Monthly Archives: December 2009

Badaga Months

1) Koodalu, 2) Aalaani 3) Nallaani  4) Aani 5) Aadire  6) Aadi 7) Aavaani  8 ) Perattaadhi 9) Dhodda Devige 10) Kiru Devige 11) Thai 12) Hemmatti

The more I listen to the song ‘Kappu Uttileyu‘, the more fascinated I become. All the 12 Badaga months starting with Koodalu [given in Capital Letters] are beautifully integrated within the song.

The lyrics of the song go like this :-

Kappu huttileyu neppuna sundari,
Oppi hegileyu dhirachiya mundari
Kappu huttile naa hathuna notta dha,
Keppu na huttile ondhuna notta tha

Thatti beetha sileyu nee edhega,
Kottu beetha hennu naa edhaga
Muthu muthu mookathiga sokki hodhane, netti niddane
Sothu pathu neetha endhu kaathundhu endhe dha, matha hegu dha, madhuvaya matha hegudha,

KOODALU thinguvana koodile singarene ,
AALAANI thinguvatha aa aagi varasha mamma ,
NALLANI go kollaandhu hega beda, ,
AANI huttidha mele badhila hegine baa mamma ,

AADHIRE jena nodi bae thumbi maathaadu ,
AADI mudidha mele ododi bannane mamma,
AAVANI thinguvadhoge dhaavani singarava ,
Arattu perattu aara PERATTASI thinguvadha,

DODDA DIVIGEYA dodda kiru edhega ,
KIRU DIVIGEYA siri devi aagi banne ,
THAI mae thalaiga thatti kai yoda aatta paatta.
HEMMATTI ebbaneyu aemaathithindhu hoga beda ,

Thatti beetha sileyu nee edhaga ,
Kottu beetha hennu naa edhega

கப்பு ஹுட்டிலெயு நெப்புன சுந்தரி,
ஓப்பி ஹெகிலெயு திரசிய முந்தரி
கப்பு ஹுட்டிலே நா ஹத்துன நோட்ட த,
கெப்பு ந ஹுட்டிலே ஒந்துன நோட்ட த

தட்டி பீத்த செலெயு நீ எதெக,
கொட்டு பீத்த ஹெண்ணு நா எதக
முத்து முத்து மூக்கத்திக சொக்கி ஹொதனே, நெட்டி நித்தனெ
ஸொத்து பத்து நீத்த எந்து காத்துண்டு இந்தெ த, மாத்த ஹேகு த, மதுவய மத்த ஹேகு த,

கூடலு திங்குவன கூடிலே சிங்காரெனெ ,
ஆலாணி திங்குவத ஆ ஆகி வரஷ மம்ம ,
நல்லானி கொ கொள்ளாந்து ஹேக பேட, ,
ஆணீ ஹுட்டித மேலே பதில ஹெகினே பா மம்ம ,

ஆதிரே ஜென நோடி பே தும்பி மாத்தாடு ,
ஆடி முடித மேலே ஓடோடி பன்னனே மம்ம,
ஆவாணி திங்குவதொகே தாவணி சிங்கரவ ,
அரட்டு பெரட்டு ஆர பெரட்டாதி திங்குவத,

தொட்ட தீவிகியொ தொட்ட கிரு எதெக ,
கிரு தீவிகியொ சிரி தேவி ஆகி பன்னே ,
தை மே தலைக தட்டி கை யோட ஆட்ட பாட்ட.
எம்மாட்டி எப்பனேயு ஏமாத்திண்டு ஹோக பேட ,

தட்டி பீத்த சிலெயு நீ எதக ,
கொட்டு பீத்த ஹெண்ணு  நா எதெக

Go here  and scroll down on the side bar ->to listen to the song

It has always been felt that for a language to survive, it should have its own script. It cannot remain only as a spoken language for long. But of course, the script need not be peculiar and specific one pertaining to that particular language.

So too is the necessity of a script for Badaga. Many have attempted to achieve this objective with various degrees of success. But unfortunately, to my knowledge, no records exists, if any. I am no expert on phonetics or languages or much less innovating an unique script. But the urge to have a separate script has convinced me that it is very much possible to ‘ADOPT’ an existing script and ‘ADAPT’ it to Badaga language.

To know more about the BADAGA SCRIPT or rather the need for one go here

Bharath Kamaraj fromPuduhatty (near Nanjanad) now living abroad had sent in this very interesting info.

It’s everyone’s pleasure to write about their hatty. And first, I like to show you a miracle. Hope you have heard about Bembatty village (my Iyyana hatty) and there they celebrate Hettai habba during January of every year. Here with I have attached a pic from google earth of Bembatty village(2008). What the miracle I’m talking about is that the Google satellite has captured the earth on the day of Bembatty Hettai habba. I was really amazed to see this for the first time a year back and I shared with all around me. Now it’s time to share with everybody with your website. I made a arrow mark against the people sitting in white dress surrounding the Temple’s tree.

Incidentally, this year (Beraganni/Peduva) Hethai Habba will be celebrated on the 4th Jan, 2010

Badaga Origin

Is Badaga one of the ancient Dravidian languages and predated ‘halaya’ Kannada? Is it a separate language all by itself? By inference, are Badagas one of the oldest ‘tribes’?

Arunan from Cannada has given some very interesting links which suggest Badaga language existed with old Kannada and equates it with Sangam or purana Tamil period.

“…..Some of the Kanarese too seem to have been called Vadugar. In consequence of the Andhras and the Kanarese having been called by the common name of Vadugar in the days of the Sangam, it has been surmised that they were then one race and that their language too must have been known as Vadugu and that it is only later that Kanarese must have branched off into a separate language. But llam-Ko-Adigal, the great epic-poet of the Sangam age, mentions distinctly those who speak the Kanarese language as Karunadar, and other classical writers make mention separately of the lands where Kanarese and Telugu were respectively spoken. The northern portion of the Mysore state and parts of the districts of Bellary and Anantapur seem to be known even now as Badaga-nadu and the Kanarese of those areas are known as Badaga-varu and Badaga-natti-varu. A poem of the Sangam mentions an Erumai as a ‘Vadugar chief’ in whose land flowed the river Ayiri. This is evidently the Agiri which falls into the Tungabhadra. It is this country which was probably the extreme southern limit of the Asokan empire as is evidenced from inscriptions found in the vicinity.
Read more about Badaga Origin