Scotland of India
The Kodavas draw their traditions from their martial nobility and a warrior past. Migrants to this region many centuries ago, these tall and rangy people with traditionally sharp features and a generally soldierly bearing carry forward their martial traditions and practices into various ceremonies, get-togethers, festivals and weddings. It was not without reason that the British called this place the ‘Scotland of India’. Apart from inhabiting a hilly terrain and cool climes, the Kodavas do share some traits with the Scots- their dress code is quite colourful, weapons are a part of their identity and they eat pork, enjoy drinks and are well-built with a fancy for physical sports.

The martial underpinning of their customs can be gauged from the fact that they ritually worship their guns and swords on occasions. Interestingly, in the past, the birth of a male child was marked with a gun shot fired into the sky, announcing to the world the coming of a warrior. And before the child was named, he was fed the meat of a tiger, in the belief that he would one day grow up to fight like one. A Coorg warrior who killed a tiger was honoured with a tiger wedding where in place of the bride was kept the dead, conquered tiger. The last recorded tiger wedding was in 1873. A man who killed a tiger could shape his moustache in a certain curling manner called the galle meesey.

Kodavas have traditionally been good sportsmen who have excelled in their respective fields. Athlete Ashwini Nachappa, cricketer Robin Utthappa and hockey player MP Ganesh, to name a few have been successful. The tradition in sports and hunting goes back to the practice of fencing and sword wielding and the tradition of using machetes and swords at ceremonies, as well as wearing them as part of traditional costumes. One of the well known traditional weapons is peeche kathi, which is an ornamented dagger worn on the waist band.

Swords, Guns and Weddings
During wedding ceremonies, peeche kathi is used to break coconut and scoop out the inside shavings and offered to others. An odikathi is a sword with a broad head which is used to cut trunks of banana trees in a ceremonious fashion during weddings. These rituals are performed by a member of the groom’s party during the initial offerings by the bride’s party.

Coorg rituals such as naming ceremony, marriage, or a house warming, and some festivals have a strong martial streak which have been followed until now. Most of the customs also have a historical reference. At weddings today, you will find thick banana stems chopped with a short Coorg sword to indicate that the groom’s party had fought and taken many lives for the bride’s hand. This is a symbolic reminder of the days when men fought for the women they loved and valour was rewarded with the hand of the lady in marriage.

Colourful costumes, feasting, dancing and the use of weapons and arms with their legends make Coorg weddings an enjoyable spectacle. The deep influence of warrior traditions has also influenced the independence and boldness of Kodava women in all fields. Educated and liberal, the women are amongst the most liberal and dynamic. Tradition, even in the most orthodox sense has never been restricting but instead, has been an enabling factor for women and men to flourish as individuals.

One of the curious aspects here is that despite being Hindu, the Kodavas do not accept Brahmin priests, preferring to have their elders conduct their ceremonies. The men wear black gowns and colored turbans accessorized by daggers and other martial equipments. The women wear saris in very complicated way. It is a spectacular event witnessing a Coorgi wedding that marks symbolic rituals of dancing and mock martial practices.

During weddings, the men wear a half-sleeved black coat known as a perfect! I agree with you. kupya over a full-sleeved white shirt, and a maroon and gold sash known as a chale is tied round their waist, into which is tucked an ornate silver dagger- the peeche kathi. The odikathi is tucked into the sash at the back, and to complete the martial look, hanging from a chain is a miniature gun and dagger!

Hunting Boars for Wedding Feasts
The exotic and differently flavoured Kodava cuisine is predominantly non-vegetarian. Their signature dish is the unusual Pandi or pork curry served with Kadumbuttu or rice dumplings. Succulent Koli or chicken curry, Nool Puttu or rice noodles and Bembla or bamboo shoot curry are other unusual Kodava dishes. The eating of pork has its roots in history. Hunting had been popular with Kodavas for long, and so after a long hunt in the woods, people would return home with a wild boar, and make pandhi curry - their traditional pork dish. Even today any important festival or wedding feast would be incomplete without this particular dish.

Shooting Down Coconuts on Harvest Festivals
The harvest festival in Kodagu is called Puthari or ‘new rice’, usually in late November or early December, when the first stalks of rice are cut and, no prizes for guessing, gun shots are fired into the night sky to welcome this new development. On the day of Puthari, the whole family assembles in their ain mane (the common family house), which is decorated with flowers and green mango and banana leaves. A gunshot is fired to mark the beginning of the harvest, with chanting of Poli Poli Deva (prosperity) by all present. It is followed by events such as shooting down coconuts put high up on trees.

