Mythologies of the Baḍaga Tribe

The Badagas are an ethno-linguistic community living in the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu, India. Throughout the district the Badugas live in nearly 400 villages, called Hattis. The Badagas speak a language called Badaga. The name Badaga, meaning 'northerner', comes from Old Kannada Badagana, meaning 'north.'According to the Badaga oral tradition, their ancestors were presumed to be Vokkaligas who migrated from the plains of Mysore to avoid Muslim persecution. According to American anthropologist Paul Hockings, whose research on the Badagas spans nearly six decades, "the (Badaga) tribe despite its sketchy history is as indigenous to the Nilgiris as the English are to Britain." They claim to come from seven siblings living in the Thalaimalai Hills. After they fled from a Muslim ruler who tried to rape their sister, they settled in different parts of the Nilgiris. The second brother, Hethappa, was working outside when two Todas raped his wife and took his goods. He sought the aid of two Bayaluru, who agreed to help him if they married his two daughters. They killed the Todas, and the inhabitants of the village at the time claimed descent from the Bayalurus and Badaga daughters.

Baḍaga, any member of the largest tribal group living in the Nīlgiri Hills of Tamil Nādu state in southern India. The Baḍaga have increased very rapidly, from fewer than 20,000 in 1871 to about 140,000 in the late 20th century. Their language is a Dravidian dialect closely akin to Kannada as spoken in Karnātaka state to the north of the Nīlgiris. The name Baḍaga means “northerner,” and it is clear that the Baḍaga came into the Nīlgiris from the north, perhaps impelled by economic or political pressures. The time of their migration has been dated sometime after the founding of the Liṅgāyat Hindu sect in the 12th century and before 1602, when their settlement in the area was noted by Roman Catholic priests. The Baḍaga were divided into six main endogamous groups that were ranked in ritual order. The two highest castes were priests and vegetarians; the lowest caste worked as servants for the other five. Traditional Baḍaga religion and economy also relied on goods and services supplied by the other Nīlgiri peoples—Kota, Toda, and Kurumba. The Baḍaga generally are agriculturists, but many are engaged in other professions. In addition to grain, Baḍaga farmers grow large crops of potatoes and vegetables. Many have altered their traditional practices. Improved agriculture, local and national policies, and high-caste Hindu tradition are the major concerns of the contemporary Baḍaga.

The Badagas are the largest aboriginal Tribes of the Nilgiri district. Nilgiris was originally a tribal land. The Badagas live in nearly 303 villages, called "Hattis", throughout the district. Badaga people speak the language called "Badugu." Language has no Script. Some of the villages are Kukal, Kadanad, Ithalar, Nundala, Meluru, Hulical, Athikaratty, Melkunda, Kilkundha, Ketti, Thanthanadu, Milidenu, Nandatti, Jakkanari, Aravenu, Thinniyoor, Iyooru, Kannerimukku, Beragany, Pethuva, Jakkatha, Thuneri etc. They are also called as Gowdas of Nilgiris. The Brave Badaga King, Kalaraja refused his order and fought with him. In his second invation, Hoysala army killed Kalaraj's son, inspite of his son death Kalaraja refused to obey Vishnuvardana. In third invation, King kala was killed by Hoysalas. Three inscriptions refers to Kala's rule from his fort in Kukal Village("B.L.Rice, 1877: Vol:IV, Chp:2"). It testified that King Kala was ruling from 1116 AD and implied that his ancestors had been living here centuries earlier. King Kala was killed in a "Dhandu(war)",("B.L.Rice, 1877: Vol:IV, 19", " Dr.J Halan, 2012:139", "R.Sugumaran, Vol IV 2011:5,6, Vol V, 2014:13"). The Nilgiris came under Hoysala Empire after Kala Raja's death. Badagas belong to paleolithic period. Neolithic cultures like Dolmens, Cromlech, Cairns, Kistavens, Burrows could be found in many Badaga villages, which is considered as sacred by Badagas("H.B.Grigg,1880:242", "W.Francis, 1908:96", "Thurston, 1913:140"). Ashmound an unique feature of neolithic culture, was in practice with Badagas. Terrace Cultivation an another unique feature of Neolithic culture followed by Badagas and still exists.

