1887–1888, and extended such lecture courses to different parts of the city, all under the direction (after 1890) of Henry M. Leipziger (b. 1854), and several courses dealing especially with social and political subjects, and including, besides lectures and recitals, public meetings for the discussion of current problems.
CO-OPTATION (from Lat. co-optare; less correctly “co-option”), the election to vacancies on a legislative, administrative
or other body by the votes of the existing members of the body,
instead of by an outside constituency. Such bodies may be
purely co-optative, as the Royal Academy, or may be elective
with power to add to the numbers by co-optation, as municipal
corporations in England.
COORG (an anglicized corruption of Kodagu, said to be derived from the Kanarese Kudu, “steep,” “hilly”), a province of India,
administered by a commissioner, subordinate to the governor-general
through the resident of Mysore, who is officially also
chief commissioner of Coorg. It lies in the south of the peninsula,
on the plateau of the Western Ghats, sloping inland towards
Mysore. It is an attractive field of coffee cultivation, though
the greater part is still under forest, but the prosperity of the
industry has declined since 1891. The administrative headquarters
are at Mercara (pop. 6732). Coorg is the smallest
province in India, its area being only 1582 sq. m. Of this
amount about 1000 sq. m. consist of ghat, reserved and other
forests. Coorg was constituted a province not on account of
its size, but on account of its isolation. It lies at the top of the
Western Ghats, and is cut off by them from easy communication
with the British districts of South Kanara and Malabar, which
form its western and southern boundaries, while on its other
sides it is surrounded by the native state of Mysore. It is a
mountainous district, presenting throughout a series of wooded
hills and deep valleys; the lowest elevations are 3000 ft. above
sea-level. The loftiest peak, Tadiandamol, has an altitude of
5729 ft.; Pushpagiri, another peak, is 5626 ft. high. The principal
river is the Cauvery, which rises on the eastern side of
the Western Ghats, and with its tributaries drains the greater
part of Coorg. Besides these there are several large streams
that take their rise in Coorg. In the rainy season, which lasts
during the continuance of the southwest monsoon, or from June
to the end of September, the rivers flow with violence and great
rapidity. In July and August the rainfall is excessive, and the
month of November is often showery. The yearly rainfall may
exceed 160 in.; in the dense jungle tract it reaches from 120 to
150; in the bamboo district in the west from 60 to 100 in. The
climate, though humid, is on the whole healthy; it is believed
to have been rendered hotter and drier by the clearing of forest
land. Coorg has an average temperature of about 60° F., the
extremes being 52° and 82°. The hottest season is in April and
May. In the direction of Mysore the whole country is thickly
wooded; but to the westward the forests are more open. The
flora of the jungle includes Michelia (Chumpak), Mesua (Ironwood),
Diospyros (Ebony and other species), Cedrela toona
(White cedar), Chickrassia tubularis (Red cedar), Calophyllum
angustifolium (Poon spar), Canarium strictum (Black Dammar
tree), Artocarpus, Dipterocarpus, Garcinia, Euonymus, Cinnamomum
iners, Myristica, Vaccinium, Myrtaceae, Melastomaceae,
Rubus (three species), and a rose. In the undergrowth are found
cardamom, areca, plantain, canes, wild pepper, tree and other
ferns, and arums. In the forest of the less thickly-wooded
bamboo country in the west of Coorg the trees most common
are the Dalbergia latifolia (Black wood), Pterocarpus marsupium
(Kino tree), Terminalia coriacea (Mutti), Lagerströmia parviflora
(Benteak), Conocarpus lalifolius (Dindul), Bassia latifolia, Butea
frondosa, Nauclea parviflora, and several acacias, with which, in
the eastern part of the district, teak and sandalwood occur.
