Kodagu Celebrates Kakkada Padinet with Maddu Puttu and Monsoon Rituals

Homes across the district prepared Maddu Puttu, a traditional sweet made from rice and juice extracted from the Maddu Thoppu plant (Justicia wynaadensis)

Madikeri: Kodagu was steeped in tradition on Sunday as the district celebrated Kakkada Padinet, a culturally significant day observed on the 18th day of the Kakkada month in the Kodava calendar.

Homes across the district prepared Maddu Puttu, a traditional sweet made from rice and juice extracted from the Maddu Thoppu plant (Justicia wynaadensis), known for its medicinal value and distinctive aroma that appears only on this day.

Adding to the cultural fervour, the Codava National Council (CNC) marked its 30th annual Kakkada Padinet celebration at Capital Village in Madikeri on Saturday. The event, held at 10:30 a.m., was led by CNC Chairman N.U. Nachappa. It featured senior lawmaker B.K. Hariprasad and Napok Codava Samaja President Mundanda Nanaiah as chief guests.

During the event, Hariprasad voiced support for the CNC’s longstanding demand for regional autonomy for the Codava people, highlighting the need to protect their unique cultural and political identity.

The Maddu Thoppu plant, harvested from the Western Ghats across Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Wayanad, and the South Malabar Hills, is believed to contain 18 medicinal properties. According to local belief, these properties are most potent on the 18th day of Kakkada, when the plant exudes a rare fragrance. Its thick, violet-hued extract is boiled and used to prepare the sweet dish, which holds a revered place in Kodava households.

The other communities in Kodagu also observed the new moon of the Aashada month by preparing traditional fare like payasa, kesaribath, and ghee rice with these medicinal leaves.

Kakkada Padinet parallels other regional monsoon-time observances, including Ashada among Kannadigas, Aati among Tuluvas, and Aadi among Tamils each reinforcing the region’s deep-rooted reverence for seasonal cycles, indigenous plants, and healing traditions.

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