DGP Praveen Sood visited Kodagu on Sunday, as part of his tour to all the districts to boost the morale of police in Covid-19 pandemic situation, at a time when 150 police personnel in Kodagu alone are tested positive for coronavirus and 31 cases are active.
DGP Praveen Sood and IGP Southern Range Vipul Kumar during their visit to Kodagu on Sunday
Kodagu:
DGP Praveen Sood visited Kodagu on Sunday, as part of his tour to all the districts to boost the morale of police in Covid-19 pandemic situation, at a time when 150 police personnel in Kodagu alone are tested positive for coronavirus and 31 cases are active.
According to Praveen Sood, as many as 8,000 police personnel in the State are tested positive for Covid-19 so far and, 1,500 cases are active, and 72 police personnel lost their lives.
According to IGP Southern Range Vipul Kumar who accompanied Praveen Sood, in southern range alone including Mysuru, Kodagu, Chamarajnagar, Mandya and Hassan, as many as 794 police personnel are tested positive for Covid-19 and 181 cases are active and seven police personnel lost their lives.
Praveen Sood also held a district level review meeting of Police Department on Sunday in Kodgu. He said the Covid-19 cases in Kodagu are comparatively less. (Kodagu has registered 3115 Covid-19 positive cases, 574 cases are active and there are 48 deaths so far). Damages are lesser during floods and landslides during heavy southwest monsoons this year (from 5 August to 10 August), compared to past two years. He lauded the efforts of police in handling Covid-19 pandemic situation and also on their role in handling natural disaster situation in Kodagu.
He also said they are taking all measures to root out drug menace completely in the State. When contacted, Kodagu SP Kshama Mishra said Kodagu police have registered 22 cases related to growing, selling and circulation of marijuana and other drugs in Kodagu district this year.
On allegations of parties involving drugs at homestays and resorts in Kodagu, she said that no such cases are found this year.
source: http://www.thehansindia.com / The Hans India / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Hans News Service / October 05th, 2020
Indira Ashok Shah, a Bengaluru terrace gardener, shares tips on how to grow and care for a coffee plant at home.
For my parents, the day begins only after that first sip of filter coffee makes its way into their bodies. I’ve heard people refer to filter coffee as the elixir that gives them the energy to take on the day.
For all the coffee fanatics out there -what if there was a way to grow your own coffee plant, perhaps in your terrace or even balcony. You need not be living in Coorg, or Chikmagalur for this – you can grow them anywhere, says Indira Ashok Shah, an avid terrace gardener based in Bengaluru has successfully been nurturing a coffee plant on her terrace and in this article, she shall show you how you can do the same.
Indira’s coffee plant is almost ten feet tall from the ground and is lush with coffee berries. She also mentions that it has been with her for almost six years now. “I get about one kilogram of coffee powder annually thanks to my plant,” she says.
Things You Will Need To Grow Coffee Plant
Coffee plant in Indira’s terrace.
A 20-litre bucket (Indira has used a regular paint bucket)
Compost
Cocopeat
Soil
Stones
A well shaded area
Step 1
You will need to make three holes in the bucket you are using. This is for drainage and is extremely important that you do this. Once you make the holes place a small slab or piece of stone over the holes.
Do not cover the hole completely; it is important that when there is excess water in the bucket, it is able to drain out comfortably.
Fill the bucket with two parts of soil, two parts of cocopeat, and two parts of compost.
Click here to read up on how to make your own compost at home.
Step 2
The coffee cherries after being harvested
Find a semi-shaded place to keep your coffee plant.
Do make note that coffee plant does not need direct harsh sunlight so find a good place for it to grow well.
It can also be kept indoors as long as they get some amount of sunlight each day.
Step 3
The coffee plant likes moisture and therefore you must ensure that the soil is always slightly moist and does not get dry.
The test to check whether the soil is adequately damp is to insert a stick in the soil. If it goes into the soil easily, then the soil moisture content is good.
