The Early Coorgs

Book excerpt: The year is 1174. The place is Kodagu. The event is the seige of a fort. The fort of Palpare is taken by a neighbouring army. The Raja calls the Kodavas from all the regions and lead them on a campaign to regain the lost fort. Over the ages the Kodavas of Kodavu came to be known as the Kodagas of Kodagu and as the Coorgs of Coorg. In this present book is a decipherment of the origins of the Coorgs, while speaking of their mythology and their early history, by means of folklore and inscriptions.It is a work of narrative non-fiction and of popular history. The book records the interesting history of the Coorgs over the centuries. It begins with the mythology of Kodagu, both classical and folk. Bloch had said that to write a history such that it entertains both the layman and the learned is a great thing in itself. The tales of sages, gods and heroes are narrated. The megaliths built by the ancients of Kodagu are studied. The origins of the Coorgs are discussed. Religions, cultures and languages are compared in the process. The early history of the region is spoken of. The reign of various kings, lords and barons as deciphered from inscriptions is also spoken of. Kings of the Changalva, Kongalva, Hoysala and other dynasties have been involved in the region.