Kunde Habba Festival in Kodagu Challenges Caste Norms Through Carnivalesque Rituals

The Kunde Habba festival, celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday of May in Kodagu district, India, sees thousands of tribal individuals challenging social hierarchies. Participants vocally insult the forest deity Ayyappa and fellow community members, with men performing in drag to music. This occasion disrupts traditional Brahminical structures and the power imbalance between Indigenous laborers and affluent coffee plantation owners. Festivities in villages such as Devarapura feature chicken sacrifices, horse dances, and food stalls. In recent years, Hindu influences have risen, marked by saffron decorations and a management shift to Kodava families. The festival's name has been altered to 'Bedu Habba,' now incorporating Hindu deities Shiva and Parvati, while facing pressures of assimilation in modern India.