ABOUT COORG

Kodava Hockey Festival

2008-03-22T23:47:00.003+05:30

The clan of Kodava in the Indian state of Karnataka have a long history of association with the game of Hokey. The district of Kodagu which is the land of the Kodavas is considered as the cradle of Indian hockey. More than 50 People from kodava community have represented India in international hockey tournaments, out of which 7 have also participated in Olympics.B P Govinda, M P Ganesh, M M Somaiya, C S Poonacha and Arjun Halappa are some of the prominent Kodavas who have represented India. The passion for hockey in Kodagu is so much that more than 200 families participate in an annual hockey festival. This festival is recognised as one of the largest field hockey tournaments in the world and has been referred to the Guinnes Book .However it has already found a mention in the Limca Book of Records, which is an Indian variant of the Guinness Book.
Origin
The Kodava hockey festival was started in the year 1997 and was the brainchild of 69 year old Pandanda Kuttappa who was a first division hockey referee and an ex-employee of Stat Bank of India. He conceived the idea of creating a platform in which the different Kodava families can get together. Realising the passion of hockey in Kodagu, he decided that a hockey festival would be a good event to bring Kodavas together. He also chose the hockey festival because he was disturbed about the growth of junior hockey players from Kodagu.The finances required for the inaugural tournament were provided by Kuttappa himself. The response however was lukewarm and this tournament held at Karada and called as Pandanda Cup attracted only around 60 families. Some rules were framed which included that all the team members must belong to the same family (surname) and participate in a full hockey attire. Even women could be a part of the team and it was left to the woman to decide whether she wants to represent the father's family or that of the husband's.
Growth
After the inaugural tournament, an academy called as The Kodava Hockey Academy was started to oversee and have the final say in all matters related to the future tournaments. Each subsequent tournament would be organised annually by a different Kodava family and the name of the family was given as the name of the tournament. The organising family was mainly responsible for arranging the finances and infrastructure needed for the festival. The cost was recovered from the sponsors and raffle tickets. Kodava families which participated in the tournament also shared a part of the cost depending on their capacity and will. The response to the tournament grew year by year and reached a maximum in the year 2003 in which 280 teams participated for the Kaliyanda Cup at Napoklu. The maximum women participation was in the year 2000 when 30 women took part in the Cheppudira Cup held at Ponnampet. The opening and closing ceremonies are held with pomp and splendour and various dances and martial arts of Kodavas are demonstrated. The tournament is inaugurated by a guest by doing a pass-back of the hockey ball using a silver hockey stick. Stalls setup around the venue do brisk business because of the large crowds that come to view the matches. However, unsavory incidents like roughing up of referees and clashes between players and supporters of opposing teams have marred this tradition a bit.

2008-03-22T23:42:00.001+05:30

Bhagamandala is a pilgrimage place in Kodagu, Karnataka, in India. It is situated on the river Kaveri in its upstream stretches. At this place, the Kaveri is joined by two tributaries, the Kannika and Sujyoti rivers. It is considered sacred as a river confluence (kudala or sangama, in Kannada and Sanskrit respectively).
It is a common practice for pilgrims to take a dip in the sangama and perform rituals to their ancestors before proceeding to Talakaveri, the birthplace of Kaveri. During Tula Sankramana which falls on October 17th or 18th, pilgrims assemble here in large numbers.
A short distance from the sangama, there is a famous temple known as Sri Bhagandeshwara temple, where Bhagandeshwara (Ishwara), Subramanya, Mahavishnu and Ganapati are installed. Thus this is also known as Bhagundeshwara Kshetra, from which the name Bhagamandala is derived. The temples in this area are built in Malayali style which is also similar to the temples in Nepal.
During 1785-1790, the area was occupied by Tipu Sultan. He renamed Bhagamandala to Afesalabad. In 1790 King Dodda Vira Rajendra took Bhagamandala back into an independent Kodagu kingdom.
Bhagamandala is located about 33 km from the district headquarters Madikeri and is connected by paved roads from Madikeri, Virajpet and nearby places in Kerala. Government and private buses are available all of these routes.
A short distance from Bhagamandala is the temple at Padi,which houses the deity Lord Igguthappa,considered by many Kodavas to be the most sacred shrine in their homeland.
Mt.Thavoor is a towering peak overlooking Bhagamandala,and Mt.Koppatti,which may be considered it's twin peak,is nearby,and both these serve as fantastic trekking routes for anyone wishing to savour the mesmerising beauty of the Shola forest range.

