Ethnology. 



218 MANUAL OF THE NILAGIKI DISTRICT. 



PART V. 



The Badagas. 



Origin.— Physical characteristics. Dress. — Castes.— Wddeas.— Kongas. — Adhi. 

 kdris.— Kanakas. — Chittre — Bellis. — Hdruvas.— Minor Castes.— Mode of Life. 

 —Music and Song.— Character.— Dwellings — Religion.— Temples.— Rites and 

 Ceremonies. — Traditions. — Language. 



CHAP. IX, The Badagas or Northmen are the descendants of Kanarese 

 PART V. colonists from the Carnatic country known now as North 

 Coimbatore and South Mysore, which at one time formed an 

 important part of the ancient Kongu kingdom. It is 

 ^^^^^"" commonly reported that the principal migrations took place 



about three hundred years ago on the breaking up of the 

 Vijayanag-ar Empire ; but there can be no question that Kanarese 

 colonists must have occupied portions of the plateau long before 

 this and whilst the Nilagiris appertained rather to ancient 

 Kdrndta than to Dravida or the land of the Tamils ; in fact the 

 latter can hardly be said to have gained a footing on the Hills, 

 except in the case of the Kanakas or accountant class, until 

 after our occupation. These Kanarese colonists probably 

 migrated to the Hills when driven from home by famine, 

 political turmoil, or local oppression. The Lingayat Wodeas were 

 probably among the more recent immigrants. Among several 

 facts which indicate the long residence of most of the sections 

 of the tribe on the plateau, we may mention, (1) that the Badaga 

 population are almost to a man Sivaites, whilst only two-thirds 

 belong to this sect in the neighbouring district of Mysore, which 

 shows that they were but little affected by the conversion of the 

 Mysore Rdjas to the Vishnuvite faith in 1610 A.D ; (2) the names of 

 several of the divisions of castes are almost unknown in Mysore, 

 it being otherwise with the more recent immigrants ; (3) their 

 language is a dialect of old Kanarese, whilst their kinsmen 

 below the ghats speak the modern dialect ; (4) the local distribu- 

 tion of the other tribes, and the absence among them of a tradition 

 of the advent of the Badagas to the hills ; (5) the respect with 

 which they are treated by the Todas, whose mode of addressing 

 them is honorific, indicating the Kanarese ascendancy at the 

 time of their immigration. 



The earliest notice of the Badagas that I have found is in 

 Buchanan. He writes on 24th October 1800, — 



" Honey and wax are gathered by a caste called Bndugar, who 

 inhabit the hilly country between this (Devanaikcnkota) and the 

 province of Malabar, and which lies south from Nellcala, or the 



