Badagas

The Badagas are an indigenous people inhabiting the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, southern India. Their language is Badaga. They are the largest indigenous social group in Nilgiris.

History

The Badagas are the largest aboriginal indigenous group among the native tribes of The Nilgiris District.Unlike any other region in the country, no historical proof is found to state that the Nilgiris was a part of any kingdoms or empires. It was originally a tribal land and was occupied by the aboriginals such as the Badagas, Todas, Kota, Kurumba, Irula, Panniya, and Kattunaicken. Todas had “munds” that is their settlements in Ooty, Kodanad, and Ketti Mandhada, Garswood, and PPI Mund.[2]

The Badagas had their “Hatties” that is villages throughout the district, some of the main hattis are Gundada, Katteri, Melur, Nanjanadu, Nandhatti, Pandhaluru, Yedakadu, Nedugula, Yedapalli,Ellithorai, Bettatty, Thummanatty, Bikkatty, Naduhatty, Manihatty, Achanakal, Honnathalai etc. The Badagas are the predominant tribe as per the Madras Gazetteer 1908. The hills were developed rapidly under the British, who also termed the District as a “Dark Country”, akin to Africa being called the “Dark Continent”, the term “Dark” connoting that its hinterland was largely unknown and therefore mysterious to Europeans until the 19th century. Henry M. Stanley was probably the first to use the term in his 1878 account Through the Dark Continent. It has no history of its own. It had neither kingdom to conquer nor fort to capture.[2]