Akkamma Devi, was the first Badaga woman to graduate from college and represented the Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency from 1962 to 1967. Several Badaga have become officials in various parts of the Indian Government.įormer Lok Sabha MP, the late Smt. LACITO in Paris houses numerous varieties of Badaga stories and songs collected over the past two decades. The language is closely related to Kannada. The Badaga language is spoken by the Badaga community. Even today they place great reverence in Sri Mariamman: in April they celebrate a car festival at the Sri Mariamman temple in Ooty when they pull the car with the image of Sri Mariamman to their music and dance. Even the Britisher judges, in court, would also abide by this practice and occasionally send witnesses to do this ritual along with a Court official to ensure they were telling the truth. The head they put on the step of the shrine, and from seven feet off they would walk to the temple step and put out the light that was shining in front of the idol.
For this they bathed, brought coconut and fruit, and killed an animal. ĭuring time of early 1900s they were known to swear very solemn oaths by the Sri Mariamman temple. They worship their seven founding ancestors under the name Hethappa or Hetha. They have certain rules and regulations to be followed in implementing their cultural rituals from the birth of a child and follows through functions like puberty, marriage, naming ceremony, seventh-month pregnancy, housewarming, and finally in death. Devva Habba provides significant insights into the origin of Badugas. īadugas marry within their community and follow their own marriage traditions. Thundu (a white piece of cloth) and Seeley forms an integral part of the attire of the Badugu women. Throughout the district the Badagas live in nearly 400 villages, called Hattis. They killed the Todas, and the inhabitants of the village at the time claimed descent from the Bayalurus and Badaga daughters. He sought the aid of two Bayaluru, who agreed to help him if they married his two daughters. The second brother, Hethappa, was working outside when two Todas raped his wife and took his goods. After they fled from a Muslim ruler who tried to rape their sister, they settled in different parts of the Nilgiris.
They claim to come from seven siblings living in the Talamalai Hills. According to American anthropologist Paul Hockings, whose research on the Badagas spans nearly six decades, "the (Badaga) tribe despite its sketchy history is as indigenous to the Nilgiris as the English are to Britain." The name Badaga, meaning 'northerner', comes from Old Kannada Badagana, meaning 'north.'According to the Badaga oral tradition, their ancestors were presumed to be Vokkaligas who migrated from the plains of Mysore to avoid Muslim persecution.
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