Total population | |
---|---|
88,750 [1] (2011 census) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu-Nilgiris | |
Languages | |
Kurumba languages | |
Religion | |
Hinduism, Animism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Dravidians, Tamil |
Kurumbas (or) Kurumbar (Tamil: Kurumbans, Kurumbars) (Malayalam: Kuruman) (Kannada: Kuruba, Kurubaru) are a designated Scheduled Tribe or an indigenous community in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu(Nilgiris). [2] The Nilgiris district is home to six tribes.. The Kurumbar are one of the earliest known inhabitants of the Western Ghats, who are engaged in the collection and gathering of forest produce, mainly wild honey and wax. [3]
The main deity of the tribe is Lord Shiva under the name of Bhairava.[ citation needed ] They also worship animals, birds, trees, rock hillocks, and snakes, along with the other Hindu deities. [4] [5] Kurumbar are partially Sanskritised to believing in Hinduism. [6]
There are several divisions of Kurumbas: Jenu, Betta and Alu. Each of these divisions speaks their own Dravidian language. Jenu Kurubas are primarily found in the northern part of the Nilgiris, in the Mysuru district of Karnataka.[ citation needed ]
Kurumbas(Nilgiris) are one of the six ancient tribal groups in Tamil Nadu. According to the Madras Census Report of 1891, the Pallavas were Kurumbas. [7] Hunting and collecting forest produce are the two main means of living for the Kurumbar tribe. However, the restrictions to protect native forest and wildlife have forced them to find work outside the forests.[ citation needed ]
Ooty, abbreviated as Udagai) is a town and municipality in the Nilgiris district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 86 km (53 mi) northwest of Coimbatore, and is the headquarters of Nilgiris district. Situated in the Nilgiri hills, it is known by the epithet "Queen of Hill Stations", and is a popular tourist destination.
Chamarajanagar or Chamarajanagara is the southernmost district in the state of Karnataka, India. It was carved out of the original larger Mysore District in 1998. Chamarajanagar town is the headquarters of this district.
The Nilgiris district is one of the 38 districts in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri is the name given to a range of mountains spread across the borders among the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. The Nilgiri Hills are part of a larger mountain chain known as the Western Ghats. Their highest point is the mountain of Doddabetta, height 2,637 m. The district is contained mainly within the Nilgiri Mountains range. The administrative headquarters is located at Ooty. The district is bounded by Coimbatore to the south, Erode to the east, and Chamarajnagar district of Karnataka and Wayanad district of Kerala to the north. As it is located at the junction of three states, namely, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, significant Malayali and Kannadiga populations reside in the district. Nilgiris district is known for natural mines of Gold, which is also seen in the other parts of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve extended in the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Kerala too.
Kolar district is a district in the state of Karnataka, India.
The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The Pallavas played a crucial role in shaping in particular southern Indian history and heritage. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana Empire, whom they had formerly served as feudatories.
Sathyamangalam is a town and municipality in Erode district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the banks of the Bhavani river, a tributary of the Cauvery in the foothills of the Western Ghats and is the headquarters of Sathyamangalam taluk. It is about 65 km from Erode, 58 km from Tiruppur and 65 km from Coimbatore. As of 2011, the town had a population of 37,816.
Ariyalur district is an administrative district, one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The district headquarters is located at Ariyalur. The district encompasses an area of 1,949.31 km2.
Dharmapuri is a city in the north western part of Tamil Nadu, India. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Dharmapuri district which is the first district created in Tamil Nadu after the independence of India by splitting it from then Salem district on 2 October 1965. The city is located 50 km from Krishnagiri, 69 km from Salem, 60 km from Tirupattur, 90 km from Hosur, 117 km from Thiruvannamalai, 126 km from Bangalore and Erode, 181 km from Tiruppur, 200 km from Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli, 300 km from Madurai and the state capital Chennai. It is located between latitudes N 11 47’ and 12 33’ and longitudes E 77 02’ and 78 40’. It is one of the major leading cultivators and producers of mangoes in the state along with Krishnagiri, and is often referred as Mango Capital of India.
Mysore district, officially Mysuru district, is an administrative district located in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mysore division. Chamarajanagar District was carved out of the original larger Mysore District in the year 1998. The district is bounded by Chamrajanagar district to the southeast, Mandya district to the east and northeast, Kerala state to the south, Kodagu district to the west, and Hassan district to the north.
