Introduction
Sacred groves, traditionally known as ‘Kavu’, are seen in many homes in Kerala. These are clusters of trees that are grown together over an area of land. There may be ponds and small water bodies associated with these groves. The area is inhabited by many small animals and birds. Sometimes specific trees are grown and nurtured here, and mostly these groves are associated with religious rites and festivals and would have a presiding deity. Some of these sacred groves are famous exclusively as ‘Sarpa Kavu’, as serpents are worshipped through different rituals on a regular basis.
Origin and History of ‘Kavu’
Sanatana Dharma (eternal principles of living) practised in India for thousands of years considered 'Nature’ to be an extension and expression of the divinity. Even the earliest food-gathering societies that flourished in this land venerated Nature and her resources. In contrast to the present-day consumeristic attitude, earlier inhabitants took only what is necessary from nature and respected and adored every aspect of it through prayers and worship. This tradition of conserving nature can be traced back to pre-Vedic times. Vedic literature is replete with vivid and colourful descriptions of the magnificence and exquisiteness of India‟s forests, rivers, mountains. The ancient sages of Vedic period lived in hermits inside dense forests of surpassing beauty. They created hymns praising rivers, forests and mountains. Of the four parts of Vedic literature (Brahmanas, Samhita, Aranyaka, Upanishads), the third part known as ‘Aranyaka’ means ‘in the forest’, in Sanskrit.
The direction of thought towards sustainability among the ancients can be inferred from the following verse from Atharva Veda (12.1.35) which says, 'Whatever I dig out from you, O Earth! May that have quick regeneration again; may we not damage thy vital habitat and heart.' The Puranas (mythology and folklore) and the itihaasas (including the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata) celebrate the varied flora and fauna of the subcontinent. Later poets like Kamban and Kalidasa also praise the beauty of the forests from these epics.
Our ancestors were well aware of the symbiotic relationship between the ecosystems and the socio-economic institutions. By adoring and worshipping the natural heritage through a cultural link, they designed a system where the needs of conservation are automatically met with. In the post-Vedic period the tradition of worshipping the forest extended to construction and worship of cultural landscapes like sacred groves and sacred forests. The pre-Vedic tradition of adoring and conserving the forests was assimilated and moulded to a new form of construction and worship of sacred groves in the post-Vedic era.
Special aspects of Kavu
These Kavu are the only remnants of the huge evergreen forests that stretched across our lands in the past. A lot of exotic and rare species of plants could be easily spotted in the dense greeneries of sacred groves. The famous combination of ‘Nalppamaram’ (group of four medicinal plants which are Ficus carica, Ficus infectoria, Ficus religiosa and Ficus bengalensis) can often be seen in these Kavus. Ten sacred flowers technically called as ‘Dashapushpam’ etc. may also be identified among these.
Though rarely found in the present day, traditionally sacred groves would have ponds also associated with them. These water bodies adjoining the Kavu are perennial sources of water and they together with the trees growing in the region play an important role in stabilizing the eco-system of the land by conserving the soil and water of the region. The rich debris composition enrich the soil and thus greatly helps the nearest agro-systems. With the presence of trees, waterbodies and flora and fauna of the region, they actually contribute to maintaining a stable microclimate for that particular area. These sacred groves are the abodes of many a living species consisting of reptiles, birds, small mammals, butterflies, snakes etc.
Another distinctive part of a Kavu is the presence of a deity presiding over the area. It is a common belief that the sanctity of this area has to be maintained strictly owing the sacred presence of the divine being. For this reason, people usually entered the groves with utmost respect for cleanliness and purity, and never violated the restriction on cutting down the trees and destroying the wilderness. However these conservation practices varied in different communities and regions. The presence of the deity also perpetuated many cultural traditions practised in the region. A few examples of such cultural ritualistic practices are Theyyam (a folk dance form commonly seen in north Kerala), ‘Sarppapaattu’ (song offering to snakes) etc. Indeed the sacred groves have witnessed multitude of culturally significant social interactions over generations.
Rituals Associated with Sacred Groves
Each sacred grove will have a presiding deity associated with it, who is worshipped either daily or on auspicious occasions. Such main deities commonly associated with sacred groves are Goddess Durga, Nagaraja (Serpent King), Chithrakoodam, Yakshi and Muthappan. They are worshipped through daily pujas (ritual prayers) and lamps are lit near their idols, symbolizing the process to ward off evils spirits and ego of the worshippers. Though this is a common practice concomitant with sacred groves, the customs, rituals and worship of the deities differ from place to place.