Among the fauna may be mentioned the elephant, tiger, tiger-cat,
cheetah or hunting leopard, wild dog, elk, bison, wild boar,
several species of deer, hares, monkeys, the buceros and various
other birds, the cobra di capello, and a few alligators. The most
interesting antiquities of Coorg are the earth redoubts or war-trenches
(kadangas), which are from 15 to 25 ft. high, and provided
with a ditch 10 ft. deep by 8 or 10 ft. wide. Their linear extent is
reckoned at between 500 and 600 m. They are mentioned in
inscriptions of the 9th and 10th centuries. The exports of
Coorg are mainly rice, coffee and cardamoms; and the only
important manufacture is a kind of coarse blanket. Fruits of
many descriptions, especially oranges, are produced in abundance,
and are of excellent quality.
In 1901 the population was 180,607, showing an increase of 4.4% in the decade. Of the various tribes inhabiting Coorg, the Coorgs proper, or Kodagas, and the Yeravas, or Eravas, both special to the country, are the most numerous. The Kodagas (36,091) are a light-coloured race of unknown origin. They constitute a highland clan, free from the trammels of caste, and they have the manly bearing and independent spirit natural in men who have been from time immemorial the lords of the soil. Their religion consists of ancestor- and demon-worship, with a certain admixture of Brahman cults. The men are by tradition warriors and hunters, and while they will plough the fields and reap the rice, they leave all menial work to the women and servants. They speak Kodagu, a dialect of Hala Kannada or old Kanarese, midway between that and Malayālam. It has been asserted that the institution of polyandry was prevalent among them, according to which the brothers of a family had their wives in common. But if this institution ever existed it no longer does so. The Yeravas (14,586) are a race of an altogether inferior type, dark-skinned and thick-lipped, resembling the Australian aborigines who possibly, according to one theory, may have sprung from the same Dravidian stock (see Australia: Aborigines). Though now nominally free, they were, before the establishment of British rule, the hereditary praedial slaves of the Kodagas. Some of them live a primitive life in the jungle, but the majority earn a livelihood as coolies. They are demon-worshippers, their favourite deity being Karingali (black Kali). Their language, a dialect of Malayālam, is peculiar to them. Among the other tribes or castes special to Coorg are the Heggades (1503 in 1901), cultivators from Malabar; the Ayiri (898), who constitute the artisan caste; the Medas (584), who are basket- and mat-makers, and act as drummers at feasts; the Binepatta (98), originally wandering musicians from Malabar, now agriculturists; the Kavadi (49), cultivators from Yedenālknād; all these speak the Coorg language, wear the Coorg dress, and conform, more or less, to Coorg customs. Other tribes are not special to Coorg. Of these the Holeyas (27,000) are the most numerous. They are divided into four sections: Badagas from Mysore, Kembattis and Māringis from Malabar, Kukkas from S. Kanara. They were formerly the slaves of the Kodagas and now act as their menials. The Lingayats (8700) are rather a religious sect than a tribe. Of the Tulu (farmer) class the Gaudas (11,900), who live principally along the western boundary, are the most important; they speak Tulu and wear the Coorg dress. Other castes and tribes are the Tiyas (1500) and Nayars (1400), immigrants from Malayālam; the Vellala (1300), who are Tamils; the Mahrattas (2400) and Brahmans (1100). Of the Mussulmans the most numerous are the Moplahs (6700) and the Shaikhs (4400), both chiefly traders. Of native Christians there are upwards of 3000. The official language of Coorg, which is that spoken by 45% of the population, is Kanarese (Kannada), the Coorg language (Kodagu) coming next. The Coorg dress is very picturesque, its characteristics being a long coat (Kupasa), of dark-coloured cloth, reaching below the knees, folded across and confined at the waist by a red or blue girdle. The sleeves are cut off below the elbow, showing the arms of a white shirt. The head-dress is a red kerchief, or a peculiar large, flat turban, covering the back of the neck. The Coorg also carries a short knife, with an ivory or silver hilt, fastened with silver chains and stuck into the girdle. A large, broad-bladed waist knife, akin to the kukri of the Gurkhas, worn at the back, point upwards, was formerly a formidable weapon in hand-to-hand fighting, but is now used only for exhibitions of strength and skill on festive occasions.
The chief crops are rice and coffee. Some abandoned coffee land has been planted with tea as an experiment. The cultivation of cinchona has proved unprofitable. There is no railway.
