Karnataka - Bijapur   

This Bijapur village is a land of horses

Suresh Bhat

HIS TRANSPORT: A man travelling in his horse-drawn cart.

BIJAPUR: Forty km southwest of Bijapur is Kilarhatti, the land of horses. There are over 3,000 people in the village. Except for two families — one from the Lambani community and another belonging to the Banajiga caste — all others are Kaadu Kurubas.

The village is not close to the Maharashtra border, but it is full of Marathi-speaking folk. They speak Marathi with a peculiar accent.

There are no records to show how they came here, but it is believed that their roots are in Pandarapur, Jivur, Jatth, Male and other places in Maharashtra. They continue to have ties with people living there.

What has made these people distinct is that they still use horse as a major means of transport.

If bullock carts are predominant in surrounding villages, horse-drawn carts are everywhere in Kilarhatti.

One may not find cows in all houses, but every family has domesticated horses. There is no clear explanation why they domesticate horses in such a large number.

"Most of us know horse riding. Many among us go to weekly markets and jatras in surrounding areas on horseback. They are our trusted `vehicles'. Horses can also take rough paths," Taayappa Bise, a youth, said.

"Wherever there are roads we usually take horse carts. They don't take heavy loads as bullock carts do, but they are faster than bullock carts," said Maruthi Pandre, another youth.

Now many of the horses have gone to different places with their masters.

As their main job is sheep rearing, most families temporarily migrate to other places in the State and Maharashtra, where they can get enough fodder. Those who migrate with their sheep and goats also take four or five horses, which carry household goods.

During night they camp in agriculture fields. When the sun rises, the fields are full of animal droppings that enhance soil fertility. The landlords give the shepherds something, usually foodgrains. The shepherds usually come back to their native place before the onset of monsoon.

In the olden days, people in their native places did not have contact with shepherds who camped in far-off places. But in recent years, the families do contact their members over phone, occasionally. There are a few phone connections in the village, and some even have cell phones, says Parvathi Bai.

Most of the villagers have small land holdings. They also earn money through sale of horses, sheep and goats.

For decades, the village had no proper road link, but now there is an asphalted road thanks to the Prime Minister's Gram Sadak Yojana. There is a primary school, but children have to travel at least five km to go to high school. There are some kirana shops and a flour mill. But for medical treatment, they have to undertake a long journey.

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