Baduga

Baduga, also spelled Badaga, refers to an ethnolinguistic community primarily located in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, India. The term can denote both the people and their language, commonly known as Badaga or Baduga. The Badaga community is one of the oldest recognized inhabitants of the Nilgiri hills, with a distinct cultural and linguistic heritage.

The Badaga language is a Dravidian language that stands apart from Tamil, though it has absorbed substantial Tamil influence over centuries. Its exact classification is debated among linguists, with some treating it as a separate language and others as a divergent Tamil dialect. The language is typically transmitted orally within communities, and many Badaga people are bilingual in Tamil and, increasingly, English.

Historically, the Baduga have been associated with agriculture and hillside settlement in the Nilgiris. Social life has traditionally revolved around village communities, with customary practices and oral traditions guiding daily life, rites, and dispute resolution. The community maintains a number of distinctive cultural practices, including rituals, festivals, and traditional attire, which collectively contribute to a unique Baduga identity.

Culturally, one of the principal celebrations is the Hethai festival, which reflects the community’s agricultural calendar and religious devotion. The Baduga have adapted to modernization while preserving traditional knowledge, crafts, and social customs. Economically, they have diversified from traditional farming to include horticulture, plantation crops, and participation in broader regional economies in Tamil Nadu.

Today, the Baduga population is concentrated in the Nilgiris district, with smaller communities in neighboring regions. They continue to speak Badaga and participate in Tamil Nadu’s cultural and political life, while language vitality and intergenerational transmission remain active areas of sociolinguistic interest.