About Us
Officially launched in 1993 with the late Mr Keekira Thammaiah, the late Dr Kokkalera Chengappa, the late Mr Ballachanda Ganapathy and the late Mr Viswanath Tumkur as the first working committee of the association, our purpose is:
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To promote friendship amongst the people of Kodagu residing in the UK.
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To help build a network to encourage and promote cultural activities and traditions.
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To encourage the new generation to learn the language and be aware of our history, rich traditions and culture.
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Our ever evolving association proudly celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018. To continue our pursuit of upkeep of traditions and to create a platform for future generations to respect and understand the essence of the Kodava Community, we meet in September every year. The UK Kodagu Association is also a proud recipient of a £10000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, to support various projects proposed by the committee with the invaluable contribution of our 140+ members.
We welcome anyone with an association to Kodagu, living in the United Kingdom to join our membership.To find out more, or to get involved, please contact us.
About Kodagu
Kodagu, also known by the name of Coorg, is a mountainous district nestled amid beautiful and ageless hills that line the southern most edge of Karnataka State in South India. It is a paradise for nature lovers and was aptly called as the Scotland of India. Glorious sounds, sights and scents welcome you as you enter Kodagu.
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Endless mountain ranges, ridge after ridge of grassy and forest clad slopes rising to the sky, give Kodagu its unique and irreplaceable character. Kodagu was a state in its own right until 1956, when it merged with Karnataka. It occupies an area of approximately 4,100 square km in the Western Ghats of south-western Karnataka.
Madikeri, also known as Mercara, is the headquarters of Kodagu.River Kaveri (Cauvery), with its source at Talakaveri, Brahmagiri hills, is deeply revered as Mother Goddess Cauvery by all Coorgs.
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Kodagu is well known for its coffee - Robusta and Arabica, as well as pepper, cardamom and oranges. The meandering roads are lined on either side by acres of lush green coffee bushes, thriving under the shade of the trees in the hills with the occasional paddy fields in the valleys. The beautiful scenery, comprising quaint villages with vibrantly coloured roses, bougainvilleas and marigolds surrounding the clusters of red-tiled and whitewashed houses, greet the eye.
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Coorgs (Kodavas) are noted for their hospitality and many home stays have sprung up where one can enjoy the culinary delights of the local cuisine whilst experiencing the many adventure sports like trekking or white water rafting or just the tranquility of this paradise land!
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Brave warriors like Field Marshal K M Cariappa and General K S Thimayya are amongst many other distinguished personnel in the defence and civil services. Kodagu is home to an indigenous and strikingly different culture of interesting, friendly and outgoing people. They are a martial race and worship their ancestors.
