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Tulu Nadu
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Tulu Nadu (Tulu:ತುಳುನಾಡು) is a region on the southwestern coast of Karnataka, India, consisting of the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. These districts were formerly the single district of Dakshina Kannada or South Kanara, but Udupi district was separated in August 1997. Also, northern Kasaragod of Kerala state was traditionally part of Tulu Nadu according to some Malayalam works. This is the region in which Tulu is spoken. The population of these districts in 2001 was 3,005,897. Mangalore and Udupi are the chief cities in Tulu Nadu.
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Tulunad, for Tulu-Nad or Nadu, is the country of the Tulu ethnic people.
Historically, Tulunad was the two separate lands of Haiva and Tuluva, located successively south of the Konkan, and considered as a part of the Malabar Coast of Kerala, which is immediately south of Tuluva.
Besides Tulu, Kannada (the state language) and Konkani are also widely spoken in the area. Also, a sizeable population of Muslims, Bearys, speak a dialect of Malayalam. The Tulu speakers are known as Tuluvas.
"Grama Paddhati" is a manuscript describing the origin of Tuluva Brahmins. The mythical account of origin of Tulu region is also described in that work. According to it, Tulu region was a part of Kerala created by Parashurama by reclaming the land form the sea. This literary work in the modern from is believed to be around from 15th century.[1]
Curiously, a similar work called "Keralolpathi" is found in Kerala region. Considering, the modernity of Malayalam in that work it has been dated around 17th century.
Tulu Nadu lies along the Malabar Coast, and shares a number of geographic, culinary, and social traits with the neighbouring Konkan and Kerala regions. Like them, Tulu Nadu is bounded on the west by the Arabian Sea and on the east by the Western Ghats. Tulu cuisine is popular across South India, mostly due to 'Udupi restaurants', which are primarily vegetarian. The Tulu language was also once spoken in Uttara Kannada or North Kanara, which for this reason is sometimes considered part of Tulu Nadu as well.
The community of Bunts (anglicized from Buntas), also referred to as Nadavas, form an important and integral part of the socio economic culture of Tulu nadu, in coastal Karnataka. They share Tulu nadu with other prominent ethnic groups like the Billavas, Mogeras, Brahmins, Konkanis, Catholics and Jains. As a community, Bunts are next in number only to the Billavas of Tulu nadu. They are reputed to be agriculturists par excellence. Bunts are part of a group called Nadavas, who mainly reside in the northern part of Tulu nadu. Billavas have had a common origin and culture as the Ezhavas/Thiyyas of Malabar and Nadaars of Tamil Nadu. same as bunts also thoughts to have had close connections with Nairs of Malabar and Nadavas, the name Nadava implies, originating from the word nadu or territory, the Bunts are owners of land. The Bunts of southern Tulu nadu speak Tulu language, a form of language that is used in commerce in the region, called Common Tulu.
E. Thurston wrote in his Castes and Tribes of Southern India (1955-56), “This is a caste of Kanarese farmers found only in South Kanara. The Nadavas have retained four sub-divisions*, one of the most important being Masadi…. I have no information regarding the caste but they seem to be closely allied to the Bunt caste of which Nadava is one of the sub-divisions. The name Nadava or Nadavaru means people of the nadu or country…. They still retain their independence or character, their strong well developed physique, and still carry their heads with some haughty toss as their fore-fathers did, in the stirring fighting days, when as an old proverb had it ‘the slain rested in the yard of the slayer’, and when every warrior constantly carried his sword and shield. Both men and women of the Bunt community are among the comeliest of Asiatic races.”
*Masadi (masadika) is the most common Tulu speaking sub-division of Bunts in Southern Tulu nadu. Nadavas are Kannada speaking people that live in Northern Tulu nadu from Brahmavar to Baindoor. Parivara Bunts also live in the northern parts and follow some of the Brahmin customs. Jain Bunts are those who converted to Jainism during the reign of various Jain rulers, especially Hoysalas.
