Kodagu
Kodagu was a separate kingdom from around 1600 until 1834, ruled by its own Rajas. Thereafter the British annexed it and made it a province. They pronounced the name Kodag(u) as Coorg. It was during the Raj that Coorg became a well-known hill station of India.
In 1947, Coorg was made a C-state of the Union of India and known as the state of Coorg. In 1956, it was joined to the state of Mysore. Mysore state later became known as Karnataka. Thenceforth, Coorg was again called by its old name Kodagu. Presently, Kodagu is one of the smallest districts of Karnataka.
Kodavas
The Kodavas were the largest and dominant tribe of Kodagu. They were the earliest agriculturists and the largest endogamous group of the region as well. The names of the native tribe and the land were synonymous to each other. The race was called Kodava and the place was called Kodavu in the native tongue Kodava thakk. In Kannada, the people were Kodaga and the province Kodagu. Likewise, in English, the people were named Coorgs (or Koorgs) and the region Coorg (Kurg or Koorg).
In 1398 Abhinava Mangaraja wrote a Sanskrit-Kannada dictionary called the Mangaraja Nighantu. Sections of it were translated by Rev. Ferdinand Kittel in his Kannada-English dictionary in 1894. The Mangaraja Nighantu has a few references to Kodagu and the Kodavas.
In this dictionary, Kodagu is “the Coorg country” and a Kodaga is “a Coorg man” in Kannada. Also, in the same work, Kodavu is “Kodagu, the Coorg country (in the language of the Coorg people)”, while a Kodava is “a Coorg man (in the language of the Coorgs)”.
The Kodavas were farmers and soldiers. They grew paddy and hunted wild animals. During wartime, they carried swords and guns and fought for their kings and lords. In 1870, the Mysore and Coorg Chief Commissioner L B Bowring called the Kodavas (Coorgs) as the “primitive Kodagaru”. The Kodavas were called so because they were the ancient people of Kodagu.
Culture
The Kodavas are nature and ancestor worshippers. Since they were nature worshippers they dedicated forest land to the gods and called them deva kad (sacred groves). Likewise, the Kodava families have shrines called kaimada built for their ancestors. Every year the families worship their ancestors during the karana kodupo ceremony. There was no idol worship among Kodavas. The daily prayers were done to the nellakki bolcha (holy lamp) in the balliamane (ancestral house).
Language
Kodava thakk is a separate Dravidian language which is younger than Tamil and Kannada but older than Malayalam. The Kodavas and 21 other castes from Kodagu speak this language. There is a demand to include Kodava thakk in the official 8th schedule list of Indian languages in the constitution.
Castes and Sub-castes
In ancient times, the Kodavas were divided into four branches: Amma, Sanna, Malla and Bodda. The Amma were most religious and the Sanna were most numerous. The Sanna Kodava, found all over Kodagu, got their name from the Sannakki or the fine, rice grains they ate and hence were known as the 'fine' or the proper Kodavas. This was not a name they called themselves by but was a name given to them by others. The Sanna Kodavas called themselves Jamma Kodavas and were looked upon as the custodians of the Kodava culture. They were further divided into Surlabi Kodava, Naalnaad Kodava, Mendele Kodava and Kiggat Kodava on the basis of the regions they lived in.
The Malla Kodavas were found in North Kodagu and were often associated with the Kodagu Rajas, in whose government service they were. Thus they took the name Malla, meaning warrior. The Sanna Kodavas and the Malla Kodavas are now not distinguishable from each other since they have intermarried. The Boda Kodava were less in number and were comparatively poorer in wealth and appearance. But they are now part of the main-body of Kodavas with whom they have married. So the Sanna, the Malla and the Boda became Kodavas and are no longer differentiated. Presently, the Ammas form a separate caste of Amma Kodavas.
There are 22 related castes and tribes (now collectively called the Kodagas), such as the Amma Kodavas, the Kodagu Heggades, the Keimbattis, the Kudiyas, the Medas, the Maleyas, the Kapalas, the Boonepattas, the Bannas and others, who speak Kodava thakk and follow the Kodava culture.
Status
The Kodavas have a high literacy rate due to the interest their leaders took in getting the community educated since British times. However, now the community is losing out on socio-economic, political and educational opportunities because they don't have government reservations. This way they are not getting government jobs and seats in educational institutions. Since Kodavas generally are good looking and dress well their poor socio-economic status is relatively unknown. Most Kodavas own only a few acres of land and are quite poor. Now, many Kodavas are losing their farm lands due to various reasons. If the Kodavas get the ST tag then the younger generations will benefit.
Reservations
These days many other communities have made more progress in this competitive world and left Kodavas to become backward. The Kodavas are listed as an OBC in the Karnataka State List. Although some sources wrongly claimed that the Kodavas belonged to Category 2A the actual caste certificates that we received showed that we are part of Category 3A, which has lesser reservations. The Bunts and some of the Vokkaligas are also in the same 3A category.
Kodavas were listed as Kodagaru and the Codava National Council opposed this and wanted the government to correct it. As of 2017, the CNC was still agitating for replacing the offensive word Kodagaru in the government records. The term Kodagaru sounds similar to the Kannada word for a monkey.
However, in the Central List for the Karnataka state the Kodavas (or 'Kodagaru') are not mentioned. This Central list is necessary to ensure reservations in Central Government jobs and educational institutions. In 2012 the 'Kodagaru' caste was recommended to be added to the Central list but was rejected. The Kodagu Kapala, Banna, Kodagu Heggade and Amma Kodava communities who speak Kodava thakk and are from Kodagu district are included in the Central OBC list. Some of the Vokkaliga Gowda, Lingayat and Muslim communities are mentioned in the central OBC list as well.
Main References
- Manual of Coorg (Coorg Gazetteer), Rev. G. Richter, 1870 (book)
- Eastern Experiences, L B Bowring, 1871 (book)
- Karnataka State Gazetteer: Kodagu District Gazetteer Volume, Dr. Suryanath Kamat, 1993 (book)
- Government okays plea to mention 'Kodavaru' in caste certificate, Deccan Herald, August 17 2012 (newspaper article)
- Ethnographic survey under way to establish Kodava tribal status, Times of India, December 12 2016 (newspaper article)
