BIOGRAPHY OF KASARAGOD -1

BY Dr. V. Sankaran Nair (www.boloji.com)
Bounded by the Karnataka State in the north and east, Kannur district in the south and the Arabian Sea in the west, Kasaragod, also spelt as Kasaragod(e)/ *godu, is the northern-most district of Kerala. The district headquarters is also named Kasaragod. The land comprising undulating hills intercepted with twelve rivers rises from the densely populated coastal region in the west to the forest-covered Western Ghats range in the east. The 1.2 million strong population speaks mainly Malayalam, Kannada and Tulu followed by Tamil, Hindi and Konkani, spoken by a minority. Invisibility of Sanskrit is reflected in place names and local traditions, and archeological findings show its hegemony held in the distant past. From ancient times this place was famous as the port city in the west coast of India and many Arab travellers, who visited Kerala and Kasaragod between ninth and 14th centuries AD, called this area Harkwillia.
On the derivation of the place name Kasaragod there are several opinions. N.A. Seenappa Hegde Ploali says that the place name originates from kamgode, which means, the region with two forts. The place name is also attributed to a tribe known as Kasara. But other opinions concentrate on three words: Kasar, Kasara kasaara.
Some say that Kusirakood (Kasarakoottam) became Kasargod. It should be noted that some of the trees such as Borassus, Alstonia scholaris, Antiaris toxicaria, Hopea parviflora, Strychnos nux-vomica, Ficus religiosa etc are found in many sacred groves in Kerala and are worshipped from ancient times. Of this Strychnos nux-vomica is Kanjiram in Malayalam, Kasar in Karnataka and Karaskara in Sanskrit. This tree in Karnataka is also known as Kasim. Lord Siva is known as Kanjirottappan. The Siva temple at Karaskaravanam, also known as Kanjirangad is famous. The name of a river is Kanjirode, Kanjangad, Kanjiradukkam, Kanjirappoyil, Kanjiravayal, Kanjirode (Kanjirancode) are the place names in Kasaragod associated with Kanjiram. A remote village in South Travancore is known as Kanjirode. A sort of spear or lance is kasu.
The fact that the place had the pods of kasarka (Strychnos nux-vomica) tree in large number, might have offered the place, the name Kasar+ kadu ‘Kasarakadu’ Kasarkodu.
Sreedhara Kakkilyar in his Tenkunad says that the place name Kasaragod came from Kanjirode. From this one can understand that the original place name was Kanjiram Kaud. Under the influence of Canarese, they must have transliterated Kanjirode into Kasarkadu and during the hegemony of Sanskrit it became Kasaragod.
The place name Kanjangad is from the forest of Kanjiram.
KasaramSome others project Kasar, which means wild buffalo/ cattle and the suffix code, which means horn.
Kasarakodu thus means the horn of the buffalo. Code also means the peak of a mountain/ hill, bank of a river, cave etc. Balan has given the meaning to the word code as not a tall region, bank of a river (puzhangara/ vakk). Karyancode, Kadamcode, chaliyam code are the other place names apart from Kasaragod.Having a cavity, hollow of a tree is Kodara(m).
Srikotarapuri is Cranganore.
To Bakel Ramanna, Kasaragod was a forest of wild buffaloes. For them Kasarakodu represents the horn of a buffalo. Like Pothancode, a place name in Trivandrum, Kasarakkaud rhymes with buffalo. Kasara is wild buffalo/ a buffalo bison. Kodanadi is male buffalo. Kasas is water. Kasaram is that one whichbathes in water, i.e. wild buffalo.
Kasaram, sairibham, mahisham are Sanskrit words for wild buffalo. The place name Mysore originated from Mahisasur. The species baffalo, belonging to genus Bos gaurus, is Indian in origin and are now found in most of the warmer countries of the eastern continent. They want abundance of coarse grasses, bamboo, shrubs and trees and are fond of marshy places and rivers. They inhabit tropical savannah woodlands, tropical monsoon and dry forests and lowland tropical rain forests. Gaurs need water for drinking but they do seldom bathe or wallow.
Kumbala
The buffalo race in Kasaragod marks the herald of the agricultural operations. Once a part of Tulunadu culture began, the race was confined to the ploughed paddy fields. With the passage of time, apart from permanent racecourses, it began to be held in extensive fields involving hundreds of especially bred fatty buffaloes, with their brutal strength and speed.
The dedication of several people for the race made it colorful. The race is conducted annually in large muddy fields, known as Kanbalam. This popular rural sport is held annually especially in Kumbala and Manjeswar. It attracted thousands of spectators.
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