While the soil must be moist there must not be any stagnant water on the surface.
Cocopeat is added to the soil to help it retain moisture.
How To Propagate Coffee Bean
Allow the coffee bean to ripen well. Once it is dried up, sow the bean into the same pot that you have made.
Once sown, ensure that the plant is kept under indirect sunlight.
Air Layering is another method that is used to propagate
Click here to watch the video about following the air layering technique.
Things To Know
Coffee growing in a bucket.
Once every 10 or 15 days, do add more compost 2. Do not add any chemical fertiliser, pesticide, or anything additional to the plant 3. If you have a pest attack, just use a neem spray or make a mixture of Ginger-Garlic-Green Chilli (GGG) 4. To make the GGG mixture, take equal quantities of all three, make a paste, strain it and use that solution on plants, which have been attacked by pests. 5. Once the berries start turning brown, you can harvest them. 6. This can then be taken to a local coffee blender. 7. To add richness to the coffee, Indira adds chicory to the coffee powder and says her blends are usually 80 per cent coffee and 20 per cent chicory. 8. You can grow coffee across India, and Indira says that all one needs to keep in mind is to provide it with a shaded area to grow. 9. There is no particular season in which one needs to start growing coffee, just make sure that it is placed in a shaded area. 10. Coffee beans may be available at your local nursery and if you are unable to find it you can reach out to Indira as well. 11. If you get a graft and grow it, the plant will take about two years to grow and fruit. 12. Whereas if you start from scratch and sow the seeds then a minimum of five to six years is needed. So patience is the key. 13. Ensure that you water the plant every day and if the soil surface feels dry then twice a day as well. 14. You could also consider making your own cocopeat, which is nothing but the dried husk of the coconut churned in a mixie to get a good powder-like consistency. This, when sprinkled on the plant surface, helps to retain moisture for longer.
How And When To Harvest Coffee Berries
Wait for the berries to ripen and turn brown.
Pluck the ripened berries and remove the skin off the seed/bean.
Immerse all the seeds/beans into water and let it be until the skin and pulp completely leaves the seed/beans.
Sun dry the seeds/beans well to remove all water and moisture.
Once done, you can take the seeds/beans and get the coffee ground or do it at home.
You can click on the video below for a better understanding of how to grow coffee and care for the plant.Prom
“Please grow it by yourself and just refrain from using chemical fertilisers. Collect all your wet waste and make your own compost,” she says in conclusion.
If you want to reach out to Indira and get coffee seeds from her to grow your coffee then you can reach out to her via this Whatsapp group or through her Facebook group.
(Edited by Vinayak Hegde)
source: http://www.thebetterindia.com / The Better India / Home> The Better Home / by Vidya Raja / October 06th, 2020
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Ganapathy, IPS, to the post of Director General, BCAS, for a tenure up to his superannuation on February 29, 2024, the order said.
Senior IPS officer M A Ganapathy has been appointed as the Director General of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), according to a Personnel Ministry order issued on Tuesday. He is a 1986 batch IPS officer of Uttarakhand cadre.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Ganapathy, IPS, to the post of Director General, BCAS, for a tenure up to his superannuation on February 29, 2024, the order said. The post of BCAS chief fell vacant after Rakesh Asthana was appointed as the Director General of Border Security Force in August.
source: http://www.news18.com / News18 India / Home> India / by PTI / New Delhi, October 06th, 2020
The film won the best short film award in the Karnataka competition section of the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival 2020
Set in Kodagu or Coorg, Karnataka, Priya Belliappa’s short film explores the lives of migrant labourers who come from across the country to work on coffee plantations.
A young man from a poor family in Kodagu, Kalappa (Avinash Muddappa) is one of the many educated unemployed Indians vying for just a handful of jobs. Despite having a doctorate, he finds that life in the city is not as lucrative as he had imagined and decides to join the workers on the coffee estates.