Origin and Antiquity
Several inscriptions mention Buntas in various connections, earliest perhaps in the 9th century in the Udyavara inscription. Here a mention of Shivalli Brahmins and the Bantas of Chokipali (current day Chokkadi, near Udipi) is clearly made. Whether the Nadavas, the Kannada speaking people mostly found in the northern Tulu nadu are the same as the Bunts cannot be established with certainty. However, in the 20th century there was so much of intermingling of blood through marriage between the two groups that now they have become indistinguishable from each other. These two communities could have separate origins but with passage of time the two cultures certainly seemed to have merged. There are no records of the origin of the Bunt or Nadava community of Tulu nadu. It is strongly felt that they first made their appearance very early in the history of Tulu nadu, and they migrated from Northern regions.
It is almost certain that “in the early centuries of the Christian era, there were kings, some independent and some under the suzerain of overlords like Kadambas, Chalukyas and Hoysalas. There were constant skirmishes and fighting, and the ‘Buntaru’ or warriors were important stabilizing segments of the population. In due course the Bunts succeeded in becoming owners of lands that did not fall into the hands of the priestly class, namely Brahmins.” – South Kanara Mannual, Vol I.
Another group of people with similar culture was the Nayars of Tulu nadu. They have disappeared as an entity from Tulu nadu but the inscriptions found in Barkur from the medieval period as well as the Grama Paddathi, which gives the history of Brahmin families in Tulu nadu, have made several references to the Nayars. They seemed to have intimate connections with the Brahmins and acted as their protectors, perhaps brought to Tulu nadu by the Kadamba kings in the 8th century. Kadamba king Mayuravarma, who is credited with bringing Brahmins from Ahichatra (from the North), also settled Nayars in Tulu nadu. Yet, there is no written proof for this occurrence and the only mention of the Nayars in the inscriptions comes after the Alupa period (early part of 14th century.) and like most of the Kings of Malabar south Kanara Kings also have Nair Anscestory, It is postulated that the Nayars were later absorbed into the social stratum of the Nadava community.
It is also postulated that the Nayars of Malabar originally migrated from the Tulu nadu as noted here: Manual of Madras Administration Vol II (printed in 1885) notes that the Nadavas are the same people as the Nayars of Malabar and the Bunts of Southern Tulu nadu. “They appear to have entered Malabar from the North rather than the South and to have peopled first the Tulu, and then the Malayalam country. They were probably the off-shoot of some colony in the Konkan or the Deccan. In Malabar and south of Kanara as far as Kasargod, they are called Nayars and their language is Malayalam. From Kasargod to Brahmavar, they are termed as Bunts and speak Tulu. To the north of Brahmavar, they are called Nadavars, and they speak Kanarese.”
Prof S. Shivaram Shetty’s research shows that a tribe called Kosars wandered into Tulu nadu after the Aryan invasion. Mercenaries by nature, they first settled in Deccan and established the Shatavahana kingdom in Andhra Pradesh. In Tulu nadu they founded the Alupa kingdom.
During the rule of Vijayanagara Tulu nadu was administered in two parts – Manaluru rajya and Barakuru rajya. The people of the community to the north of River Kalyanapur (closer to Barakuru) called themselves Nadavas and spoke Kannada and people south of the river (closer to Mangaluru) came to be known as Bunts. There seems to have been a close relationship between the Bunts and Jains in Tulu nadu. Not only are their last names similar in many instances (Ajila, Ballala, Hegde, Banga, Chowta etc.) but they also have similar customs. Aliya santana is followed by both Bunts and Jains in Tulu nadu, perhaps the only Jain community in India to follow this matriarchal system of inheritance. Bunts of higher social standing were said to have converted to Jainism, though it is not clear when this conversion predominantly occurred.
After the fall of Vijayanagara Empire, during the rule of the Nayaks, in the 16th century, the Jains of Tulu nadu suffered a cultural recession. The glory of Jain period was abruptly curbed during the confusion of the take over of Tulu nadu by the Nayaks of Ikkeri. It is evidenced also by the lack of building great monuments and the bastis (like in Mudubidri). It is possible that during this period many of the Jains converted to Vedic Hinduism.
