Tulu people

Last updated

Tuluvas
Posa jodigu per korpuna.jpg
Total population
c. 1.8 million
Regions with significant populations
Flag of India.svg  India 1,846,427 (2011 census) [1]
Languages
Tulu
Religion
Majority:
Om.svg Hinduism
Minority:
[2]
Related ethnic groups
Pancha-Dravida, Dravidian, Kannadigas, Konkanis, Kodavas, Malayali [3]
PersonTuḷuva
PeopleTuḷuvarŭ
LanguageTuḷu
CountryTuḷu Nāḍŭ

The Tulu people or Tuluvas are an ethno-linguistic and ethno-cultural group from Southern India. They are native speakers of the Tulu language and the region they traditionally inhabit is known as Tulu Nadu. This region comprises the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in Karnataka and part of Kasaragod district in Kerala, [4] [5] [ unreliable source? ] with Mangalore, Karnataka being the commercial hub. The Census report of 2011 reported a population of 1,846,427 native Tulu speakers living in India. [1]

Contents

Etymology

According to Keralolpathi , the name Tuluva comes from that of one of the Cheraman Perumal kings of Kerala, who fixed his residence in the northern portion of his dominions just before its separation from Kerala, and who was called Tulubhan Perumal. [3] [ better source needed ]

Mythology

According to mythology, Tulu Nadu was reclaimed by Parashurama from the sea.[ citation needed ] According to the 17th-century Malayalam work Keralolpathi , the lands of Kerala and Tulu Nadu were recovered from the Arabian Sea by the axe-wielding warrior sage Parasurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu (hence, Kerala is also called Parasurama Kshetram 'The Land of Parasurama' [6] ). Parasurama threw his axe across the sea, and the water receded as far as it reached. According to legend, this new area of land extended from Gokarna to Kanyakumari. [7] [ better source needed ] The land which rose from sea was filled with salt and unsuitable for habitation; so Parasurama invoked the Snake King Vasuki, who spat holy poison and converted the soil into fertile lush green land. Out of respect, Vasuki and all snakes were appointed as protectors and guardians of the land. P. T. Srinivasa Iyengar theorised, that Senguttuvan may have been inspired by the Parasurama legend, which was brought by early Aryan settlers. [8]

People and identity

Flag of the Tulu People Flag of the Tulu People.svg
Flag of the Tulu People

Tulu speakers are divided into various castes. The major Tulu speaking castes are, Bunt, Billava, Shettigars, Tulu Gowdas, Devadiga, Kulalas, Koraga, Mogaveera, Tulu Brahmins, Vishwakarmas, Naiks. Mangalorean Protestants are also Tulu speakers. [9] A Tulu woman is called Tuluvedi.[ citation needed ]

Culture

Tulu Baase written in Tigalari script Tulubaase4.png
Tulu Baase written in Tigalari script
Nagabana: The Naga deities are worshipped in sacred groves Nagabana.jpg
Nagabana: The Nāga deities are worshipped in sacred groves
Ritual dance performing the Buta Kola dance in honour of the deities worshipped by Tulu speakers Bhutakola.jpg
Ritual dance performing the Buta Kola dance in honour of the deities worshipped by Tulu speakers

Tuluvas follow a matrilineal system of inheritance known as Aliyasantana, where inheritance is from uncle to nephew, except for Brahmins, Tulu Gowda, Shettigar caste and Vishwakarmas. [10] It is similar to the Marumakkathayam of Kerala. [11] [12] [13] Other distinctive features include the rituals of Yakshagana, Bhuta Kola, Nagaradhane [14] Aati kalenja and Kambala. [15] Bhuta Kola is similar to Theyyam in Kerala. [16] [17]

Tuluva New Year is called Bisu Parba , which falls on the same day as Baisakhi, Vishu and the Thai New Year. [18]

Tuluva Paddanas are sung narratives, which are part of several closely related singing traditions in Tulu language, Paddanas are sung during occasions which describe the evolution of Tulu tribes and Tulu culture. [19]

Buta Kola

Bhuta-aradhana (lit.'spirit worship' or 'soul worship'; a bhuta or bhoota is a supernatural creature, or spiritual entity, especially of ancestors) [20] in Tulu Nadu is similar to the rest of South India, though the bhutas and forms of worship differ. The kola or nema is the yearly ceremony celebrating the festival of bhutas. They have attained a godly status among some worshippers, mainly non-Brahmins, and even have their own bhuta-sthanas (a place of abode similar to temples). However, in many villages the Brahmins, who consider these spirits as their protectorates, conduct the yearly ceremonies.

