I was pleasantly surprised by an e-mail a few months ago from Mr. Nigel Cole, a great-grandson of Captain Robert Andrews Cole, who had three stints in Coorg as the Superintendent: March 1865 to October 1865, February 1866 to July 1869, and October 1869 to December 1869.  Mr. Nigel Cole, who lives in Wales, wanted to know if I could enlighten him about his ancestor. We later exchanged notes, and Nigel shared personal details and a photograph of his great-grandfather.

Captain Robert Cole was born and educated in Madras, where his father Maj. Gen Robert Cole Sr., was a doctor in the army.  Captain Cole’s first posting in Coorg was in March 1865 to step-in when the incumbent, William Hobart Kerr, took ill. Captain Cole was a young officer with a flair for languages.  He was fluent in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.  On his arrival in Coorg, he took an instant liking to the place and the people.

Astonishingly, Captain Cole found that Coorgs living in remote villages could not understand Kannada! In order to effectively communicate with them, he started learning Kodava language. His knowledge of South Indian languages helped him pick up the nuances of Coorg dialect, and soon he was able to interact with Kodavas in their own lingua franca. He then went about learning the language in-depth. His task was quite tough since none had codified the language and put it in writing. Since the language had no script, the job was even more challenging. Captain Cole continued his pet project even during intervals when he was posted outside Coorg.

His extensive interaction with the Coorgs finally resulted in his seminal 136-page book  ‘An Elementary Grammar of the Coorg Language’ published by the Wesleyan Mission Press in 1867. In the Preface to the book, he recounts his impression of Coorg, and Coorgs. He was fascinated by the bracing weather of the place. Here’s an excerpt of his rather poetic observations:

“…The thunderstorms during this season are often magnificent. The war of the elements is carried on here in grander style than in the low country. Banks and mountains of clouds move against each other with the order of armies. The sound of heavy cannon is heard from a distance, solitary discharges of the electric fluid shoot through the gloom. Now whole batteries are brought into action, deafening thunders roll over your head, and your eye shuts involuntarily against the dazzling brilliancy of the fire bolts. At last both hosts engage in close combat. The roar of artillery is heard at greater intervals, the lightnings lose their intense and fearful glare, and the rain pours down in torrents…”

In order to help him, his colleagues and successors to communicate with locals, he made extensive tables – Travel Talk – translating English sentences to Kannada (Canarese), Telugu, Tamil and Coorg language.

Captain Cole mentions the help he received from department clerk Belliappah, in compiling the book. My guess is that this gentleman was most likely Maneypanda Belliappa, one of the early batches of educated Kodavas, who later became the Assistant Commissioner of Coorg.  Captain Cole dedicated this book to Lewin Bentham Bowring Esq., who was the then Commissioner of Mysore and Coorg. Captain Cole endeared himself to the people of Coorg. He also wrote another important book titled, A Manual of Coorg Civil Law. During his tenure, he tried to unravel the secrets of the Dolmens found in some parts of Coorg. In appreciation of Captain Cole’s yeomen services, an emerging town at the time in South Kodagu was named after him as  Colepet.  However, over the years, Colepet got merged with present day Ammathi.

Captain Coles’s wife, Pauline McCally, sadly died during his posting in Coorg.  She was buried in St. Mark’s Church, Fort,  Madikeri.  On promotion as a Major, he was appointed Superintendent, Inam Settlement, Mysore.  As a Colonel, he was with the Madras Staff Corps.  He rose to the rank of Major General by the time he retired and returned to England.  He died in 1907.

An e-book version of ‘An Elementary Grammar of the Coorg Language’ can be accessed on the internet at: www.books.google.co.in.

About the author: C. P. Belliappa, born in 1946, is a Chemical Engineer. He is currently settled in Coorg.  He is known for his writings on issues pertaining to Coorg. Four of his books — Tale of A Tiger’s Tail & other Yarns from Coorg, Nuggets from Coorg History, Victoria Gowramma: The Lost Princess of Coorg, and Tongue of the Slip, have been published by Rupa Publications.  He currently serves as President, Coorg Institute of Technology, Ponnampet, Coorg.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by C.P. Belliappa / February 16th, 2017

Siddapura:

In a stunning discovery, a trove of ancient gold, silver jewellery, and metal artefacts has been unearthed at Anandapura village on the main road of Siddapura in Kodagu district.

The remarkable find is located at the ancient Ishwara Temple, nestled within the Tata Coffee Estate in Anandapura village, falling under the Ammathi Gram Panchayat limits. Workers, involved in construction and pit digging yesterday, chanced upon an array of ancient artefacts, including gold and silver ornaments, ancient gold coins, rings, small crowns, and metal pieces shaped like the sun, reminiscent of bygone eras.

The Temple, dating back to ancient times, is situated within the Tata Coffee Estate, and the discovery occurred during the construction of a compound wall. While digging, workers unearthed two old boxes containing the ornaments and  metal objects.

The estate manager was informed and the Police were alerted. Following the information, the Siddapura Police, along with the Tahsildar’s team, including Deputy Tahsildar Pradeep and Ammathi Gram Panchayat Revenue Inspector Anil Kumar, conducted a thorough inspection at the site.

Subsequently, the uncovered artifacts were handed over to the Virajpet Tahsildar for further investigation. Anticipating their transfer to the Archaeological Department, a detailed examination is expected to reveal the age of these artefacts, providing insights into the historical significance of these precious items.

The gold ornaments have sparked considerable interest. According to the Police and Revenue Department officers, the weight of the ornaments was initially estimated to be around 900 grams. However, upon weighing at the Virajpet Treasury, the total weight was recorded as 1 kg and 150 grams.