Tulu Nadu was governed by feudatories of the Vijayanagara Empire until the 17th century. In the 18th, it was conquered by Haidar Ali, the ruler of Mysore, and Mangalore became Mysore's chief naval entrepôt. After the British defeated Haidar's successor Tipu Sultan in 1799, the region was attached to the Madras Presidency before being reverted to the state of Mysore in the aftermath of independence. Mysore has since been renamed Karnataka.
Tulu Nadu was originally called Alvakheda. Many historians agree that this is the region Emperor Ashoka referred to in his edicts as Satiyaputra, one of the four regions outside of his empire (the other three being Chola, Chera and Pandya kingdoms).
The political history of Tulu Nadu can be classified as follows: 1. The Alupa (Aluva) period 2. The Rayas of Vijayanagara period 3. The Nayakas of Keladi period 4. The Sultans of Mysore period 5. The British period. 6. Post-Independence period.
The longest reigning dynasty of Tulu Nadu was the Alupas (Aluvas). They were the feudatories of the prominent dynasties of Karnataka. The Kadamba dynasty of Banavasi was the earliest, under which the Alupas flourished. Later the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta, Chalukyas of Badami, Chalukyas of Kalyani, Hoysalas of Durasamudra and Rayas of Vijayanagara were the overlords. The Alupas, however, were independent and their subordination was nominal at best. They ruled until the Vijayanagara kings totally dominated the Tulu Nadu from 14th to the 17th centuries. The region became extremely prosperous during Vijayanagara period with Barkur and Mangalore gaining importance. After the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire, the Keladi Nayakas of Ikkeri controlled much of Tulu Nadu. At the end of 18th century, Haider Ali and Tippu Sultan controlled the region. Mangalore played a prominent role in Tippu’s battles with the British. The British gained full control in 1801, after the defeat of Tippu in 1799. The British ruled the region with Madras (now Chennai) as its headquarters. When the Indian independence was achieved in 1947, Tulu Nadu became part of Madras state. When the states were divided into linguistic states in the 1950s, Tulu Nadu became part of Karnataka.
Under Portugal, ruling from the port cities of Mangalore, etc., the region was called the Missao do Sul, or the Mission of the South. Tipu Sultan conquered the region and the British conquered it from him. Under the British, the region was organized as the Districts of North Canara and South Canara.
The name "Canara" was given by the Portuguese who took it from Kannada or Karnataka. The Portuguese mistakenly believed that the entire Deccan was a single entity and referred to all natives in their dominions as Canarese. They even initially referred to Konkani as Canarese Brahman language.
The two districts were made a part of the Madras Presidency, but North Canara was later transferred to the Bombay Presidency. After Independence, the two Canaras were made part of Mysore State and then, of Karnataka State. The name "Canara" has been Indianized as "Kannada", so that the districts are now Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada.
The district of South Canara was recently bifurcated to create the District of Udipi.
There is an on-off movement among the Tulus for a Tulunad state, spearheaded by the now largely defunct Tulu Sena.
Tulunad was the original homeland of the dynasty that founded the Vijayanagar Empire based in eastern Karnataka.
Over the following many centuries, more ethnic groups migrated to the area. Konkanas and Gouda Sarasvats arrived by sea, as Mangalore was a major port that served not only the Portuguese but also the Arabs for maritime trades. Jains were already a prominent group and even today are uniquely preserved in Tulu Nadu. Though small in number, the Jains left behind indelible reminders of their glory with temples (bastis) in (Moodabidri) and monolithic statues of Bahubali, the gomateshwara, in Karkala, Venoor and Dharmasthala.
Madhvacharya in the 13th century built the eight monasteries (Matha) in Udupi. In the 16th century there was a large influx of Catholics to Tulu Nadu from Goa. They built excellent educational institutes and contributed to the development of education in the region. The Muslim community of Tulu Nadu were basically Arab traders who married local women and settled there. Some of them speak the Beary language, which is a mix of Tulu and Malayalam and others speak Urdu.
