Ainmanes

Kodagu: home of the Kodavas shown above in the map of Karnataka,India (in orange)

Ainmane

Ain-manés are the ancestral homes of the native communities in Kodagu, and have an important role in their socio-cultural traditions. Each ainmané belongs to an okka (patrilineal clan) that is identified by its mané péda (name of the okka). The traditional ainmanés of Koḍagu have a unique architectural style. Those that are still standing today generally date from about 150 to 250 years ago, and have evolved from the simple balyamanés of earlier times. Currently there are about 1720 okkas in Koḍagu (including about 1040 Kodava, 320 Gouḍa and 360 okkas of other communities). Nearly 60% of them no longer have traditional ainmanés.[1]

The Kodavas of Kodagu are Hindus; they believe in reincarnation, revere the cow and originally worshipped the natural elements (revering the Sun, the Moon, the Earth, water and fire) and their ancestors. The reverence of various spirits in addition to the established gods of Hinduism is also part of their religion. Each village had a Bhagwathi (mother goddess) temple, each lane had a snake deity and each nad(region) had an Aiyappa temple. The Kodavas worshipped Mahadeva as well. Comparatively liberal in their beliefs, the consumption of soma and pork is permitted during their ceremonies (except during Kaveri Sankramana when they have to be on a vegetarian, non-alcoholic diet). However like other Hindus, the consumption of beef is strictly prohibited. They maintained sacred groves on their public village lands from ancient times, hunting was prohibited in these woods called the Devakadu. They believe in astrology as well. Generally they didn't follow idol worship but believed in nature worship.

Kodava settlements in Coorg are in the form of Okka family groups that are scattered across agricultural and forested holdings, where traditional ainemane houses form focal meeting points in the rural landscape. It is a joint patrilineal clan with males of common ancestry. The male members of an okka share an okka name. Currently there are about 1000 okka names and families in Kodagu. Traditionally all the members of an okka lived in a large ancestral Ainemane house (ayyangada mane – House of the Elders). The emergence of townships, as such, has been a relatively recent phenomenon and many of the main towns in Kodagu are inhabited by recent migrants and non-Kodavas. This cluster of homes and property form the nucleus of a village called ur.

The spirits of departed souls who were prominent figures in the community and had done good deeds while they were alive were worshipped. These spirit gods do not have a set form of physical representation. Symbolically a piece of rock is sanctified and considered as such a spirit deity. The founder of each clan (Okka), the Guru Karana, is worshipped by the members of that particular clan. On their ancestral clan lands the Kodavas have a shrine (Kaimada), which is the shrine of the clan's first ancestor (Guru Karana), where they offer prayers and obeisance. A number of weapons, made of wood or metal, are kept in the Kaimadas. The shrine is usually made of clay or wood or covered with sheet metal, and housed within a roofed structure built near the entrance to the ain-mane. Sometimes it is simply located on a platform under a sap-exuding tree near the entrance of ainemane. Some clans conduct a karana kola, a dance of the ancestral spirit during which a Malayalee migrant dresses in elaborate colourful clothing and dances in a trance and acts as an oracle. During this ceremony he is symbolically possessed by the karana, the original founder of the particular clan. In every home a lamp called Nellakki Bolucha is lit in honour of the Guru Karana. The lamp in the central hall is lit by the embers of the kitchen hearth every day. Fire of the kitchen hearth is especially sacred.

On the day of Puttari (the rice harvest festival celebrated in around November–December), the whole family assembles in their ain mane (the common family house), which is decorated with flowers and green mango and banana leaves. Specific foods are prepared: thambuttu, puttari, kari and poli poli. Then the eldest member of the family hands a sickle to the head of the family and one of the women leads a procession to the paddy fields with a lit lamp in her hands. The path leading to the field is decorated. A gunshot is fired to mark the beginning of the harvest, with chanting of "Poli Poli Deva" (prosperity) by all present. Then the symbolic harvesting of the crop begins. The rice is cut and stacked and tied in odd numbers and is carried home to be offered to the gods. The younger generation then lite fire crackers and revel, symbolising prosperity. Groups of youngsters visit neighbouring houses and show off their dancing skills and are given monetary gifts. A week later, this money is pooled and the entire village celebrates a communal dinner. All family members gather for this meal.

The Pattole Palame Connection

The Pattole Palame was written using the Kannada script originally; it has been translated into English by Boverianda Nanjamma and Chinnappa, grandchildren of Nadikerianda Chinnappa, and has been published by Rupa & Co., New Delhi.[2] The translators’ introduction explains: “Since the Kodava language does not have a script, he used the Kannada script that has been in vogue since the 17th century, when the Lingayat Rajas ruled Kodagu and Kannada was their court language.”