As the Todas are the pastoral, and the Kotas the artisan tribe of the Nīlgiris, so the agricultural element on these hills is represented by the Badagas (or, as they are sometimes called, Burghers). Their number was returned, at the census, 1901, as 34,178 against 1,267 Kotas, and 807 Todas. Though the primary occupation of the Badagas is agriculture, there are among their community, schoolmasters, clerks, public works contractors, bricklayers, painters, carpenters, sawyers, tailors, gardeners, forest guards, barbers, washermen, and scavengers. Many work on tea and coffee estates, and gangs of Badagas can always be seen breaking stones on, and repairing the hill roads. Others are, at the present day, earning good wages in the Cordite Factory near Wellington. Some of the more prosperous possess tea and coffee estates of their own. The rising generation are, to some extent, learning Tamil and English, in addition to their own language, which is said to resemble old Canarese. And I have heard a youthful Badaga, tending a flock of sheep, address an errant member thereof in very fluent Billingsgate. There were, in 1904-1905, thirty-nine Badaga schools, which were attended by 1,222 pupils. In 1907, one Badaga had passed the Matriculation of the Madras University, and was a clerk in the Sub-judge's Court at Ootacamund. A newspaper discussion was carried on a few years ago as to the condition of the Badagas, and whether they are a down-trodden tribe, bankrupt and impoverished to such a degree that it is only a short time before something must be done to ameliorate their condition, and save them from extermination by inducing them to emigrate to the Wynad and Vizagapatam. A few have, in recent years, migrated to the Anaimalai hills, to work on the planters' estates, which have been opened up there. One writer stated that "the tiled houses, costing from Rs. 250 to Rs. 500, certainly point to their prosperity. They may frequently borrow from the Labbai to enable them to build, but, as I do not know of a single case in which the Labbai has ever seized the house and sold it, I believe this debt is soon discharged. The walled-in, terraced fields immediately around their villages, on which they grow their barley and other grains requiring rich cultivation, are well worked, and regularly manured. The coats, good thick blankets, and gold ear-rings, which most Badagas now possess, can only, I think, point to their prosperity, while their constant feasts, and disinclination to work on Sundays, show that the loss of a few days' pay does not affect them. On the other hand, a former Native official on the Nilgiris writes to me that "though the average Badaga is thrifty and hard-working, there is a tendency for him to be lazy when he is sure of his meal. When a person is sick in another village, his relatives make it an excuse to go and see him, and they have to be fed. When the first crop is raised, the idler pretends that 'worms' have crept into the crop, and the gods have to be propitiated, and there is a feast. Marriage or death, of course, draws a crowd to be fed or feasted. All this means extra expenditure, and a considerable drain on the slender income of the family. The Rowthan (Muhammadan merchant) from the Tamil country is near at hand to lend money, as he has carried his bazar to the very heart of the Badaga villages. First it is a bag of ragi (food grain), a piece of cloth to throw on the coffin, or a few rupees worth of rice and curry-stuff doled out by the all-accommodating Rowthan at a price out of all proportion to the market rate, and at a rate ranging from six pies to two annas for the rupee. The ever impecunious Badaga has no means of extricating himself, with a slender income, which leaves no margin for redeeming debts. The bond is renewed every quarter or half year, and the debt grows by leaps and bounds, and consumes all his earthly goods, including lands. The advent of lawyers on the hills has made the Badagas a most litigious people, and they resort to the courts, which means expenditure of money, and neglect of agriculture." In the funeral song of the Badagas, which has been translated by Mr. Gover,^[1] one of the crimes enumerated, for which atonement must be made, is that of preferring a complaint to the Sirkar (Government), and one of their numerous proverbs embodies the same idea. " If you prefer a complaint to a Magistrate, it is as if you had put poison into your adversary's food." But Mr. Grigg writes,^[2] "either the terrors of the Sirkar are not what they were, or this precept is much disregarded, for the Court-house at Ootacamund is constantly thronged with Badagas, and they are now very much given to litigation."

