Badaga Hattis
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Badaga Hatti, is a village or hamlet spread around the Nilgiri Hills,a Tamil Nadu district, in Southern India. The 'hattis' are inhabited by approximately 3 lakh Badaga speaking people.
The total number Badaga Hattis varies from 300 to 400. Rao Bahadur H.B. Ari Gowder is known to have sent his assistant Haika Mathi in 1940s and 1950s to all over the Nakku Betta to know about the villages and the problems of Badagas, but,unfortunately there are no written records available / traceable. Nakku Betta literally means four (Nakku) Mountains (betta) though there are many more bettas (hills) around which the villages are located.
It appears that initially when the Badagas established their hamlets, they took two very important factors into consideration. Being very environmentally conscious, they chose a) direction - always or to a very great extent facing the east [ ‘Hothu (sun) uttua (rising) pakka (side)’] and b) Water source - near a stream (halla) or spring (huttu neeru).
Every hatti had a suthugallu (sacred triangular shaped stone) at the base of a bikka mara (tree) around which important meetings (Kootu) took place. For the most sacred of all Badaga festivals Hethai Habba - always held on a Monday (sovara), the collection of money (Hana kattodu) took place at the suthugallu in an eloborate ceremony on the preceding Friday (belli).
The houses of each village were laid out in parallel rows, each row facing the east. The houses had common walls (Gode mane) possibly as a measure of security. Every house had exactly the same configuration of Bayilu (entrance), Nadu Mane (central-living/dining room ), Oge mane (Inner room) which also doubles up as the kitchen with a beskatti (large basket) above the hearth for drying, Pillay (bathroom) and Ereh (a separate room adjacent to the bayilu). Of course, there was an attic on top of beskatti( kitchen having a hearth) the entry to which is from the nadumane.
A cluster of villages, which need not be close or adjacent to each other, is called a Seeme. The Nilgiri Hills - Naakku Betta, was divided into four Seemes and all the hattis were brought under them. What is the basis apart from the geographical consideration (which is not true always) is not known. But one unfortunate fallout was that each Seeme considered itself to be superior and hence there was a lot silent bickering. This carried on till a strong leader like Rao Bahadur Bellie Gowda and after him his son Rao Bahadur Ari Gowda tried to unite all the Badagas so that their problems could be sorted out and properly represented to the Government of the day.
Prof. Paul Hockings may be one of the earliest to mention the number and names of the hattis in his books. Mr. K.H.Madha Gowder edited "NAKKU BETTA" magazine, had attempted to record all the hattis in one of its issues in late 1970s.
- Thodha Naadu Seeme: supposed to be our “Dodda Ooru”. Also known as ‘Raja Padagiri Seeme’. The boundaries are from Solur to Kookkal Thore.
- Porangadu Seeme: also known as ”Aaila Baila Seeme ” (Porangadu 19 (Hathombathu) Ooru). From ‘Hubbathale‘ to ‘Hulivare‘ constitute the boundaries.
- Mekku Nadu Seeme: also known as 'Asala Bisalagiri Seeme' and (Meekunadu Seeme 9 (Ombathu) Ooru). From Ketti to Keeyur.
- Kundhe Seeme: also known as 'Eera Jilla Seeme'