Deputy Tahsildar Pradeep mentioned that the confirmation of whether the ornaments are made of gold is still pending.

The articles will be handed over to the Archaeology Department through the Deputy             Commissioner (DC).

Kodagu Superintendent of Police (SP) Ramarajan said that systematic procedures in line with rules have been followed, and permission from the Court will be sought before transferring the treasures to the Archaeology Department.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News> Top Stories / November 13th, 2023

Mysore/Mysuru:

The Management of Kodava Samaja, Mysuru, has decided to celebrate Puthari Namme-2023 at the Gurumane Hall of the Samaja in Vijayanagar here on Nov. 27.

This year’s harvest fest celebrations will commence at 5.30 pm with the performance of all traditional dances of Kodavas. 7.45 pm: Nere Kattuva ritual; 8.45 pm: Kadh Edupa (reaping of new paddy crop) followed by distribution of thambutt prasada.

As a prelude to Puthari Namme, a five-day Eedu programme has been arranged from Nov. 21 to 25 in the Samaja premises from 6 pm onwards where all the traditional Kodava dances will be performed, according to a press release from Ketolira A. Belliappa,  Hon. Secretary of the Samaja.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / November 20th, 2023

The tribal community highlighted the various problems faced by them in the district including the failure in implementation of the Forest Rights Act and requested solutions to their growing troubles. 

Madikeri:

Three teams from Kodagu including representatives of the Federation of Kodava Samaja, Kodava Muslim and Kodagu Tribal community met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru recently.

The representatives of these communities put forth various problems faced by them in the district and requested suitable solutions.

Led by CM’s legal advisor and Virajpet MLA AS Ponanna, the Kodava Samaja Federation members, Kodava Muslim Association members and Budakattu Tribal community members from the district met the CM and took part in an elaborate discussion.

Three different meetings were held with the representatives by the CM even as they were assured of solutions to the burning issues faced by the communities.

The Federation of Kodava Samaja members highlighted the delay in the release of funds sanctioned for the development of the Samajas. The representatives shared that Rs 10 Crore was sanctioned during the previous government for the development of Kodava Samajas and the same has been withheld due to technical issues.

CM Siddaramaiah called the concerned officials and ordered for the release of the funds.

The federation members demanded for permanent sanction of funds from the state for the annual Kodava Hockey Fest. They also requested the release of sanctioned Rs 5 crore funds for the development of the hockey ground at Balugodu in Virajpet.

The federation highlighted the problems associated with the revenue department and requested for additional appointments of land surveyors to conduct surveys of vast lands that need to be brought under the revenue department.

The Kodava Muslim Association members requested the CM to order for an ethnographic study of the community and demanded that they be extended with exemption from the arms act under the Coorg By Race category.

They requested the CM to establish a Kodava Muslim Bhavana in the district even as they requested the inclusion of the Kodava language in the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution.

The tribal community highlighted the various problems faced by them in the district including the failure in implementation of the Forest Rights Act and requested solutions to their growing troubles. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / November 23rd, 2023

A team of scientists from four research institutions have reported the discovery of an ancient microcontinent in India.

Based on extensive investigations in the Coorg block comprising parts of Kerala and Karnataka, the scientists have confirmed the existence of a 3.1 billion-year-old exotic microcontinent that could have broken off from Madagascar or Africa and drifted across the ocean to get wedged into the Indian landmass.

Based on the geological formations that characterise the block, the researchers assume that it could have been part of the earliest ‘Ur’ supercontinent formed through microcontinent amalgamation.

The age data of the rock samples collected by the researchers showed that the peak of continental building in the exotic Coorg block occurred around 3.1 billion years ago. The studies indicated that the crust building might have also involved partial recycling of basement rocks as old as 3.8 billion years.

The team comprising M. Santosh from India, now working at the China University of Geosciences, Beijing, Q.Y. Yang from the same university, E. Shaji from the Department of Geology, University of Kerala, T. Tsunogae from Tsukuba University, Japan, and Ram Mohan and M. Satyanarayanan from the National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, has published the discovery in Gondwana Research , an international journal on earth science with particular focus on the origin and evolution of continents.

According to the paper, the Coorg block, a continental fragment sandwiched between the Dharwar craton (a craton is a piece of a continent that has been stable for over a billion years) in the North and several younger crustal blocks to the South, is composed dominantly of a suite of arc magmatic rocks.

“Considering the age of the rocks from the periphery of the Coorg block, the microcontinent could have got wedged with peninsular India around 1.2 billion years back in time,” says Dr. Santosh, the lead author.

“This exotic microcontinent could have come from any of the cores of the earliest supercontinent Ur. The possible sources are Madagascar or Africa.”

The study revealed that the Coorg block was unaffected by major tectonothermal (geological episodes that shape rock formations) events in the rest of southern India.

The team relied on Uranium-Lead dating and Lutetium-Hafnium analyses of zircons separated from the different rock types. They also carried out petrological and mineralogical studies and geochemical analyses of the rocks.

The study is significant in understanding the supercontinent cycle, the amalgamation of continents into large land masses and their disruption.

“The Early Earth was dominated by island arcs in an oceanic realm analogous to the modern Pacific region. The formation and collision of arcs gave rise to the birth of microcontinents,” explains Dr. Shaji.

The landmass arrangement on earth today is the culmination of a long history of continental movement. The Indian subcontinent is believed to be one among the several landmasses that emerged from the break up of the Gondwana supercontinent about 180 million years ago. The Coorg block covers an area of over 3,000 sq km and includes the whole of Kasaragod district in Kerala and parts of Kodagu district in Karnataka.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Kerala / by T Nandakumar / November 12th, 2023