Coorg’s Culture & Tradition
Puttari(Huttari) Harvest Festival
The Puttari(Huttari) harvest festival is opened up with the firing of guns.
When a family is blessed with a child, a single gunshot is fired into the sky to announce & mark the arrival of the little one.
Likewise, when a Coorg(Kodava) passes away, gunshots are fired into the sky to mark the death of the person, the arrival of mourners at a funeral and the departure of the deceased during the cremation.
These customs are still followed in Coorg. Coorgs follow Animism and Hinduism. Primarily, the people of Coorg worship ancestors and River Kaveri(as the mother goddess). Lord Shiva is the chief deity among Kodavas.
Religion in Coorg
Coorgs worship nature and they hold the river Cauvery in the highest regards. To them, the holy river is their mother. It is mentioned in the Puranas that the Coorgs were summoned by Lord Brahma when the River was going to take birth. All the Coorgs gathered at Talacauvery and took the first dip when the Goddess appeared and turned into the river. The people of Coorg are blessed by touching their elders’ feet. A mother is held in the highest regard within the Coorg society. The mother is the first to bless a journeyman or young married couple. A Coorg widow may still participate in joyous occasions such as her children’s weddings. She is seen as the principal figure for conducting wedding ceremonies that are conducted traditionally by elders without the participation of a priest.
It may come as a surprise to many that the Kodava(Coorg) language has no word for dowry and prostitution, both of which are absent among the Coorgs. The general level of culture and education among women of Coorg has always been higher, women know their rights and are treated well in the family. A widow may remarry, which is quite common and has always been acceptable in the Coorg culture.
Marriage Rituals in Coorg
Even though Coorgs are Hindus, their marriage rights are not performed by a priest. Weddings in Coorg are like something from another planet. The groom claims a bride once a member of his clan has killed mock banana trunk soldiers. Following a feast, the men and women of Coorg get down to dancing, to the tribal beats which have not have changed since time immemorial.
Okka
The Coorg family unit is known as the okka(clan). Coorgs are a patrilineal tribe made up of males with common ancestry. The male members of the clan all share a unique clan name. Presently, there are nearly 1000 okka names in Coorg.
The okka members worship the okka founder, known as the Guru Karona.
In the central hall of every home in Coorg, you will find a Nellakki Bolucha, a lamp that is lit to honor the Guru Karona(the first patriarch of the clan). The eldest member of an Okka is traditionally treated as the deity. The Coorgs are also worshipers of nature and revere the earth, moon, fire and sun. The cultures and traditions of the Coorgs embrace Hinduism, but are unique and immensely different. Usually a priest oversees none of their births, deaths, marriages or festivals. Meat and libations are served at most of their feasts.