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{{Short description|Ethnic group in India}}
{{Other uses|Kota (disambiguation){{!}}Kota}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Kotas
| image = [[File:Kota women 1870.jpg|150px]]
| caption = Kota women in traditional clothes circa 1870s
| total = 1203
| total_year = 1974
| languages = [[Kota language (India)|Kota language]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]]
| religions = [[Animism|Kota Religion]], [[Hinduism]]
| related = [[Toda people]] and other [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian]] speakers
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
}}
[[File:Kota Pottery Tribal Museum Nilgiris Nov25 A7CR 09720.jpg|thumb|Kota pottery, Tribal Museum, [[Muthorai Palada|M. Palada]]]]
'''Kotas''', also '''Kothar''' or '''Kov''' by self-designation, are an ethnic group who are indigenous to the [[Nilgiri Mountains]] range in [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]. They are one of the many tribal people indigenous to the region, notably the [[Todas]], [[Irulas]] and [[Kurumbas]]. Todas and Kotas have been subject to intense anthropological, linguistic and genetic analysis since the early 19th century. Study of Todas and Kotas has also been influential in the development of the field of [[anthropology]]. Numerically Kotas have always been a small group, not exceeding 1,500 individuals spread over seven villages for the last 160 years.{{sfn|Ganesh|Rajakumar|Acharya|Vasumathy|2021}} They have maintained a lifestyle as jacks-of-all-trades such as potters, agriculturalist, leather workers, carpenters, and blacksmiths, and as musicians for other groups. Since the [[British Raj|British colonial period]] they have had greater educational opportunities. This has improved their socio-economic status and they no longer depend on providing their traditional services to make a living. Some anthropologists have considered them to be a specialised [[caste]] as opposed to a tribe or an ethnic group.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

Kotas have their own unique language that belongs to the [[Dravidian language]] family but diverged from South Dravidian subfamily at some time [[before the common era]] (BCE). Their language was studied in detail by [[Murray Barnson Emeneau]], a pioneer in the field of Dravidian linguistics. Their social institutions were distinct from mainstream Indian cultural norms and had some slight similarities to Todas and other tribal peoples in neighbouring [[Kerala]] and the prominent [[Nair]] caste. It was informed{{clarify|date=January 2024|reason=Informed how? What, exactly, was 'informed by' fraternal polyandry?}} by a fraternal [[polygyny]] where possible. The religion of the Kota is unlike [[Hinduism]]; it worships non-[[anthropomorphic]] male deities and a female deity. Since the 1940s, many mainstream [[Hindu]] deities also have been adopted into the Kota pantheon and temples of [[Dravidian architecture|Tamil style]] have been built to accommodate their worship. Kotas have specialised groups of priests to propitiate their deities on behalf of the group.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

==Identity==
The Indian government classifies the Kota as a [[scheduled tribe]] (ST), a designation reserved for indigenous tribal communities throughout India that are usually at a lower socio-economic status than mainstream society.<ref name=Wolf/> They also have a special status as a [[particularly vulnerable tribal group]] (PVTG) based on certain socio-economic and demographic indicators.<ref name=Mohanty>{{Harvnb|Mohanty|2003|page=305}}</ref> The Kotas are a relatively successful group that makes its living in varied roles, such as agriculturalists, doctors, bankers and postmasters, for example; they are in both government- and private-sector employment.<ref name=Wolf>{{Harvnb|Wolf|n.d.|loc="Orientation: Identification"}}</ref> A few anthropologists and some members of other local communities consider them to be a service [[caste]] placed in the Nilgiris for that purpose; Kotas themselves do not believe this. They consider themselves to be original inhabitants of the region, whose provision of traditional artisan skills to other Nilgiri tribes was mutually beneficial and non-servile.{{sfn|Wolf|n.d.|loc="History and Cultural Relations"}}

The name Kota is an [[exonym]], a term applied to the group by outsiders; Kotas refer to themselves as 'Kov'. There are a number of meanings attributed to the term, but according to Emeneau,<ref name=E1980240>{{Harvnb| Emeneau|1980|page=240}}</ref> ''ko-v'' meant a male potter and ''ko-ty'' a female potter.<ref name=Mohanty/> Since the 1930s through the efforts of a Kota school teacher, social reformer and activist named [[Sulli Kota]] and his followers, Kotas have transformed their previous traditional relationships away from serving other, so-called high-prestige ethnic groups and upgraded their socio-economic status.<ref name=M1971470>{{Harvnb|Mandelbaum|1971|page=470}}</ref> They still observe their traditional practices.<ref name=Wolf/>