He meets Tabu (Geetanjali Thapa), a migrant worker from Assam who has travelled over 2,000 miles from her home to find a means of livelihood in the estates. But her name has not been included in the updated draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
The film was conceptualised by Belliappa when she saw the influx of people travelling from Assam to work on the estates for a couple of months during the coffee season. The lives of the labourers who uproot themselves and their entire family for a few months for work made her curious, and the political and economic issues in the country formed the backdrop against which her story plays out.
Belliappa said, “The film is questioning a lot of things and these are questions that I do not have answers to but they nag me.”
The layered film questions lines and borders that define country, religion, language and caste; lines that become blurred in the struggle of life.
Speaking about how much of the film was shaped by the debates around the NRC and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), she said, “The film was shot before the NRC and CAA became a national debate. It was not a topic that everyone really knew about. If you look at the larger picture [in the film], it’s about belonging…I also put in the idea that boundaries and borders are imaginary lines for states or districts, and you sit back and you think about questions of humanity.”
The character of the young man too is a reflection of the status of youth in the country, who are increasingly finding themselves with a bagful of degrees but no jobs and was shaped by a newspaper article that reported that people who with a PhD degree were standing in line for a peon’s job. The filmmaker wondered, “It really hit me hard because everything grows up thinking that if they get a certain education, they are guaranteed a certain job…but we look at what is the education system today where you cannot assure somebody who has done a PhD a job…Everybody needs a certain income to survive, but if it [education] cannot guarantee you a job, what is it that one needs?”
The short film format allowed the filmmaker to delve into certain spaces with greater creative freedom and she said, “The reason that I made this into a short film was that I did not want to be bogged down by the commercial aspects of it. When you make a feature film, you need to think much more about economic aspects like what is going to happen to the film, how are you going to get the money back…So I chose to go with a short as it would give me a certain creative freedom to explore this subject in the way that I wanted using the silences and the spaces that I create. In a short film, you can use your creative freedom with a lot fewer restrictions as opposed to a feature.”
The film won the Best Short Film Award in the Karnataka competition section of the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival (BISFF) 2020. Responding to the recognition that the film has received the filmmaker said, “As a creative person, I want there to be a conversation [about this] and I hope that it reaches as many people as possible…if somebody thinks about this [the film], it’s good enough for me.”
She added, “The world over, there is a conversation about migrants moving, working…and we need to address it.”
Belliappa is planning to develop Frayed Lines into a feature.
source: http://www.cinestaan.com / Cinestaan / Home> Interview / by Sukhpreet Kahlon / New Delhi – October 08th, 2020
‘Cauvery Pade’ (Cauvery Force), an all-women Police team to tackle crimes against women and children in Kodagu district, was launched by Kodagu SP Kshama Mishra here on Thursday last.
Speaking on the occasion, Kshama Mishra said that the team will have two Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) and 16 other Police personnel.
“The Force will act against atrocities and crimes against children, girls and women. The Force will make regular rounds around schools and colleges, accommodations where there are more number of women and other women-dominated places and will act against anyone found behaving in an obscene or indecent way and harassing or stalking women,” she said.
Continuing, the SP said that ‘Cauvery Pade’ has been formed on the lines of ‘Abbakka Pade’ in Udupi, ‘Obavva Pade’ in Chitradurga and ‘Chamundi Pade’ in Mysuru. The patrol team will make rounds from 8 am to 6 pm in the limits of all prominent Police Stations of the district, focussing on schools and colleges for ensuring the safety of girl students.
The members of the public can call 100 in case of trouble or distress, she said and added that the mobile numbers of all the eighteen personnel attached to this women Police team, will be announced soon as the higher authorities issue them.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 06th, 2020
For the first time Kodagu coffee growers, who formed a farmer producer company, Biota Coorg FPC, have exported their crop directly to a roaster in Europe.
IB Bopanna, one of the founding directors of Biota Coorg
After suffering 50-70 per cent crop loss due to excessive rainfall and landslides over the last three years, small, mid-sized and large coffee growers in Kodagu district of Karnataka, who pooled in their coffees under Biota Coorg, are set to receive a 15-20 per cent premium, on an average.
