Tulu Nadu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  ?Tulu Nadu
Karnataka • India
Tulu Nadu with respect to rest of Karnataka
Tulu Nadu with respect to rest of Karnataka
Coordinates: (find coordinates)
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area 8,441 km² (3,259 sq mi)[1][2]
Largest city Mangalore
District(s) Dakshina Kannada and Udupi
District(s) 2
Population
Density
3,005,897[3] (2001)
• 356.1 /km² (922 /sq mi)
Language(s) Tulu
Codes
Vehicle

• KA 19, KA 20, KA 21

Tulu Nadu (Tulu: ತುಳುನಾಡ್) is a region on the south-western coast of Karnataka, India. It consists of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. The northern part of Kasaragod in Kerala was also traditionally a part of Tulu Nadu according to some Malayalam works.

Tulu Nadu is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Uttara Kannada to the north, Shivamogga to the north-east, Chikkamagaluru to the east, Kodagu and Hassan to the south-east and Kerala to the south. Tulu is the principal language in the region, but other languages like Konkani, Kannada and Beary are also widely spoken. Tulu Nadu spans an area of 8,441 km² (3,259 sq mi), roughly 4.4% of the total geographical area of Karnataka. The population of this region was 3,005,897 in 2001[3]. Mangalore and Udupi are the chief cities in Tulu Nadu.

Contents

[edit] History

Main article: History of Tulu Nadu

Historically, Tulu Nadu included the two separate lands of Haiva and Tuluva. The Ballal Kings of Sullia had ruled this area around 1100 years back. The Bunt/ Nair, Brahmin migration to Tulunadu might have happened during the lifetime of the Kadamba king Mayuravarma at 345 AD. Madhvacharya in the 13th century built the eight monasteries (Matha) in Udupi.

During the rule of Vijayanagara Tulu nadu was administered in two parts – Mangaluru Rajya and Barakuru Rajya. Tulunad was the original homeland of the dynasty that founded the Vijayanagar Empire based in eastern Karnataka. Tulu Nadu was governed by feudatories of the Vijayanagara Empire until the 17th century. The longest reigning dynasty of Tulu Nadu was the Alupas. They were the feudatories of the prominent dynasties of Karnataka. The Kadamba dynasty of Banavasi was the earliest, under which the Alupas flourished. Later the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta, Chalukyas of Badami, Chalukyas of Kalyani, Hoysalas of Durasamudra and Rayas of Vijayanagara were the overlords. The Alupas, however, were independent and their subordination was nominal at best. They ruled until the Vijayanagara kings totally dominated the Tulu Nadu from 14th to the 17th centuries. The region became extremely prosperous during Vijayanagara period with Barkur and Mangalore gaining importance. After the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire, the Keladi Nayakas of Ikkeri controlled much of Tulu Nadu.

A typical red tile-roofed house in Tulu Nadu.
A typical red tile-roofed house in Tulu Nadu.

Over the following many centuries, more ethnic groups migrated to the area. Konkanis and Goud Saraswat Brahmins arrived by sea, as Mangalore was a major port that served not only the Portuguese but also the Arabs for maritime trades. Jains were already a prominent group and even today are uniquely preserved in Tulu Nadu. Though small in number, the Jains left behind indelible reminders of their glory with temples (bastis) in (Moodabidri) and monolithic statues of Bahubali, the gomateshwara, in Karkala, Venoor and Dharmasthala. In the 16th century there was a large influx of Catholics to Tulu Nadu from Goa. They built excellent educational institutes and contributed to the development of education in the region. The Muslim community of Tulu Nadu were basically Arab traders who married local women and settled there. Some of them speak the Beary language, which is a mix of Tulu and Malayalam and others speak Urdu.

Under Portugal, the region was called the Missao do Sul (Mission of the South).In the 18th, it was conquered by Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore. After the British defeated Haidar's successor Tipu Sultan in 1799, the region was attached to the Madras Presidency before being reverted to the state of Mysore in the aftermath of independence. Mysore has since been renamed Karnataka. At the end of 18th century, Haider Ali and Tippu Sultan controlled the region. Mangalore played a prominent role in Tippu’s battles with the British. The British gained full control in 1801, after the defeat of Tippu in 1799. The British ruled the region with Madras (now Chennai) as its headquarters. Tipu Sultan conquered the region and the British conquered it from him. Under the British, the region was organized as the Districts of North Canara and South Canara.