Nadikerianda Chinnappa had begun translating the work into English in 1925 but he died in 1931, before he could complete it. Chinnappa's daughter married into the Boverianda clan. His son and daughter-in-law were both teachers. Their daughter Nanjamma and Chinnappa's daughter's son, also called Chinnappa, cross-cousins, got married. Boverianda Chinnappa, an engineer with a degree from an Illinois university, and Nanjamma, a statistician who was a visiting fellow at Cambridge University in 1974, pursued their professions at Chennai, Kolkata and Canada. In the 1970s, Boverianda Chinnappa, Nanjamma's mother and Nanjamma began to copy out the Pattole Palome in longhand over almost three years.[3]

While they were searching for copies of the original edition of the Pattole Palome, a ninety-year-old farmer and self-taught folk artist, Bacharaniyanda Annaiah, responded to their advertisement. During his youth unable to afford the book he had copied out the entire text word by word under a kerosene lamp. This hardcover book he gifted to the Chinnappas. Nanjamma's parents assisted in translating and interpreting the text. In the second edition of ‘Pattole Palame” (or ‘Silken Lore’), published by the University of Mysore in 1975, the editor describes it as one of the earliest extensive collections of folklore from any Indian community.[3]

After retirement they settled down in Bangalore in 1995 and began to realise his cherished dream. Finally in 2003, they completed the work and it has been published by Rupa & Co., New Delhi. That same year it was released in Madikeri (Mercara). This book has become the chief text for the Coorgs.[4]

Boverianda Nanjamma and Chinnappa have chalked out at least ten Kodagu-based projects for the future, including a directory of aine mane or ancestral homes, a lexicon of the Kodava language and a biography of the late Bacharaniyanda Annaiah, a self-taught folk artist. Presently they have been working on the ainemane project, this can be found on the Ainmanes website.[1]

The Ainmanes Project

Nalnad Palace built in the style of an Ainmane

Coordinates: 12°14′34.8″N 75°42′5.8″E / 12.243000°N 75.701611°E / 12.243000; 75.701611

Boverianda Nanjamma and Chinnappa had undertaken a project to collect information regarding each and every Ainmane found in Kodagu, irrespective of the community or caste of the clan members residing in them. They visited many of them in the period between April 2003 and May 2008. They also collected oral legends and traditional information from the occupants of each of these functional Ainemanes. Along with this they also researched about the concerned clans from previously published written material, wherever possible. The information thus collected are now available on the Ainmanes website. They have also provided a glossary for the Kodava thakk words used in the site. The couple are currently working on a book “Ainmanés of Koḍagu” that will give an overview of the ancestral homes of Koḍagu and of their socio-cultural significance.

The objective of this web-site is to document the current status of the traditional ainmanés of all the communities in Koḍagu and thereby contribute to the archival records of the heritage and oralhistory of the people of Koḍagu. It provides insights into the social and religious customs and conventions of the communities in Kodagu and the way of life of the people. It will also serve to raise awareness of the value of these buildings and the need to preserve them, besides providing information for those studying the socio-cultural-architectural heritage of Kodagu.This web-site contains information on all the traditional ainmanés in Koḍagu that were functional when the Chinnappas visited them. It includes photographs and information on each ainmané and its okka. The information was collected from members of the okka present in the ainmané during the visits and from those contacted later by telephone. Where available, information was added from published articles and books.[1]

Every ainmané in the web-site is identified by its mané péda, the village where it is located and the community to which it belongs. Entering the mané péda of the okka in the ‘Search window’ allows the user to retrieve the photos and information on the ainmané and the okka. A table listing the okkas visited in alphabetical order of their mané pédas along with the names of the villages where their ainmanés are located and the communities that the okkas belong to is provided. Similar tables in alphabetical order of village names and by community are also provided. Also included are sketch maps of Kodagu (in 9 sections) that show the location of each ainmané. The ainmanés are identified by numbers on the maps, and the index gives their mané pédas. A glossary gives the meanings of words in Koḍava language that are in the web-site. Accent marks in the glossary and the key to the transliteration provides a guide to the reader on the correct pronunciation of these words. The stories collected from the informants are oral narratives.[1]

Ainmanes of Kodagu (Book)

In 2014, Niyogi books has published their work titled 'Ainmanes of Kodagu'.[5]

Reference Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Ainmanes". Chinshai technologies. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  2. ↑ "Books: Pattole Palame ~ A love song to Kodagu". Google blogger - Aditi De. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  3. 1 2 "It's story time, folks". The Hindu newspaper. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  4. ↑ Folklore Research Journal "See the Book Review for the Pattole Palame under the list of contents" Check |url= value (help). Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  5. ↑ Bopanna, P T. "KODAGU AINMANES BOOK HITS THE STANDS". Coorg Tourism Info. Bopanna. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
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