Ain-manés are the ancestral homes of the native communities in Koḍagu, and have an important role in their socio-cultural traditions. Each ainmané belongs to an okka (patrilineal clan) that is identified by   its mané péda (name of the okka).

 

The traditional ainmanés of Koḍagu have a unique architectural style. Those that are still standing today generally date from about 150 to 250 years ago, and have evolved from the simple balyamanés of earlier times. Currently there are about 1720 okkas in Koḍagu (including about 1040 Koḍava, 320 Gouḍa and 360 okkas of other communities). Nearly 60% of them no longer have traditional ainmanés. 

 

The objective of this web-site is to document the status of the traditional ainmanés of all the communities in Koḍagu and thereby contribute to the archival records of the heritage and oral history of the people of Koḍagu. It provides fascinating insights into the social and religious customs and conventions of the communities in Kodagu and the way of life of its people. It will also serve to raise awareness of the value of these buildings and the need to preserve them, besides providing information for those studying the socio-cultural-architectural heritage of Koḍagu.

 

This web-site contains information on all the traditional ainmanés in Koḍagu that were functional when we visited them (April 2003 to May 2008). It includes photographs and information on each ainmané and its okka. This information was collected from members of the okka present in the ainmané when we visited it and from those contacted later by telephone. Where available, information   was added from published articles and books.

Every ainmané in the web-site is identified by the mané péda of the okka that it belongs to, the village where it is located, and the community to which it belongs. Entering the mané péda of the okka in the ‘Search window’ allows the user to retrieve the photos and information for the ainmané and the okka.

 

The glossary gives the meanings of some of the Koḍava language words and phrases in the web-site. The key to the transliteration provides a guide to the reader on the correct pronunciation of the Koḍava language words in the web-site.  

 

The stories that we collected during our field-work are oral narratives. Others in the okka may have other versions of these stories. We welcome such versions and any other stories, additions or corrections to the information, which, if credible, will be incorporated in the website.

 

We gratefully acknowledge the generosity of all the informants who willingly gave us their time and thank them for their valuable help in compiling the information for this web-site. We are grateful to The Coorg Foundation for their encouragement and help in this venture. We also wish to thank Kalyatanda Nanjappa of Chinshai Technologies, Gonikoppa, for giving us novel ideas for this web-site, for setting it up and for uploading the information and photographs in it.

 

Our book “Ainmanes of Koḍagu” was published by Niyogi Books of New Delhi in July 2014. It gives an overview of the ancestral homes of Koḍagu and of their socio-cultural significance.

 

Boverianda Chinnappa & Nanjamma
Apt. No.113
Tapovan Solace
Sharada Devi Nagar
Mysore 570022.           

E-Mail : nanchipa@gmail.com