| Tulu Nadu ತುಳು ನಾಡು | |
| — region — | |
  ' ತುಳು ನಾಡು in | |
| Coordinates | 13°00′N 75°24′E / 13.00°N 75.40°ECoordinates: 13°00′N 75°24′E / 13.00°N 75.40°E |
| Country | India |
| District(s) | Dakshina Kannada , Udupi and Kasaragod |
| District(s) | 3 |
| Largest city | Mangalore |
| Population • Density | 3,957,071[1] (2001[update]) • 356.1 /km2 (922 /sq mi) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area | 9,425.01 square kilometres (3,639.02 sq mi)[2][3] |
Tulu Nadu (Tulu: ತುಳು ನಾಡು), is the Tulu speaking region spread over to parts of present Karnataka and Kerala States of India. It consists of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka and the northern parts of the Kasaragod district of Kerala up to Chandragiri River.[1] Mangalore and Udupi are the important cities.
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[edit] Demographics
According to Census of India 2001, the population of this region was 3,005,897.[1]
[edit] Population
The majority of the population in Tulunad is Tuluva ethnic group. The Tuluvas have concentrated in the coastal areas. The next largest group are the Konkanis who migrated from Goa, due to persecution by the Portuguese and wars by the Marathis. Other people who settled here include Kannadigas, Bearys and Malayalis.
[edit] Language
Majority of the people in this region speak Tulu. However, some other languages such as Malayalam, Konkani, Kannada, and Beary are also spoken.
[edit] Geography
Tulu Nadu lies along the Konkan Coast [4] and shares a number of geographic, culinary, and social traits with the neighbouring Konkan and Kerala regions. Like them, Tulu Nadu is bounded on the west by the Arabian Sea and on the east by the Western Ghats.
Tulu Nadu spans an area of 8,441 km2 (3,259 sq mi), roughly 4.4% of the total geographical area of present Karnataka State.
[edit] Climate
Similar to Konkan and Kerala, Tulu Nadu also experience heavy rainfalls during Monsoon season. The coastal area of Tulu Nadu is very rich with respect to rainforests and backwaters[disambiguation needed]. Tulu Nadu has a tropical climate; summer and winter months experience similar temperate conditions, with average temperatures ranging from 24 °C to 33 °C. The pleasant months are December and January. Tulu Nadu extends a high range of Tropical vegetation, sun and backwaters to explore.
[edit] History
Legend has it that Parasurama, a warrior sage created Tulunadu. It proclaims that Parasurama, an avatar of Mahavishnu, threw his battle axe into the sea from Gokarna to Kanyakumari. As a result, the land arose and was reclaimed from the waters. He was the sixth of the ten avatars (incarnation) of Vishnu. The word Parasu means 'axe' in Sanskrit and therefore the name Parasurama means 'Ram with Axe'. The aim of his birth was to deliver the world from the arrogant oppression of the ruling caste, the Kshatriyas. He killed all the male Kshatriyas on earth and filled five lakes with their blood. After destroying the Kshatriya kings, he approached assembly of learned men to find a way of penitence for his sins. He was advised that, to save his soul from damnation, he must hand over the lands he had conquered to the Brahmins. He did as they advised and sat in meditation at Gokarnam. There, Varuna -the God of the Oceans and Bhumidevi - Goddess of Earth blessed him. From Gokarnam he reached Kanyakumari and threw his axe northward across the ocean. The place where the axe landed was Kerala. It was 160 katam (an old measure) of land lying between Gokarnam and Kanyakumari. Puranas say that it was Parasuram who planted the 64 Brahmin families in Kerala, whom he brought down from the north in order to expiate his slaughter of the Kshatriyas. According to the puranas, Kerala is also known as Parasurama Kshetram, ie., 'The Land of Parasurama', as the land was reclaimed from sea by him.
Historically, Tulu Nadu included the two separate lands of Haiva and Tuluva. The Ballal Kings of Sullia had ruled this area around 1100 years back. The Bunt/ Nair, Brahmin migration to Tulunadu might have happened during the lifetime of the Kadamba king Mayuravarma at 345 AD. Madhvacharya in the 13th century built the eight monasteries (Matha) in Udupi.