Nagarhole National Park

2007-07-07T01:57:00.000+05:30

The place derives its name from the winding river - Nagarhole meaning "snake river" - which flows through the park. The 640 sq km of gently undulating terrain at the foothills of the Brahmagiri hills is covered with thick tropical forest, grassy swamps and numerous rivers and streams. The park and animal life is part of the country's first "bio-sphere reserve". The Forest Department conducts tours along well-defined routes for tourists, in the early mornings and evenings. One can be sure of seeing the bison, elephant, spotted deer, sambhar, barking deer, wild boar, mongoose, peakcock, jungle fowl and many other birds and animals.
Lucky people may see a tiger or panther or even a King cobra. Both trekking and going by private vehicles is allowed, though permission has to be taken first. Huts have been built for those who wish to stay in the wilds. It has recently been renamed 'Rajiv Gandhi National Park.' Gentle slopes and shallow valleys surround it on all sides. Huge herds of Asian Elephants flock here together and it is blessed with wildlife abundance. You find a variety of trees and shrubs often making it a sanctuary for illegal timber traders. Among reptiles, the marsh crocodile, monitor lizard, rock python and several other species can be found. Aquatic and terrestrial tortoises, frogs, toads and tree frogs and a myriad insects, including some very colourful butterflies, adorn this lovely southern jungle of India.

Talacauvery

2007-07-07T01:06:00.000+05:30

Talacauvery t he worshipping Goddess of Kodagu is Mother Cauvery and the birthplace of the River Cauvery, stood shrouded in mist even at midday. That combined with the reverence with which the clutch of pilgrims who had turned up went about the place gave it a very mystic atmosphere.Here emerges river Cauvery and gushes her way through Karnataka and Tamilnadu, sanctifying lakhs of hectares of land around her, ending her 760 km journey at Poompuhar in Tamilnadu to join Bay of Bengal.The Auspicious day 'Tula Sankrama' falls on October 17th every year, where the holy cauvery appears by a sudden upsurge of water in the 'Kundike' - the pond, while the pilgrims take a holy dip. There is no separate worshiping idol for Goddess Cauvery. The pooja is performed for the holy water in the holy 'Kundike". In Talacauvery stands the "Shiva Linga" installed by Sage Agasthaya. About 300 steps leads to the top of Brahmagiri Hill where the exquisite view of mother nature can be experienced.Kumkum, holy Threetha Prasadam etc. are available for the devotees here. Visitors are not allowed after 6. Night stopover is prohibited. There are quite a few buses plying from Madikeri - Bhagamandala- Talacauvery. The winding curves of the roads prompts one for cautious driving.

Wedding

2007-07-04T01:35:00.000+05:30

The Coorg bride wears a traditional brocade sari draped in the typical Coorgi style. The bridal sari is handed down from generation to generation as an heirloom since it is supposed to bring good luck. A veil covers the bride's head. The groom wears an ornamental robe on top of a calf-length under garment. He also puts on a churidaar, fitting trousers. The turban on the head imparts a majestic look.Marriage ceremonies are performed without a Brahmin or puja. The elders bless the newly married couples.The dowry system is an unknown concept here. A unique characteristic is the serving of non-vegetarian dishes and liquor in the weddings of the Kodava community, which is rare among the Hindu community.The Coorg wedding is perhaps the only Hindu wedding ceremony where alcohol, dancing and meat eating, especially pork, are a must.A traditional Kodava wedding will have all the youngsters and the young at heart attired in the Kupya dress, dancing to beat of drums. Special Pork or Pandhi Curry and liquor keep the spirits high.The Kodava or Coorgi Wedding is unique and cannot be compared with any other community in the country. This is just the breaf information and there is lots and lots more that happens on the wedding day.

KUSHALNAGAR

2007-06-28T23:29:00.000+05:30

Kushalnagar in Coorg is the second largest Tibetan settlement outside Tibet, complete with a Tibetan monastery with 7,000 monks, a Tibetan village. After the Chinese took over Tibet, the refugees were settled at Bylakuppe Near Kushalnagar and the Buddhist Monastery was re-established here in 1972.The monastery not only attracts large number of young Tibetans seeking enlightenment and education, but also draws huge tourists from all over India and abroad. The Golden Temple is extremely beautiful and extremely well maintained, it's an eye catching architure.The people are very religious and are very soft spoken too, the Entire city is full of Tibet Culture and people from across the work come here to be a desciple.The Place is completely Full of greenery and if Lucky you may get to see some wild animals.

