The kurumba tale
Kurumba! exhale it like a sigh, a mantra… In this one word is compressed the past and rich culture of a forgotten tribe! The kurumbas are one of the five ancient tribes of the nilgiris – the todas, kothas, kurumbas, irulas and badagas.
The kurumbas lived in tune with the forest, with nature, the earth and the sky… they understood mother nature’s moods, her tantrums and her ability to give generously of her bounty to those who protected her and cherished her.
The kurumbas led simple lives, living off the land – on the roots of wild yam, honey and some of the animals that they hunted. They never took more than what they needed; there was no sense of greed; the land could breathe free and remained lush and fertile.
The names of the different sects of these people give an insight into their deep connection with mother earth. The kadu (forest) kurumbas were the original people. From them emerged various off-shoots such as the betta (mountain) kurumbas; ane (elephant) kurumbas; bevina (neem) kurumbas; jenu (honey) kurumbas; mullu (thorn) kurumbas; and mannu (earth) kurumbas.
The tribe that inhabited our burliar region worshipped kuribattaraya (a male deity which translates to the lord of many sheep) and musnie (a female deity). They also worshipped another deity called hiriabetta.
The kurumbas had a relatively sophisticated concept of right and wrong. They believed that after death, human beings morphed into devas – the good ones into creative devas and the bad ones into destructive devas!
Our resort enjoys the blessings of the creative devas for we love and respect our earth mother!
