28 | Coorg State

The history of the origin of Coorg or Kodagu state has many theories and is contested. These diverse theories contribute significantly to the ongoing debate about the Coorgis' self-definition. Historically, Coorg was influenced by various rulers and was often a buffer state under powers like the Pandyas, Gangas, Kadambas, Muslim rulers, and the British. Mysore state restored the realm of Kodagu (Coorg) to the cadet branch of Wadiyar dynasty in 1788, after an eight-year occupation. However, due to a succession of increasingly erratic sovereigns, the British took direct control in 1834, placing the territory under a chief commissioner who reported to the authorities in Madras. During the colonial era, Coorgis were among the first in India to adopt Western culture in their daily lives, influenced by the British administration (Europa Publications, 2024; Menon, 1956).

As early as 1927, local leadership in Coorg advanced a claim for separate statehood before the Simon Commission. Following the lapse of paramountcy, the Indian government decided that Coorg, being a strategically important state and underdeveloped, should be temporarily administered as a Chief Commissioner's Province. The Constitution of India, 1950, specified Coorg as a Part C state. This meant that its legislative council's constitution, powers, and functions remained as they were immediately before the Constitution's commencement, and its revenue and expense arrangements continued unchanged until further provision by Parliament or the President (Europa Publications, 2024; Menon, 1956). 

After India became independent, the Indian Statutory Commission noted that Coorg had maintained its separate administration due to ‘historic causes’. Later, under the States Reorganisation Act, which came into effect on 1 November 1956, Coorg was merged into the larger Mysore state in 1956. This move was part of the broader reorganization of states on linguistic lines in India, with Mysore serving as the core of the newly formed Kannada-speaking state. The earlier Kerala claim to Coorg was deemed untenable (States Reorganization Committee, 1955). In the postcolonial period, despite its merger, demands for a separate statehood or an autonomous region for Coorg (Kodagu Rajya) have continued to be raised. Proponents argue that Coorg was historically an independent and autonomous province with its own political institutions, however these claims have been considered untenable by some, due to its history as a buffer state ruled by various external powers. (Kumar, 2012).

References:

• Europa Publications. (2024). The Territories and States of India 2024 (4th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003476900

  
  

• Kumar, A. (Ed.). (2012). Rethinking State Politics in India. Routledge India. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203813997

• Menon, V. P. (1956). The Story of Integration of the Indian states. Orient Blackswan.