During the rule of Vijayanagara Tulu nadu was administered in two parts – Mangaluru Rajya and Barakuru Rajya. Tulunad was the original homeland of the dynasty that founded the Vijayanagar Empire based in eastern Karnataka. Tulu Nadu was governed by feudatories of the Vijayanagara Empire until the 17th century. The longest reigning dynasty of Tulu Nadu was the Alupas. They were the feudatories of the prominent dynasties of Karnataka. 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 Durasamudra and Rayas of Vijayanagara were the overlords. The Alupas, however, were independent and their subordination was nominal at best. They ruled until the Vijayanagara kings totally dominated the Tulu Nadu from 14th to the 17th centuries. The region became extremely prosperous during 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 and Goud Saraswat Brahmins 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, the gomateshwara, in Karkala, Venoor and Dharmasthala. In the 16th century there was a large influx of Catholics to Tulu Nadu from Goa. They built excellent educational institutes and contributed to the development of education in the region. The Muslim community of Tulu Nadu were basically Arab traders who married local women and settled there. Some of them speak the Beary language, which is a mix of Tulu and Malayalam and others speak Urdu.
Under Portugal, the region was called the Missao do Sul (Mission of the South).In the 18th, it was conquered by Hyder Ali, the 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 in the aftermath of independence. Mysore has since been renamed Karnataka. At the end of 18th century, Haider Ali and Tippu Sultan controlled the region. Mangalore played a prominent role in Tippu’s battles with the British. The British gained full control in 1801, after the defeat of Tippu in 1799. The British ruled the region with Madras (now Chennai) as its headquarters. Tipu Sultan conquered the region and the British conquered it from him. Under the British, the region was organized as the Districts of North Canara and South Canara.
When the states were reorganised on linguistic basis in the 1956, Tulu Nadu (South Canara) which was earlier part of Madras Presidency & North Canara which was 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 Kerala state.
[edit] Culture
The Yakshagana is a night-long dance and drama performance practiced in Tulu Nadu with great fanfare.[5][6] Piliyesa is a unique form of folk dance in the region fascinating the young and the old alike, which is performed during Marnemi (as Dussara is called in Tulu) and Krishna Janmashtami.[7] Karadi Vesha (Bear Dance) is one more popular dance performed during Dasara in Tulu Nadu.[8] Bhuta Kola or spirit worship, which is usually done at night is practised here. Kambala or buffalo race is conducted in water filled paddy fields. Korikatta (Cockfight) is another favourite sport for the people. Nagaradhane or Snake worship is practised in the Tulu Nadu according to the popular belief of the Naga Devatha to go underground and guard the species on the top.[9]
Tulu is a Dravidian language of India with over three million speakers.[10] Most of its speakers are native to the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in the west of the state of Karnataka and Kasargod district of northern Kerala. Besides Tulu, Kannada (by virtue of it being the state language) and Konkani are also widely spoken in the area. Also, a sizeable population of Muslims, Bearys, speak Beary bashe an offshoot of Malayalam. The Tulu speakers are known as Tuluvas. The Tulu script, also known as the Tigalari script, bears partial similarity to the Malayalam script. A script called Tulu is used in Tulunadu for centuries. All Tulu classics discovered recently are in Tulu script, and som in other scripts. This Tulu script was being used by Brahmins.[11] Till in the recent past, they were using it for writing Mantras, for accounts etc.. (This has been proved in detail by Vidwan P V Puninchathaya in 'Tulu -Nadu-Nudi'). The Tulu language was also once spoken in Uttara Kannada, which for this reason is sometimes considered part of Tulu Nadu as well.[12]
Tulu Nadu cuisine is popular across South India, mostly due to udupi restaurants, which are primarily vegetarian. Apart from Southern India, there are famous Udupi Hotels in Mumbai and New Delhi too.[13]
[edit] Economy
Tulu Nadu was once 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 red clay roof 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. This is due to the excellent educational facilities and hospitals available in Tulu Nadu, covering all fields, and the abundance of skilled workers. There has been large-scale decline in agriculture and related industries due to the non-availability of labour 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. Tulu Nadu 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 is located at Panambur, Mangalore.
[edit] Education
Tulu Nadu is the most prominent Educational Hub on the western coast of India. There are hundreds of professional colleges in Tulu Nadu. Thousands of students from all over India and countries abroad study in these institutions. Mangalore and Manipal are the major cities that accommodate these students. KMC Manipal is one among the top ten Medical Colleges in India and stands at sixth position [14][15]
[edit] Contributions by Tulu Nadu people
The people of Tulu Nadu have made several notable contributions to the nation. Some of them are :
- Four nationalised banks and also a leading private sector bank were started by eminent personalities of Tulu Nadu. Hence Dakshina Kannada district is known as the "Cradle of Indian Banking".
- Dr. Shivaram Karanth (1902–1997) was a major Kannada writer, social activist, environmentalist, Yakshagana artist, film maker and thinker. He was a recipient of the Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary honour. Ramachandra Guha described him as the "Rabindranath Tagore of modern India [and the] finest novelist-activist since independence".
- People from Tulu Nadu have established various hospitals and educational institutions.[citation needed]
- People of Tulu Nadu are considered to be progressive and intellectually strong, having a good foresight for the overall progress of society.[citation needed]
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