kongu

Greeting from karayampalayam kongu people,
We people are just 12 km apart from coimbatore and we are associated to protect the kongu nadu and its civilization and we invite you to shre your commands.

KONHU HISTORY

Kongu Vellala Gounders are one of the earliest inhabitants of South India living in the North Western part of Tamil Nadu with agriculture as their occupation. Among the many other meanings the word “Kongu” has, the most acceptable ones are “honey” and “dense forest”. The ancient Sangam Literature ‘Pathirruppathu’ refers to the Kongu region.
An English Traveller Buchanan on his mission to collect data on the agricultural production and the irrigation system of South India. In the early 19th Century speaks of Roman Coins available in plenty at many places in the Kongu region including Pollachi and its surrounding areas. This indicates the trade relations the Kongu region had with the Roman empire during the 1st Century B.C. There were also two highways connecting West and East Coast through the Kongu Nadu.
The Kongu region was a political no man’s land. It had never been a part any of the empires of ancient Tamil Nadu. Known for its dense forests and enormous mineral wealth, it had been a battle ground for many of the Kindgoms bordering it. The Rattas, the Gangas (405-460 A.D.) the Talakkad Gangas (610-725 A.D.) the Kongu Cholas, the Nayakas and the British had used the Kongu soil to exhibit their war supremacy.
The Kongu Velallas are a family oriented and clan oriented people. They are initially nomadics with less number of clans and gradually settled down in plains irrigating them by sheer had work and their clans increased over the years when they occupied more and more areas. The Vettuvas were their traditional rivals. Hunting is the main occupation of the Vettuvas. It is nothing but natural that the Vellalas had to face the resistance of Vettuvas in making the forest land cultivable. Now Vettuva Gounders are one of the sub-sects of Gounders including Nattu Gounder, Kurumba Gounder and Urali Gounder. Known for protecting self respect, many a Kongu Chiafrain had defied the commands of empires. Even the Cholas could’nt fully bring Kongu under their control.
A Vellala is basically an agriculturist. The whole family works in the field from early morning till evening. Land is God to him and his entire life-cycle centers only around land. Kongu Vellalas have a distinct social structure. The community has many sub-divisions called ‘Kulam’ ‘Koottam’ or ‘Kudi’. A ‘Kulam’ may mean a family, lineage, caste folk etc. A ‘Koottam’ is swarm, group, association, assembly etc. A ‘Kudi’ denotes family, descent, caste, mansion etc. All the terms are synonymous with each other. These are also totems and these totems have symbols. Each ‘Kulam’ or ‘Kottam’ is named after bird (Antuvan) fish (Avuriyan) tree (Oodaalan), flower (Araiyan) and parts of the human body.
The word Gounder is believed to have originated from the word Kamindan which is found in insceiption belonging to the Hoysala’s. The Kannada word had found its way to other insceiptions found all over the Kongu region. A Kamindan is a cattle breeder. The sanctity attached to cattle breeding by the Kongu Vellalas even to-day can be seen when they call their chief festival Pongal as “Patti Nombi”. These Kamindans are believed to have migrated from the Kolar region of Karnataka. The Vokkaligas of Karnataka and the Kongu Vellala Gounders of Tamil Nadu have many social and cultural similarities.
The Kongu culture is reflected more in its folklore. Folklore is an archive of human civilization. It consists of customs, beliefs, value systems, festivals and rituals of a Community. It also reflects its greatness and short comings. Kula Puranams are the chief folkloristic expressions found in many communities in South India. ‘Annanmar Kathai’ is the national literature of Kongu Nadu. It was popularized by Sakthikkanal at the regional level and by American Anthropologist Brenda E.F. Beck at the international level. Kunnudiak Kavundan, Thamarai Naachiar, Poonar, Sangar and Thangam represent the kindo of human beings we see in every age & in every society. The valour’ heroisam, social concern & the sacrifice of the brothers Ponnar Sangar still inspire and guide thousands of people living in and outside Kongu region. Visiting Valanadu Fort - where the Brothers are believed to have lived and ruled, Virappur - where Peria Kandi Amman Temple the clan deity of Annanmars is located and Padugalam where the sister Thangam revived her dead brothers with her divine power ais considered to be a holy task culting across caste and creed.