The Unique Pooja of Weapons
There is a festival of weapons that gives the Kodavas a chance to hone their marksmanship. The celebration of weaponry, unusual and unique to Indian traditions in general, is called Kailpoldhu and is usually held on the 3rd of September. The festival actually begins on the 18th day after the sun enters the Simha Raasi (the Western sign of Leo ). Kail means weapon or armory and Pold means festival. The day denotes the completion of "nati" - which means transplantation of the rice (paddy) crop.

The festival signifies the day when men should prepare to guard their crop from wild boars and other animals, since all weapons are kept in the Kanni Kombare, or the prayer room during the preceding months when everyone in the family is engaged in the fields. On the auspicious day of Kailpoldhu, the weapons are taken out of the Pooja room, cleaned and decorated with flowers. They are then kept in the Nellakki Nadubadec, the central hall of the house and the place of community worship. Each member of the family comes forward and offers a pooja to these weapons.

The eldest member of the family hands over a gun to the senior member of the family, signifying the commencement of the festivities. The whole family assembles in the Mand (open ground), where physical contests and sports, including marksmanship, are conducted. In the past the hunting and cooking of wild game was part of the celebration, but today shooting skills are tested by firing at coconuts tied atop tall trees.

Coorg Sports - Playing it Rough
The Kodavas have always been drawn towards the physical nature of soldiering, hunting etc and therefore sports that demanded physical challenges came naturally to them. Traditional rural sports, like grabbing a coconut from the hands of a group of 8-10 people (thenge porata), throwing a stone the size of a cricket ball at a coconut from a distance of 10-15 paces (thenge eed), lifting a stone ball of 30-40 cm lying at one's feet and throwing it backwards over the shoulders, etc., have been popular and even today, they have been kept alive amongst community groups in towns and cities.

Where did the Coorgis Come From?
On their origins people have held differing views owing to their traditions and outlook. Legend has it that they were Kshatriyas belonging to the Lunar dynasty (Chandravansha) who removed their sacred thread and migrated south to escape the wrath of a vengeful Parashurama. Some hold that they are of Indo-Scythian (Saka) origin while others say they are of Naga origins.

There is a belief that when migrating from north during Aryan invasion, some stayed at Kodagu. Since they had not performed the sacred thread ceremony and didn't follow the priestly order they even got categorized by some as Sudras. The Hindu Puranas claim that Chandra Varma, a Chandravanshi Kshatriya and son of Emperor of Matsya Desha , was the ancestor of the Kodavas. The Kodavas were soldiers and also served as lords and vassals.

They are also believed to be descendants of Indo-Greeks who converted into Hinduism. It is said that after Alexander came to India, many of his soldiers stayed back while the others returned. Those who did stay back proceeded to travel towards southern India in search of a land where they could comfortably reside. Since the weather and the hills suited them at Kodagu, they stayed out here, adopted local flavours and built their small community with their martial traditions and practices.

A History of Warfare and Soldiering
Though called differently - Kodagas by Mysoreans, Kodakars by Malayalis and Coorgs by the British, Kodavas have maintained one distinct identity of their own in history and warfare - that of an aggressive race. In 1785, Tippu Sultan attacked Kodagu, while returning from Mangalore to Srirangapattana, his capital city. He retained control of Kodagu for sometime. However Tippu could never hold his power in Kodagu. Whenever he diverted his attention from Kodagu, the locals fought hard to take power back from the Muslim rulers. Then in 1788, Dodda Vira Rajendra, who had been taken prisoner, escaped and defeated Tippu and won back his kingdom.

The Coorgi martial history has percolated into the Indian army and has thus witnessed a traditional Kodava presence as soldiers and officers in the Indian army. The first general of Independent India was a Kodava, and so has been one of the most successful Generals. Field Marshal Kodandera Madappa Cariappa was the first Commander-in-Chief of the army of free India while General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya served as a successful army chief.

Squadron Leader Devayya received the Maha Vir Chakra for gallantry in the 1965 Indo Pak War, while Major Ranjan Chengappa is one of the youngest recipients of Shaurya Chakra. Col C (Chembanda) M Thimmanna was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for bravery operations against terrorists. Similarly, the Kodava or Coorgi tradition in the army is a reflection of the natural inclination towards physical activities, martial customs and a certain daredevilry associated with them.