History of Coorg Province The Coorg Province was located in the Western Ghats between the princely state of Mysore and Malabar. After the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire in 1565, many native rulers declared their sovereignty. Vira Raja, a member of the ruling family of Bednur relocated to the region of Haleri, which was in the northern part of Coorg. Eventually he gained dominance over other nayaks in the territory. His brother Muddu Raja moved the capital to Madikeri in the year 1681. Muddu Raja had 3 sons who belonged to the 3 branches of the Wadiyar family who reigned over Coorg until the annexation of the Coorg state in the year 1834. The British army invaded the region of Coorg in March, 1834 and the native ruler accepted the supremacy of the British administration. During this period, the province covered a total area of 2,100 sq m and comprised of a total population of 125,000 in the year 1851. The state of Coorg or Kodagu was created out of the region of the erstwhile Coorg Province that was incorporated into the Union of India, after the country achieved independence from the dominion of the British Government of India on 15th August, 1947. The territory of Coorg was administered as one of the provinces of India, until it was formed as a Class C State and renamed as Coorg State on 26th January, 1950, located in the newly independent Republic of India. Such type of Class C State was under direct rule of Central Government of India. In the year 1956, when the borders of Indian states were reorganized and restructured, Coorg was incorporated as a part of the then Mysore state. The former state of Mysore was eventually renamed as Karnataka state, and the historically significant territory of Coorg became a part of the district of Kodagu of Karnataka state. |