Coorg Kadangas

The first ever mention of the Coorg kadangas have been uncovered in an inscription dated back to 888 A.D. Here, a kadanga named Penne-kadanga is referred to. The mention of the Penne-kadanga is of considerable interest, as showing the antiquity of the kadangas or war trenches found in a great part of Coorg.

In an article headed "Were the Ancient Britons savages?" by W. Walker Wilkins, published in the Fortnightly Review for April 1855, there occurs the following passage, which has a most appropriate bearing upon the Coorg Kadangas - "Probably no country in the world possesses so many ancient earthworks, certainly none upon such a stupendous scale as our own. They are extremely difficult of access, from the steepness of the mountain heights on which they were formed. This difficulty the primitive engineer greatly increased by the most simple and natural means. He sunk one or more deep trenches round the summit of the hill, and raised lofty banks with the excavated soil. Undoubtedly this is the most ancient species of rampart known; it existed ages before the use of mural fortifications, and originated in all probability with the nations in the east."

The description here given literally applies to the Coorg breastworks called Kadangas, which were seen in almost every part of Coorg till the late 19th century, and which testified to the indefatigable perseverance with which these highlanders toiled to secure the possession of their hills. They are of a very remote age; and in the time of Dodda Virappa Wodeyar, who ruled for 49 years from 1687-1736, he added new ones to those which already existed. A prominent Kadanga can still be seen about 7 km off Virajpet on the Madikeri route.

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

Ancient Remains found in Coorg

Numerous cairns were discovered in Coorg and the adjoining districts in the second half of the 19th century. Cairns are mostly prehistoric burial mounds made of stones. The cairns found in Coorg (near Kushalnagar) were stone chambers, 7 feet long, 4 feet wide and 4 feet high. These cairns are either solitary or in groups, in some instances forming regular rows so as to give the appearance of streets. Others are surrounded by a single or double circle of stones from 2 to 3 feet high.

The relics found in them are peculiarly shaped pottery. The vessels contain earth, sand, bones, iron spear-heads, and beads. The Coorgs call these cairns Pandu-pare, dwellings of the Pandus, but whatever is beyond their historical knowledge they ascribe to the Pandus. It is certain, that the construction of these cairns is quite disconnected from the life, customs and history of the present inhabitants of Coorg, nor can they have been the abodes of a legendary pigmy race; but were most likely the resting places of the earthly remains of a generation that existed anterior to the historical records of the present local races.

Of a more recent date are the kolle-kallu (from kollu to kill, and kallu, stone), tombstones in honour of wariors slain in battle. They are found along the eastern districts of Coorg. Kolle-kallu are made of slabs of granite with rough facings, about 6 feet high 4 feet broad and 9 inches thick, and frequently the lower half is buried in the ground. The front side is generally divided into three compartments, each containing figures in relief, the back-ground being chiselled out, so that the figures are level with the frame of the compartments. The lowest compartment depicts the battle in which the hero was slain; the centre compartment represents him in the act of being conveyed to heaven by celestial nymphs; in the uppermost he has arrived at the regions of bliss and is delineated as seated before the emblem of his religion, generally the lingam.

Near the Kannana house, on the hill slope opposite the Government Junior College in Madikeri, there is a stone slab with a picture in relief of a Coorg warrior. The stone was erected in the paddy fields in remembrance of Kannana Doddanna, the dalavayi or general, who fell in an engagement with the forces of Haidar Ali near Kajur-Bagalu in North Coorg in 1767. Before setting out on this expedition he said to the king Mudda Raja: "Twice have I returned from defeating the Muhammadans and made obeisance to the Raja, but this time I shall not return.' The celebrated Coorg hero Appachu Mandana fell in the same battle. When, after the death of Haidar Ali, Tippu Sultan invaded Coorg, he burnt Kannana's house and hanged 24 members of his family; the ruins of the former are still visible. A silver plate, 3 inches by 2 inches, with a picture in relief similar to that on the stone, is preserved by the family in honour of their renowned ancestor.

In some localities, viz., in the temple yard at Bhagamandala, in the devastana at Paltir, in the ruined temple in Nallur in Hatgatnad of Kiggatnad taluk, and at the Government Junior College in Mercara (brought from Kushalnagar), there are large stone slabs of granite with inscriptions. That at Bhagamandala is in the Tulu character. The others are in Hale Kannada and much older. Those in Kiggatnad record grants made by the Chera kings in the 9th century. The oldest authentic inscription discovered in South India belongs to this dynasty. It is engraved on copper plates which were found in the Mercara treasury, though not relating to Coorg; as to how or when they came there no information can be obtained. They are dated in 388 (A.D. 466) and record a grant in the reign of Kongani II of some land in Badaneguppe, a village in the south of the Mysore District.

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

Irpu and Herumalu Jatre

Besides the annual Tala Kaveri festival in October, and the Kuttad-amma jatre in April, there is a large concourse of people in February during Sivaratri at Herumalu in Kiggatnad, and the day following at Irpu five miles further on, where, at the foot of the Lakshmantirtha fall, thousands of pilgrims submit to the sin-cleansing shower-bath.

