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The Complete History of CoorgKODAGU • ಕೊಡಗು

Reference

Glossary

Kodava and Kodagu words used throughout this archive, defined plainly and attributed. Where a term carries a contested or ceremonial meaning, that is said rather than smoothed over.

16 terms

Land & settlement

Ainmane
The ancestral home of an okka: the ritual and social centre where family ceremonies and ancestor observances are held.

Land & settlement

Bane
Wooded land attached to a holding, used for firewood, timber, grazing and shade for coffee; its status has been repeatedly redefined in law.

History & administration

Haleri
The dynasty, of Keladi–Ikkeri Nayaka descent, that ruled Kodagu from around the early seventeenth century until the British annexation of 1834; named after the village where it first established itself.

Sources & Further Reading

Full bibliography

Land & settlement

Jamma
A distinctive form of land tenure in Kodagu, recognised in colonial and later revenue law, historically linked to service obligations and to rights over rice land and adjoining forest.

Society & kinship

Kailpodhud
The festival at which arms and implements are honoured, historically marking the end of the transplanting season and the resumption of hunting and martial practice.

Religion & ritual

Kaimada
A shrine associated with an okka's ancestors or a guardian deity, often standing near the ancestral land.

Religion & ritual

Karana / Karona
Venerated ancestors of a family. Observances directed to them are a central strand of Kodava religious practice alongside temple worship.

Religion & ritual

Kaveri Sankramana
The observance at Talakaveri marking the moment the Kaveri is held to rise at the sacred spring, drawing pilgrims from across the region.

History & administration

Kodaguಕೊಡಗು
The district's own name, used officially since 1973, when the name Coorg — an anglicisation — was formally replaced.

Society & kinship

Kodava
The Kodava people, historically the dominant landholding community of Kodagu. 'Kodava' also refers to the language, Kodava Takk. Kodagu is home to many other communities as well.

Language

Kodava Takkಕೊಡವ ತಕ್ಕ್
The Dravidian language of the Kodava people, generally classified within the South Dravidian branch and closely studied in relation to Kannada, Tulu and Malayalam. It is written mainly in the Kannada script.

Sources & Further Reading

Full bibliography

Society & kinship

Kupya chele
Kodava men's traditional dress: a long coat gathered at the waist with a sash, worn with a dagger for ceremonial occasions.

Land & settlement

Nad
A traditional territorial division of Kodagu grouping villages; used in pre-colonial and colonial administration.

Society & kinship

Okka
The patrilineal joint family or clan, the fundamental unit of Kodava social organisation, holding ancestral land and identity in common.

Language

Pattole Palame
The compilation of Kodava songs, customs and lore assembled by Nadikerianda Chinnappa and first published in 1924; the foundational printed record of Kodava oral tradition.

Sources & Further Reading

  • Nadikerianda Chinnappa, Pattole Palame (ಪಟ್ಟೋಲೆ ಪಳಮೆ) — Kodava culture, folksongs and traditions, 1924 / 2003
Full bibliography

Food & dress

Puttari
The harvest festival, marking the cutting of the first sheaf of the season's paddy, celebrated with family gathering, ritual and dance.