Ginn: Sweet made from the colostrum-rich milk of a cow that has recently calved
Goolies: Slang for testicles
Goondah: Rogue or hoodlum
Holigé: Pancake-like sweet
Idli: Savory cake of ground lentils and fermented rice
Iguthappa: Hindu deity
Inji: Polluted by virtue of coming in contact with someone’s saliva
Jaangir: Sweet of lentils and sugar syrup
Jaggery: Unrefined cane sugar
Jhumki: Hanging earring, typically with a top stud and a cupola-like bottom
Jodi kadaga: Coorg double bracelet of gold and rubies
Jomalé: Coorg necklace with two strands of gold beads strung on black or gold cord
Junglee: Of the jungle; a person with no manners
Kailpodh: Coorg festival that celebrates the appearance of the first ears of rice in the paddy fields and the commencement of the hunting season
Kaimada: Shrine to venerate the ancestors of a clan
Kartamani: Literally “black jewel”; chain of black glass beads worn by married women in India
Kapad: Protect [Swami Kapad: Lord, protect (us)]
Kebab: Meat or poultry dish roasted on a skewer
Kokkéthathi: Coorg necklace of gold with a crescent-shaped pendant bordered by seed pearls
Koramas: Forest-dwelling tribe in Coorg
Kunyi: Child
Kupya: Traditional attire of Coorg men; a wraparound, V-neck tunic with short sleeves, fastened by a silk brocade sash at the waist
Laddoo: Ball-shaped sweet made from flour and sugar
Lungi: Sarong fastened around the waist and typically worn by men
Maava: Father-in-law
Maavi: Mother-in-law
Machan: Hunting platform erected in the trees
Maryadi: From the Sanskrit maryada, meaning border, limit, or boundary. Used by extension to mean ethics and a sense of propriety
Masala: Mixture of spices
Monae: Son
Mughal: Of the Mughal Empire. The Mughals were Islamic kings who ruled much of the Indian subcontinent beginning in the early 1500s.
Mundu: Another variation of the lungi (see above); a sarong fastened around the waist and typically worn by men
Naan: Indian bread
Nari Mangala: “Tiger Wedding”; ancient Coorg custom of venerating the killer of the tiger in a mock wedding between the hunter and the spirit of the tiger
Odikathi: War knife with a broad curved blade
Ottis: Flat rice bread
Pathak: Coorg necklace of coral and gold, slung with a hooded-snake pendant
Payasam: Sweet made from condensed milk, sugar, and rice or vermicelli
Peechekathi: Coorg dagger in a gold-and-silver scabbard with a handle made of ivory
Poli, Poli Deva: Invocation to the gods at harvest time; literally, “Shower, shower (your blessings) O God”
Pisachi: Evil spirit
Poleya: A tribe of people who traditionally worked on the landholdings of the Coorgs
Pooja: Indian prayer ceremony
Puthari: Coorg harvest festival
Puttu: Cake, typically savory
Sabse Achha: Literally, “best of all”
Sardarji: A title for men from the Sikh faith
Sepoy: Indian soldier
Shastras: From the Sanskrit “shastra,” meaning rules. Rules of conduct as laid down in ancient texts and treatises
Swami, Swamiye: God
Tamasha: Show or spectacle
Tantras: Ritualistic doctrine of enlightenment incorporating tenets of Hinduism and paganism
Tayi: Grandmother
Teli-neer: A mixture of clean water, cooked rice, and embers from the fireplace, used in ritual purification
Tiffin: A midday meal or luncheon; used by extension to mean food
Tombola: An Indian lottery
Tuckshop: British term for a candy store
Vaidya: Traditional Indian physician
Veera: The spirits of men who’ve suffered violent deaths
Verboten: Forbidden in German
Vibhuti: Sacred ash used in Indian prayer ceremonies
Tiger Hills Page 48
