Badagas

Badaga community of Nilgiri Hills, from Castes and Tribes of Southern India (1909)

The Badagas are an indigenous people inhabiting the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, southern India. Their language is Badaga. They are the largest indigenous social group in Nilgiris.[1]

History

The Badugas are the largest aboriginal Tribes of the Nilgiri district. Nilgiris was originally a tribal land.The Badugas live in nearly 440 villages, called "hattis", throughout the district. Baduga people speak language called "Badugu". Language has no Script.

Some of the main villages are Bembatty, Melur, Italar, Tudur, Kukal, Tudagai, Nundala, Meekeri, Bakola, Melkunda, Kilkundha, Tandanadu, Milidenu, Nanjanadu, Nandatti, Accanakal, Jackanari, Aravenu, Thinniyooru, Iyooru and Kannerimukku. They are also called as Gowdas of Nilgiris.

Baduga Tribe inhabited in Nilgiris thousands and thousands of years ago even before common era. They where inhabiting in Nilgiris over 8000 B.C.

During Mouriyan period Buddhist Monks entered Nilgiris to spread Buddhism among the Badugas in Nilgiris. In 1116 A.D. a Baduga King called Kalaraja was ruling Nilgiris. A war fought between King Vishnuvarthana of Hoysala and Baduga King KalaRaja. Kalaraj was killed in the war. Nilgiri came under Hoysala. Later Nilgiri came under Vijayanagar empire and later under sultan rule and after the death of Thipu sulthan Nilgiri came under Britishers.

Even before Britishers arrived to Nilgiris a Portuguese Priest called Rev. Jocome Fierier visited nilgiris in 1602 and informed he found a tribal people called Badugas.

Todas, Kotas and other Tribes paid tribute to Badagas. Later it was mistakenly told that Badugas paid tribute to Todas. Baduga Headmen attended Toda and Kota panchayat and solved their problems.

Baduga people distinguished their living place into four categories called Porangadu seame, Thothanadu semae, Merkunadu seame, Kundae seame. Where nearly 440 Villages come under this four categories. Baduga tribal language called "Badugu" was the contact language between Badugas and other tribal people before Britishers and other community people arrived to nilgiris.

BADAGAS, a tribe inhabiting the Nilgiri Hills, in India. They are probably Dravidian by descent, though they are in religion Hindus of the Saiva sect. Wodeyas are supposed to have migrated to the Nilgiris from Mysore about A.D. 1600, after the breaking up of the kingdom of Vijayanagar but it was mistakenly took as Badugas migrated to Nilgiris. They are an agricultural people and far the most numerous and wealthy of the hill tribes. At the census of 1901 they numbered 34,178.[2][3]

Culture

"Tundu" (a white piece of cloth) forms an integral part of the attire of Badaga women, and it is presented to dignitaries visiting the villages as a gesture of goodwill. Badagas marry within their community, and there are strict rules about which clan may intermarry with which others. They celebrate Mari Habba, Uppu Attuva Habba, etc., and their important festival is Hette Habba.[4]

Notable Badagas

In the 1930s, H. B. Ari Gowder founded the Nilgiris Cooperative Marketing Society (NCMS) to help raise prices for Badagas farm products.[5] The NCMS was in response to lowland middlemen who would reduce prices by playing off one farmer against another.[5] Ari Gowder was the first Badaga to be elected to the Madras Legislative Council.[6]

Religion

Badagas worship several Hindu deities,[4] including Shiva, but their main deity is Hethai, Ayya. They celebrate Hethai Habba in a grand fashion spread over a month during December–January every year, and the festival is celebrated all over the district.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Radhakrishnan, D. (9 January 2012). "Festival of Badagas begins in the Nilgiris". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  2. ↑ http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Badagas 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 3. Badagas
  3. ↑ J. W. Breeks, An Account of the Primitive Tribes of the Nilgiris (1873); Nilgiri Manual, vol. i. pp. 218-228; Madras Journ. of Sci. and Lit. vol. viii. pp. 103-105; Madras Museum Bulletin, vol. ii., no. 1, pp. 1-7.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Radhakrishnan, D. (20 May 2008). "Jayalalithaa visits temple in Badaga village". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Special correspondent (5 December 2012). "Badaga leader’s birth anniversary celebrated". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013.
  6. ↑ Hockings, Paul (2013). So Long a Saga: Four Centuries of Badaga Social History. New Delhi: Manohar. p. 204. ISBN 978-93-5098-018-7.

Further reading

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Badagas.