Incorporated in January, Biota Coorg made its first direct export shipment of bulk branded coffees to a large roaster in Europe last week. A container consisting of 320 bags (60 kgs/per bag) of Robusta Cherry AB sourced from 75 of its members was shipped from Mangaluru port on September 30. The company plans to ship 10 more containers to different roasters across Europe, of which two containers are scheduled to be shipped in October and the rest by December. In addition, since its inception, Biota Coorg has directly sold Arabica coffees to local roasters and local cafes at a premium. The 10 founding directors of Biota Coorg, collectively have over 100 years of domain expertise in coffee growing and allied areas including exports of agri commodities, global marketing of coffees, agro-forestry, plantation management, organisation development and coffee quality enhancement through cupping.
Unique flavour
Grown under the shade of multiple species of endemic rainforest trees at an elevation of 3,000– 4,000 feet above sea level, Coorg coffees have distinct fruity notes because of the wild figs, citrus fruits that grow in the rainforests and caramel notes from the leaf litter-enriched soil. Because of the higher elevation, Robusta coffees from Kodagu take a longer time to mature and ripen, thereby resulting in a softer cup.
“The objective of incorporating Biota is to market and put Coorg Coffee on the world map by elevating its quality based on the region’s ecology and biodiversity,” IB Bopanna, one of the founding directors of Biota Coorg and former Senior Global Director- Coffee, The Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta, USA, told BusinessLine.
“Earlier growers were selling their coffee in bulk with little differentiation to local traders, at prevailing market prices. We are a cohort of 75 members (in our first year of operation) who have committed to superior on-farm harvesting and post harvesting standards that will command a premium in the international and domestic markets. We are committed to uphold the legacy of the region’s biodiversity by adhering to an audited standard in addition to RFA (Rainforest Alliance) certification, which we have applied for. All the coffee we procure is 100 per cent traceable. Every grower’s coffee is segregated, processed at the Tata Coffee facility in Kodagu, cupped and prepared specially to fit the requirement of high quality roasts, blends and brands.”
Community initiative
MB Ganapathy, former Chairman of KPA, said: “There are many large coffee growers who export their coffees in their individual capacities however, the majority who are small growers are dependent on the local traders to sell their coffee. Biota Coorg is a great community initiative that will benefit small coffee growers who can join hands and realise better prices for their produce by following quality practices set by Biota that will adhere to international standards of roasters.”
Bose Mandanna, a large grower and Biota member, said: “The advantage for international roasters is that they are ensured of a consistent supply of quality coffees from Biota. We have received a standard of good agricultural practices from Biota which we strictly follow including the use of chemicals and labour. We harvest the coffee at the right time, pulp it on the same day, wash it clean and dry it to the correct moisture levels, after which it is inspected by a Biota representative, who then further processes it in the curing works.”
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> AgriBusiness / by Sangeetha Chengappa / Bengaluru / October 05th, 2020
Puttanna Kanagal cast Jagadish as the lead in ‘Phalitamsha’ even though he had no prior experience in acting.
After the first few days of shoot of Phalitamsha, he wanted to give up
Filmmaker Jai Jagadish had no background in films or interest in it during his childhood. He belonged to a family, where his father, a farmer, insisted on Jagadish becoming a double graduate.
Puttanna Kanagal cast Jagadish as the lead in ‘Phalitamsha’ even though he had no prior experience in acting. Filmmaker Jai Jagadish had no background in films or interest…
Childhood and films
Hailing from Somwarpet taluk, Kodagu, he belonged to a family of coffee, pepper, cardamom and paddy growers. “My family consisted of five daughters and two sons. My father was a farmer.”
The filmmaker studied at the government school nearby. “I was a naughty child and uncontrollable, so I was sent to study in Sri Ramakrishna Vidyashala, Mysuru.” Jagadish’s father insisted on him becoming a double graduate. He did his BA from St. Philomena’s College, Mysuru.
