Tulunadu

Tulu Nadu, or Tulunad, is a region and proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (pl. 'Tuluver') are speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language, and are the predominant ethnic group of the region. South Canara, a former district, encompasses the territories of the contemporary Dakshina Kannada (Kudla), Chikmagalur (Elyamagalnur), Hassan (Paesano), Udupi (Odipu), parts of Shimoga districts of Karnataka State, and Kasaragod district (Kasrod) of Kerala state. These areas collectively form the cultural region of the Tuluver.

Historically, Tulu Nadu lies between the Gangavalli River (Uttara Kannada district) and the Payyanur (Kannur district). Currently, Tulu Nadu consists of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka state and Kasaragod district of Kerala state. The region is not an official administrative entity.

Kudla (Mangalore) is the largest city of Tulu Nadu. It is the third largest city by area and fifth largest by population in Karnataka, Odipu (Udupi) and Kasrod (Kasaragod) are the other major cities of this region.

Moreover, the term "Tulunadu" is cited as "Tuḷu Nāṭṭu" in the " Akananuru", which is a classical Tamil poetic work and part of the "Eight Anthologies" ( Ettuthokai) - a collection of Sangam literature composed more than 2000 years ago.

Etymology

According to '' Keralolpathi'', the name ''Tuluva'' comes from the name of one of the Cheraman Perumal kings of Kerala, who fixed their residence in the northern portion of their dominions just before its separation from Kerala, and who was called ''Tulubhan Perumal''.

Mythology

According to mythology, the district was reclaimed by Parashurama from the sea. In accordance with the 17th-century Malayalam work '' Keralolpathi'', the lands of Kerala and Tulu Nadu were recovered from the Arabian Sea by the axe-wielding warrior sage Lord Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu (hence, Kerala is also called ''Parasurama Kshetram'' 'The Land of Parasurama'). Parasurama threw his axe across the sea, and the water receded as far as it reached. According to legend, this new area of land extended from Gokarna to Kanyakumari. The land which rose from sea was filled with salt and unsuitable for habitation; so Parashurama invoked the Snake King Nagaraja Vasuki, who spat holy poison known as Halahala and converted the soil into fertile lush green land. Out of respect, Vasuki and all snakes were appointed as protectors and guardians of the land. P. T. Srinivasa Iyengar theorised that Cheran Senguttuvan may have been inspired by the Parashurama legend, which was brought by early Aryan settlers.

History

Ancient period

According to the works of Sangam literature (300 BCE – 300 CE), Tulu Nadu was one of the 12 socio-geographical regions included in the ancient Tamilakam. Tulu Nadu must certainly at one time have formed part of ancient Kerala (Chera dynasty), where the western coastal dialect of Middle Tamil was spoken. It must have separated from Tamilakam sometime between 300 CE and 500 CE, when the Kadambas invaded the northern portions of Chera kingdom. No definite historical record relating to Tulu Nadu, other than those were found from Sangam literature, have been found of earlier date than 8th or 9th century CE.

Alupa dynasty

Ptolemy, a Greco-Roman second-century geographer, identifies the Tulu Nadu region as ''Olokhoira'' which is widely believed to be a corruption of the term ''Alva Kheda'', "the land of the Alvas". /sup> Historically, Tulu Nadu included the two separate lands of Haiva and Tuluva. The longest-ruling and oldest known native dynasty of Tulu Nadu was that of the Alupas ( 5th – 14th century CE). Their kingdom was also known as ''Alvakheda''. They initially ruled independently and later were the feudatories of the prominent dynasties. The Kadamba dynasty of Banavasi was the earliest, under which the Alupas flourished. Later the Rashtrakutas of Manyakheta, Chalukyas of Badami, Chalukyas of Kalyani, Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra (Halebidu) and Rayas of Vijayanagara were the overlords. The Alupas, however, were independent and their subordination was nominal at best. They ruled until the Vijayanagara Empire took control of Tulu Nadu from 14th to the 17th centuries.

During the rule of Vijayanagara, Tulu Nadu was administered in two parts – ''Mangaluru Rajya'' and ''Barkuru Rajya''. Tulu Nadu was governed by the native feudatories of the Vijayanagara Empire until the 18th century. These feudatories gained power towards the end of the Alupa period. An Old Malayalam inscription ( Ramanthali inscriptions), dated to 1075, mentioning king Kunda Alupa, the ruler of Alupa dynasty of Mangalore, can be found at Ezhimala (the former headquarters of Mushika dynasty), near Payyanur, in Kerala State.

