Famous Festivals of Coorg

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Coorg is popularly known as the Scotland of India. It is a beautiful hill station nestled in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. Coorg is the source of Cauvery River in the state of Karnataka. It is situated at an altitude of 1,525 M. The scenic beauty of this hill station is worth experiencing and so are the famous festivals of Coorg.
Lush Green Plantations Of Coorg

Coorg, also known as Kodagu, is a lush green hill station. Teak wood forests, coffee plantations, oranges, and honey, are some of the popular plantations found in Coorg. The main economy of Coorg is supported by plantation and agriculture. Coorg is still untouched by commercial tourism and is green and clean through out.

The community of Coorg consists of different clans. All the clans are based are naive hilly community that have very strong cultural base in Coorg. Some of the prominent clans are Tulu, Gowda, Moplah, and Kodava. Out of these Kodava is the most prominent clan of Coorg.

Kodavas have a distinct cultural identity and have preserved it since long. The festivals of Coorg are also much influenced by the Kodavas community. The men and women of Kodava community are very brave. A lot of Coorgis have served Indian Army and made our country proud. A few examples are General Thimayya and Field Marshal Kariappa. The Kodava women are supposed to be very beautiful but also fiery at the same time. Thus the famous festivals of Coorg are mainly based on agricultural and military activities.

The famous festivals of Coorg are:

1. Keilpoldu

   Keilpoldu also known as Keilmurta is celebrated in the month of September. Keipoldu is the festivals of arms. This is the time when the agricultural season is over in the hills and people get geared up for fun, and community based games. Thus all the weapons are taken out, polished, cleaned, worshipped, and prepared for reuse.

   There is a feast of regional dishes. The villagers get together for games and sports like racing, wrestling, and so on. Hunting is also a part of this grand festival.

2. Puthari

   As Keilpoldu is a festival based on the military traditions of Kodavas, Puthari is based on the agricultural customs. It is performed in the month of November/December. This is the traditional harvest festival of Coorg. Men and women dress up culturally and get together to perform folk dance and music. The main attraction of this festival is the dance and music competition that each village and has. These contests are generally held in the village temples. The first crop after the harvest is cut and offered to the God.

3. Kaveri Shankaramana

   The Kaveri Shankaramana is performed in the month of October. In this festival the residents of Coorg worship river Kaveri. Coorg being the origin of Kaveri river it is the life and blood of this small town. Kaveri forms the main source of the livelihood of Coorgis.

   According to the common belief on the day of Kaveri Shankaramana river Kaveri springs like a fountain and fills the bigger holy tank Talacauvery, the point of origin of the river. On this occasion the residents of Coorg take holy dip in the tank.

The above are the famous festivals of Coorg. A visit to Coorg during any of these festivals offers a very wholesome experience.