The Badagas are the largest aboriginal Tribes of the Nilgiri district. Nilgiris was originally a tribal land. The Badagas live in nearly 303 villages, called "Hattis", throughout the district. Badaga people speak the language called "Badugu." Language has no Script. Some of the villages are Kukal, Kadanad, Ithalar, Nundala, Meluru, Hulical, Athikaratty, Melkunda, Kilkundha, Ketti, Thanthanadu, Milidenu, Nandatti, Jakkanari, Aravenu, Thinniyoor, Iyooru, Kannerimukku, Beragany, Pethuva, Jakkatha, Thuneri etc., They are also called as Gowdas of Nilgiris. Badagas belong to paleolithic period. Neolithic cultures like Dolmens, Cromlech, Cairns, Kistavens, Burrows could be found in many Badaga villages, which is considered as sacred by Badagas("H.B.Grigg,1880:242", "W.Francis, 1908:96", "Thurston, 1913:140"). Ashmound an unique feature of neolithic culture, was in practice with Badagas. Terrace Cultivation an another unique feature of Neolithic culture followed by Badagas and still exists. Badaga Tribe inhabited Nilgiris thousands and thousands of years ago even before Lord Christ was Born. They are inhabiting in Nilgiris over 5000 B.C ("Shobana Swaminathan 1998:66, Reprint 2005", "R.Sugumaran Vol IV, 2009:5"). Precious Stone Trade was carried on between Indus Valley civilization(3300 B.C) and the Nilgiris. At Mohanja Daro and Harappa, "The beautiful green amazon stone could be found near Doddabetta, Nilgiris." Probably Doddabetta derived from Badaga Words.

The rich Badaga culture is reminiscent of the ancient, age-old Indian mentality of surviving and thriving in the environment. The main patterns of subsistence were based on barter system, and tea is, and was the most commonly cultivated crop. The migration of the Badagas to Ooty is traced back to familial wars in the Nilgiris and the Kollegal Hills. The decline of the Badaga community in these regions as a result of feudal violence caused them to move to Vijayanagar, where their needs were taken care of quite well. The migration of the Badagas to the Nilgiris has been from the Southern Mysore province, particularly from places like Nanjangud and Ummatur. The decline of the Ummattur Rayas’ empire after the British rule led to a fall in the customs and traditions of the Badagas. The introduction of formal token money and a trade led to the severe impairment of more primal barter frameworks. From the censuses conducted from the 1800s to the 2000s, it has been observed that the cultural heterogeneity of the Nilgiris is increasing, accompanied by a stability in Badaga population. The Badaga people live within the Nilgiris, in villages situated on low hillocks. The structure of villages is seen to be quite organized, with housing mainly comprising of thatched huts, made of a framework consisting of huts with joined walls. Added elements like milk houses and storage attics made of a framework of bamboos. The collectivism of the Badagas is seen through their cultivation methods, as well as from the way they live. The community is said to be extremely adept at stimulating the productive capacity of fertile lands. As soon as the Badagas approach a settlement, they become almost compelled to clear rocks and other irregularities –rendering it cultivable. The division of labor is seen to rely on patriarchal stereotypes, with women taking care of the home, and men venturing out to cultivate coffee. There has been a cessation of shifting cultivation among the Badagas, who have now made their settlement in the Nilgiris, and thus, their culture has undergone quite a bit of an assimilation in the past few decades.

The origins of the Badaga people remain shrouded in some mystery. However, prevailing theories suggest they migrated to the Nilgiris centuries ago, possibly from the Kannadiga-speaking regions of Karnataka. Their language, Badaga, reflects a blend of influences, hinting at their complex historical journey. Oral traditions preserve their ancestral tales, passed down through generations. These stories provide invaluable insights into their beliefs, social structures, and historical interactions with other communities in the Nilgiri region. Further research is needed to fully understand their migration patterns and early settlement. Archaeological evidence from the Nilgiri region also plays a crucial role in understanding the Badaga’s deep connection to their land. Excavations may uncover artifacts and settlements supporting the narratives found in their oral histories. This intertwining of oral history and archaeological findings provides a richer narrative. The Badaga language, a distinct dialect with South Dravidian roots, acts as a cornerstone of their cultural identity. It’s primarily spoken within the community, reinforcing their unique heritage. However, the younger generation’s increasing use of Tamil and English poses a challenge to language preservation. Efforts to document and preserve the Badaga language are crucial. Initiatives to teach Badaga in schools and create language learning resources help to ensure its survival for future generations. Cultural preservation programs are also vital in ensuring the Badaga language’s continued existence. The Badaga language’s unique vocabulary and grammatical structures reflect their distinct cultural practices and beliefs. Studying the Badaga language offers valuable insights into the evolution of South Dravidian languages and the community’s rich cultural history. Protecting this language is a vital step in preserving the Badaga people’s identity.

