@article{U_s_2010, title={The Vanishing Sacred Groves ("Kavus") in the ’God’s Own Country’ and its Ecological Significance}, volume={5}, url={https://journals.christuniversity.in/index.php/atna/article/view/565}, DOI={10.12727/ajts.5.7}, abstractNote={<p><em>Kavu" or the holy </em>Sarpa <em>Kavu (meaning Sacred </em>Grove <em>of the Serpent) is </em>a typically <em>small traditional grove </em>of <em>trees seen in the Kerala state of South India. These pristine </em>groves <em>usually have representations </em>of several Naga Devatas <em>(serpent gods), which were worshipped by the joint families or big houses (taravads). This was part </em>of Nagaradhana <em>(snake worship) which was prevalent </em>among Keralites <em>during past centuries. The kayos’ represent the </em>locally <em>deep-rooted tradition of worshipping plants, animals and </em>local <em>deities. They are mostly concentrated in Kerala’s entire region especially in the North </em>Malabar <em>region. The kavus; however, are facing threats </em>byway of <em>changes in values as well as </em>socio-economic <em><em>pressures, despite the weight of</em></em></p> <p class="Style1"><em>traditional beliefs </em>and <em>rituals </em>associated <em>with them. </em>Large scale <em>conversion </em>of land, <em>decline </em>of <em>traditional </em>agrarian values, socio­economic factors, population pressure and shortage of land have already <em>made </em>a <em>dent on the rich ecosystem of ’kavus’. </em>A <em>large number </em>of ’sarpa <em>kavus’, that </em>were protected and <em>maintained </em>by upper caste <em>communities, </em>disappeared, due to <em>the disintegration of families that protected </em>them. <em>In some cases, this led </em>to <em>their renovation and conversion </em>into temples. <em>There are reports stating that the </em>’kavus’ suffered large <em>scale </em>degradation in the state due to <em>high </em>percentage of <em>settler </em>migration. <em>These rich </em>ecological <em>repositories that </em>also <em>function </em>as traditional <em>water-harvesting system </em>are not <em>being given due </em>importance. Most <em>of </em>the <em>’kavus’ </em>are located near agricultural lands; <em>this indicates their </em>role <em>in </em>an agrarian society. <em>Most </em>of <em>the ’kavus’ have </em>perennial water resources rich in organic matter that enhance fertility of agriculture <em>lands. Community </em>protection alone can save the ’ kavus’. Only <em>through solid initiatives, it’s possible to create awareness about ’kavus’ </em>ecological value <em>among the </em>communities <em>(stakeholders); </em>traditionally protecting the <em>’kavus’ </em>and <em>the </em>public. Sanctity of <em>the ’kavus’ may </em>have <em>been sustained by beliefs. </em>No <em>less important is their protection by highlighting their </em>ecological importance.</p>}, number={1}, journal={Atna Journal of Tourism Studies}, author={U, Umesh and s, Sheena}, year={2010}, month={Dec.}, pages={70-84} }