Kodava Hockey Festival marks 25 years of uniting sport, culture, and community, to feature women’s tournament

The Kodava Hockey Festival, which will be held from March 28 to April 27 across three grounds in Madikeri, Kodagu district, celebrates its 25th year, bringing together the Kodava community in an event where culture and sport converge.

The Kodava Hockey Festival, which will be held from March 28 to April 27 across three grounds in Madikeri, Kodagu district, celebrates its 25th year, bringing together the Kodava community in an event where culture and sport converge.

It all began when the late Pandanda Kuttappa, a former State Bank of India employee and first-division hockey referee, in late 1997, envisioned uniting all Kodava families through hockey, believing it to be the perfect sport to foster unity as Kodavas were spread across the country. Given that Kodagu also known as Coorg is the cradle of Indian hockey, having produced over 50 national players, including seven Olympians, he envisioned an annual hockey festival where families would compete against each other.

This initiative not only united the community but also celebrated its rich hockey legacy, says Pandanda K. Bopanna, president of the Kodava Hockey Academy and son of Mr. Kuttappa, who is now carrying forward his father’s legacy.

Recalling the early days of the hockey festival, Mr. Bopanna shares that it began in the small village of Karada in Kodagu, with minimal infrastructure to host the event. In its inaugural year, the response was lukewarm, with no more than 60 families participating. However, in the following years, the festival grew to such an extent that it earned a place in the Limca Book of Records as the largest hockey tournament in the world. “Finally, in 2024, the Kodava Hockey Carnival, organised by the Kundyolanda family, achieved a Guinness World Record for the largest field hockey tournament, with 360 teams representing Kodava families taking part,” Mr. Bopanna added.

The idea of uniting the Kodava community through hockey is based on the concept of family hockey, similar to the Highland Games played by various clans in Scotland. “Only Kodava families (clans) are allowed to participate, with no restrictions on gender or age. Some participants have even played at the international level. Over the past two decades, several players who competed in the festival have gone on to represent various hockey teams,” he explained.

This year, the tournament has the Muddanda family serving as the hosts. A series of special events will take place before and during the tournament to mark the silver jubilee, including quiz contests, a cyclothon, and rifle shooting, according to Rashin Subbaiah, president of the organising committee.

“The festival torch, similar to the Olympic torch, will be carried to the traditional ancestral houses, or Ainmane, of families that have previously hosted the tournament. As part of the silver jubilee celebrations, a women’s tournament will also be introduced, with 30 teams expected to participate,” Mr. Subbaiah added.