==History==
[[File:Nilgiris Range Bokkapuram Sep22 R16 06380.jpg|thumb|Nilgiris massif, lower elevation was occupied by Kurumbar and Irulas whereas Kotas occupied the higher elevations.]]
Although many theories have been put forth as to the origins of Kotas and Todas, none have been confirmed. What linguists and anthropologists agree is that ancestors of both Kotas and Todas may have entered the Nilgiris massif from what is today Kerala or [[Karnataka]] in centuries BCE and developed in isolation from the rest of the society.<ref name=RB05>{{Harvnb|Reddy|Balaji Rao|1997|page=05}}</ref> According to Friedrich Metz,<ref name=Metz112>{{Harvnb|Metz|1864|page=112}}</ref> a missionary, Kotas had a tradition that alluded to them coming over from a place called Kollimale in Karnatakas. They seem to have displaced the previous Kurumba inhabitants from the higher altitudes to lower altitude infested with [[malaria]]l [[mosquitoes]].<ref name=Metz107>{{Harvnb|Metz|1864|page=107}}</ref>

The Kota tribe shows the maternal [[Haplogroup M (mtDNA)|haplogroup M]] at a frequency of 97 per cent, which is one of the highest in India.<ref name="DK">{{Harvnb|Kumar|2004|page=74}}</ref> Within M haplogroup, M2 lineages are common amongst Dravidian-speaking populations of South India.<ref name="DK" /> The Kota also demonstrate very low admixture rate from other neighbouring groups.<ref name="S54">{{Harvnb|Singh|2004|page=54}}</ref> A 2012 study on the haematological profile of Kota showed that a large segment of the population has a low MCV ([[mean corpuscular volume]]), with high [[mean platelet volume]] (MPV), and [[red blood cell distribution width]] (RDW). Together, these are often indicators of inherited [[haemoglobinopathies]] such as [[thalassemia]]s, and [[sickle cell]] or other [[anaemia]]s. However, several other haematological parameters (for example, [[Red blood cell|RBC]] and [[platelet]] counts) that were measured ruled out these conditions. The investigators suggested that the abnormal MCV, MPV and RDW may instead indicate a genetic propensity to a [[glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency]] ([[G6PD]] deficiency) among this group.{{sfn|Jyothi|Priya|Sanil|Rauf|2012}}

At some point in their history they developed a symbiotic economic relationship with their [[Water Buffalo|buffalo]]-rearing Toda neighbours as service providers in return for Todas' buffalo milk, hides, [[ghee]], and meat. They also had a trading and ritual relationship with Kurumba and Irula neighbours who were cultivators and hunter-gatherers. They specifically used the Kurumbas as their [[Magician (paranormal)|sorcerers]] and as village guards. The origin myth of Kotas postulates that Kotas, Todas, and Kurumbas were all placed in the Nilgiris area at once as brothers by the Kota god.<ref>{{Harvnb|Emeneau|1984|pages=212–213}}</ref> This symbiotic relationship survived until disturbed by the British colonial officers starting in the early 19th century.<ref name=RB05-08>{{Harvnb|Reddy|Balaji Rao|1997|pages=5–8}}</ref><ref name=Watson>{{Harvnb|Watson|Kaye|1875|pages=433–436}}</ref>

Since the early 19th century, British bureaucrats and both Western and Indian missionaries, anthropologists and linguists have spent an enormous amount of time studying the different ethnic and tribal groups of India; of all, the Todas were the most studied, followed by Kotas. Other groups such as Irulas and various groups of Kurumbars were least studied. The study of the ethnic groups of the Nilgiris was instrumental in the early development of the field of [[Anthropology]].<ref name=Hockings>{{Harvnb|Hockings|2008|pages=1–16}}</ref> Although most groups lived in peace with each other and had developed an interdependent relationship, taboos and cultural practices were developed to maintain social distance. According to Metz,<ref>{{Harvnb|Metz|1864|pages=107–109}}</ref> as the original settlers of the highland, Kurumbars were subject to continuous violence including occasional massacres by the Todas and Badagas. According to Kota informants, they had supplied battle drums during periods of war.{{sfn|Wolf|n.d.|loc="Sociopolitical Organization"}}