Jagadish never acted in a drama, and never thought of acting in films. “Cinema was not my cup of coffee. My friend, Manjappa, a college leader from Maharaja’s College asked me if I would act in a Puttanna Kanagal’s film, if he got me the role. I was amused by the idea and I challenged him to find me a role,” he says.
Jagadish had read in film magazines that no actor had been finalised for ‘Phalitamsha’. In a couple of days, he got a call for the role, against four heroines. “I said I wasn’t going to act in it. My friends tried to convince me. I told them that I had other intentions and want to start my own business,” he says.
Even so, he went to Bengaluru, to meet Puttanna Kanagal. “I was asked if I knew anything about acting and I immediately responded that I didn’t. My looks and physique came in my favour, I was offered the role. I was shocked.”
Jagadish was told to leave to Badami and join the shoot immediately, but he insisted on informing his family. “I made a lightning call to my father. I knew he wouldn’t agree, and as expected after I called and explained, expletives followed. In the corner of mind, I knew I shouldn’t let go off the opportunity so I went for it,” he says.
After a few days of shoot, he wanted to give up. “I had only one lungi and a toothbrush on me and I decided to flee from the sets. Kitty, Kanagal’s wife’s brother, saw me from a distance and asked me what I was doing, he told me to rethink and give best shot at acting,” Jagadish says.
Jagadish’s first film released in a grand manner but didn’t do well. “In ‘Phalitamsha’, some shots were taken at the flying training school, Jakkur. The principal of the school, Patil, was impressed by me and I spoke about my interest in flying. A year later, I met him on M G Road and he told me to meet him at the school next day,” he says.
Jagadish was asked to do some medical checkups and joined the school. He studied for almost two-and-a-half years, while he waited for acting roles. “S Siddalingaiah called me and asked me to play the role of Vishnuvardhan’s brother’s role in ‘Biligiriya Banadalli’,” he says.
The role with dark shades, created a new turn in his career. “Directors were looking for a young villain, which led me to many other films.”
He was soon seen in films like ‘Bandana’, ‘Paduvarahalli Pandavaru’, ‘Daranimandala’ and ‘Parajitha’
He has worked with different actors like Vishnuvardhan, Srinath, Rajkumar (in Guri), Puneeth Rajkumar. Ravi Chandran. “I’ve worked with maximum films with Vishuvardhan, he was my favourite hero and a good friend. I’ve acted with films in Ambareesh to…
Planter now
Jai Jagadish has an estate in Kodagu, and he calls himself a planter and farmer now. “This is my work now. I have decided to stay away from filmmaking as I won’t be able to withstand the losses now,” he says.
Demonetisation soaked the spirit of filmmaking off him. “Most people decided to not invest into films. After ‘Yaana’ that was directed by my wife and starred daughters Vainidhi, Vaibhavi and Vaisiri, didn’t do as expected in the box office, I decided to stay awayfrom production,” he adds.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Entertainment> Entertainment News / by Tini Sara Anien / DHNS / October 04th, 2020
The Coffee Board of India has released geographical indication (GI) tag for five coffee varieties grown in the country. Of this, three are from Karnataka and one each from Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. The GI tag will help all the five coffee brands get maximum market and price for their premium produce across the world. These varieties are Coorg, Bababudangiri, Chikmagalur, Araku Valley and Wayanad coffees.
The Board had obtained GI registration for unique regional coffees grown in these regions during March 2019. Previously, GI registration was obtained for two specialty coffees such as Monsooned Malabar Arabica and Monsooned Malabar Robusta in 2008.
The region-specific GI tags will increase the credibility and visibility of Indian coffees in the international market which will further boost export earnings, the Coffee Board said in a statement.
Further to the registration, the GI tagged coffees are promoted in various national and international forums, it said.
The board has also invited coffee growers to register their coffees with the board so that they can brand their product before selling in the domestic and international markets.
