Kodagu

Kodagu, a country of remarkable physical beauty is only 1582 sq. miles in area. A land of gentle hills, coffee plantations interspersed with pepper vines, towering rosewood trees, bamboo forests and paddy fields. Nestling in the Western Ghats it has often been called “The Scotland of India”.

Who are the Kodavas? That is the standing riddle of South Indian ethnologists. The people are different, their culture is different. Are they the descendants of the Arabs who had maritime connections with Kerala from the early part of this century? Are they descendants of the Greeks? Historians say part of Alexander’s army stayed behind in India. Some of them may have travelled South and settled down in the hills of Kodagu and intermarried with the locals.

Men in Traditional Kodava Attire
Kodava Ladies

In this isolated, inaccessible region they were protected from outside influences. This enabled them to retain their distinctive culture. The Kodava’s dress is most picturesque-their customs unique.

Kodava Wedding
Kodava Wedding

Their religion? They worship the Goddess Cauvery – the sacred river that has its source in the serene hills of Kodagu. There is an aura of mystery about the River Cauvery. The source is on the top of a mountain. Every year on the 17th/18th October at a predetermined time, accurate to the last second, the spring renews itself bubbling and overflowing into a larger tank below. Check below for a photo feature and story on the Kodavas – the land and their customs.

They worship their ancestors and seek their blessings before all auspicious occasions. The elders of the community play a very important part in all ceremonies pertaining to births, deaths and marriages.
One gunshot is fired when a male child is born. Two gunshots are fired when a soul departs.

A Naming Ceremony
Kodava Wedding

No priests officiate at their weddings. It is marriage by witness, blessed by all those present. Verbal contracts are drawn up by the elders covering all situations that could cause problems that would need to be adjudicated.

Kodava Wedding
A Groom is blessed by his Grandparents