Kodagu’s First Agriculture-Supporting Festival

Madikeri, Sep. 4: One of the unique features of the agricultural district of Kodagu is that major festivals are celebrated locally to support agriculture. Accordingly, the celebration of Kail Pold / Kail Muhurta, which is recognized as the first festival celebrated after the completion of agricultural activities in the rainy season, was celebrated across the district on Thursday. As part of this festival, various sports events including traditional weapons like Kovi - Katti, worship of agricultural tools, shooting at coconuts, etc. were held with great enthusiasm in many places in the district.

People were involved in the festival celebrations in homes, in Ainmanes, including Mand - Mani. It is special that the universal celebration of this festival has gained more importance in recent years. This year, the rain has also decreased somewhat on this festival day, and the enthusiasm of the people was high.

With the hot weather, sports events including the coconut shooting competition organized in various places in the district were held with great enthusiasm. The splendor of Kailpold \ Kailphuurtha was seen with tradition, observance, and innovation. Especially, the vehicle worship and procession by the Ponnampet Kodava community, like in previous years, also attracted attention.

Ponnampet: The Kailpold festival was celebrated collectively and traditionally in Tonakeri Ambal of Mugutageri village in Ponnampet taluk. The villagers worshiped agricultural tools and weapons in their homes and then gathered in the village Ambal. Then, they sang the Muhurtha song while taking a pradakshina around the Arali Katte and praised the God. The village headman Malachira Bojappa inaugurated the festival by firing a gun in the air. On this occasion, a coconut shooting competition was organized for the villagers. The elders, the youths, and the women of the village participated in the competition and celebrated by demonstrating their marksmanship. The village elder Muddiyada Ganesh offered prayers to the agricultural implements and weapons and prayed for the well-being of the village.

Speaking on the occasion, Chiranda Shambhu Belliappa said that like every year, this year too, the villagers are celebrating the festival together. The Kail Pold festival is a festival that brings joy to the tired body and mind after completing agricultural activities. In the past, there was a tradition of villagers offering prayers to the weapons and then shooting at the incense tree and sugarcane tree at a designated place in the village. As time has changed, the tradition has changed and in recent years, the tradition of shooting at coconuts has continued.

He said that the responsibility of preserving and developing the Kodava traditions that include unique customs, ideas and traditions lies with the youth of today. Village head Muddiyada Prakash spoke and extended his best wishes on behalf of the village for the Thok Namme being organized by the Alemad family of the same village on October 10 and 11. He appealed to all the Kodava families of Kodagu to participate in this Thok Namme and make it a success. Later, the village elders traditionally presented a gun and a coconut to Alemad family members Roshan and Naveen Devaiah and wished them a successful Thok Namme.

In the coconut shooting competition, Muddiyada Kiran Joyappa won the first prize, Alemad Roshan the second prize and Chiranda Girish the third prize. Alemad Trisha Kaveramma won the prize in the children's category.

A large number of villagers, including members of the Mugutageri Temple and the Death Fund Management Board, women and children, participated in the program. Srimagala: Under the auspices of the Kodava Hitarakshan Balaga, Kggattnad, Ponnampet Kodava Samaj, the Kailpold festival was traditionally celebrated in the Ponnampet Kodava Samaj by offering pooja to agricultural implements, guns and vehicles. As per the tradition, the Kodava Samaj President Kalimada Motaiah and the Kodava Hitarakshan Balaga's Bollimada Dhanudevaiah offered pooja to agricultural implements such as ploughs and yokes.

Weapon pooja was performed for the guns and swords and separate places were kept for Karona and the dogs accompanying them in hunting as per the tradition. Vehicles were decorated en masse, weapon pooja was performed and lamps were lit for pooja.

Then the guns were handed over from the elders to the younger ones and, saying, "Move away from the path of the tiger and boar, do not anger the enemy, stand in front of the path and fight with the enemy, be a friend to your friend, do not forget God," they tied a thread in the Kodava language and fired into the sky as per the tradition.

A mass weapon puja was performed for the vehicles, and a procession of vehicles was held on the main road of Ponnampet town. Everyone participated en masse in the special festival procession.

On this occasion, President Chiriyapanda Raja Nanjappa, Vice President Chekkera Ramesh, Secretary Gandagada Kaushik Devaiah, Directors Addanda Dali Janardhan, Uluvangada Lohit Bhimaiah, Kotrangada Bipin, Ajjikuttira Shubha, Azzikuttira Ranji, Cheyanda Shammi, Addanda Sunil Somayya, Chettangada Vasant, Mallapanera Kariappa, Chettangada Uthappa, Gandagada Savina, Kotera Kishan Uthappa, Secretary of Ponnampet Kodava Samaj, Director Kakhichanda Chippa Devaiah, Addanda Prakash Kushalappa, Paravungada Dilan Changappa were present.

Ponnampet: In Kiraguru Bitewada village of Ponnampet taluk, various Okkas including Korakutpira, Kakera, Panikuttir, Charimanda, Pokkalichanda, Vananda and Churi of the Kodagu Heggade community came together and performed the traditional Kail Pold festival with devotion.

In the morning, all the Okkas gathered in the village hall, called upon the gods, and fired a traditional gun

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