The Coffee Board has also collaborated with Indian Missions in key destinations such as Berlin, Helsinki, Tallinn, Burssels, Shanghai, Moscow and Sao Paulo for an effective overseas promotion of Indian coffee.
As part of its efforts to promote the consumption of coffee in the domestic market, the Board is taking up a year-long, nationwide programme with the help of a special grant of $90,000 from International Coffee Organisation (ICO) for building capacity of nearly 200 entrepreneurs in coffee business, a Coffee Board official said.
This is expected to help in bridging the gap in coffee value chain in the domestic market, especially in non-southern regions of the country. Apart from the capacity building programmes for budding entrepreneurs, the Board proposes to conduct awareness programmes for promotion of coffee consumption in India, the Board said in a statement.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Business> Business News / by Mahesh Kulkarni / DHNS, Bengaluru / October 01st, 2020
Ancient abode: The ancestral house of Mukkatira Ipanna, the sharpshooter, in Nalvathoklu village in Kodagu. Photo by Boverianda Chinnappa
Mukkatira Aiyappa of Bonda village in Kodagu had three sons: Muddayya, Ipanna and Bopayya. Muddayya became a Munshi (clerk) in the Diwan Kacheri (minister’s office). Linga Raja II was the ruler of Kodagu at that time. With his first queen, a lady from the Chowrira family, he had a son Chikka Vira Raja. His second queen, Palanganda Devaki, was his Pattada Rani (chief queen). They had two daughters Muddammaji and Devammaji.
In 1816, Linga Raja was on a hunt in Murnad, Kodagu. He was accompanied by Muddayya when they came across Ipanna. Linga Raja challenged him to shoot a bird off a bison’s back as he was a famed sharpshooter. The bison was at a long distance and a gunhad to be used. Ipanna shot it and impressed the Raja who summoned him to the court the next day.
The next day, Ipanna went to the court dressed in a white Kuppya (traditional coat). The Raja asked him the significance of the colour of his costume. Without any hesitation, he replied that a Kodava normally wore a white Kuppya on two occasions — in his wedding and then during his funeral. Those days, rarely one spoke boldly in front of the Raja. But the Raja was not displeased. Instead he surprised all by saying that he would get his elder daughter Muddammaji married to Ipanna.
Ipanna was converted into a Lingayat, since the Raja was one. Ipanna was given a new name, Chenna Basavappa. Muddammaji and Chenna Basavappa were married and gifted a farm. But Muddammaji fell sick frequently. So, this farm was exchanged with another farm which belonged to the Raja’s relatives in Appangala. However, Muddammaji died within two years after her marriage. The Raja then got his younger daughter Devammaji married to Chenna Basavappa in 1819.
In 1820, Linga Raja died. His queen Devaki committed suicide by consuming diamond dust. Chikka Vira Raja became the Raja. Chenna Basavappa and a few others were discontent with his rule. So they schemed to have him ousted. They failed in their in their endeavour and Chikka Vira Raja came to know of it. Chenna Basavappa and Devammaji were kept under house arrest.
In 1832, Chikka Vira Raja planned to have Chenna Basavappa executed. Devammaji and Chenna Basavappa learnt of this. On Shivarathri, they drugged the guards and escaped from Appangala on horseback. They crossed the borders of Kodagu and reached Mysore , where they headed to the house of the British Resident Casamajor and sought refuge. Meanwhile, the couple’s one-and-a-half-year-old son fell into the hands of the Raja’s men and was handed over to the Raja whose queen took care of him.
Muddayya was an intelligent and respected man. He had been promoted to become the Raja’s Khas Munshi (chief accountant). A favourite of the Raja, he was deemed to be a future Diwan. When Chikka Vira Raja first heard of Chenna Basavappa’s escape he got angry with Muddayya who was his elder brother. He then beat him up. His Diwan, Kunta Basava, got Muddayya executed. But, in truth, Muddayya was not aware of his brother’s plans.