==Society==
Kotas were settled in seven relatively large nuclear villages interspersed between Toda and Badaga settlements. Six villages were within the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu and the seventh one in the [[Wayanad district]] in Kerala. Kota villages are known as Kokkal in their language and as Kotagiri by outsiders.<ref name="Metz112"/> Each village had three 'kerr' (street) and people from same kerr are not supposed to intermarry, in order to avoid parallel cousin marriage. No social hierarchy was evident amongst the inter- and intra-village kerrs.{{sfn|Wolf|n.d.|loc="Sociopolitical Organization"}}

===Position of women===
Women had a greater say in choosing their marriage partners than in any mainstream Indian villages and also participated in many economic activities. They had the right to divorce.<ref name=Mandelbaum1941-574>{{Harvnb|Mandelbaum|1941|pages=574–583}}</ref> They were also exclusively engaged in making pottery. According to early western observers, unlike Toda women, who were friendly towards visitors to their villages, Kota women maintained their distance from outsiders. Wives of Kota priests played an equally important ritual role in religious functions. Women who became possessed to flute music are called ''Pembacol'' and were consulted during important village decisions.<ref name=Mandelbaum1941-24>{{Harvnb|Mandelbaum|1941|page=24}}</ref> Women also had specialised roles associated with cultivation, domestic chores and social functions.{{sfn|Wolf|n.d.|loc="Economy"}}

===Food===
Unlike Todas, Kotas ate meat and were in good physical condition when met by early anthropologists.<ref name=Watson/> Their traditional food is [[Italian millet]], a grain important throughout arid regions of India, known in the [[Kota language (India)|Kota language]] as {{Transliteration|kfe|vatamk}}. {{Transliteration|kfe|Vatamk}} is served in almost all ceremonial occasions but rice is the preferred daily food. It is served with {{Transliteration|kfe|udk}}, a [[Sambar (dish)|sambar]]-like item made of locally available pulses, vegetables and [[tamarind]] juice. Beef is seldom eaten but eggs, chicken and [[mutton]] are consumed, when available, along with locally grown vegetables and beans.{{sfn|Wolf|n.d.|loc="Economy: Subsistence and Commercial Activities"}}

===Governance===
Prior to colonial era penetration of the Kota area there was little-to-no formal relationships between neighbouring political entities and Kota villages. It is assumed that political entities from Karnataka made forays into the highland, but their control was not permanent. There was no formal differentiation that existed within and outside the village level. Each village had an expectation to meet. The village of Thichgad is famous for its women's song and dance, the funerals are well known in Menad, and the Kamatraya festival and instrumental music are famous in Kolmel.{{sfn|Wolf|n.d.|loc="Sociopolitical Organization: Social"}} Kota village is led by a village headman called ''Goethgarn''. The ''Goethgarn'' from Menad was the head of all the seven villages. Whenever a dispute arose, the ''Goethgarn'' will call a meeting known as a ''kuttim'' with the village elders and decide the solutions. Within a village, the ''Goethga-rn'' and elders decide when festivals are to be held and how to solve problems in the community. Although regular justice is handled through the Indian judicial system, local decisions of Kota cultural requirements are handled by the village ''kut''.{{sfn|Wolf|n.d.|loc="Sociopolitical Organization"}}

==Religion==
Kota religion and culture revolved around the [[Forge|smith]].<ref name=Mandelbaum1941-20>{{Harvnb|Mandelbaum|1941|page=20}}</ref><ref name=Mandelbaum1941-23>{{Harvnb|Mandelbaum|1941|page=23}}</ref> Their major deities are ''[[aiyyanar|A-yno-r]]'' also divided into big or ''Doda-ynor'' or small or ''kuna-yno-r,'' a father god and ''Amno-r'' or mother goddess. Father god is also called ''Kamati-cvara'' or ''Kamatra-ya'' in some villages. Although there were two male gods, there was only one version of the female goddess.{{sfn|Wolf|n.d.|loc="Religion and Expressive Culture"}}<ref name=Watson/><ref name=Wilson/> These gods were worshiped in the form of Silver disks at specific temples.<ref name=Mandelbaum1938-576>{{Harvnb|Mandelbaum|1938|page=576}}</ref> Historians Joyti Sahi and Louis Dumont note these deities may have roots in proto-[[Shaivism]] and [[History of Shaktism|proto-Shaktism]]{{sfn|Sahi|1990}}{{sfn|Sharma|1993}}{{sfn|Dumont|1991}} Pre-colonial contact, Kotas had a number of religious festivals which continued into the immediate post-colonial-contact period. These included praying to their rain god ''kakakaku kana- bado '' or titular deity ''Kamatra-ya''. During the seed sowing ceremony, they used to build a forge and a furnace within the main temple and smiths would make [[votive]] item like axes or gold ornaments to the deity.<ref name=Tribhuwan>{{Harvnb|Tribhuwan|2003|pages=175–176}}</ref> The head priest ''mundika-no-n'' and headmen ''gotga-rn'' usually belong to the particular family (''kuyt'') and it was passed from father to son. ''Mundika-no-n'' is assisted by the ''navya-navkaru'', through whom the god (''so-ym'') communicates with the people while being possessed. ''Te-rka-ran'' could come from any family but ''mundika-no-n'' comes from a specific family in a village.{{sfn|Wolf|n.d.|loc="Religion and Expressive Culture: Religious Practitioners"}}<ref name=Watson/>