Notable among them were the Chowtas of Ullal and Moodabidri (), Ajilas of Venur (c. 1418–1800), the Savanta or Samantha Rajas of Mulki (c. 1411–1700), the Bhairahawa Ideas of Karkala (c. 1240–1650), the Tolaharas of Suralu (c. 1139–1800), the Bangas of Bangadi (c. 1410–1800), the Rajas of Kumbla (c. 12th century – 1800), and the Rajas of Vitla (c. 1436–1800).

The region became extremely prosperous during the Vijayanagara period with Barkur and Mangalore gaining importance. After the decline of the Vijayanagara Empire, the Keladi Nayakas of Ikkeri controlled much of Tulu Nadu. Over the following many centuries, more ethnic groups migrated to the area. Konkanis from Goa arrived by sea, as Mangalore was a major port that served not only the Portuguese but also the Arabs for maritime trades. Jains were already a prominent group and even today are uniquely preserved in Tulu Nadu. Though small in number, the Jains left behind indelible reminders of their glory with temples ('' bastis'') in ( Moodabidri) and monolithic statues of Bahubali in Karkala, Venoor and Dharmasthala. In the 16th century, there was a large influx of Catholics to Tulu Nadu from Goa.

Under Portuguese rule, the region was called the ''Misao do Sul'' (Mission of the South). In the mid- to late- 18th century, it was conquered by Hyder Ali, the de facto ruler of Mysore. After the British defeated Haidar's successor Tipu Sultan in 1799, the region was attached to the Madras Presidency before being reverted to the state of Mysore after independence. Mangalore played a prominent role in Tipu's battles with the British. The British gained full control by 1801 (Mysore has since been renamed Karnataka). The British ruled the region with Madras (now Chennai) as its headquarters. Under the British, the region was organised into the districts of North Canara and South Canara respectively.

When the states were reorganised on linguistic basis in 1956, Tulu Nadu (South Canara) which was earlier a part of Madras Presidency and North Canara which was a part of Bombay Presidency became part of the newly formed Mysore state, which was later renamed as Karnataka. Kasargod became part of the newly formed state of Kerala. The Tuluvas began demanding official language status for Tulu and a separate state named Tulu Nadu for themselves. Organisations like the ''Tulu Rajya Horata Samiti'' have taken up the cause of the Tuluvas and meetings and demonstrations were held at towns like Mangalore and Udupi to voice their demand.

Demographics

South Kanara had a total population of 1,748,991 in 1951, of whom 76.58% were Hindus, 14.31% Muslim, and 8.85% Christian. The most widely spoken language was Tulu which was the mother tongue of 40% of the population, followed by Malayalam which formed the mother tongue of 24% each of the population. Around 17% of the total population spoke Kannada. Around 13% of the population speaks Konkani as their mother tongue. In 1901, South Kanara had a density of .

The 1908 '' Imperial Gazetteer of India'' lists South Canara, along with the Thanjavur and Ganjam districts, as the three districts of the Madras Presidency where Brahmins are most numerous.

The majority of the people were Billavas and Bunts. There were more Brahmins (12% of the population) in South Kanara than any other district of the Madras Presidency making South Kanara, along with Tanjore and Ganjam as one of the three districts of the province where Brahmins were most numerous.

The original indigenous people of the region are Tuluvas ( Bunts, Billavas, Mogaveeras, Tulu gowda, Kulalas, Devadigas, Bearys, Jogis, and Tulu Brahmins) and Malayalis in the Kasaragod Taluk (Nambudiris, Nairs, Thiyyas, Mappilas etc.). The Brahmins who settled first belonged chiefly to the Sthanika and thus they were called as Tulu Brahmins. Others were Shivalli, Saraswat, Havyaka, Kotaha sub-sections, Mahars, the hill-tribes ('' Koragas'').

Language

The most widely spoken Language is Tulu, which belongs to the Dravidian family of languages, and whose native speakers are referred to as Tuluva. The number of Tulu speakers was estimated to be about 1.7 million in 2001, although some sources quote as many as 3 million. The other languages spoken in Tulu Nadu include Kundagannada, Arebhashe, Malayalam, Konkani, Koraga, and Beary.

The Tulu script, originating from the Grantha script, and bears high similarity to the Malayalam script. It was used by Tuluvas for centuries before it was eventually replaced by the Kannada script. Most Sanskrit works and Tulu classics are present in this script, with a few in other scripts.

Geography and climate

Tulu Nadu lies along the Konkan Coast. Tulu Nadu is bounded on the west by the Arabian Sea and on the east by the Western Ghats. The Chandragiri river forms a historical border to the south. Tulu Nadu spans an area of , roughly 4.4 percent of the total geographical area of present-day Karnataka and Kasaragod district is the northernmost district of Kerala.