‘Sarppaaradhana’ (serprent worship) is one of the customs associated with most sacred groves. It is a common belief that these sylvan areas are abodes of real snakes and subtle forms of snakes. Offering milk and turmeric, termed as ‘Noorum Paalum’, ‘Manjal Abhishekam’ etc. are customary practices of serpent worship. This would be done either daily or on special days symbolically associated with the snakes like, ‘Aaayilyam’ (a particular star linked to snakes) day etc.
Bigger rituals extending for hours are also conducted in these groves on some particular days. ‘Kalamezhuthum paattum’ (drawing colourful floor drawings and songs offering to the snakes), ‘Nagabali’ (snake offering), ‘Sarpabali’ (serpent offering) are some of the main rituals. ‘Kalamezhuthum paattum’ is a ritualistic offering given to the serpents. The floor will be coloured with vivid drawings of three dimensional pictures that represents abstract shapes of the absolute. These floor drawings are in fact a form of tantric worship for which Kerala is famous and the drawings are composed of geometric shapes of triangles, squares and circles, and also, specifically in this worship, curved lines representing the bodies of the snakes. As the worship begin, oral texts are recited where hymns praising the serpents are chanted accompanied with instrumental and verbal musical discourses. The main priest of the event moves around the consecrated floor and sits are particular points of the drawing and chants mantras (divine words) and gives offerings to the deities. A dance ‘muram uzhichil’ (wing dance) follows it and the performer dances in a flexible elegant way, and finally there would be a ‘thiri uzhichil’ (flame dance) which imitates the movements of a hooded snake. The worship would conclude with the rubbing off the floor colour by maidens who do this in a trance state and it is believed that the serpent gods are communing through them.
Destruction of Kavu
Latest surveys from Kerala revels saddening statistics of the sacred grove count having reduced drastically to a mere 2000. Our ancestors often considered Nature as the manifestation of divinity and they revered the Nature including its wilderness and the wide variety of species of animals and birds that co-existed with it. Over the years as consumeristic attitudes took over human minds, trees, birds and animals were considered just as something which could be consumed for the well-being of a human being, or the pleasures of refined society. Priorities changed and co-existence was a mere social terminology. Some decided that the ‘Kavu’ space was a real waste of money and they destroyed the grove and preferred concrete buildings over trees and animals. On the other side, the radical increase in human population also demands more space for their existence on the other side.
Earlier, the only thing that disallowed people from cutting down the trees and selling the land was the presence of the deity inside the Kavu. Now they found a solution to this too. It was to move the subtle form of that deity to some temples and offer prayers at that time on some special occasions. After the deity is moved, the trees were cut down, ponds were sand filled, levelled and the places were either sold out or concrete constructions were made. We could see the custom of preserving sacred groves only in Hindu houses, so when they started selling these areas to other religion people, they get a chance to negotiate and cut down the price of the land, since it comes under sacred groves. Eventually they get these lands for lesser prices. The priority for bio-diversity and conservation of nature bodies lessens over the time.
In Kerala, people used to live together in joint families where there would be a big ancestral home known as tharavaadu (the house where all the families live together). Several generations of people lived together in that house and categorically a sacred grove used to be an inherent part of such family system. As over the years when the joint family system gave way to nuclear family system where only the husband wife and children lived together, people wanted their share of land and money to get separated from the tharavaadu. This led to partition of the tharavaadu and often the sacred grove land goes as a property of land to some of the shareholders. With the family tree growing down demanding more and more space, ultimately a compromise is made where the sacred groves are destroyed in the name of need for more space and money. With no strong cultural belief system and values, the newer generation feel no need to preserve a bio-diverse site.
Threats to Sacred Groves
From region to region and community to community, the threats to sacred groves vary in acute degrees. Yet we could identify and document some of the common threats that is faced by every groves. The most important threat is the destruction done due to the rapid urbanization and developmental projects and interpolations. With the ever-growing population, the need for more space as well the need for infrastructure development through rails, roads and dams construction are indispensable which reflects the growth of the nation as a whole. However there should have been a compromise formula to reduce the destruction of such biodiverse regions like ‘Kavu’. For promoting eco-tourism and pilgrimage, trees were cut out indiscriminately which also proves a major threat. Not to mention here that some of the largest groves in the country were destroyed by the commercial forest infringement.
There was always a traditional cultural element that linked the belief system of people to the conservation of the sacred grove in their area. Dimininishing attachment to the values of this belief system encouraged people to ignore the maintenance and conservation of sacred groves. The metamorphosis of joint families to nuclear families led the newer generation to seize more space for luxurious buildings or homes which eventually resulted in the destruction of such sacred groves. In some regions, the inhabitants were taught that the worship of trees and animals were primitive and the form of worship that befits the present day is the temple worship and this notion sooner or later led to a shift in attitude, where they completely ignore such natural bodies and offer prayers only at temples.
