Hitherto, the colourful history of Kodagu (Coorg) was confined to the pages of government gazetteers. It should go to the credit of Kodagu-based writer C P Belliappa for writing a fast-paced account of Kodagu history spanning the last 400 years.

Belliappa’s latest book, Nuggets from Coorg History, has trodden a new path in the writing of history. Though generally most history books deal with wars and the glory of kings, the author of the new book has used anecdotes to make history interesting even for lay readers.

Belliappa is the ideal candidate for writing the history of Kodagu. His great-great-great-grandfather, Dewan Chepudira Ponnappa, served the last three rajas of Kodagu and the British East India Company retained him after they annexed Kodagu in 1834. Moreover, Belliappa’s father, C M Poonacha, was the chief minister of the erstwhile Coorg state between 1952 and 1956.

Though most of Kodagu’s history was documented by British and European historians, the late D N Krishnayya, who served as a lecturer in the Mercara (now called Madikeri) government college, carried out extensive research of Kodagu’s history and wrote his monumental book Kodagina Ithihasa in Kannada, which is a treasure trove of interesting anecdotes. Belliappa acknowledges the fact that he has drawn extensively from Krishnayya’s book which was published in 1974.

Rich history

The book begins with the rule of the Haleri rajas in 1600 AD, touches on the rein of the British and goes on to record the advent of Independence and the merger of the Coorg province with the erstwhile state of Mysore.

The Kodagu rajas were originally from Ikkeri in Shimoga district. One of the princes of the Ikkeri royal family came to Kodagu disguised in the garb of a jangama (Lingayat priest) and set up the Haleri dynasty near Madikeri around 1600 and ruled Kodagu till 1834 when the kingdom was annexed by the British.

The Lingayat rajas of Kodagu developed a strong bond with the Coorgs (Kodavas), the prominent community of the region. The Coorgs were the backbone of the rajas’ army and also the Dewans of the kingdom.

The Haleri dynasty was founded by Veeraraja who managed to overpower the hopelessly divided Kodava nayakas (warlords) who ruled Kodagu after the fall of the Vijayanagar empire.

During the long rule of the Lingayat rajas, the Muslim rulers of Mysore, Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan managed to overpower the Kodagu rajas. But their occupation was short-lived because the rajas managed to gain back their kingdom with the help of the Kodava soldiers.

Belliappa’s book has some interesting sidelights, including the exploits of Alamanda Kaveramma, who came to be known as Alamanda Doddavva, who was so strong that she once hurled a sack full of salt farther than any other man in her Armeri village near Virajpet. There is an interesting chapter devoted to Kongettira Rani Kaverammaji, a Kodava lass from Chettalli who had to marry Chikka Veerarajendra against her wishes and later migrate to Varanasi after the raja lost his kingdom.

The book concludes with the chapter on the merger of Kodagu with the erstwhile Mysore state in 1956.
Belliappa’s previous book, Tale Of A Tiger’s Tail & Other Yarns From Coorg was also published by Rupa.

Title: Nuggets from Coorg History
Author: C.P. Belliappa
Publisher: Rupa & Co
Price: Rs 195