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Under construction: a farmer in a muttale cap ploughs a wet paddy field with a pair of buffaloes while egrets follow. Behind them a tiled house flies the Tulu flag.

Tulunadu: the land, language and people of Tulu Nadu

tulunadu.org is a reference site about the Tulu language, the land between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, and the people who live on it. The site is still being built. Most of the research is done and the writing has begun.

Help build thisSee what is coming

Karnataka Cabinet approves official status for Tulu

On 18 September 2026 the Karnataka Cabinet met in Mangaluru and agreed to give Tulu official standing in two districts, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. The government's wording is “second additional language for administrative purposes”. Rs 82 lakh a year is to go on translation and training. So far it is a Cabinet decision. No government order or notification had been reported by 21 September. The 2011 Census counted 1,846,427 Tulu speakers.

Sources: The News Minute, 18 Sep 2026; Deccan Herald, 18 Sep 2026

Why this site

This site writes down Tulu Nadu's language, customs and stories, with their sources, open to everyone and in its own languages.

The aim is a complete and reliable reference on Tulu Nadu. It records every ritual, festival, community, place and story with its variants and its sources. All of it is free to read, in English, Kannada and Tulu (coming soon).

  1. 1

    Record

    Write customs down while the elders who know them can still correct us.

  2. 2

    Explain

    Give the meaning as well as the steps, for the young and for families far from home.

  3. 3

    Share

    Everything is free to read, in English, Kannada and Tulu (coming soon). Every source is named, so that others can build on it.

Two of us run it, husband and wife from Kudla (Mangaluru), now living in Melbourne. We collect what the people of Tulu Nadu know and write it down, with their names on it. The knowledge belongs to them. About us

The journey so far

Sections open one at a time, each after review.

  1. Open

    Places

    ಊರುಲು

    Towns and villages, what their names mean, temples, basadis, churches and mosques, the rivers and the ghats.

  2. Next

    Rituals of a lifetime

    ಕಟ್ಟ್ ಕಟ್ಟಲೆ

    The cradle ceremony, bayake, the wedding, the last rites and the rest, with each step and what it means.

  3. Coming later

    Daiva and naga worship

    ದೈವಾರಾಧನೆ / ನಾಗಾರಾಧನೆ

    Bhuta kola and nema, the daivas and their stories, the naga bana and nagamandala.

  4. Coming later

    Festivals and the Tulu months

    ಪರ್ಬ / ತಿಂಗೊಲು

    The Tulu calendar and what is done in each month, from Bisu and Aati to Sona, Keddasa and Deepavali parba.

  5. Coming later

    Kambala and games

    ಕಂಬುಲ / ಗೊಬ್ಬು

    The buffalo race, its history and rules, and the games of the village.

  6. Coming later

    Food

    ವಣಸ್ / ತಿನಸ್

    Kori rotti, neer dose, patrode, fish curries and the festival kitchen, with the stories behind the dishes.

  7. Coming later

    People and communities

    ಜನಕುಲು / ಸಮುದಾಯೊಲು

    The communities of Tulu Nadu, aliyasantana and matrilineal descent, house names and clans, and the diaspora.

  8. Coming later

    History

    ಇತಿಹಾಸ

    History from the Alupas to the present, with inscriptions, Barkur and Mangaluru, the ports, the colonial period and after.

  9. Coming later

    Coast and land

    ಕಡಲ್ / ಕಂಡ

    Fishing, farming, areca and paddy, the monsoon, and the knowledge handed down with them.

  10. Coming later

    Language and script

    ತುಳು ಬಾಸೆ / ತುಳು ಲಿಪಿ

    Where Tulu comes from, its dialects, the Tulu (Tigalari) script, and how to read and learn it.

  11. Coming later

    Paddanas and literature

    ಪಾಡ್ದನ / ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ

    Koti-Chennaya, Siri and the other oral epics, and written Tulu from the old palm-leaf texts to today.

  12. Coming later

    Yakshagana and the arts

    ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ / ನಲಿಕೆ

    Yakshagana in its two styles, Tulu theatre and cinema, folk dances and music.

Faces of Tulu Nadu

Photographs from Wikimedia Commons, credited to their authors.

A Kambala runner drives a pair of buffaloes down the water track, spray flying.
Kambala, the buffalo racePhoto: SamrudhKottary, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
Bhuta kola performers in tender coconut-leaf skirts at night, with attendants holding oil torches.
A kola at night, lit by torchesPhoto: Naveen Kumar Manne, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
Dancers painted as tigers perform in a crowded street with a drummer beside them.
Pili vesha, the tiger dance, UdupiPhoto: Pavanaja, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
A fisherman stands beside a wooden boat with an eye painted on its bow; trawlers and flags behind.
Malpe fishing harbourPhoto: Rudolph.A.furtado, Public domain, cropped

How we work

  • Every fact has a source

    Each page lists where its facts come from and credits the authors. If a claim cannot be sourced, it is not published.

  • Where tellings differ, we say so

    Customs change from village to village and from family to family. We record the variants instead of choosing one.

  • Three languages

    English first. Kannada follows as native speakers review the pages. Tulu, written in Kannada script, is coming soon.

  • Open to correction

    If something is wrong or missing for your village or community, we want to hear it. Write to the address below.

Help build this

This is a volunteer project and it is still early. If you know Tulu Nadu, you can help.

  • Tell us how your family does it

    Rituals differ by village, community and house. A short note on how your family does them helps.

  • Write or review

    Draft a page on a subject you know, or check ours for mistakes.

  • Translate

    Translate pages into Kannada and Tulu, or review translations.

  • Photographs and recordings

    Send your own photographs, recordings of songs and paddanas, and old family pictures, if you may publish them.

  • Scholars and institutions

    Point us to sources, correct how we use them, or open an archive.

  • Design and code

    Help with illustration, maps, a searchable glossary and the Tulu script.

Write to namaskara@tulunadu.org

Tell us who you are, what you know and which language you prefer. Every message gets a reply. Please write first. Do not send photographs or recordings until we have agreed how they will be used.

For associations, academies and archives

We would like to work with Tulu associations, academies, universities and archives. They can help us check facts, open their collections and reach elders and readers. The site is independent and non-commercial, and it credits every contribution by name.

Where we are

  1. Research35 topic areas researched, with their sources recorded.
  2. Content plan22 sections mapped down to page level.
  3. DesignVisual identity and the style guide.
  4. First pagesPlaces is open: Kudla, Udupi and Tulu Nadu.
  5. Kannada editionKannada pages go up with the English ones, after review. Tulu is coming soon.
  6. More places, then ritualsThe other towns and taluks, then Rituals of a lifetime.