Kota [[funeral rites]] consist of two ceremonies. The first one is called Green funeral and concerns cremation of the body. The second ceremony is called a dry funeral and involves exhumation of buried bones from the first ceremony, followed by sacrifice of semi-wild buffaloes. The second funeral is no longer practiced widely.<ref name=Watson/><ref name=Wilson>{{Harvnb|Wilson|2003|pages=97–99}}</ref> Kota temples are unique in being run by a variety of people not restricted to original priestly families.{{sfn|Wolf|n.d.|loc="Religion and Expressive Culture"}}{{sfn|Poduval|1990}}

==Language==
{{further|Kota language (India)}}
Kotas speak the Kota language or ''Ko-v Ma-nt'' and it is closely related to Toda language. It was identified as an independent [[Dravidian language]] in as early as 1870s by [[Robert Caldwell]].<ref name=C>{{Harvnb|Caldwell|1875|page=512}}</ref> It diverged from the common [[South Dravidian]] stock in years BCE. Kota language speakers became isolated and the language developed certain unique characteristics that were studied in detail and by the prominent Dravidian linguist Murray Emeneau. It is informed by maintenance of words that shows strong affinity to [[Archaic Tamil]]. According to Emeneau<ref name=E389>{{Harvnb|Emeneau|1994|pages=389}}</ref> Kotas have been living in isolation since their separation from the mainstream Tamil speakers in years BCE. Emeneau<ref name=E389/> dates the split to the 2nd century BCE as ''[[terminus ante quem]]'' ("limit before which") and was unable to date the period earlier than this in which the split may have happened, but it happened after [[Kannada]] split from the common [[Tamil–Kannada]] stock.<ref name=E389/>

All Nilgiri languages show [[Areal feature|areal influence]] and show affinity to each other.<ref name=E1980>{{Harvnb|Emeneau|1980|pages=78–85}}</ref> Since the reorganization of linguistic states in India, most Kota children study in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] at schools and are bilingual in Kota and Tamil. Previously Kotas were multilingual in Kota, Toda and Badaga languages.<ref name=E1994>{{Harvnb|Emeneau|1994|pages=391–392}}</ref>

===Kota kinship terms===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Kota{{sfn|Wolf|n.d.|loc="Kinship"}}
! English
|-
| Per-in
| Grandfather
|-
| Per-av
| Grandmother
|-
| Ayn
| Father
|-
| Av
| Mother
|-
| Ann
| Elder brother
|-
| Kada-l
| Younger brother
|-
| Kadas
| younger sister
|-
| Akken
| elder sister
|-
|Mamn
|Uncle
|-
|Memm
|Aunt
|}

==See also==
*[[Adivasi]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|3}}

==Cited literature==
{{commons category|Kota (ethnic group in India)}}
*{{Citation|last=Caldwell|first=Robert|title=A comparative grammar of the Dravidian or South-Indian family of languages
|publisher=Trubner and Co|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AfwCAAAAMAAJ&q=kota|year= 1875|oclc=635088088 }}
*{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/religioninindia0000unse/page/n11/mode/2up |chapter=A Folk Deity of Tamil Nad: Aiyanar, the Lord |first=Louis |last=Dumont |title=Religion in India |editor=T. N. Madan |pages=38–[https://archive.org/details/religioninindia0000unse/page/48/mode/2up 49] |date=1991 |url-access=registration |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/religioninindia0000unse/page/38/mode/2up |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Delhi |isbn=978-019-563-0923 |archive-date=24 February 2011 |access-date=28 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224211847/http://www.mylibrary.britishcouncil.org/knowledge-and-society/religion-in-india |url-status=dead }}
*{{Citation|last=Emeneau|first=Murray|title=Language and Linguistic Area: Essays by Murray B. Emeneau |publisher=Stanford University Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qTGsAAAAIAAJ&q=Kota&pg=PA80|year= 1980|isbn=978-0-8047-1047-3}}
*{{Citation| last1=Emeneau| first1=Murray|title=Toda Grammar and Texts|publisher= American Philosophical Society| year=1984| isbn=978-0-87169-155-2| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-B94uj2p4hQC}}
*{{Citation|last=Emeneau|first=Murray|title=Dravidian Studies: Selected Papers |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3-KSgMeRbtAC&q=Kotas&pg=PA391|year= 1994|isbn=978-81-208-0858-4}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Ganesh |first1=Balasubramanian |last2=Rajakumar |first2=Thangarasu |last3=Acharya |first3=Subhendu Kumar |last4=Vasumathy |first4=Sridharan |last5=Sowmya |first5=Sridharan |last6=Kaur |first6=Harpreet |title=Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of Tamil Nadu, India: A Sociocultural Anthropological Review |journal=Indian Journal of Public Health |date=October 2021 |volume=65 |issue=4 |pages=403–409 |doi=10.4103/ijph.IJPH_2_21 |url=https://journals.lww.com/ijph/fulltext/2021/65040/particularly_vulnerable_tribal_groups_of_tamil.16.aspx |doi-access=free |pmid=34975088 |issn=0019-557X}}
*{{cite journal|last=Ghosh|first=Alok Kumar|year=1976|title=The Kota of the Nilgiri hills: a demographic study|journal=Journal of Biosocial Science|publisher=Cambridge University Press|volume=08|issue=1|pages=17–26|doi=10.1017/S0021932000010415|pmid=956200|s2cid=33682820 |url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=1382280|access-date=24 December 2010|url-access=subscription}}
*{{cite journal|last=Hockings|first=Paul|year=2008|title=All Aboard the Nilgiri Express!—Sustained Links between Anthropology and a Single Indian District|journal=History and Anthropology|publisher=Routledge|volume=19|issue=1|pages=1–16|doi=10.1080/02757200802150869|s2cid=162196281}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Jyothi |first1= M. |first2=C. |last2=Priya|first3=R. |last3=Sanil |first4=Arun A. |last4=Rauf |title=Hematological Disorder From The Kota Tribes Of The Nilgiris, India: Novel Research |date=2012 |journal=Asian Journal of Biochemical and Pharmaceutical Research |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=156–162 |url=http://www.ajbpr.com/issues/volume2/issue4/FINAL%2014.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304122319/http://www.ajbpr.com/issues/volume2/issue4/FINAL%2014.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016}}
*{{cite book|last1=Kalla|first1=Alok Kumar|last2=Joshi|first2=P.C.|title=Tribal health and medicine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DDdjLiITmUQC&q=Kota+tribe&pg=PA63|year=2004|publisher=Concept Publishing|isbn=978-81-8069-139-3}}
*{{Citation|last=Kumar|first=Dhavendra|title=Genetic Disorders of the Indian Subcontinent |publisher=Springer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bpl0LXKj13QC&q=Kota+tribe&pg=PA74|year= 2004|isbn=978-1-4020-1215-0}}
*{{cite journal|last=Mandelbaum|first=David|year=1938|title=Polyandry in Kota society|journal=American Anthropologist|publisher=University of California, Berkeley|volume=40|issue=4|pages=574–583|url=http://escholarship.org/uc/item/2pz1m3wt|doi=10.1525/aa.1938.40.4.02a00030|s2cid=159846446 |url-access=subscription}}
*{{cite journal|last=Mandelbaum|first=David|year=1941|title=Culture Change among the Nilgiri Tribes|journal=American Anthropologist|publisher=University of California, Berkeley|volume=43|issue=1|pages=19–26|url=http://escholarship.org/uc/item/0zj0w51k|doi=10.1525/aa.1941.43.1.02a00040|doi-access=free}}
