By P.T. Bopanna
Keil Poldu, the festival of arms, is a time for merry-making for the Coorgs (Kodavas) in Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka. The festival is celebrated in the first week of September every year. The spirit behind the unique festival is summed up in a verse which runs thus:
“At Keil Poldu feast, my work is done
Then to the woods with knife and gun
I shoot the bison, tiger and deer
I am the fearless mountaineer.”
The Coorgs, living on the slopes of the picturesque Western Ghats, worship arms. The martial way of life is expressed in their dress and rituals. When a Coorg boy is born, a gunshot is fired in air in honour of his birth. Similarly, when there is a death in a Coorg family, two shots are fired simultaneously in the air, to alert the neighbours on the bereavement. Probably, the custom of firing of the two shots was evolved because the Coorgs live in isolated homesteads.
With arms being so much part of the life of a Coorg, it was but natural to celebrate a festival dedicated to the arms.
Basically, the Coorgs are an agrarian society and August is an arduous period when the folks are busy planting paddy. At least, that was the practice before the paddy fields were turned into coffee estates after the coffee boom.
On the morning of Keil Poldu, the armoury of the house, consisting of guns and swords, are cleaned and kept in the central hall. Then sandalwood paste is smeared on the weapons. A flower called Toku Poo is used to decorate the arms. The worship of the weapons is followed by a grand lunch.
The main dish is pork curry with rice dumplings. While the men consume hard liquor, women partake of wine during the feast.
The grand lunch is followed by the traditional Coorg folk dance. Later, both the men and women proceed to the village green in the afternoon where several competitions are held. The most popular sport is shooting of coconuts. Coconuts are hung from tree tops and the competitors shoot at them from a marked distance. The shooting is followed by Tenge pore, a sport where a group of youths scramble for the possession of a coconut.
A few decades ago, a collective hunt for game was organised in the forest. Because of stringent game laws, this custom is almost dying, though many Coorgs still go for hunting. The shikaris hunt with their dogs who also get a share of the kill. The person killing the wild animal gets the head as his share, and the one touching the tail of the dead animal, gets one thigh, in addition to his regular share of the meat.
The national costume of the Coorgs consists of an ornamental sword and a knife. From time immemorial, the Coorgs have wielded their weapon both in peace and war. So much so, as far back as 1861, the British had exempted the Coorgs from the Arms Act. This has been continued after Independence.
Source: ‘Discover Coorg’ by P.T. Bopanna, Rolling Stone Publications, 2023. Paperback copies of the book is available on Amazon:
