Kali Poldu: A unique warrior festival that celebrates Karnataka’s Kodava culture
We all know that India has a rich and varied range of cultural traditions and each is unique in its own right. Starting from baisakhi to pongal our country is replete with festivals that celebrate various communities and tribes. One such cultural tradition is, Kail Poldu or Kalipodh. Ever heard of it? Well, it’s a harvest-cum-weapon festival of a warrior tribe in Karnataka. The tribe is known as the Kodavas. ‘Kail’ means ‘weapons’ and ‘Poldu/Podh’ implies ‘puja’. The festival is celebrated in the Kodagu district of Karnataka between 2nd and 4th September every year.
This festival commemorates the conclusion of rice or paddy sowing and the approaching end of the agricultural working season for the Kodavas. The celebration also marks the day when men are ought to gather their agricultural instruments and weapons used for hunting as they prepare to defend their crops against wild boars and other animals. Okay, this sounds quite different from any other festival, isn’t it? Let’s find out more about the customs that the Kodavas celebrate.
Prayers for weapons
Well, as part of the festival, Kodavas clean their weapons such as Tokupuvu (a knife-like instrument) and offer their prayers. All weapons are deposited by the men in the "Kanni Kombre" or the prayer chamber, during the months when the family is working in the fields. However, these are taken out of the prayer chamber on Kailpoldu day, cleaned, and decorated with flowers. They are then kept in the house's central hall, which serves as a community worship space. Each family member takes a bath before worshipping the weapons.
Rifles signal the start of the festival
This is an interesting ritual. The eldest family member presents the senior family member with a rifle, signalling the start of the festivities. So, the people worship and make offerings to the Kodava deities, including the river goddess (Kaveramma), the chief preceptor/ teacher (Mahaguru Igguthappa), and the supreme ancestor (Guru Karana), asking for the protection of their crops from wild animals. Then, the children of the family place their hands on their parents' and elders' feet and seek their blessings.
Shooting tournaments are organised
A prominent ritual associated with this celebration is that of taking part in physical sports and shooting tournaments. In the olden days, the Kodavas used to get up early on Kalipodh day and go hunting for wild boars with loaded guns draped around their necks. However, nowadays, simply to continue the tradition, people’s shooting skills are assessed by firing at a coconut target on a tree.
Kodava cuisine is relished
No festival is complete without a traditional meal, right? Hence, the worship is followed by a lavish feast and merrymaking among the family members. For this special occasion, the women of the house cook the traditional Kodava cuisine. Traditional rice and meat dishes are served on this occasion. Other foods prepared include steamed dough balls known as kadambuttu, voti, paaputt plain cakes, and nooputt noodles, as well as meat items such as pandi (pork), koli (chicken), and yerchi (mutton) curries. Desserts like akki payasa (rice kheer) are also served.