IRUPU FALLS

2007-06-28T23:10:00.000+05:30

This is one more magnificent waterfall in Coorg.According to legend, when Lord Rama and Lakshmana were searching for Sita, they became thirsty. Lakshmana shot an arrow into the Brahmagiri from which the river sprang. Lord Rama is said to have dedicated a Shiva Kshethra known as Rajeshwara Temple on the banks of river Lakshmana Teertha. The Lakshmana Teertha river eventually flows into the Kaveri River.The ceaseless music of the falls and the hush of the densely wooded forest surrounding them makes this a great picnic spot. A forest trail leads from these falls to the Brahmagiri Peak in Southern Kodagu. En route to the falls, the Rameshwara Temple attracts a large number of pilgrims during the festival of Shivaratri.

RAJA'S SEAT

2007-06-23T02:58:00.000+05:30

It is located in the centre of Madikeri Town. According to legend, the kings of Kodagu spent their evenings here. You can view the spectacular sunsets from this place. It commands a beautiful view of the Coorg Valley studded with paddy fields and forests, with the blue mountain ranges of the Western Ghats in the distance.

The Raja's Seat, which means the "Seat of Kings", is a brick and mortar structure with four pillars, was a spot from where the kings of Coorg watched glorious sunsets. The Karnataka government has developed a garden around the Raja's Seat. The spot attracts lot of tourists and morning walkers. For the nature lover, the ideal time to visit the spot is in the morning when the first rays of the sun pierces through the mist covered valley. The district administration has put up a toy train near the Raja's Seat which attracts children. Interestingly, the land-locked Coorg does not have an inch of railways!

Festivals of Coorg

2007-06-23T02:27:00.000+05:30

Kaveri Shankaramana :
This festival normally takes place in mid October. It is associated with the river Kaveri, which flows through the district, from its source at Talakaveri. At a pre-determined time, a fountain from a small tank and fills the bigger holy tank at Talakaveri. People throng in thousands, and take a holy dip in this water. This water is filled in bottles and reaches every house in Kodagu and this is treated as Theertha - meaning holy water. This water is preserved in all Kodava houses, and a spoonful of this water is fed to the dying, in the belief that they will attain moksha (emancipation) and gain entry to heaven. - On the day, married women wearing new silk saris, perform puja to a vegetable cut in the form of the goddess Kaveri. This is decorated with flowers and gold ornaments. This is called the Kani Puje. Three sets of betel leaves and areca nut is kept in front of the goddess, with bunches of glass bangles. All the members of the family pray to the goddess by throwing rice and prostrating before the image. The elder members of the family ceremonially bless the younger. Then an older married woman draws water from the well and starts cooking. The menu of the day is dosa and vegetable curry ( usually pumpkin curry (kumbala kari) ) and payasa. Non-vegetarian food is not cooked on that day. This is the only festival wherein non veg is not prepared.

Kailpoldu : is celebrated in the first week of September.. The priests in consultation with their temple documents determine the exact date of celebration, which falls between the 2nd and 4th of September. Kail means weapon or armory and Pold means worship. The day signifies the completion of "nati"- meaning the transplantation of the paddy crop,
Normally, during the months in which the family is engaged in the fields, all weapons are deposited in the "Kanni Kombre" or the prayer room. The festival also signifies the day that men should prepare to guard their crop from wild boars and other animals. Hence, on the Kailpoldu day, the weapons are taken out of the Pooja room, cleaned and decorated with flowers. They are then kept in the "Nellakki Nadubade" - the place of community worship.
All the members of the family have a bath and worship the weapons. Feasting and drinking follow. The eldest member of the family will hand over a gun to the senior member of the family, signifying the commencement of the festivities. The whole family assembles in the " Mand " (a open ground), where physical contests and sports including shooting are conducted. In the earlier days hunting and cooking of the wild animals was part of the celebration, but, these days the shooting skills are tested by firing at a coconut target in a tree.

Puttari : means new rice, and is the rice harvest festival (also called huttari in adjacent Kannada speaking country). This takes place in late November or early December. Celebrations and preparations for this festival, starts a week in advance. On the Puttari day, the whole family assemble in their ain mane ( the common family house ) which is decorated with flowers and green mango and banana leaves. Specific foods are prepared("thambuttu puttari mean kari(fish kari)poli poli(chant)")thambuttu is a dish prepared with rice floor and bananas. Then the eldest member of the family hands a sickle to the head of the family, and one of the women leads a procession to the paddy fields, with a lit lamp in her hands. The path leading to the field is decorated. A gunshot is fired to mark the beginning of the harvest, with chanting of "Poli Poli Deva" (prosperity) by all the people present there. Then the symbolic harvesting of the crop starts. The paddy is cut and stacked and tied in odd numbers, and is then carried home, to be offered to the gods there. The younger people then burst crackers and revel, symbolising prosperity. Group of youngsters then visit the adjoining houses and show their dancing skills, and earn monetary gifts. A week later, these monetary gifts are all pooled and a community dinner of the entire village) is celebrated. All the family members would gather for the dinner. Dinner would normally consist of meat dishes such as pork and fish curry. Alcoholic drinks are also served at such feasts.

