Kakkada Padhinett-(Ashaada 18th):
Ashaada
Kakkada Padhinett-(Ashaada 18th): On the 18th day of “Kakkada” month, “maddhu soppu” a wild herb’s leaves are said to contain 18 varieties of herbal medicine as the plants emit a sweet aroma only on that day. Maddhu soppu is plucked and boiled in water to get the aromatic juice which will be in dark violet colour. Cakes and sweet porridge is prepared from this juice and consumed. Kakkada is a month in the Kodava calendar falling between July 17th and August 16th during the monsoon season amid heavy downpour, biting cold and dark cloud cover. Kakkada is nothing but Ashada of the Kannadigas, Aati of the Tulvas and Aadi of the Tamils. The 18th day of Kakkada month is celebrated as the festival pertaining to Ayurvedic herbs. Kakkada month in Kodava calendar in Coorg, is one considered of the significant and auspicious days. aati soppu, kakkada paayasa. On the 18th day of kakkada, a sweet dish is prepared using the juice of a particular variety of plant called ‘maddh thopp’ which yields a dark purple juice when crushed. The juice is darkest during ‘kakkada’, indicating that its medicinal value is at its height. The dish is called ‘maddh kool’. It is believed that the plant has 18 kinds of medicinal values on the 18th day of ‘kakkada’. It is a tradition for every household to make ‘maddh kool’ on the 18th day of ‘kakkada’.
