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Members of the Codava National Council(CNC) headed by its President Nandineravanda U Nachappa celebrated the harvest festival in Kodagu.
(Photo: The Kodagu Express)
Madikeri/Virajpet/Bengaluru/Mysuru: 'Puthari', the annual rice harvest festival of the people in Kodagu district was celebrated with grandeur and traditional fervour across Kodagu district on Monday, November 27.
People belonging to various communities in the district joyously celebrated the harvest festival, symbolizing the connection between Mother Earth and humans as they brought home the freshly harvested paddy crop.
Kodavas, along with members of the Kodagu Gowda community and various other communities from Kodagu, Mysuru, and Bengaluru, participated in a procession adorned in their traditional attire at their respective places. They proceeded to the paddy fields, where, after offering prayers, they engaged in harvesting the new crop.
Celebration in Kodagu:
In various parts of Kodagu, men adorned in traditional attire, featuring Kuppiya-Chele, Mande-Thuni, and Peeche Kathi, joined women dressed in Kodava sarees. Accompanied by young girls holding Thaliathakki Bolcha—a bronze tray containing rice, betel leaves, arecanut, and a lamp—they marched to nearby fields for the paddy harvest. The festival, in Kodagu also known as Coorg, was commemorated at their respective Ain-manés (ancestral homes of the native communities in Koḍagu) and temples.
Festivities at the Igguthappa Temple:
The festival was celebrated at Padi Igguthappa temple in Kakkabe. Men and women circumnavigated the temple saying ‘Poli poli deva’ and bursting crackers and first harvested crop was decorated to Padi Igguthappa main Kodava deity worshipped in the district.
The temple authorities conducted a special prayer for the deity, seeking blessings for favorable weather, prosperity, and the progress of the district.
Kodava Samaja celebration in Bengaluru and Mysuru:
Kodava Samaja and various Kodava community associations in various parts of Mysuru and Bengaluru marked the festival at their premises by reaping the harvest, chanting the slogans 'Poli Poli Deva,' firing three times into the air, and lighting fireworks.
Mysuru Kodava Samaja held the festivities in Mysuru, while the Kodagu Gowda community members celebrated the festival at their Samaja premises in Vijayanagar.
In Bengaluru, the Kodava Samaja in Vasanth Nagar joyously observed the festival, attracting the participation of hundreds of Kodavas. The event featured traditional Kodava dance performances by both men and women, including small children.
Codava National Council celebrates festival:
Members of the Codava National Council(CNC) headed by its President Nandineravanda U Nachappa celebrated the harvest festival in the district.
Speaking to The Kodagu Express, Mr Nachappa said, “All Codava racial festivities revolve around Mother Earth, Mother Nature, Divine spring Cauvery, Warriorhood, Hunting skill, Racial ‘Sacrament Gun/weapon’ and agrarian instincts or commitments.”
Nature and Puthari:
Mr Nachappa explained how Puthari is connected to nature worshiping. “Codava Racial festivities evolved through Sun - Moon under the torch bearer of Moonlight - Full Moon cycle. There is no room for superstition in Codava culture while deciding Codava festivities. Our venerated ancestors (Kaaronas) had already formulated the unwritten oral Codava folk - legal systems and our rituals long ago, which have been passed down to us from generations to the present day. Accordingly our aldermen decide the festivals as per full moon cycle.”
“We do not require any ritualistic agents. Codavas directly speak via nature cycle to almighty and divinity. We Codavas ourselves determine and proficiat our folkloric rituals. The Puthari Festival is the prime festival among the calendar of Codava Racial festivals. Puthari is the harvesting festival of Codava Race. Puthari is like Pongal of Tamil calendar and Bysaki of Sikhs. Puthari symbolises the welcoming of new rice or paddy from the field i.e. food grain to the household. It is the symbol of prosperity,” Mr Nachappa added.
It is said that in the past, Puthari was observed for a duration of 11 days, but it has now been shortened to just a few days. Throughout these days, Kodavas, dressed in their traditional attire, assemble at the "mandh" (a place of religious congregation) in their respective villages, showcasing traditional dances such as 'Urukol,' 'Nadkol,' 'Devakol,' and others, including Bolakaat and Ummathat.
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