The origin of the Irpu and Herumalu jatre is based upon a common Brahmanical legend - One day when Rama with his followers was living in Irpu, his younger brother Lakshmana, in a fit of madness, insulted him by returning the bow and arrows which he had received from Rama. But soon repenting of his rashness, Lakshmana asked forgiveness, offering at the same time to throw himself into a large fire as an atonement for his crime. He accordingly shot an arrow against the foot of the rocks at Irpu, when a large fire flared up, into which he threw himself. In order to save his brother, Rama immediately created a river, which up to the present day is called Lakshmanatirtha, but it was too late. Rama afterwards desired to consecrate the spot, and ordered Hanuman to bring a linga from Kashi (Varanasi) within one hour and a half. During his absence, Rama, fearing that Hanuman would not be back in time, made a linga himself of river-sand, in which operation he was surprised by Hanuman, who flew into a rage for having troubled himself in vain. He twisted his enormous tail round one of the neighbouring hills, Hanuman betta, and attempted to upset it. Rama, to comfort the furious Hanuman, assured him that Hanuman's linga should become even more famous than his own. So the new linga was set up at Herumalu, and the festive day of its worship precedes that of the linga at Irpu.

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

Coorg Deities

The people of Coorg have great faith in a certain Kaliatanda Ponnappa, or simply Kaliat Ajjappa, the spirit of a Malayalam man, who came to Coorg many generations ago, was naturalized, married a Coorg woman, and established himself at Nalknad. He was a great magician, and long the dread of the Coorgs. At last he was shot near tha Nalknad taluk courthouse. Since his death, his spirit takes possession of men, who give themselves up to the strange arts that he practised. A similar worship is still possibly maintained in honour of Acha Nayak in Chikka Munduru in Kiggatnad.

Higher even than Kaliat-Ajjappa, in the estimation of all Coorg, stands a certain female devil at Kutta called Karingali (Kari Kali), or the Kuttad-amma. Kutta lies at the borders of Wynad. Kuttadamma has no temple, but she is represented by some stones in an enclosure under a tree in the forest. For bloody sacrifices offered there, only fowls are admissible. Large sums of money are annually sent there by people from all parts of Coorg. Many vows are paid to Kuttadamma on behalf of sick people or of the dead. And whether a sick person recover or die, the sum vowed for his recovery must be paid. Liberal presents are also given to her pujari to engage her services against enemies, who, they say, are distressed or altogether destroyed by the demon in answer to the prayers of her priest. There has been, however, a decrease in the influence of Kuttadamma over the minds of Coorgs since the 20th century.

Another annual sacrifice every house used to offer is to a divinity called Gulika. This is an invisible constellation or star, belonging both to the order of planets and to that of the zodiacal stars. It is, as the people say, a son of Shani or Saturn. No mortal eye sees it. The astrologer only knows the Gulika and its power, especially over the sick. A stone is placed for the Gulika at the foot of some tree possessed of a milky juice. There the Coorgs offer fowls, coconuts and a little brandy, in a dish of plantain leaves. In cases of frequent deaths in a family, a second Gulika, called Mrityu Gulika, the Gulika of death, is worshipped.

According to Coorg lore, the cobra di capella lives a thousand years. When it was passed the meridian of its long life, its body begins to shrink, and to brighten till it shines like silver, and measures three feet or less , at the age of six or seven hundred years. Still later, the reptile shines like gold, and is only one foot in length. At last it shrinks to the size of a finger. Then it will some day fly up high into the air, die and sink down upon the ground, where it disappears altogether. The Natas, or spots on which cobras have finished their course of terrestrial life are the object of solemn ceremonies. Should any human being unawares set foot upon the hallowed spot, incurable disease of the skin will break out upon him and the poor wretch will rot away by degrees. To prevent such disasters, the Nata place is marked by a little stone enclosure. During the month of Scorpio (November—December) a lamp is lighted every evening at the Nata, and coconuts are offered.

Coorgs also believe that each bane (parcel of grass or forest-ground) has a presiding divinity, to which an annual sacrifice of pork should be offered. If this sacrifice is not made, or not properly performed, the Ka-devaru, the tending god, i. e., the god watching over the cattle, will withdraw his favour, and sickness and death among the cattle will ensue.

One can also see many groves set apart in each nad in Coorg for some object of worship (chiefly for Ayyappa-devaru). These are called Devara-Kadu which literally means Sacred Forest and are considered to be the abodes or hunting grounds of heroic ancestors. Some of them are - Iguttappa Devara kadu, Joma-male, Iruli-bane.

As among other Dravidian mountain-tribes, so also in Coorg, tradition relates that human sacrifices were offered in former times to secure the favour of their Grama Devatas - Mariamma, Durga and Bhadra Kali, the tutelary goddesses of the Sakti line, who are supposed to protect the villages or nads from all evil influences.

