Kodava
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Kodava people ಕೊಡವ |
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| Total population | |||
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122,000[citation needed] |
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| Regions with significant populations | |||
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| Languages | |||
| Kodava Takk | |||
| Religions | |||
| Hinduism, Christianity | |||
| Related ethnic groups | |||
The Kodava (ಕೊಡವ in Kannada script) are a people of southern India, most of whom trace their origins to the region of Kodagu. The primary language of the Kodava is Kodava Takk, although they are bilingual in Kannada.
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[edit] Demographics and distribution
The Kodava community numbers about 100,000 in Kodagu district, out of a total population of over 500,000. Bangalore and Mysore together have more than 300,000 Kodava, most of them migrating to these cities for better job prospects.
[edit] History
They are of unknown origin, and are ethnically and culturally distinct from the other people of the area. There are several claims regarding the origin of the Kodavas.
Some historians suggest that the Kodavas might have migrated into their present area in the Coorg district around the 3rd century A.D.
There are different theories about the origin of Kodavas. One view is that the Kodava culture resembles the culture of the ancient trading stock of Arabia (Moeling 1855). Another view is that the Kodavas are descendants of Scythians (Connor 1870, Rice 1878). According to yet another view, the Kodavas belong to the Indo-Scythian race. Kodavas have a distinct appearance among people in south India since their average cephalic index is 80.6 and the nasal index is 65.2. This may prove that the Kodavas are the descendants of the Brachycephalic stock who entered into the Indus Valley during the Mohenjodaro period and migrated to the Coorg region (Hutton, as quoted in Balakrishnan 1976). There is also a legend that during the conquest of Alexander the Great, many of his Indo-Greek soldiers, the Yavanas, stayed back in India. They migrated as warriors Kshatriyas down south, married the natives and settled down in the hilly areas of the Western Ghats[1]. These are all theories, and there isn't any definite clue or evidence to prefer one theory over another[2].
[edit] Customs and traditions
The names of Kodava people are characteristic and include a clan name. The clan is central to Kodava culture and families trace their lineage through clans. Marriage within a clan is discouraged.
Kodavas have many cultural differences from other communities in southern India. Though they are Hindu, Kodavas do not accept Brahmin priests, preferring that ceremonies are conducted by their own elders. The elders of the community help in organising the ceremonies. The importance of fire god found in most of the Hindu rituals is usually absent in Kodava culture. Usage of slokas and vedic chants is also not present.
They have distinctive dresses, the men wearing wraparound robes called the Kupya (now only seen at ceremonial occasions), and the women with a distinctive style of wearing the sari. The Kodava woman wears a sari with the pleats at the back.They have many distinctive practices such as carrying ceremonial knives, and martial war dances. The culture also includes communal gatherings where drink, dance and special meat dishes seasoned with Garcinia are central attractions. They enjoy their weddings.
[edit] Language
The Kodava language, Kodava takk, itself is related to, and borrows heavily from the neighbouring languages of Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil; a point which has led ethnologists to speculate that their female ancestry is from the surrounding regions of Kodagu. Kodava takk has a lot of similarity in accent and pronunciation with that of Beary bashe, a dialect spoken by Bearys of Tulunadu.
[edit] Achievements
[edit] Armed forces
Enlistment in the Indian army has been common among the Kodavas. The most famous son of Kodagu is Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa the first Commander-in-Chief (as a general) of the armed forces of free India. General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya, of the same clan as K.M. Cariappa, served as a consecutive Army chief ( as a general ).
[edit] Sports
- Hockey
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For more details on this topic, see Kodava Hockey Festival.
Kodavas in the have a long history of association with the game of field hockey. The district of Kodagu is considered as the cradle of Indian hockey.[3][4] More than 50 Kodavas have represented India in international hockey tournaments, out of which 7 have also participated in Olympics.[3] B P Govinda, M P Ganesh, M M Somaiya 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 Kodava Hockey Festival. This festival is recognised as one of the largest field hockey tournaments in the world and has been referred to the Guinness Book of Records.[3] However it has already found a mention in the Limca Book of Records, which is an Indian variant of the Guinness Book.[3]
[edit] Notable Kodavas
- K M Cariappa, Field Marshal
- K. S. Thimayya, General
- Appachu Kavi, A veteran poet who has contributed for Kodava poetry.
- P.I.Belliappa,freedom fighter
- B.D.Ganapathy, noted writer & philosopher
- Ashok Mandanna, actor
- Jajie Mandanna, writer, activist
- Ashwini Nachappa, Athlete
- Nikhil Chinappa, MTV VJ & music composer
- Rohan Bopanna, Tennis player
- Robin Uthappa, Cricketer
- Joshna Chinappa, Ace squash player
- Len Aiyappa, Ace hockey player
- Biddu, Kung Fu fighting song fame
- N Ponnappa, cartoonist
- Brinda Somaya, architect and conservationist
- Poonam Bojanna, Athlete
- Prasad Bidapa, fashion designer, choreographer, model trainer.
- N U Nachappa, Codava National Council
- Uma Poonacha, Bharata Natyam performer & Member UN International Dance Council (UNCID)
- Jagat and Anita Nanjappa, motor racing champions
- Dr M. Gautham Machaiah, Journalist and Corporate professional
[edit] Notes
- ^ Enchanting Coorg - www.bangalorebest.com
- ^ ETHNOLINGUISTIC STUDY
- ^ a b c d Time-out. Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2004-06-13. 2004, The Hindu. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
- ^ Coorg: A nursery of Indian hockey. Online Edition of The Deccan Herald, dated 2006-04-04. 2005, The Printers (Mysore) Private Ltd.. Retrieved on 2007-06-21.
