Introduction

Kodagu is one of the distinctive regions of Karnataka, which is distinguished in many ways. This verdant region is noted for its bio-diversity, geographical peculiarities, ethnographic specialties, sociological and anthropological curiosities, special linguistic features, a rich folk tradition, and many more things. It has its own problems of social and economic development as well in a similar way, it is home to speakers of Tulu, Malayalam. Kannada, apart, of course, from Kodava which is the language of the land. One can also see a smattering of Urdu and of course, English. In terms of religion, Kodagu is a veritable museum with many cults and practices as well as established religions like Christianity, Islam and Hinduism of various shades. It has a rich folk culture and copious oral literature. The more important picture of Kodagu as a land of the martial race is another significant identity of the region. It is also, at the same time, one of the more backward parts of Karnataka in terms of development, particularly, industry. As this University has jurisdiction over this region, it is in the fitness of things that it has lunched a the Kodava Samsktitika Adhyayana Peetha this chair was established in 2008, when Prof. K.M. Kareiappa was Vice-Chancellor of the University. The Government of Karnataka was generous enough to sanction a corpus fund and the chair is being run from the interest that this fund generates every year. The Chair is an interdisciplinary centre for studying the different aspects of the culture of Kodagu. The unit study will be the culture-region of Kodagu. The thrust areas of the chair is the archaeology, both pre-historic and historical of the region, inscriptions monuments, anthropology and ethnography of different social groups folk traditions; sociology different section of society and their institution religious sects cults, practices and institutions, language and literature and other important areas economic and developmental problems and their environment, ecology and bio-diversity.