About People In Coorg

2007-06-21T23:07:00.000+05:30

It is said about the Coorgs (or Kodavas as they are locally known) “They are easier to love than to like.” One of the most hospitable people in India, the doors of their homes are always open to guests. Cosmopolitan in their outlook, they make friends easily.
Kodava texts do not speak much of their origins and so there is no one definite theory to prove it. However, according to one, the 2500 year-old civilization of the Kodavas has evolved from a synthesis of people that originally lived in the region of today's Oman & Yemen. According to Yemen's history, people from there had migrated to the Coorg region around the fifth century BC.
Yet another belief claims that Scythian Greek soldiers brought by Alexander of Macedonian, stayed on after his return and married the local women of Kodagu, to form a new, distinct race.
Some even call them the descendents of people belonging to the Mohenjodaro civilization. One of their branches travelled south and stayed on in this land of beauty.
All these different people might have adopted the local Hindu customs and married local women, but they kept their valuable traditions, dress and Peechekati (traditional dagger) intact. These are now the cultural treasures of the Coorgs.
The Coorgs today are Hindus. They are a martial race and belong to the Kshatriya community. The Kodavas follow Hinduism but are more liberal and independent than any other Hindu sect in customs relating to marriage, divorce, remarriage, festivals, worship, ceremonies, dialect and also dress. They are probably the only Indian community that does not observe the dowry system. Child marriages too are unheard of.
They worship ancestors (Karana), and the river Cauvery as mother Goddess, while Lord Iggutappa is the presiding deity. Most of the temples in villages have their origin in Kerala. The Brahmins from the Uttara/Dakshina (north/ south) Kannada districts look after the temples.
Coorg can be called a land of Generals- Field Marshall Cariappa, the first Commander-in-Chief of free India, and General Thimmayya being the most well known of the lot. Almost every household has at least one person serving in the defense force. The birth of a male child, as well as their death ceremonies, are

Things You Never Knew About Coorg

2007-06-21T23:06:00.000+05:30

From the 2nd to the 6th century, the Kadambas ruled its northern province. The southern parts were successively connected to the Ganga Dynasty from the 4th to the 11th century. After a war with the Gangas in the 11th century, the Cholas emerged as the sole rulers of the whole of Kodagu. During the 12th century the Hoysalas, who were in Belur, Hassan district, drove away the Cholas from Kodagu. From the 14th century, the Vijayanagara Kings ruled supreme. After their fall, the local chieftans or Nayaks and Palegars, became independent and started ruling from wherever they stayed. Later on the Haleri Kings defeated them all and ruled Kodagu from 1600-1834. From then on Kodagu came under the direct rule of the British.
When India became independent in 1947, Kodagu (Coorg) also became a free land. In 1950 as per the new Indian Constitution, Coorg became a state. In 1956 a state reorganization took place. Coorg was merged with Karnataka and became a district in Karnataka, which it remains till today. It has 3 taluks or districts, Madikeri, Somavarapete and Veerajapete. Madikeri is also the district headquarters of Coorg.

COORG THE PLACE TO BE

2007-06-21T22:28:00.000+05:30

Coorg is situated on the Western Ghats of Karnataka in South India. For the adventurous at heart, it is an absolute treat. Coorg is also as trendy and happening as its close neighbour Bangalore.Coorg originally called as KODAGU is a small picturesque district of Karnataka, and is located in the Western Ghats. The name Kodagu originated from "Kodinalenad" which means "dense forest land on steep hills". Coorg is situated on the Karnataka - Kerala border, it is bound on the north by the Hassan, on the east by the Mysore and on the west by the Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka. On the South, it is separated from the Cannanore district of Kerala by the Brahmagiri range of hills.
But the predominant entity here is nature at its best. Coorg is like the dreamland of the philosopher. If you’re the type who likes to mingle with nature, romance in the mountains, feel the tingle of the cool and gentle breeze, watch leaves flutter in dance-like movements and hear sounds of birds fill the air, then Coorg is just the place for you.!