Bhuta, who may be considered local deities, can be animistic as in Panjurli (boar) or Pili-bhuta (tiger). A second variety can be representatives of characters taken out of the Puranas like Bermer (Brahma), Lekkesiri (Raktesvari, Kali) or Vishnumurti. A third category is deified human beings like Gulige, Annappe, and Koti-Chananye. The fourth kind is strictly local characters like Male-Chandi (from the male-Nadu), Ullaldi (from Ullal), and Malaraye (from the Ghats). Then there are bhutas that provide comical relief during nemas, namely Marlu-Jumadi (crazy Jumadi) or Potte (mute–deaf demigod). Newer bhutas also have been added, like Posa-bhuta (new demigod), Vokku-Ballala, and Muttappe. [21] [ better source needed ]

Demand for a Tulu Nadu state

From India's independence and following the reorganization of states, the Tuluvas have been demanding national language status for Tulu [22] and a separate state for themselves called Tulu Nadu ('land of Tuluvas'), based on their language and distinct culture. Though somewhat subdued for a while, this demand has grown stronger in recent years. Several organizations like the Tulu Rajya Horata Samiti have taken up the cause of the Tuluvas, and frequent meetings and demonstrations are held across towns in Tulunadu (such as Mangalore and Udupi) to voice their demands. [23] [ broken footnote ] [24] [25]

Prominent Tuluvas

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulu language</span> Dravidian language of Tulu Nadu region

Tulu is a Dravidian language whose speakers are concentrated in Dakshina Kannada and in the southern part of Udupi of Karnataka in south-western India and also in the northern parts of the Kasaragod district of Kerala. The native speakers of Tulu are referred to as Tuluva or Tulu people and the geographical area is unofficially called Tulu Nadu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanara</span> Region in Karnataka, India

Kanara or Canara, also known as Karavali is the historically significant stretch of land situated by the southwestern coast of India, alongside the Arabian Sea in the present-day Indian state of Karnataka. The subregion comprises three civil districts, namely: Uttara Kannada, Udupi, and Dakshina Kannada. Kassergode was included prior to the States Reorganisation Act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dakshina Kannada</span> District of Karnataka in India

Dakshina Kannada district is located in the state of Karnataka in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangalore. It is part of the larger Tulu Nadu region. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east and the Arabian Sea to its west. Dakshina Kannada receives abundant rainfall during the Indian monsoon. It is bordered by Udupi district to the north, Chikmagalur district to the northeast, Hassan district to the east, Kodagu to the southeast and Kasaragod district of Kerala to the south. According to the 2011 census of India, Dakshina Kannada district had a population of 2,083,625. It is the only district in Karnataka state to have all modes of transport like road, rail, water and air due to the presence of a major hub, Mangalore. This financial district is also known as the Cradle of Indian banking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulu Nadu</span> Region and proposed state in southern India

Tulu Nadu or Tulunad is a region and a proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva', speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language, are the preponderant ethnic group of this region. South Canara, an erstwhile district and a historical area, encompassing the undivided territory of the contemporary Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka State and Kasaragod district of Kerala state forms the cultural area of the Tuluver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Canara</span> District of British India in Madras, British Raj

South Canara was a district of the Madras Presidency of British India, located at 13.00°N 75.40°E. It comprised the towns of Kassergode and Udipi and adjacent villages, with the administration at Mangalore city. South Canara was one of the most heterogeneous areas of Madras Presidency, with Tulu, Malayalam, Kannada, Konkani, Marathi, Urdu, and Beary languages being spoken side by side. It was succeeded by the Tulu-speaking areas of Dakshina Kannada district, the Malayalam-speaking area of Kasaragod district and the Amindivi islands sub-division of the Laccadives, in the year 1956.

The Bunt people are an Indian community who historically have inhabited the Tulunadu region in South India. Bunts were traditionally a warrior-class community, with agrarian origins, forming the landed gentry of the region. They are the dominant land-owning and farming community of Tulu Nadu, and speak Tulu as well as Kundagannada as their mother tongue. Today, the Bunts are a largely urbanised community, with a population size of less than one million worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tigalari script</span> Abugida writing system of the Brahmic family

Tigalari, also known as Tulu script, is a Southern Brahmic script which was used to write Tulu, Kannada, and Sanskrit languages. It was primarily used for writing Vedic texts in Sanskrit. It evolved from the Grantha script. It is called as Tigalari lipi in Kannada-speaking regions and Tulu speakers call it as Tulu lipi. It bears high similarity and relationship to its sister script Malayalam, which also evolved from the Grantha script.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Udupi district</span> District of Karnataka in India

Udupi district is an administrative subdivision in the Karnataka state of India, with the district headquarters in the city of Udupi. It is situated in the Canara old north malabar coastal region, there are seven taluks, 233 villages and 21 towns in Udupi district. The three northern tehsils of Udupi, Kundapur and Karkala, were partitioned from Dakshina Kannada district to form Udupi district on 25 August 1997. Moodabidri was officially declared as new tehsil (taluk), separated from Karkala with effect from 11 January 2018.

The Shivalli Brahmins are a Hindu Brahmin community in Karnataka. They are divided into two groups, the first of who follow the Dvaita philosophy founded by the Vaishnava saint Madhvacharya of Udupi are called Shivalli Madhva Brahmins, and the second of who follow the Advaita philosophy of Adi Shankara are known as Shivalli Smartha Brahmins. Majority of Shivalli Brahmins are Madhvas and only a few of them are Smarthas.