Badagas have an unique culture which is entirely different from other communities. The Badagas are an important Tribe of Nilgiris and their Culture is very rich and unique in many ways. The tribal ways of doing rituals while celebrating the following life-cycle rituals by Badagas even today reveals the fact that they followed a distinctive tribal culture in the Nilgiri hills. They have certain rules and regulations to be followed in implementing their cultural rituals from the birth of a child and follows through functions like Puberty, Marriage, Naming ceremony, Seventh Month Pregnancy, Housewarming, Festivals and finally Death ceremony. A child receives its name on the seventh, ninth, or eleventh day. A sumptuous meal is given to the guests who attend the function. Grandfather milks a cow and pours the milk into a brass plate and a little cooked samai grain is mixed. The baby is washed with water brought from a stream; marked on the forehead with sacred ashes; a turmeric – dyed thread is tied around its waist; a silver or iron bangle placed on its wrists; and a silver bead tied by a thread around its neck. Thus decorated, the infant is taken up by the oldest man of the village who is not a widower, who gives baby a name, which has already been chosen. The elders, child’s parents and grandparents then feed little milk to the infant. The Badaga men and women have equal rights in matters of human bondage and family life. Since the Badaga society is a proverbial kinship society, a Badaga male and a female can enter into matrimonial alliance only where the kinship relationship permits. Dowry is unthinkable among the Badagas, who are proud people with unique self-respect. “Thali” was alien to the Badaga culture, but is widely used for identification in their association with outsiders to show that the girl is married.

They have peculiar marriage customs. Marriage, as a rule, is held at Bridegroom’s residence. The parents of the boy would locate a suitable girl for him. If the kinship relation permits, they ascertain through the elders as to whether they could take the girl as a bride for their son. If the response from the girl’s parents is positive, some elders are sent to the girls house on an appointed date and the alliance is initiated by a ritual called “holding the right hand” A date is fixed for confirmation.

Badagas were not under the influence of caste system in any part of their history. In caste system a person’s social status was determined by his occupation. Although caste depended upon a person’s occupation it became hereditary in due course. So, it is inevitable to a person to live with an unalterable particular social status throughout his life. The traditional association between caste and occupation is far from dissolution. Badagas apparently changed their occupations to suit the environment. They never developed intrinsic bond with any particular occupation. It is to be noted that the very name Badaga itself is not derived from any occupation. In India, most of the caste names are derived from occupations. Badagas major occupations were food gathering, honey collecting, hunting, buffalo rearing, millet cultivation (that too swift cultivation for some time) , cash crop cultivation etc., Among these a particular occupation was predominant at a particular time. And also all the sub groups of Badaga community engaged the same occupation. Badaga population was very small up to the beginning of the twentieth century and they spread over the entire Nilgiri plateau. In that case, for a long period there were very few families in a haTTi (hamlet)3 and all the families were descended from a same forefather. So, there was a social compulsion to venture occupations in common. The origin of the caste system in India is shrouded, but it seems, it originated some two thousand years ago. Caste system is associated with religion and people were categorized by their occupations. Badagas’ religious beliefs were primitive in nature, so the religious side of their social organisation was lacking to originate caste system jaati (caste) is used in India specifies a subdivision of a larger division varna (a concept based on colour or race). The varna concept is entirely unknown to Badagas. To uphold caste system the reincarnation belief played a major role. According to that belief after each life a soul reborn into a new material forms. Badagas’ inclination towards ancestor worship is so strong. They do not have belief in the past and future births and do not have any idea about karma theory. One of the religious beliefs of Badagas is that all the dead are there in a particular place near mallaaDu, a western part of the Nilgiris, in astral bodies and the person who is going to die will join with them.