Did you know?

Long before modern conservation laws, Dravidian communities protected biodiversity through kavu (sacred groves), which were patches of virgin forest dedicated to ancestral deities where harming trees or wildlife was strictly forbidden. Many originated in prehistoric times as burial or memorial sites of clan founders. By marking them as sacred, communities ensured that the forest quite literally grew from their ancestors, making its protection a safeguard of lineage itself. Today, these largely undisturbed spaces preserve a rich genetic reservoir of plant species that might otherwise have been lost to agricultural expansion. Within the kavu, Theyyam becomes a living bridge, where the performer transcends the human self to embody the primal spirit of the grove, entering a trance and offering blessings on sacred days.