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Mandh, the curator of Kodava culture

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While documents mention mandhs as paisari land, they are much more than just a piece of land — they are cultural hubs preserving the rich traditions of the Kodava community.

Two Kodava men perform Pare Kali 
Two Kodava men perform Pare Kali

Madikeri : 

A land narrates the culture of the people who reside on it.

Similarly, ‘mandh’, also known as ‘mandh maani’, are tiny pieces of land found in villages of Kodagu, which intimately recite the identity, culture, traditions and way of life of the Kodava people. Even as these pieces of land are given sacrosanct status in several regions of Kodagu, they come alive with vibrant culture during the festivities of the Kodavas. Rich greenery surrounded by age-old trees and serene mountain peaks and the silence of nature broken by the sound of traditional drums and people dancing in tune with the rhythmic sounds — this is a common sight in the mandh regions after the harvest festival of Puthari across Kodagu. 

While documents mention mandh as paisari lands, they are much more than just a piece of land — they are cultural hubs preserving the traditions of the Kodava community.

“Known as the cultural centres of the Kodava community, mandhs come alive with traditions and culture once or twice each year. Folk dance, art, culture and traditions of the Kodava community are exhibited on mandhs. While mandhs are mostly sacrosanct places, they bustle with activith during Kailpodh and Puthari festivities,” explained Madetira Beliappa, former joint secretary, Madikeri Kodava Samaj, a member of Kodava Sahitya Academy and an artiste at Madikeri Akashvani. He is also president of the uru mandh (village mandh) of Kadagadal village.

A group of men perform Balo Paat, a traditional performance, during a temple festival 

As he explains, mandhs are a connection between an individual and society. They play the role of multipurpose auditoriums and have taken up preserving and promoting the rich Kodava culture. “Mandhs are the first places that introduce the culture of the community to children. They also adorn the role of training spots,” K Shashi Somaiah, a resident of Madikeri, adds.

Promotion of culture, tradition
After Puthari, the community participates in a cultural extravaganza. Cultural programmes are not hosted amid the four walls but on mandhs. Puthari Kolat is a folk dance that is hosted right after a harvest. After paddy is harvested, every village hosts Puthari Kolat aka Puthari Mandh Namme across the mandhs. While Kolata is performed with colourful sticks that are usually short, lengthy canes are used to perform Puthari Kolat. The villagers get together at the mandh even as they take part in the Kolaat.

“During ancestral times, Puthari Kolat used to be hosted across all mandh regions up to five days after Puthari. While the Kolat started off at one mandh, it ended at the main mandh of the district on the fifth day of the festivities. After this, the sound of the canes falls silent,” explains Beliappa. He, however, added that Puthari Kolat is now hosted across the mandhs throughout the month.

Right after the timings are fixed following astrological readings to observe the harvest festival of Puthari, every village prepares to host Puthari Namme across the mandh regions. “Currently, committees are formed by villagers to host these cultural programmes. Every village has a head from one particular Kodava clan and they are called thakkas. They call for a meeting even as finance for it is crowd-funded,” Beliappa adds. While Koalat forms the basis of the cultural programmes, several other folk arts, including Balo Paat (songs in praise of the village, village heads and deities), Bolkaat (traditional lamp dance), Umathaat (a traditional dance performed by women) and Pareyakali (a mock fight with canes to exhibit the warrior culture) also take place.

A group of Kodava men perform Kolaat in their traditional attire

Apart from Puthari, the mandhs also come alive during the festival of Kailpoldh. While Puthari calls for a cultural extravaganza, Kailpoldh festivities call for unique sports activities — from coconut shooting to throwing heavy stones, the mandhs exhibit the warrior culture of the Kodava clans. 

The mandh is also filled with activities during the ancient practice of nari mangala (tiger wedding). As Beliappa explains, “Kodavas were warriors who often hunted in the bygone era. When a warrior kills a tiger, a ritual called nari mangala — where the warrior is married to the tiger he killed – is conducted with unique wedding-like rituals.”