*{{Citation|last=Mandelbaum|first=David|title=Society in India: Volume 1|publisher= University of California Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=igfd9YYCqf8C&q=kota+++sulli&pg=PA470|year= 1971|isbn=978-0-520-01623-1 }}
*{{Citation|last=Metz|first=Friedrich|title=The tribes inhabiting the Neilgherry Hills|publisher=Basel Mission Press, Mangalore|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WHwPAAAAYAAJ&q=Kotas&pg=PA112|year= 1864|oclc=302321001 }}
*{{Citation|last=Mohanty|first=P.K.|title=Development of primitive tribal groups in India
|publisher= Kalpaz Publications|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vVHR13x6fAMC&q=Kota+tribe&pg=PA305|year= 2003|isbn=978-81-7835-024-0 }}
*{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NsPMtQ3UdmYC | title=Travancore Inscription: A Topographical List | publisher=New Delhi: Asian Educational Services | last=Poduval |first= R. Vasudeva | year=1990 | pages=76| isbn=9788120605558 }}
*{{Citation|last1=Reddy|first1=K. N.|last2=Balaji Rao|first2=N.S.|title=Technology, life and livelihood strategies of Tribes of Nilgiris: Past, Present and the Continuum|publisher=S.V. University, Tirupati|url=http://www.sasnet.lu.se/tribalbalaji.pdf|year=1997|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622033057/http://www.sasnet.lu.se/tribalbalaji.pdf|archive-date=2011-06-22}}
*{{cite book |last1=Sahi |first1=Jyoti |title=The child and the serpent: Reflections on popular Indian symbols |publisher=Penguin Group |location=Canada |isbn=978-0140190816 |page=194 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VzpeqN8VrkoC&q=The+child+and+the+serpent:+reflections+on+popular+Indian+symbols |access-date=10 March 2019|date=1 July 1990}}
*{{cite book|first=Shri Pandit Rudrajha |last=Sharma|title=Tattvāloka |volume= 16|year=1993|publisher=Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Educational Trust|page=246|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6H9TAAAAYAAJ}}
*{{Citation|last=Singh|first=R.|title=Social transformation of Indian tribes|publisher= Anmol Publishing Ltd. Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ix4T-qyrhWAC&q=low+admixture+++kota&pg=PA50|year= 2004|isbn=978-81-261-0452-9 }}
*{{Citation|last=Tribhuwan|first=Robin|title=Fairs and Festivals of Indian Tribes|publisher=Discovery publishing house|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JC-014hKeKAC&q=Kota+tribe&pg=PA175|year= 2003|isbn=978-81-7141-640-0}}
*{{cite book|last1=Watson|first1=Forbes|last2=Kaye|first2=John William|title=People of India: A series of Photographic illustrations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ThQFAAAAYAAJ&q=Kota&pg=RA1-PA437|volume=8|year=1875|publisher=India Museum|oclc=316376538}}
*{{cite book|editor-last1=Wilson |editor-first1=Lisa |title=The Living and the Dead: Social Dimensions of Death in South Asian Religions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rC2zWYj6d2sC&q=kota+religion&pg=PA97|year=2003|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0-7914-5677-4}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.everyculture.com/South-Asia/Kota.html|title=Kota |website=Countries and Their Cultures |last=Wolf|first=Richard Kent|publisher=www.everyculture.com|access-date=25 December 2010|date=n.d.}}

==Further reading==
*{{Citation|last=Wolf|first=Richard|title=The Black Cow's Footprint: Time, Space and Music in the Lives of the Kotas of South India |publisher=University of Illinois Press|year= 2006|isbn=978-0-252-03116-8}}
* {{cite thesis |title= Investigating Kota Tribal Ethnography Through Folklore Analysis |last=Agnisri |first=S. |publisher=SRM Institute of Science and Technology |date=2025 |hdl=10603/669608 |type=PhD |url=https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/669608}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190402202304/http://hellomyexpert.com/breekschatter/summer2012/2012/06/30/the-kotas-jamuna-raju-89/#comment-37 Pictures and Videos of Kotas]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175021/http://www.washingtonbanglaradio.com/content/111416110-exquisite-tribal-handicrafts-nilgiris-blue-mountains-india Handicrafts of Kota people]}}
*[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=kfe Ethnologue: Kota, A language of India]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kota People}}
[[Category:Indigenous peoples of South Asia]]
[[Category:Dravidian peoples]]
[[Category:Social groups of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Indian castes]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in India]]

Kota people (India) - Revision history

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