Chikka Vira Raja demanded that the two fugitives should be handed over to him. But Casamajor forwarded this matter to the British East India Company Government. In 1833, the Government declared that the couple should not be surrendered to the Raja. Chenna Basavappa and Devammaji were moved to Bangalore and were given a pension. Chikka Vira Raja schemed with Nanda Lal Bharthi, a merchant from Mysore, to have Chenna Basavappa murdered. But these attempts failed.
In 1834, the Company invaded Kodagu. The Raja surrendered to the British and was exiled. Chenna Basavappa and Devammaji returned to Kodagu. Their Appangala farm was returned to them. Chenna Basavappa assumed the title of ‘Arasu’ (king). He petitioned the Company to provide him with one of the other palaces of the Raja. He also wanted the former Raja’s farm at Nanjarajapatna and be placed in charge of the Gaddige (the Rajas’ mausoleum). But the Company didn’t agree to this. Chenna Basavappa died in 1868.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Spectrum> Spectrum Statescan / b y Mookonda Kushalappa / July 06th, 2019
Linga Raja I was the king of Kodagu and a subordinate ally of Nawab Hyder Ali of Mysore. In 1780, the king passed away, leaving his first son, the 16-year-old Dodda Veerarajendra as heir to the throne. Hyder Ali saw this as the perfect time to bring Kodagu under his complete control.
So, he moved the king’s family members from the Madikeri Fort in Kodagu to Gorur Fort in Hassan. Displeased with the king’s removal, Kodagu rose in rebellion against Hyder.
Elsewhere, the second Anglo-Mysore war was raging on. In 1782, Hyder died and his son Tipu Sultan succeeded him. Linga Raja’s family was shifted and imprisoned at Periyapatna Fort in Mysore. In December 1788, Dodda Veerarajendra, his wife, daughter, brothers Linga Raja II (aka Lingarajendra) and Appaji Raja and other family members managed to escape from their confinement.
According to scholar H Moegling (in 1855) ‘some faithful Coorg friends assisted him (the king) and conducted him safely’. Historians I M Muthanna and D N Krishnaiah identified these friends as Kulletira Ponnanna, Pattacheruvanda Boluka, Appaneravanda Achaiah, Ketolira Achuvanna and others. They disguised themselves as oil-vendors and reached Periyapatna, where they were able to release the royal family.
The people of Kodagu declared Dodda Veerarajendra their king but the new raja and his family had no place to stay. The Mysore Sultan still held the Madikeri Fort. The king first stayed at Kurchi where he made a temporary, makeshift residence.
One day, when the king was away, bandits from Wayanad attacked Kurchi; they killed the queen, looted the ornaments and burnt down the place.
D N Krishnaiah writes that with the king living near poverty, Ketolira Achuvanna recommended his own native village — Yavakapadi near Kakkabe — as a suitable place for the raja to stay till the war was over. Back then, Kakkabe was a remote location, surrounded by mountains and jungles. Achuvanna accommodated the raja in his own ancestral house until a new palace was built.
A farmland of the Puliyanda family was found to be the most secure site for a palace; hidden by natural barriers from all sides, it was relatively inaccessible to invaders.
Four brothers of a family living there were asked to vacate the place, with the promise of compensation. Everyone complied, save for the youngest brother Karichcha.
When the palace’s construction began, Karichcha troubled the construction workers during the day and hid in the forest at night. Displeased with this, the raja got him captured and put to death
The palace eventually came up at the place and is called ‘Naalnaad aramane’ or Nalknad aramane, after the name of the region. The palace was relatively simple: a two-storey building with a thatched roof, built in the native Ainmane tradition.
The descendants of Achuvanna and his two brothers became the Aramane thakka (palace chamberlains); they were the hereditary chieftains in-charge of the Naalnaad palace. Meanwhile, Kodagu became free of Tipu’s rule in 1792. For Dodda Veerarajendra, life had come full circle, as he gained possession of his father’s old residence.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Spectrum / by Mookonda Kushalappa / October 03rd, 2020
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