Kinds of mandhs

Mandhs are categorised into different types and have an ancestral history. In ancestral times, mandhs were not just cultural hubs but played a more serious role of courts providing justice. Any village dispute would be settled amicably in mandhs. Like the hierarchy in courts, mandhs were also divided into categories.

Vaade is the mandh attached to the traditional houses of Ain Mane and they are in the possession of a single family. Then there is Keri mandh which belongs to the entire village. Uru mandh falls under two or more villages and the Naad mandh are regions that fall under a cluster of big villages. Seeme mandhs are the biggest mandh regions, which according to community elders, hold the prominence of the Supreme Court that declares the final verdict.

Mandhs started losing their importance a few decades ago. While the district had over 240 mandhs, only 70 to 80 exist now. Encroachment, government possession and other factors led to the deterioration of the sacrosanct mandhs. Nevertheless, the community is now alert about this situation even as several individuals, Kodava Samajas and other Kodava organisations have initiated the task of reviving mandhs. As Beliappa explains, “As per land documents, mandhs are paisari lands that come under the possession of the government. Over a decade ago, several development projects were carried out on village mandhs by the government. However, the community is now alert and several mandhs have been revived. The community will continue to preserve these sacred lands and changes need to be made to land documents to ensure permanent protection.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Prajna GR, Express News Service / January 07th, 2024

In the age of nuclear families, Kodava Keris aim to preserve, pass on culture

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With urbanisation and changing social structures, nuclear families, which were intrinsic in preserving tradition and rituals, have replaced joint families.

Women and a child don traditional attire at a Keri function

Madikeri:

With urbanisation and changing social structures, nuclear families, which were intrinsic in preserving tradition and rituals, have replaced joint families. To ensure their culture is not lost, various Kodava families in Kodagu district have joined together under one ‘keri’ (colony).

“The concept of ‘keri’ – synonymous with area or colony – started in Bengaluru among the Kodava community. The concept was adopted in the district too, with the first keri being formed 27 years ago,” says Kayapanda Shashi Somaiah, a resident of Madikeri.

As Kodava families started to move to cities from their native villages, the culture of the community was at stake. To prevent this, the keri concept was introduced in towns of Kodagu, including Madikeri, Virajpet and Ponnampet. “There are a total of 12 keris in Madikeri town. Cauvery Keri was among the first to be established in Madikeri. ‘Dechur Keri’ was established in 1998 and is one of the largest compared to other keris,” explains Madeyanda Ravi Kunjiappa, president of Dechur Keri.

He adds that this keri has over 300 members and an annual meeting is held after Puthari festival, which sees the coming together of all members.

Talking about the purpose of a keri, Shashi Somaiah explains, “For instance, if a death takes place in a Kodava family, members may not be acquainted with the rituals that need to be followed. That is when the keri becomes a second family of sorts.

Before relatives arrive from far off places, keri members who stay in the same area come together to help with the rituals.” Keris have a president and directors who are elected by the members once in three years. Emergency funds too are collected. Shashi says, “Death funds are handed over by the keri trust to family members.” The community also bonds over other matters during keri meetings.

“When people from the same community gather under one roof, talks pertaining to marriage also take place. There are instances where two people have been matched during keri functions,” says Ravi Kunjiappa.

Ravi adds, “During annual meetings, children who have achieved in academics or sports are recognised and felicitated. Similarly, elders who have achieved in government services or youngsters who have excelled in various fields will be felicitated and encouraged. Communities get to share their triumphs and trials.” Apart from being a support system, these keris also help in preserving Kodava culture. “The annual meeting becomes a platform for various cultural activities. Youngsters and children are required to take part in this cultural extravaganza. Children get trained by elders in ‘kolata’, ‘umathat’ and various other cultural activities,” says Ravi.

These skills are then put to test in the form of inter-keri competitions organised in each township once in three years. While inter-keri events have been organised in Madikeri six times, Virajpet town saw its first event this year. “Each keri takes turns to organise this function, which aims to unite Kodava families from different keris. The aim is to promote Kodava culture among the younger generation. This is the best way to teach our children about our traditions,” says Madanda Latha Somaiah, a member of  Dechur keri. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Prajna GR, Express News Service / March 15th, 2020