Legend goes that in Kirindadu and Konincheri-grama in Katiyetnad, once in three years, in December and June, a human sacrifice used to be brought to Bhadra Kali, and during the offering by the Panikas, the people exclaimed 'aan, Amma!' (a man, oh mother!). But once a devotee shouted, 'aan alla Amma, aad!' (not a man, oh mother, a goat!), and since that time a goat without blemish has been sacrificed.

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

Coorg Deities - Story of Seven Gods

Though Coorg tradition has been supplanted by Brahmanism, there is one story free from this imputation, and it throws light on the origin of some of the Coorg deities. The story is given by the Reverend G. Richter, as taken from oral tradition (the Song of Seven Gods), and runs thus -

In ancient times there lived in the Malabar country six brothers and a sister. Five of them, accompanied by their sister Ponnangalatamma, went to Coorg by the Paditora ghat. While they were on the road, four of them said, 'How is it that our sister comes with us? The people will say that she is our wife.' The fifth replied, 'If she comes with us, we will spoil her caste.' When they came to the Chauripade hill near the Kakabe river, they felt hungry. Then Iguttappa said to his sister, 'Prepare us some food.' She replied, 'I have neither fire nor rice.' Iguttappa said, 'I will give you rice, but you must boil it without fire.' She replied, 'I will boil it without fire, but you must eat it without salt.' To this the brothers agreed. Then Ponnangalatamma, seeing a cow, one belonging to the Paradanda house, went and milked her, letting the milk fall into a pot full of rice, and while the brothers were sleeping in the shade of a tree, went to the bank of the river and buried the vessel in the sand, where it began to boil. Then she called her brothers to eat the rice which she had prepared.

When they had eaten enough, Iguttappa took some rice, threw it up into the air, and exclaimed, 'See how the hail is falling from the sky!' Ponnangalatamma, angry at this, took up a wooden ladle, and giving him a heavy blow on his back, said, 'See how the thunder breaks in the monsoon!' Then the other brothers all laughed at him. Afterwards, while they were sitting together and chewing betel, Palurappa said, 'Let us see whose betel is the reddest.' Then they all spat out the betel into their hands to look at it, after which the brothers, pretending that they were throwing it again into their mouths and chewing, threw the betel behind their heads. The sister, deluded by this, threw her betel into her mouth again, and went on chewing. They now said that by so doing she had lost her caste, and their brother in Malabar too, to whom they appealed, confirmed their decision.

Ponnangalatamma was excessively grieved, and wept bitterly. But Iguttappa threw an arrow from the Iguttappa-betta and ordered his sister to go with the arrow and stay where it fell. The arrow stuck into a mango tree at Ponnangala, in the village of Yawakkapadi, and Ponnangalatamma, assuming the shape of a crane, flew towards the spot. Near the Karatandra house some Holeyas were working in the paddy fields. Ponnangalatamma flew upon one of them, who thereupon became possessed, and ran towards the tree in which the arrow was sticking. The brothers then separated into different villages, where they settled, and the whole family were afterwards worshipped as gods. Baiturappa has a temple at Baitur in Malabar, the second in Taliparambu in Malabar, the third in the Maletambira forest in the Joma-male in Coorg, the fourth on the Iguttappa hill near Kunjila, the fifth at Palur in Kuyangeri nad; the sixth, Tirnalli Thimmaya, at Tirnalli in the Wynad. A temple was also built for Ponnangalatamma, round the tree where the arrow had stuck. At her annual feast, in April, Ponnangalatamma weeps, and is worshipped by the Holeyas. The arrow is, up to the present day, seen sticking in the wild mango tree.

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

Traditional Demon Worship

Coorgs believe in certain malignant demons, both male and female, called Kuli, a word which occurs in Tamil and Tulu, and which means an evil spirit. When a Coorg house is befallen with rampant misery and unnatural deaths, sometimes the word of an astrologer (kaniye) is sought, who may attribute the incidents to a Kuli. The Coorg family then has to perform a Kuli-kola. As such performances, however, take place only at fixed periods - once a year at a place called Kutta, and at other places once every second or third year. The master of the house vows to have the Kuli-kola duly performed at the appointed time.

At times a ceremony is performed for the release of a departed spirit supposed to have been carried off by a demon or Kuli in the dying hour. During such a ceremony, the performer who represents the demon is begged to let go of the spirit that it has captured. After some resistance he throws a handful of rice on the members of the house near him, and with this action he gives the spirit over to them. The spirit then alights on the back of one of these members of the family, who at once falls into a swoon, and is carried by others into the house. With his return to consciousness, the spirit is supposed to have gained his right place amongst the ancestors.

These ceremonies are performed in the courtyard of the house, and they are held either in the name of five Kulis - Chamundi, Kalluruti, Panjuruli, Guliga and Goraga, termed the pancha bhuta; or in the name of three - Kallugutti, Panjuruli and Kalluruti; or in the name of only one - Chamundi. The food offered in these occasions, which is the same as that used in Karana Kola, is called Kuli Barani.

The final act of a Kuli Kola is the decapitation of pigs in front of the so called Kuli-kota or demon abode, which may be anywhere near to or far away from the house or village.

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

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