Traditional Ancestor Worship

According to Coorg tradition, the spirits of their ancestors continue to abide with or occasionally visit the living. The spirit of a male ancestor is called Karana, that of a female Karanachi or Sodalichi. Karana is also a term commonly used to denote the living head of a family.

Ancestor worship occupies a very prominent place with the Coorgs. For the use of the spirits of their ancestors, which continue to hover about the dwelling, a small building called Kaymada or Kaimatta is erected near the house. It is square and consists of but one room or sometimes has only a niche, the basement being raised 5 or 6 feet above the ground. Within these Kaymadas, to represent the ancestors, are placed silver plates embossed with figures, copper or bronze images male and female, or even a slab of stone with figures sculptured on it. Along with them are put sticks with silver heads, silver or common knives and other articles, by way of memorial. Those who cannot afford to build a Kaymada, make a sort of mud bank for the purpose, called Kota, under a tree in the fields where the family's first house (ain mane) stood.

On occasions when the well-being of the Coorg house seems to be disturbed by troublesome spirits, they are appeased by offerings of milk, rice or arrack, which are placed in the niches in the wall of the house. If the visitant is supposed to be the spirit of Ajjappa (father or grandfather) a fowl, or two are decapitated at the Kaymada. But should these not be deemed sufficiently effective, a member of the house may profess to become possessed by one of the spirits, as whose representative he now acts, and he is liberally treated with food and drink, and answers questions regarding the demands of the vexed spirit. The gifts offered him are called Karana Barani.

A ceremony of still greater importance is the Karana Kola or Spirit mask, performed in order to ascertain the particular wishes of the departed. It takes place annually or biennially, and is conducted by one of the fraternity of wizards - Panika, Banna or Maleya. The ceremony begins after sunset, and is performed in the house, in the presence of the housepeople and their neighbours. The personator of the spirit wears in succession a variety of masks, and buckles on a sword. Thus arrayed, he dances to the accompaniment of a drum, and as he sings of the deceased father, grandfather or other ancestor, the spirit seizes him and he speaks as its mouthpiece. To each spirit a sacrifice, also called Karana Barani, is offered in the courtyard, consisting of a coconut, fried rice, a cock and a bottle of liquor, which latter the representative drinks to fortify himself for further exertions during the night. The ceremony terminates with the sacrifice of a pig fattened for the purpose. Either the wizard, or a Coorg whom he points out, decapitates the pig in front of the Kaimatta, where the head is placed for a few minutes, when it is removed and given to the wizard, but the body of the pig is cut up and eaten by the house people. Where there happens to be no Kaimatta, the sacrifice is made at the Karana Kota.

Source: Mysore and Coorg, Vol. III by Lewis Rice

Kodagu's History - Part 1

The Coorgs, according to the traditions, are of the Ugra race and descendants of a prince named Chandra Varmma. These statements point to the Kadamba kingdom in the north-west of Mysore as the seat when the first colonists of Coorg migrated. A reference to the history of the Kadambas will show that the name of Chandra Varmma was a familiar one among the first princes of that line, and also that their possessions embraced all the countries contiguous to Coorg. According to three stone inscriptions dating back to A.D. 857, south Coorg was ruled by the Cheras.

To the Chera and Chalukya dominions in Mysore, the Hoysala Ballala kings succeeded. Their dynasty first rose to power in the 1Oth century, and as the Karkala rulers are known to have been subject to them, as well as the Malabar country, there is little doubt that Coorg too came under their sway. When the Ballala dominion was overthrown by the Muhammadans under Kafur in 1310, the western provinces, and Coorg amongst them, seem to have escaped the ravages of the conquerors, for the Ballala king retired to Tondanur (Tonnur, near Seringapatam). But ten years later, when Mubarak Khilji made his expedition into the Deccan and put an end to the Yadava dynasty of Devagiri, he sent a force under his favourite, Khusru Khan, to conquer Malabar, which the latter effected in the course of a year and brought a great treasure to Delhi. In this conquest it is supposed that Coorg was included.

In 1336 was founded the city of Vijayanagar, whose princes, also said to have derived their origin from the Kadambas, were the paramount sovereigns in the south of India until 1565. It seems that under the Vijayanagar empire Coorg was subdivided into a number of small districts called Kombus, ruled by chiefs styled Nayaks, who, like the Palegars of Mysore, were doubtless tributary to the supreme power but exercised rights of sovereignty. According to tradition Coorg was divided into 12 Kombus and 35 nads. The Nayaks guarded their respective territories by the boundary and defensive ditches called kadangas but were engaged in constant feuds among themselves, until they finally succumbed to the wily encroachments of the Haleri Palegars.

(the below para is as-of 1878, hence feedback needed)
The number of principalities governed by separate Nayaks is not known, there may have been one to each Kombu. The kaimatta or ancestral monument of the Achu Nayaka of Anjigeri-nad in Kiggatnad taluk is still in good preservation. The family was exterminated about 60 years ago. Of the Beppu-nad chiefs, the name of Utta Nayaka of the Armeri house is still in popular remembrance. In Padinalknad the name of Karanembau, the chief of Bhagamandala, is mentioned with veneration. There may have been others, but the names of their houses are no longer known.

It appears that in between 16th to 18th century, an Ikkeri prince came to Coorg and settled in Haleri nad. At first he assumed the pious garb of a Jangam or Lingayat priest, and as such gained a considerable influence over the people of the surrounding nads. When feeling sure of his position, he imposed upon his followers, instead of the voluntary offering of dhuli batta (the dusty grain of the threshing floor), a regular tax of one and a half butty of rice, and nine annas eight pies in cash per house per annum. His next step was to require alternate parties of the people to guard his dwelling on the Haleri farm. These watchmen were called chaudigara, a name ever afterwards retained for the Coorg Raja's troops.

Having at length openly declared himself, and being acknowledged by his adherents as ruler of Haleri and of the surrounding nads, Karanembau, Nayak of Padinalknad, also submitted, and so did the others, under the condition that they should receive three-fourths of the revenue and pay one-fourth to the Haleri chief. But his increasing power soon threatened the safety of the Coorg Nayaks, who at last were put to death, and the whole country brought under the Haleri government.

The following is the succession of the line of Coorg Rajas thus established, so far as it has been traced :—

                                Period A. D.
Vira Raja
Appaji Raja
Muddu Raja                1633-1687
Dodda Virappa            1637-1736
Chikka Virappa           1736-1766
Muddu Raja, Muddaya  1766-1770
Devappa Raja             1770-1774
Linga Raja                 1775-1780
Dodda Vira Rajendra    1780-1809
Linga Raja                 1809-1820
Vira Raja                   1820-1834 deposed
(died 1862)

With the ascendancy in Coorg, of the Haleri princes, who spoke Kannada, this language became the written official medium, and counteracted the Malayalam influence.

contd.

Source: Mysore and Coorg, Vol. III by Lewis Rice