The Nilgiri Hills is a region of mountains, tea plantations and forest located in southern India, where the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka all come together and rise to height of 2400 meters. The Nilgiri Hills are home to some unusual tribal groups, like Toda, Kota, Bagada or Kurumba. The steep slopes, thick forests, malaria prone area somehow isolated these from the other population of the region. The Kota, Bagada, Kurumba and other tribes live together with a complex network of trade and cooperation. They also make trade with Irula, Urula, Pninian and Chettos on the surrounding hills. The Bagada often traded cloth and food with Kota, who supplied for music on funerals, thatching, carpentry and other services. The main town in the region is Ooty or Udhagamandalam. Sometimes called “queen of hill stations”, it is located in nearly height of 7200 feet on the Nilgiri Hills of Madras State and was founded on early 19th century. Animals seen here among the thickly wooden hills, including Asian elephants, tigers, wild dogs, various deer and many more including many classes of birds.
Let us throw highlight on the indigenous local mountain tribes of Nilgiri Hills, emphasizing on the most significant ones.
Bagada
Bagada is a group that lives in the Nilgiri Hills, where Kerala and Tamil Nadu come together. Their name means “northerner”, that means that referring to the fact that they came from the plains of Mysore district, not too far to the north. They live among the Toda, Kota and Kurumbas. There are about 150,000 Bagadas. They make up nearly 19 percent population of the Nilgiri Hills region. Although initially outsiders, they eventually became dominant food producers and influential social entity.
The Bagada are Hindus who practice hypergamy, a system in which a woman can marry into a caste that is higher of her caste by birth. And also marry to one of lower caste. Generation levels are only recognized among men. That means that a man can theoretically marry a woman, her daughter and granddaughter, if they are not his own offspring, and all three can be marked as his generation. Polygamy practiced and newly weds move into groom’s parents house. They sleep on the veranda until their first child comes and they can have their own house.
Tattoo were common in past but no longer practiced. Important ceremonies include children naming after 40 years of birth, piercing of nose, milking initiation for boys 7 to 9, and girls pubertation ceremony. In some villages fire walking is still performed to please the goddess Mari Habba to keep safe from small pox.
Irula
The Irula are a scheduled tribe, that lives in the northern Tamil Nadu in Nilgiri Hills. They are a variety of cross between tribal and ordinary south Indians. They have many animist beliefs but have enough contact with Hindus to adopt many orthodox Hindu beliefs. Their most sacred objects are kept in a secret cave so they are not polluted by contact with things defiled by humans. Many Irula live near old megalithic sites, which led to many speculate that they are very old culture. They are about 110,000 of them.
The Irula live in villages with special “pollution hut” for menstruating women, lots of mango and jackfruit trees, and ancestral temples with stones in them that represent the dead. Many live in in two room houses with a separate room for the sacred fire. They are known as honey collectors and hunt with net and spears. They harvest millet with impossibly small sickled to cut of the crop heads. Much of their traditional land has been lost to tea and coffee plantations. The Irula also are famous for their music. They produce their own flutes and drums and are hired by other tribes to play music in the ceremonies. Their wedding ceremony begins with sacrificing firewood to bride’s house by the groom, but today it is no longer practiced. Today a standard price is paid to bride in presence of elders.
Kota
The Kota are a group counted as indigenous to Tamil Nadu part of Nilgiri Hills. Also known as Cohatur or Khotur, they are among the scheduled tribes and live in neighborhood of Bagada, Kurumba etc. Even though they are small in number, only 1500 of them, they managed to become an influential tribe in Nilgiri region. Many of them are educated in modern institutes and became professional in job sectors.
In past Kota lived in wattle and daub houses with thatched roofs. Their villages have special houses for menstruating women but no toilets. They traditionally grow only a few crops and make trade with other tribes to obtain all the necessary goods for them. Primarily theyr trading partners are Bagada. They traditionally sacrifice water buffalos and make musical instruments, as they are also known as excellent musicians, who usually perform in other tribes ceremonies. The Kota have a reputation for being a jack for all kind of trade, and the providing services such as blacksmith, music, pottery and leather working,
Women give birth in a special hut. Ten days after child birth a name is given. The ceremony for this often more important than wedding itself. In the ceremony the elder gives the child his or her name, while feeding water, and a few crumbs of rice to the child. Afterwards a lock of hair is cut and wrapped in cow dung, leaves and tossed away. At the age 16 the boys and girls both undergo a head shaving ceremony, leaving only one lock. Tattoo is also common. The Kota practice “green” and “dry” funerals. During a normal or “green” funeral the ceremony is small and simple, led by a “fire giving” boy and deadbody is cremated in a place called “day nar”, place of dead. A piece of forehead is saved for the “dry” funeral, which is carried on playing music with drums.
