The origin of Kodavas (Coorgs) in the state of Karnataka, a standing riddle for ethnologists all these years, has finally been cracked. The first genetic study of the community has solved the mystery.

The credit for solving the mystery should go to Coorg-born Prof Buttiyanda Kuttapa Thelma (in picture), widely known as B. K. Thelma. She is a name to reckon with in the landscape of Indian genetics and genomics research.

Carrying out a systematic sampling of the Kodavas from across Kodagu, using the available genetic analyses tools, Thelma and her team have been successful in publishing a scientific paper on the genetic makeup of the Kodavas. She has contributed a chapter in this book.

Prof. Neravanda Veena Poonacha, sociologist, has also made a significant contribution through a chapter. She notes the Kodava socio-cultural heritage is not reducible to genetics or colonial race theories; it has evolved dynamically in history through trade, wars, migrations, and cultural interactions; and the Kodava identity is both unique and interconnected with broader South Indian cultural currents.

Author of this book, Journalist P. T. Bopanna, has written extensively on the origin of Kodavas, based on the findings of researchers.