The coastal area of Tulu Nadu is rich in rainforests and backwaters. The region has a tropical climate; with hot and humid summers, hot winter days, and a monsoon season with heavy rainfall. Summer and winter months experience similar temperate conditions, with average temperatures ranging from . and cooler weather during the monsoon season.

Monsoon starts in the beginning of June, with the heaviest rainfall during Aati month which spans from mid-July to mid-august. Occasional rain persists till Deepawali and Marnemi festivals in October–November. Winter lasts from December to early February. Summer from mid-February till May. With occasional tropical rain during April and may.

Culture

The Yakshagana is a night-long dance and drama performance practiced in Tulu Nadu with great fanfare. Pilivesha is a unique form of folk dance in the region fascinating the young and the old alike, which is performed during ''Marnemi'' (or '' Dussehra'' in Tulu) and Krishna Janmashtami. ''Karadi Vesha'' (Bear Dance) is another popular dance performed during '' Dasara'' in Tulu Nadu. '' Daivaradhane'' (spirit worship), which is usually done at night, is practised here. Kambala (Buffalo race) is conducted in water-filled paddy fields. The Bhuta Kola is similar to Theyyam in North Malabar. ''Korikatta'' ( cockfighting) is another favorite sport of the people. Nagaradhane (snake worship) is practiced in the Tulu Nadu according to the popular belief of the Naga Devatha who resides underground and guards the species on the surface.

Udupi cuisine is popular across South India, mostly due to Udupi restaurants, which are primarily vegetarian. Apart from Southern India, there are also famous Udupi Hotels in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Economy

Historically, Tulu Nadu was primarily dependent on agriculture and fishing. The main crops grown were rice, Bengal gram, horse gram, vegetables, and fruits. Plantation crops like coconut, areca nut, cocoa, cashew nut, and pepper are also grown. In the early 20th century, the Mangalore tile industry, cashew nut processing, and the banking industry grew substantially. Tulu Nadu is called "the cradle of Indian banking". Five major banks of India (Syndicate Bank, Canara Bank, Corporation Bank, Vijaya Bank, and Karnataka Bank) have their origins here.

In the early part of the 21st century, the area has been transforming itself into a hub of the information technology and medical services industries. There has been large-scale decline in agriculture and related industries due to the non-availability of labor and preference for white-collar jobs. Agricultural land is being converted to commercial and real estate properties, and environmental pollution is increasing drastically due to large-scale deforestation and increase in automobile use. A public sector petroleum refinery ( MRPL) was established in the 1990s. Some chemical plants (e.g., fertilizers and pesticides) have been established. This region contributes the second highest revenue to Karnataka state after the city of Bangalore. This region has an international airport at Mangalore which is well connected to the rest of India and middle eastern countries. New Mangalore Port (NMPT) is one of the major port of India located at Panambur, Mangalore.

Education

Tulu Nadu has hundreds of colleges. Mangalore and Manipal are the major cities that accommodate these students. The National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK, Surathkal, owned by Central Government) is ranked as one of the best engineering colleges in Karnataka and is among the top ten engineering colleges of India. Kasturba Medical College was ranked 9th and 21st among the medical colleges of India in the NIRF 2020 Rankings.

Schools

*St. Aloysius High School
*Lourdes Central School Bejai Mangalore ( CBSE)
*SHARADA VIDYALAYA Kodialbail, Mangalore
*Podar International School Mangalore ( CBSE)
*Ganapathy English Medium School
*Little Rock Indian School, Udupi ( CBSE)

Colleges

*St Aloysius College (Deemed to be university)
*Dr. P. Dayananda Pai - P. Satish Pai Government First Grade College Mangalore
*Prerana College
*Expert PU College - Kodialbail
*SCS First Grade College, Mangalore
*Alvas' Education Foundation (Alvas' College) - Bedra (Moodubidire)

Beaches

*Tannirbhavi Beach
*Kodical Beach
*Chitrapura Beach
*Bengre Beach
*Panamburu Beach
*Daibitthil (Sasihithlu) Beach
*Kapu Beach
*Malpe Beach
*Bekal Beach
*Chembirika Beach
*Kappil Beach
*Kanwatheertha Beach

See also

* Tulu Nadu state movement
* List of temples in Tulu Nadu
*Kolathunadu

References

Further reading

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External links

Tulu Nadu – Samajika Chariteyalli ondu samshodhanatmaka Vivechane (History of Tulunadu)
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{{Authority control

Proposed states and union territories of India