Kodavas of Coorg: Bold, beautiful and brainy

That its men are brave and the women beautiful is an oft-remarked blanket statement about Coorg. The British called it the Scotland of India when they fell in love with this cool nook in the Western Ghats and its warm people.

The Kodavas or Coorgis are an ethnic minority. But unlike other minority communities, the Kodavas are largely privileged. In fact, a pleasant colonial hangover stays with the people who enjoy a good life with evening drinks, golf, and hockey.

Although a Hindu community on paper, their language, customs, and traditions are distinct.  “Easily one of the most martial cultures in the country, these are a people who ritually worship their guns and swords. Interestingly, till a few decades ago, the birth of a male child was marked with a gun shot, announcing to the world the arrival of a warrior,” writes Pattamada Sundar Muthanna in a coffee table book on Coorg tourism, brought out by journalist PT Bopanna.

Thanks to the outstanding contributions of this community to the country’s defence sector, Coorg is also called the Land of Generals.  Field Marshal Kodandera ‘Kipper’ Madappa Cariappa, the first Indian Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army, was a Kodava. General KS Thimmayya was another brave soldier, who led the army during crucial conflicts with China and brought laurels to his homeland in the hills.

“The people’s right to carry arms was originally granted by the Kodagu kings, who did not maintain a standing army, but called on the people to fight when an invasion threatened. This right was formalised by the British when they exempted the Coorgis from the Arms Act. Today the Coorgis and a few other communities have the right to own guns without having to go through the process of getting a licence,” said Muthanna.

Characteristically, Kodava weddings are not exempted from the martial element either. The bridegroom, wearing his smart traditional costume— the knee-length kupya (similar to the Scottish kilt )—would chop banana trees with their carved daggers called pichekathi and odi kathi, symbolically to portray the duels he fought for the bride. The pichekathis are a part of the groom’s wedding gear, stylishly tucked into the cotton cummerbunds that hold their wraparound cloaks together. The ceremonies are tribal in nature more than Hindu, and are devoid of any Brahminical rituals. There is no chanting of mantras and slokas, and family elders direct it.

Like the Scots, Kodavas too stress upon their clan lineage. Their surnames indicate their clan, and inter-clan marriage is forbidden. Another distinguishing characteristic of this community is the high status given to women. According to the Gazette of Coorg, compiled by G Richter, published in 1870, “Young persons under 16 years of age are not married in Coorg. Exceptions from this rule are very rare. It is to be hoped that the Coorgis will ever be preserved from the misery of child marriages.” Dowry is forbidden, and widow remarriage is encouraged. Probably owing to the cool climate and the secluded terrain, the Kodava community is known for its liberalised outlook to alcohol consumption.

“Alcohol is offered to gods and ancestors during ceremonies. Children who have come of age enjoy a drink or two with parents,” said Muthanna.

A main festival in the Kodava calendar is called Puthari. It is an annual fest to celebrate the first harvest of paddy. Under full moonlight, stalks of paddy are cut and joyous gunshots mark the occasion.

The Kodava language is a mix of its geographical neighbours with many surprises thrown in. Malayalam, Tulu, and Kannada influences can be easily spotted, but the language is also unique as its people.