Kurumbas
The Kurumbas are another group that live in Nilgiri Hills. There are seven major Kurumba groups, total 1500 of them, such as Alu, Pallu, Betta, Jenu, Mulla, Urali and Mudugas. Each group is regarded as separate ethnic group with its own dialect, religion and other cultural features. About third of all Kurumba live in Nilgiri Hills. Other are scattered across southern India. They are regarded as most poor in the Nilgiri tribes. The Kurumbas are traditionally hunters and gatherers. They forage a variety of foods from the forest and hunt birds and animals usually by trap. Previously they lived in rock shelters and caves in the forest but nowadays most of them work in tea plantations.
The Kurumbas have a reputation of sorceress. The Bagada used to hire a Kurumba man to work as magician in their village. This was a lifelong job that passed from father to son. They also were invited to exorcism, saying prayers during the crop harvest. Because of their sorcerer image they were greatly feared by other tribes. When bad things happened, often they are blamed by others. Though today they do not practice magic that much.
Nayaka
The Nayaka are another group that live in Nilgiri Hills. Traditionally regarded as honey collectors and people of the forest, they are also known as Jenu Kurumba. They traditionally lived in the huts in the forests and migrated every 6 or 18 months. There are only around 1400 of them. Nayaka have no history of cattle raising or farming except for a few fruit trees near their huts. Foraging in the forests, trap hunting and fishing is all they had. Later they learned to collect medical herbs that they could exchange in trade for food and clothing. They also areseen working in plantation and other services.
Nayaka have no formal marriage ceremony. A couple is generally considered married when they start living together in the same hut. They generally don’t build long relationships outside their conjural families. Their religion is basically animist with some Hindu elements. The only life circle ceremony they really serious about is the ritual of death.
Hill Panadaram
Hill Pandaram is a scheduled tribe that lives in the Western Ghats of Kerala. They are nomadic foragers, who also can speak Tamil, and often called Malai Pandaram. Their religion is a mix of Hindu and animism. They believe in ghosts and other supernatural beings. They are only 1500 in number and occupy area or merely 1 square km. Hill Pandaram occupied this region at least from 2th century BC and probably long before that. They had always traded items like ivory and other precious stones along with herbs and fruits.
About a quarter of Hill Pandaram are completely nomadic. They others live in small settlements of 10 small huts. They grow mango and tamarind trees near their settlements. When foraging, they build tiny temporary shelters of bamboo and palm leaves. Marriages tend to be fairly flexible. There is generally no formal marriage ceremony and many have several spouses at different during their lifetime. Sometimes they engage in spirit possession ceremony with drummed music. They posess no land and have very few material property. Social relation are defined mostly by family and gathering groups. The roles of men and women are relatively equal.
Kani and their magic berry
The Kani people in the rainforest of Kerala are poor and live in thatch huts. Men go shirtless and wear sarongs. They roam the forest with wooden bows and poison arrows, shooting birds and fish. Scientists who studied Kani, noticed that they never get tired and get energized by a type of pale green berry, they pick from a sacred plant called Araggyapachya. It growed only in Agastyavanam Mountain in Kerala. Later it was examined and the results were satisfactory enough to move for commercialization of the plant. It was cultivated in other areas too near Nilgiri Hills. It was possible to make tonic from it and it was very popular in the market.
Some small resorts, hotels, guest houses near Nilgiri
Serenity Manor
176B, Walkers Hill Road, Highfield, Kotagiri Road, Upper Coonoor, 643103
Rajatheeram Beach Homestay
Padinjare Kurisadi, Kanjiramchira, Alappuzha, Kerala 688007, India. Tel: +91 94967 95379
Le Collins Resort
Masco Tea Factory, Road, Vagamon, Kerala, 685503, India, +91 94476 54765
Two Big Hotels near Nilgiri
Taj Bekal Resort and Spa, Kerala
Kappil Beach, Thekkekara, Bekal, Kerala 671319, India. Tel: +91 467 230 2000
On 11 hectars with landscaped gardens, this high end resort with beach is 2 km from Kotikulam railway station, and 7 km from medieval Chandigarh Fort. Posh quaerters, some with plunge pools in a high end resort, offering dining, spa and beach access.
Ramada Resort by Windham Kochi
PV Sridharan Road, Kumbalam, Ernakulam, Kerala 682506, India. Tel: +91 484 715 1100