According to Professor P. Gururaja Bhat, there are five distinct features of Tulu Nadu that separates it from the rest of Karnataka region. They are:
1. Bhuta Kola or spirit-dance: This practice can be still seen in villages and many bhutas are still worshipped.
2. Nagamandala and Dakke-bali: An elaborate form of serpent worship, unique to Tulu Nadu. There is a distinct form of dance associated with it that is akin to Yakshagana. It is performed only by a group of people who call themselves Vaidyas.
3. Aliya-santana: The practice of inheritance passing to the nephew (maternal), instead of one’s progeny. This, along with 14 kattus and 16 kattales (laws governing the society), is seen in the non-Brahmin community.
4. The Tulu language, spoken nowhere else, serves as a bond between the people of different communities, giving them a sense of separation from the rest of South India.
5. Tatva-vada of Sri Madhvacharya (birth place of Dvaita philosophy). If Christianity influenced Madhva philosophy, as proposed by some experts, the influence of Christianity in the region was long before the appearance of the Portuguese in the 16th century.
Tulu Nadu is known for its varied culture and beliefs. Yakshagana, a dance-drama form that incorporates tales from Puranas, is very popular among the people.
Similarly, Bhuta Kola (spirit worship) and Nagaradhane (snake worship) are some of the facets of Tulu culture.
Yakshagana is a classical folk art form of the state of Karnataka in India, mostly popular in the districts of Uttara Kannada, Shimoga, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kasargode district of Kerala.
Bhuta Kola or spirit worship is an ancient form of worship prevalent among the Tulu-speaking community in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada districts in Karnataka and Kasargod district in Kerala.
Hulivesha (Tiger Dance) is a folk dance which is unique to Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. It is performed during Dussera to honour the Goddess Sharada whose favoured animal is the tiger.
Nagaradhane or snake worship, along with Bhuta Kola, is one of the unique traditions prevalent in coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in Karnataka.
Aliya Kattu (Nephew lineage) in Tulu/Kannada, or Marumakkatayam in Malayalam, was a matrilineal system of property inheritance practiced by many communities in coastal Karnataka and Kerala.
Tulu is a Dravidian language of India with fewer than two million speakers. Most of its speakers are in the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in the west of the state of Karnataka. It is also spoken in northern part of the Kasargod district of Kerala.
The Tulu script, also known as the Tigalari script, strongly resembles the script of the Malayalam language.
Tulu Nadu was once primarily dependent on agriculture and fishing. The main crops grown were rice, bengal gram, horse gram, vegetables and fruits. Plantation crops like coconut, areca nut, cocoa, cashew nut, and pepper are also grown. In the early 20th century, the red clay roof tile industry, cashew nut processing, and the banking industry grew substantially. Tulu Nadu is called "the cradle of Indian banking." Five major banks of India (Syndicate Bank, Canara Bank, Corporation Bank, Vijaya Bank and Karnataka Bank) have their origins here. In the early part of the 21st century the area has been transforming itself into a hub of the information technology and medical services industries. This is due to the excellent educational facilities and hospitals available in Tulu Nadu, covering all fields, and the abundance of skilled workers. There has been large-scale decline in agriculture and related industries due to the non-availability of labour and preference for white-collar jobs. Agricultural land is being converted to commercial and real estate properties, and environmental pollution is increasing drastically due to large-scale deforestation and increase in automobile use. A public sector petroleum refinery ( MRPL )was established in the 1990s. Some chemical plants (e.g., fertilizers and pesticides) have been established. Tulu Nadu contributes the second highest revenue to Karnataka state after the city of Bangalore.
The majority of the people in Tulunad belong to the Tuluva ethnic group. Earlier the Tuluvas ruled over a large empire known as Vijayanagar Empire. However with the loss of empire, the Tulu peoples have concentrated in the costal areas.
The next largest group are the Konkanis who migrated here from Goa, due to persecution by the Portuguese.
Kannadigas are also settled her. Other peoples settled here are Malayalis and Bearis
- Tulu Nadu: The Land and Its People
- Mangalore Home Page
- History of tulunad - udupipages.com
- South Canara Gazetteer 1894,1938,1973
- ^ The Tale of Tuluva Brahmins by Neria Harish Hebbar[ http://www.boloji.com/places/0019.htm ]