The Land of Badaga Tribe

The land and territories of ancient times have never remained the same. Several national states and kingdoms have seen numerous bifurcations and turned into small towns or cities in the present day. Vise-versa, several small dominions have turned up to be large and powerful countries in the present day. This phenomenon is relatable to every nation-state across the world. 

The land area covering the traditional Badaga territory.

Similar is the case of the Badaga land. 

The term "Badaga land" typically refers to the historical territory or ancestral lands traditionally inhabited and controlled by the Badaga people. In earlier times, the Badaga tribe had a more extensive or different territorial domain than the present-day Nilgiris district. Over time, due to various historical, social, and administrative changes, the boundaries and composition of regions shifted.

 So, what is the difference between the ‘Nilgiris district’ and the real ‘Badaga land'? 

The Nilgiris District:

The present-day Nilgiris is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is also one among the 13 original districts of Tamil Nadu, as on 1 November 1956, the day of the establishment of the Tamil Nadu state. The district has six taluks, namely, Udhagamanalam, Coonoor, Gudalur, Kotagiri, Kundah and Pandalur. The hill district comprises three state assembly constituencies - Udhagamandalam, Gudalur and Connoor. The Nilgiris parliamentary constituency includes three regions apart from the hill district. Those are Bhavanisagar from the Erode district, Mettupalayam from Coimbatore district and Avinashi from Tirupur district. While these are the present-day limits of the Nilgiris, the actual Nilgiri, ‘the Badaga Land’ widely differs and extends.

The Badaga land

The extent of Badaga land could be explained based on the organisation of Badaga villages. So it is important to have a quick glance at how the Badaga inhabitation is arranged. The Badaga inhabitation structures are Hemmati, Hatti, Oor, Siime and Naakubetta.

Hemmati served as a location where the Badaga tribes traditionally engaged in herding, grazing, and stabling their livestock, predominantly buffaloes. Since the Badaga people owned thousands of cattle, Hemmati had significance in their way of life. It was also the place where Badaga used to milk the buffaloes and process the milk into other dairy products. 

Hatti refers to a village or hamlet and is the basic structure where people live. 

Oor is also a village but is more important and higher in hierarchy than a hatti. Oor is the place where the elders of ancient times settled and built a home. In the later period, brothers from the same Oor separated to form several hatti.  So a ‘Oor’ comprises a cluster of Hattis who are in brotherhood and also is the headquarters of the cluster.

Siime is a larger section that encompasses several Oor. There are 7 Siimes in total, namely Dhoddanadu, Porangadu, Mekkunadu, Kundhenadu, Maleya Siime, Mel Siime and Nelagaadu. Among these, Dhoddanadu, Porangadu, Mekkunadu and Kundhenadu are large and considered the heartland of the Badaga nation. 

Naakubetta (Naaku - Four: Betta - Mountain) means mountains that extend in all four directions that completely cover the Baduga nation. 

All these sections, including the Hatti, Oor and Siime have well-defined boundaries and the territories are controlled by the elders of the tribe. Most importantly, a Hatti or Oor refers not only to the point where people reside but also to the forest, streams, and hills surrounding it. And the surrounding geography is also controlled by the Badaga elders. 

So what was the extent of control, and how is the territory of Badaga nation defined?

Territory of the Badaga 

In the South

In addition to the present-day Nilgiri district, the Badaga land covers the regions of the Mettupalayam, up to Karamadai, including the forest ranges of Mulli, Nellithorai and Baralikadu. The border extends till the end of the slopes of the Nilgiri mountains. This is in the south.

In the East

The Badaga territory extends up to the regions of the Sathyamangalam forest, covering Bannari and Hasanur. To be specific, these regions are known as the Mel Siime and Badaga villages of Hosatty, Kotatty, Pulinjooru, Maavatty, Segaihatty and Odaimandhu are situated in this regions. The Hasanur region was also an important grazing and Hemmati field of Dhoddandu. Earlier, the elders of Dhoddanadu used to herd their cattle to Hasanur during the dry seasons in the Dhoddanadu region. 

In the North

The forest covers of present-day Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and Bandipur National Park fall into the Badaga territory, and the border ends where the plains of Mysuru begin.

In the West

The undulating terrains surrounding Devala, Cherangode, and Cherambadi, up to the slopes of the Nilgiris, cover the Badaga territory. 

The contemporary Nilgiris district covers approximately 2452 square kilometres, while the historical Badaga land once spanned an expansive 5000+ square kilometres. The reduction in the size of Badaga land can be attributed to external intrusions, the influence of British rule, and political delimitation. Despite the physical contraction of the territory, the enduring presence of historical facts, numerous customs, and traditions that persist to this day serve as evidence of the original extent of Badaga land.