The Jenu Kuruba are a tribal group from the Nilgiris, numbering around 37000. They are concentrated in the districts bordering the states of Kerala and Karnataka. 'Jenu' means 'honey' in Kannada, referring to their traditional occupation as collectors of honey in the forest. In the early 20th century they lived in huts in the forests and cultivated. Starting from the 1970s and continuing today, many of the Jenu Kurubas have been evicted from their homes due to conservation measures in the various tiger reserves of the Nilgiris, like Nagarhole and Bandipur. Those who have been relocated outside the forest are daily wagers and agricultural labourers, who live in extreme poverty. Many work as labourers on coffee estates in Kodagu or for the Forest Department. They speak the Jenu Kurumba language, either classified as being related to Kodava or a rural dialect of Kannada. The tribals have fought multiple times to live in the reserved forests, most recently in 2020, under the terms of the Forest Rights Act. and in 2021 protests have continued against "the forest department as an encroacher, promoting eco-tourism and safaris … [in a way which] … is illegal under Indian and international laws."
Irula, also known as Iruliga, are a Dravidian ethnic group inhabiting the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. A scheduled tribe, their population in this region is estimated at around 200,000 people. People of Irula ethnicity are called Irular, and speak Irula, which belongs to the Dravidian languages family.
Nagapattinam district is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Nagapattinam district was carved out by bifurcating the erstwhile composite Thanjavur district on 19 October 1991. The town of Nagapattinam is the district headquarters.
Dharmapuri is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil-Nadu, India. It is the first district created in Tamil Nadu after the independence of India by splitting it from then-Salem district on 2 October 1965. Dharmapuri District is one of the major producers of mango in the state, fine quality granite is found in the district. It is also one of the main sericulture belts in the state. Around 30 percent of the district's area is under forest cover. Kaveri enters Tamil Nadu through this district. Dharmapuri district had the lowest literacy rate of 74.23% in Tamilnadu during the 2011 census.
Viluppuram, Villupuram or Vizhuppuram is one of the 38 districts that make up the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It was founded on 30 September 1993, prior to which it was part of the Cuddalore district. Vizhuppuram district lies in the way of the national highway connecting Tiruchirappalli and Chennai, and contains historical landmarks like the 500 year-old Gingee Fort.
Hosur is an industrial city located in the Tamil Nadu state of India. Hosur is one of the 21 municipal corporations in Tamil Nadu. It is located on the bank of the river River Ponnaiyar, 40 kilometres (25 mi) southeast of Bengaluru and 306 kilometres (190 mi) west of Chennai, the state capital. Hosur is home to major manufacturing industries including Stellantis, Ashok Leyland, Titan, TVS Motors, Caterpillar, Ather Energy, Schaeffler, and many others.
Kattunayakan or Jenu Kurumbas is a designated scheduled tribe in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. The word means 'king of the jungle' in Tamil and Kannada. They are one of the earliest known inhabitants of the Western Ghats, who are engaged in the collection and gathering of forest produce, mainly wild honey and wax.
Kurumbas-Nilgiris, is a group of Southern Dravidian languages of the Tamil–Kannada subgroup spoken by the Kurumbas tribes. Some of them are from different branches.
Kallakurichi is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The district headquarter is Kallakurichi. Kallakurichi District was announced on 8 January 2019 and it came into existence on 26 November 2019.
Vijayanagara district is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, located in the Kalyana-Karnataka region.
Jenu Kurumba, also known as Jen Kurumba or Jennu Kurumba, is a Southern Dravidian language of the Tamil–Kannada subgroup spoken by the Jenu Kuruba/Kattunayakan tribe. It is often considered to constitute a dialect of Kannada; however, Ethnologue classifies it as a separate language. Jenu Kurumba speakers are situated on the Nilgiri Hills cross-border area between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Mysore and Kodagu districts of Karnataka, and Wayanad district of Kerala. The speakers of the language call it "nama basha".
They (the Kurubas) are the modern representatives of the ancient Kurumbas or Pallavas, who were once so powerful, throughout South India, but very little trace of their greatness now remains. In the seventh century, the power of the Pallava kings seems to have been at its zenith, but shortly after this, the Kongu, Chola and Chalukya chiefs succeeded in several victories over them. The final overthrow of the Kurumba sovereignty was effected by the Chola king Adondai about the 7th or the 8th century A.D., and the 'Kurumbas were scattered far and wide.