The invasion of exotic weeds such as Eupatorium odoratum, Lantana camara and Prosopis juliflora has also proved a serious threat to some groves. Indiscriminate grazing of cattle, unselective cutting down of firewood trees and even the unavoidable natural calamities have turned out a threat.
How to Create a New Kavu?
Designing and constructing a new Kavu can be done through the following steps.
- Identify the area. This includes finding a suitable area that can be allotted for growing trees and plants.
- There should be a list of trees/plants be ready along with their saplings and seeds ready to be planted at the particularly selected site. It is mandatory that the aspirer do homework on the plants and trees to be selected at the growing site, in consultation with experts with regard to the climate, soil and other natural elements of the selected region.
- A soil test has to be done at the specific area in order to check the viability of growth rate of plants and trees at the specific location. As per the soil test, components can be added to soil that enhances the growth.
- If possible, a space should be allotted to dig a pond or waterbody along with the Kavu area.
- As we have seen, the cultural and spiritual element of the sacred grove is much essential to its existence. Hence, deity installation and the pujas and other rituals should be finalized and conducted.
- Once after planting the trees and the installation of the deities and as the trees and plants have grown sufficiently big, completely leave that area to nature for natural vegetation to happen and for the animals and birds to inhabit.
Conservation of Sacred Groves
In our country, many communities and cultures have traditionally developed strategies for conservation of these nature essentials. These strategies were harmonious to the way of life of those communities. It is time we look back honestly at our ancestral way of harmonious living and find some way to integrate it in the present day of technology. A few things that can be done to help conserve the sacred groves are:
While cutting down the trees and destroying a sacred grove, the presiding deity of that ‘Kavu’ is normally moved to some temples. After moving the deity, people feel free to destroy that sacred area and sell it for money or to erect houses/buildings there. Earlier it was not possible to move the deity to anywhere else and hence it remained a responsibility of the land owner to conserve the sacred area. It is to be made obligatory that the temples cannot home the deity from sacred groves and wherever ‘Kavu’ are still remaining, it should not be cut down at any cost. The different temple board members should proactively discuss on this growing issue and come to a consensus not to receive and house the deities moved from sacred groves.
It should be made a mandate legally that the people who owns ‘Kavu’ shouldn’t be allowed to destroy it or sell it. The government should be able to provide a small emolument to the ‘Kavu’ owners so that they find no financial trouble in maintaining it. Not to mention here that the Kavu maintaining is no big task as we completely leave it to nature.
The government should come up with reward plans to appreciate the efforts of the people who owns and maintains ‘Kavu’ in their lands. These plans could motivate others also to construct ‘Kavu’ in their premises.
In every ancient civilization, their culture and belief systems aided them to live a life in tune with the nature. Nature worship ultimately led to a system where the conservation of this bio-diversity automatically happens. These traditional worship practices symbiotically connected human beings to nature. The local inhabitants protected these rich diversity on grounds of their firm belief in cultural and religious values. Most of the communities considered specific plants, animals, rivers and mountains as manifestation of divinity and protected them. Nobody would spit or urinate in a river when you identify that river as your mother, for instance Ganga Ma (Mother Ganges). Nobody would cut down a banyan tree when you identify that tree with a God and likewise. The evidence of these can be seen even today in the prayers and rituals of forest-dwelling communities. As we progress rapidly towards a more technological era, it’s time to take a break and ponder over the crevice we developed on our relationship with Nature. If we continue in the same ‘consumeristic’ attitude with which we reached the present day, within some more years, all green would vanish, ponds would dry up, animals and birds would go extinct, rainfalls will be scarce and Earth would be a hard place to live for future generations.
There was a colloquial usage in Kerala known as ‘Kaavutheendal’ (polluting the sacred grove). The wise men of Kerala never allowed their descendants to pollute the groves by warning them that if ‘Kaavutheendal’ occurs, it’s going to be a worse time facing us. Scientifically it can be said that as we cut down the trees, it effects the climate and decreases the rain fall density which in turn decreases the amount of water level received and stored in earth which further effects the vegetation which ultimately effects the people who consume it. So if we heedlessly ignore and destroy our natural heritage, with time, it’s going to reciprocate harshly to our future generation itself. Understanding this synergetic relation between human beings and nature, we have to take firm steps to solve things. We should honestly focus our attention on conservation techniques and acknowledge, and appreciate and encourage the efforts of the people who help with the conservation of sacred groves.
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Online Resources
http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/biodiversity/sahyadri_enews/newsletter/i…
http://circle.forest.kerala.gov.in