A sacred grove that is a storehouse of rare fauna and its strong bond with residents

Kasampatty villagers fear tourism impact on sacred grove, a biodiversity site rich in rare flora and rituals.

The sun is scorching and the newly laid road from Kasampatty village to Melur sizzles. But Manian walks barefoot, clutching his well-worn slippers in hand. On one side lies Veera Kovil, the 4.97-hectare sacred grove, and on the other are mango orchards. Till he crosses the sacred spot, he scurries with his head bowed, not daring to look amid the thick vegetation where the deity resides. For villagers living in this lush valley at the foothills of Alagar Kovil, Veeranan is a ‘kaval deivam’, a folk deity who has been guarding the village for more than 800 years. The Tamil Nadu government’s recent notification declaring the Kasampatty (Veera Kovil) sacred grove the State’s second Biodiversity Heritage Site has catapulted this rural area into the limelight, and it has sent ripples of disquiet among this mainly agrarian community. “No one from the government came to inform us of such a proposal,” says Rasa, a villager. “Any decision should have been made only after consulting us,” he says.

The villagers fear the biodiversity site tag would spur tourists to visit this spot. “We are not at all for this as it will only desecrate our sacred grove,” says a villager. The deity, Veeranan, is very powerful and to keep the place where he resides sacred, various rituals and taboos are being followed, they say. “We have kept the place safe for ages and we will keep it safe for future generations; we don’t see the need to preserve it by naming it a Biodiversity Heritage Site,” says one of them.

According to legend, one of their ancestors, Pattavan, was buried at the spot. He became a deity for the villagers. Later, a deity, Veeravan, who came along, had a show of strength with Pattavan. Pattavan lost a bet and Veeravan became the guardian deity for the villagers on the stretch. Only men from a certain family can enter the sacred grove and perform rituals. The temple festival is held around May once in three years. But no women are allowed. It is a male-only festival, with the rituals beginning in the evening and ending at midnight. An interesting part of the rituals is that one male member has to stand on one leg till they get over. After the rituals, a goat is sacrificed, and it is eaten within the sacred grove; no part of it is taken to the village. These social practices, along with the fear of Veeranan’s wrath, have resulted in the formation of taboos. Even a leaf is not plucked from the grove, nor is a dead twig taken from there for fuel. It is a virgin territory where human movement is restricted and the forest regenerates itself.

According to P. Vasunathan of Dhan Foundation, there are 120 sacred groves in the Natham belt itself and 1,750 in Tamil Nadu. Why only Kasampatty was selected as a Biodiversity Heritage Site? The answer, according to environmentalist Karthikeyan Parkavithai, lies in the fact that this sacred grove has an intense and intimate connection with the people. Even after so many ages, there has been no change in their practices and it has helped to preserve the grove, a repository of rare fauna. “It was here for the first time that I saw ‘Kavalai Kodi’, a creeper mentioned in the Sangam literature. It is almost extinct in other parts. Similarly there are numerous medicinal herbs, such as ‘Aavarai’, ‘Pirandai’, ‘Virali’, ‘Kaatu Sundai’, and ‘Nethram Poondu’, besides native tree species such as ‘Azhinjil’, ‘Velliruvai’, ‘Vayapurasu’, and ‘Nowgu’,” he says. He highlights two important trees: ‘Etti’ and ‘Oduvan’. They are highly poisonous. But when their extract is added with other medicinal plants, it turns into an antidote for snake bites.

But even the local native healers do not enter this sacred grove to source ingredients for their potion. With the mother plants inside the sacred grove, the area surrounding it is also rich in medicinal plants, thanks to dispersal of seeds. It is from these spots that the local healers gather their raw materials. “If these native species that are becoming obsolete in various other places still thrive in this part of Alagar Kovil, it is because of the villagers who have protected this rich biosphere with religious sanctity. It is a rich gene bank,” says Mr. Karthikeyan.

The sacred grove is located more than a kilometre away from the village, but its presence is palpable in the village. Last month, the villagers petitioned the Dindigul Collector that the government should not declare the grove a biodiversity site, fearing the Forest Department would impose restrictions on their entry.

For the past few years, the villagers have been facing issues with Forest Department officials, who, they allege, have restricted their entry into the reserve forest. The village elders say it has been customary to get holy water from two waterfalls in the reserve forest. To reach these falls, about 10 km within the ranges, they walk barefoot. This water is used in rituals and is sprinkled over the deities. But Forest Department personnel are restricting their entry of late, the village elders say. The villagers fear that within a few years, their entry into the sacred grove could be restricted.