceremony. The white Kuppya is worn only on marraige or death ceremonies. It may come as a surprise to many that the Kodava(Coorg) language has no word for dowry and prostitution, both of which are absent among the Kodavas. The general level of culture and education among women of Coorg has always been higher, women know their rights and are treated well in the family. A widow may remarry, which is quite common and has always been acceptable in the Coorg culture. Member of the Grooms party killing ( Chopping down ) mock banana trunk soldiers . A ritual at Coorg weddings. Even though Coorgs are Hindus, their marriage rights are not performed by a priest. Weddings in Coorg are like something from another planet. The groom claims a bride once a member of his clan has killed mock banana trunk soldiers. Following a feast, the men and women of Coorg get down to dancing, to the tribal beats which sounds to not have changed since time immemorial. The Coorg family unit is known as the okka. This is a patrilineal tribe made up of males with common ancestry. The male members of the okka(clan) all share a unique okka name. Presently, there are nearly 1000 okka families and family names in Coorg. The okka members worship each okka founder, known as the Karanava. In the central hall of every home in Coorg, you will find a Nellakki Bolucha, a lamp that is lit to honor the Guru Karana. The eldest member of an Okka is traditionally treated as the deity. The people of Coorg are also worshippers of nature and revere the earth, moon, fire and sun. Fire in the hearth of the kitchen is particularly sacred. The cultures and traditions of the Coorgs embrace Hinduism, but are unique and immensely different. Usually a priest oversees none of their births, deaths, marriages or festivals. Meat and libations are served at most of their feasts. Some of the customs practices by the Coorgs are reminiscent of pre-Christian Greek and old Eurasian traditions. Contact www.keralatrip.in

coorg

Natives of the country of Coorg, from the French magazine 'L'Illustration'. c.1866 The Coorgs(Kodavas) saw the first successful invasion when Hyder Ali took over their land in 1763. However, it was not long before Hyder's army was defeated and Kodagu reverted back to Kodavas in 1765. In 1768 Lingaraja, the younger brother of the Haleri King Muddayya attacked Hyder's troops near the boundary with Mysore and defeated them. A treaty was effected and the boundaries of Mysore and Coorg, fixed. Once again, due to internal squabbling among the ruling kings, Hyder Ali sided with Linga Raja I and suceeded in installing him on the throne, finally taking direct control of the Kodavas in 1775. Lingaraja I died in 1780, leaving behind his two children to claim the throne. Coorg Warrior. c 1850 Hyder Ali took custody of the minor princes and appointed one of his minister to rule Coorg. An open rebellion broke out in June, 1782 and the Kodavas drove out Hyder's troops and dignitaries. Hyder Ali died and his son Tippu Sultan took over. In 1783, Tippu Sultan marched through Kodagu, while returning from Mangalore to Srirangapatana. He retained control of Coorg and strengthened the garrison at Mercara Fort. He called a meeting of Coorg chiefs and delivered to their hands written mandate accusing them of polyandry, plundering his armies & rebelling against Hyder and himself seven times. He warned the Kodavas with dire consequences, if they would rebel again. Enraged by the diktat, the Kodavas again rose up in rebellion, sacked and plundered Madikeri. The same year Tippu sent a force of 2,000 men against Kodavas, which was defeated. Engraving of General Lally, The Chief Commander of French in India. In 1784 Tippu invaded Coorg with his ally General Monsieur Lally and his french troops. Lally and his men were successful in capturing many Kodava's in the North & Western Parts of Coorg. The captured Kodava(Coorgs) were taken to Mysore, forcibly converted to Islam & enlisted in the Mysore Army. In 1784 Tippu entered Coorg with a 32,000 strong army, along with a French battalion commanded by General Monsieur Lally and defeated the Coorgs. In 1788, Kodavas rescued their king Dodda Vira Rajendra, the eldest of the princes, who had been taken prisoner by Tippu and held in Periyapatna fort. Once back in Coorg, the young Prince quickly organized an army and and kept on engaging Tippu's forces in the battlefield. By 1790 Dodda Vira Rajendra had successfully attacked and sacked most of the forts garissoned by Tippu Sultan's forces, except Mercara Fort. The same year Dodda Vira Rajendra came in contact with the British. In October 25, 1790 Dodda Vira Rajendra signed a treaty with the British, who promised to protect his kingdom against Tippu's onslaught and offer him independence in running the affairs of his kingdom. In return, the Raja would have to assist and fight along the British forces in their war with Tippu Sultan. In 1791, after a prolonged siege, Tippu's forces evacuated Mercara Fort and Dodda Vira Rajendra regained his entire kingdom. Eventually, the Kodavas backed the British troops and Tippu fell in the year 1799. The Princess Victoria Gouramma of Coorg. A steel engraving by Winterhalter and Grave by James S. Virtue Co. London. c.1835 Following Coorg's British annexation in the early 1830s, the town was directly under British rule until the Indian Independence in the late 1940s. Coorg was recognized by the Indian Constitution as part "C" state and elected a government to assume office in the early 1950s with a chief minister of its own. In November of 1956, the town of Coorg united with the onetime state of Mysore, as part of a state reorganization. Now, the district of Coorg is part of the state of Karnataka. Throughout the history of Kodagu, no ruler has held direct sway over the region. Kodagu has always been under the influence of local chieftains and maybe because of this reason, their culture has never been assimilated with the neighbors and they have always maintained their unique identity

coorg

COORG The majority of the early accounts of Coorg(Kodagu) are fundamentally eminent and the genuine record of history in Coorg is available only following the ninth century. On the word of inscriptions, Coorg was under the rule of many dynasties of South India such as Changalvas, Cholas, Gangas, Hoysalas, Kadambas and Pandyas. It is believed that early on the northern part of Kodagu was under the Kadambas and the south under the Gangas. The Cholas were a powerful force in the eleventh century they defeated the Gangas. However, the Changalva Arasus continued o rule the south Kodagu when Raja Chola was ruling in Tanjavur. The northern parts of Kodagu were ruled by the Kongalvas who were a vassal of the Cholas. The situation more or less remained the same till the invasion under Alauddin Khilji. In the fourteenth century the Changalvas became prominent rulers of Kodagu. For most of the period the influence of the Changalvas or the Kongalvas never reached beyond the borders of Kodagu. The period between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries were tumultuous and rulers changed faster than the seasons. However, Kodagu continued to cling on to its independent stature. The fall of the Vijayanagara empire signaled a change and in this period Keladi Nayaks of Ikkeri took over Kodagu and established the Paleri(Haleri) Kingdom. 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 50 years. He moved his headquarters to current day Madikeri in 1681. It was called Muddu Raja Keri and later shortened to Madikeri. Under the Paleri dynasty Kodagu attained a status as an Independent kingdom. Dodda Vira Raja ruled from 1687 - 1736. Under his rule the administration of the region was streamlined into villages and districts. Other notable figures in the history of Kodagu are Dodda Vira Rajendra (1780 - 1809) and Linga Raja II (1811 - 1820).