Kodagu, also known as Coorg, is a land of rich natural diversity and has a small population. It is also a culturally rich land. Few are aware of the many traditions of this land, including its own inhabitants. Being an agricultural land, most of its festivals are centered on agriculture.

‘Kail Polud’ is the festival celebrating the appearance of the first ears of paddy and the beginning of the hunting season. Hunting used to be one of the favorite hobbies of planters, especially during the British rule in India. ‘Kaveri Shankramana’, interestingly, is a festival that celebrates the birth of the river Kaveri in Coorg. ‘Puttari’ celebrates the harvest of new rice. This day is celebrated by performing a number of traditional dances.

Coorg’s culture is very unique to this small land. The people here are very athletic and courageous, and make up a large part of the Indian Armed Forces. This small land with a million treasures is also called ‘The Land of Warriors’.

A Kodava Man in Traditional Attire

Kodagu is characterized by rich wild life and mountainous terrain. This makes it both picturesque and difficult to navigate at the same time. Some of the native trees here are Peepul, Fig, Banyan, Wild Jack (Jackfruit), Cashew, Teak, Nandi, Rosewood, Neem, Silver Oak, Jamoon and Tamarind. The wild life here includes Elephants, Tigers, Leopards, Bison, Wild Boar, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Wild Dogs, Porcupine and Hare. Many beautiful birds also inhabit this land.

A Coffee Plantation in Coorg

The estates, forests, streams, rivers, wildlife and lovely weather make this land a heaven for most adventure seekers. Coorg is also one of the very few regions in the country where the ethnic tribes still live on. These include Yeravas, Kurubas, Poleyas and Kudiyas.

These factors put together make a trip to Coorg both exciting and memorable.

Bavna Achayya

Bavna Achayya is a B.Com student at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore. She is the daughter of a coffee planter from Coorg and is greatly interested in plantations herself. She is passionate about writing and photography and calls the environment her main inspiration. She visits Coorg often, and is motivated to write about it and inform people about a planter’s life. She can be contacted at: bavnaachayya@gmail.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at 5:26 PM and is filed under Culture, Fauna, Flora. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.