The Billava Or Bhillava, Billoru, Biruveru people are an ethnic group of India. They are found traditionally in Tulu Nadu region and engaged in toddy tapping, cultivation and other activities. They have used both missionary education and Sri Narayana Guru's reform movement to upgrade themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buta Kola</span> Ritual folk dance and divination from India

Būta Kōlā, also referred to as Daiva Kōlā or Daiva Nēmā, is a shamanistic dance performance prevalent among the Hindus of Tulu Nadu and parts of Malenadu of Karnataka and Kasargod in northern Kerala, India. The dance is highly stylized and performed as part of 'Bhootaradhane' or worship of the local deities worshipped by the Tulu speaking population. It has influenced Yakshagana folk theatre. Būta kōlā is closely related to Theyyam of North Malabar region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nagaradhane</span> Form of cobra worship in Karnataka and Kerala, India

Nagaradhane is a form of serpent worship which, along with Bhuta Kola, is one of the unique traditions prevalent in coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod collectively known as Tulu Nadu, practiced by Tuluva community members. Cobras are not just seen as deities, but as an animal species which should be respected, appeased and protected for multiple social, religious and ecological reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sthanika Brahmins</span> Oldest Tulu Brāhmins primarily from the coastal Karnataka

Sthānika Brāhmins belong to Hindu Tuluva Smartha Brahmin group.

Mangalore district that was partitioned from the erstwhile South Canara, has been multicultural and is a little different from the prevalent culture of the Carnataca state of India. A native of Mangalore is known as a Mangalorean in English, Kudladakulu in Tulu, Kodyaalkar in Konknni, Manglurnavaru in Kannada& Maikaaltanga in Byari.

Mangaloreans are a collection of diverse ethnic groups that hail from the historical locales of South Canara (Tulunaad) on the south western coast of Karnataka, India, particularly the residents native to Mangaluru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnic groups in Kerala</span>

The population of Kerala, India is a heterogenous group that comprises many ethnic groups that originated in other parts of India as well as the world, with distinctive cultural and religious traditions. While the majority of Keralites speak the Malayalam language, various ethnic groups may speak other languages as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karkala</span> Town in Karnataka, India

Karkala, also known as Karla in Tulu language, is a town and the headquarters of Karkala taluk in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. Located about 60 km from Mangalore in the Tulu Nadu region of the state, it lies near the foothills of the Western Ghats. Karkala has a number of natural and historical landmarks, and is a major tourist and transit destination due to its strategic location along the way to Hebri, Sringeri, Kalasa, Horanadu, Udupi, Kollur, Subrahmanya and Dharmasthala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Malabar</span> Geographical / Historical Area in India

North Malabar refers to the geographic area of southwest India covering the state of Kerala's present day Kasaragod, Kannur, and Wayanad districts, and the taluks of Vatakara and Koyilandy in the Kozhikode District of Kerala and the entire Mahé Sub-Division of the Union Territory of Puducherry. Traditionally North Malabar has been defined as the northern portion of the erstwhile Malabar District which lies between Chandragiri River and Korapuzha River. The region between Netravathi River and Chandragiri River, which included the portions between Mangalore and Kasaragod, are also often included in the term North Malabar, as the Kumbla dynasty in the southernmost region of Tulu Nadu, had a mixed lineage of Malayali Nairs and Tuluva Brahmins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulu Nadu state movement</span> Formation of separate Tulu Nadu state from Karnataka and Kerala

Tulu Nadu State movement is aimed at increasing Tulu Nadu's influence and political power through the formation of separate Tulu Nadu state from Karnataka and Kerala. Tulu Nadu is a region on the south-western coast of India. It consists of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka and Kasargod district up to the Chandragiri river in Kerala. The Chandragiri River has traditionally been considered a boundary between Tulu Nadu and Kerala from the fourth century AD onwards. The first call for a separate Tulu Nadu state was made just after the Quit India Movement in 1942 by Srinivas Updhyaya Paniyadi, a banker and a press owner from Udupi. Mangalore is the largest and the chief city of Tulu Nadu. Tulu activists have been demanding a separate Tulu Nadu state since the late 2000s, considering language and culture as the basis for their demand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Kasaragod</span>

Kasaragod District is the northernmost district in the southwestern Indian coastal state of Kerala. The district has a long history starting from pre-historic times to the modern period.

References

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  20. "Bhuta Aradhana". Encyclopedia of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Asia InCH; Craft Revival Trust. Invocation of the bhuta spirits that involves, in addition to daily worship, a periodic propitiation in the form of possession rituals
  21. Neria H. Hebbar. "Tulu Nadu: The Land and its People".
  22. "Demand in RS for official status to Tulu, Kodava languages". Daily News and Analysis.
  23. Tulu Rajya Horata Samithi has urged that the region comprising Tulu speaking people should be given the status of a separate state. "News headlines". daijiworld.com.
  24. "Now the time has come for all Tulu natives to pressurize the union government with the demand for a separate Tulunadu state", said renowned Tulu litterateur and Yakshagana artiste Kudyady Vishwanath Rai. "Beltangady: Litterateur Kudyady Vishwanath Rai Voices Need for Tulunadu State". daijiworld.com.
  25. "Vedike demands separate Tulunadu State". The Hindu. November 2016.

Further reading