Inside Kaavus

In the last 4 months, I have seen many more Kaavus (sacred groves). The Kaavus I have seen are all very different from each other. There are new Kaavus and old Kaavus. Some Kaavus have only one tree with a stone, which is the god. Then there are also some with many trees and many stones. Some Kaavus are in tea estates or arecanut plantations, and some are in vayal (wetland/swamp) or grassland. When I go to a Kaavu, I meet the Karnavar (traditional elder) and ask him some questions. I ask how and why they select a particular place for Kaavu. I also ask him about the importance of water sources, stones, and trees in the Kaavu. In this blog, I am going to tell some of the things I have learnt about these from the Karnavars.

Kaavu in a tea estate

In olden days the Adivasi people lived together on small plots of land. They did not bother about land and education. They went for coolie work and lived peacefully. Kalan Anna told us that in those days the Paniya Kaavus were found when a group of people from the village went to catch crabs or fish or to collect firewood from the forest. Sometimes one person in the group would get God on him. Then after going home, he would get God on him again. The god would tell him to arrange shelter for the god and take care of it. Only then could he and his family live peacefully. Then that person and the village people go to the place where he got God first. There they remove small bushes, put stones under the big trees and clean the place. That’s how some Paniya Kaavus started. The person who gets the god on him becomes the first Karnavar of that Kaavu.

Stones (gods) in kaavus.

Sometimes there are natural stones, and sometimes they look for stones which look like God. Once my hechi (grandmother) told me that she took a vessel with water and added turmeric to it and put one stone that looked like God into the vessel. The next morning, the stone had absorbed all the water. That is how she knew that the stone was God. When I first started going to the Kaavus, I saw that there are usually one or more big trees and a water source. Chandu Anna from Kozhikolly village told me that the main trees in the Kaavu should have milk because gods like milk. If the trees don’t have milk, they should at least provide shade to gods. The water source can be a stream or a pond. Some water sources are naturally there and some are made in the Kaavu. In Kangamoola, Thodan’s elders made one small pond by digging the vayal.

Water source made inside a kaavu.

Inside a Kaavu, the trees, stones and water belong to the gods. When I went to Verkadavu Kaavu there was one big mango tree which had been there for many generations. It was the main tree. I wanted to know what happens when the main tree falls or dies. So I asked the Karnavar, Kutty, if he would plant another tree in such a case. He told me that this tree would never fall because God would not let it. In his view, the tree would live forever. Nobody can cut the trees or take firewood from a Kaavu. Even if the firewood is dry, the Paniyas will take permission from the gods.

There are rules for using water in the Kaavu also. The water from the water source in the Kaavu can be used for cooking and bathing only during Kaavu pooja. But they cannot take water out of the Kaavu to their home or anywhere else. The stone is also holy. Once my friend, Subin, sat on a stone in the Kaavu. A small boy came and told us not to sit on the stone because sitting on this stone means that you are sitting on God.

My friend Subin sat on a stone (God) in the photo.

Some Karnavars have seen birds coming to the tree not only to eat fruits but also to take rest. Since a lot of the Kaavus are in tea estates, there are no trees for birds to take rest. But if there is a Kaavu in the estate, they can relax there. Onan, the Karnavar of Karkapalli Kaavu said that birds also come to play and take baths in the stream in the Kaavu. Animals come for shade. Once I saw a Malabar giant squirrel in a Kaavu in Cholady. Three Paniya boys, who had come to show me the Kaavu, told me that the squirrels come regularly to eat the fruit of the wild neem tree in the Kaavu. In some Kaavus, palm trees are growing naturally. Kalan Anna says that they let these trees grow because squirrels love their fruit.

Malabar giant squirrel in the Cholady Kaavu.

I am waiting to see more Kaavus because I think I should learn more about them. A few experts are coming next week to survey the biodiversity in some of our Kaavus. They are also going to teach us to carry out these surveys. I am excited.

-Dhanesh Kumar