When the Indian independence was achieved in 1947, Tulu Nadu became part of Madras state along with Kerala. When the states were divided into linguistic states in the 1950s, Tulu Nadu became part of Karnataka. The two districts were made a part of the Madras Presidency, but North Canara was later transferred to the Bombay Presidency. The name "Canara" has been Indianized as "Kannada", so that the districts are now Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada. The district of South Canara was recently bifurcated to create the District of Udipi.

[edit] Geography

Tulu Nadu village scene.
Tulu Nadu village scene.

Tulu Nadu lies along the Malabar Coast, and shares a number of geographic, culinary, and social traits with the neighbouring Konkan and Kerala regions. Like them, Tulu Nadu is bounded on the west by the Arabian Sea and on the east by the Western Ghats.

[edit] Culture

Yakshagana artist.
Yakshagana artist.

The Yakshagana is a night-long dance and drama performance practiced in Tulu Nadu with great fanfare.[4][5] Hulivesha (Tiger dance) is a unique form of folk dance in the region fascinating the young and the old alike, which is performed during Dasara and Krishna Janmashtami.[6] Karadi Vesha (Bear Dance) is one more popular dance performed during Dasara in Tulu Nadu.[7] Bhuta Kola or spirit worship, which is usually done at night is practised here. Kambala or buffalo race is conducted in water filled paddy fields. Korikatta (Cockfight) is another favourite sport for the people. Nagaradhane or Snake worship is practised in the Tulu Nadu according to the popular belief of the Naga Devatha to go underground and guard the species on the top.[8]

Tulu cuisine is popular across South India, mostly due to 'Udupi restaurants', which are primarily vegetarian. The Tulu language was also once spoken in Uttara Kannada or North Kanara, which for this reason is sometimes considered part of Tulu Nadu as well.

Tulu is a Dravidian language of India with fewer than two million speakers. Most of its speakers are in the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in the west of the state of Karnataka. It is also spoken in northern part of the Kasargod district of Kerala. Besides Tulu, Kannada (the state language) and Konkani are also widely spoken in the area. Also, a sizeable population of Muslims, Bearys, speak Beary bashe an offshoot of Malayalam. The Tulu speakers are known as Tuluvas. The Tulu script, also known as the Tigalari script, strongly resembles the script of the Malayalam language.

[edit] Demographics

The majority of the people in Tulunad belong to the Tuluva ethnic group. Earlier the Tuluvas ruled over a large empire known as Vijayanagar Empire. However with the loss of empire, the Tulu peoples have concentrated in the costal areas. The next largest group are the Konkanis who migrated here from Goa, due to persecution by the Portuguese. Other people who settled here include Kannadigas,Malayalis and Bearis

[edit] Economy

Tulu Nadu was once primarily dependent on agriculture and fishing. The main crops grown were rice, bengal gram, horse gram, vegetables and fruits. Plantation crops like coconut, areca nut, cocoa, cashew nut, and pepper are also grown. In the early 20th century, the red clay roof tile industry, cashew nut processing, and the banking industry grew substantially. Tulu Nadu is called "the cradle of Indian banking." Five major banks of India (Syndicate Bank, Canara Bank, Corporation Bank, Vijaya Bank and Karnataka Bank) have their origins here. In the early part of the 21st century the area has been transforming itself into a hub of the information technology and medical services industries. This is due to the excellent educational facilities and hospitals available in Tulu Nadu, covering all fields, and the abundance of skilled workers. There has been large-scale decline in agriculture and related industries due to the non-availability of labour and preference for white-collar jobs. Agricultural land is being converted to commercial and real estate properties, and environmental pollution is increasing drastically due to large-scale deforestation and increase in automobile use. A public sector petroleum refinery ( MRPL )was established in the 1990s. Some chemical plants (e.g., fertilizers and pesticides) have been established. Tulu Nadu contributes the second highest revenue to Karnataka state after the city of Bangalore.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Tourism in DK District. National Informatics Centre, Karnataka State Unit. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
  2. ^ Tour to Udupi. Tourism of India. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
  3. ^ a b Census GIS India. Census of India. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
  4. ^ Yakshagana. SZCC, Tamil Nadu.. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
  5. ^ Plunkett, Richard (2001). South India. Lonely Planet, 53. ISBN 1864501618. 
  6. ^ "Human `tigers' face threat to health", Times of India, 2001-10-26. Retrieved on 2007-12-07. 
  7. ^ Stephen D'Souza. What's in a Name?. daijiworld.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  8. ^ Nagarapanchami Naadige Doddadu. Mangalorean.Com. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  • Also Read "Studies in Tuluva history and culture: From the pre-historic times upto [sic] the modern (1975)" by Dr. P. Gururaja Bhat


Languages